The Alpha’s Contract

Dane

Cassandra coughs as my fingers tighten against her throat. Her own fingers desperately clawed at my hands, hoping that I would free her.

“Are you growing it?” I demand, releasing my grip, just enough to allow her to speak.

“No.” She croaks.

“Then how did you get your hands on some? Is it Trey or the other fucking idiot that's growing it?”

“I found it!” she mutters hoarsely

“Bullshit!”

“It’s not…..It’s not bullshit!” She splutters, "It's...it's true!"

“Who were you trying to kill? Me or her?” I demand

There is movement behind me and from the corner of my eye, I see Neah step forward.

“Was it you?” Neah whispers

“Don’t speak to me, RAT!”

“Answer her!” I slam her body into the wall again. Feeling some of her bones crack as she yelps in pain

“I don’t ....know what she is talking about.” she gasps

“Let me clear things up for you. Her parents were killed with Blood of Wolfsbane. The murder was pinned on her. A six year old. Your husband claimed she should have known the difference between plants. But you already know all this. So again, did you kill her parents?”

"Answer her!" I slam her body into the wall again. Feeling some of her bones crack as she yelps in pain

"I don't ... know what she is talking about." she gasps

"Let me clear things up for you. Her parents were killed with Blood of Wolfsbane. The murder was pinned on her. A six year old. Your husband claimed she should have known the difference between plants. But you already know all this. So again, did you kill her parents?"

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY MATE!" Trey comes charging in, sending me crashing into Neah.

Her blue eyes lock with mine as I land on top of her small frame. She lets out a gasp as my chest hits hers and in that moment, I knew that what Aero is saying is true. There was no doubt about it, she was my mate.

'Told you!' Aero mutters smugly

But it still didn't explain how she could be mated to two people at once.

I get to my feet and round on Trey. He was raging about me pinning his mate and was checking the marks on her neck.

Slowly, he straightens up. "How fucking dare you come in to my home and attack my mate!"

"Can you not smell the blood of wolfsbane?" I snap at him

He clenches his teeth together. "She was alone, she was protecting herself!"

"I came here for answers. Not a war. But if a war is what you want, then I am only too happy to provide."

Suddenly, he holds his hands up, realising that I meant exactly what I was saying "It was a mistake, she shouldn't have done it. But even you, Alpha Dane, must see that my mate felt the need to protect herself."

"Now the problem we have is that, the contract stated if you were to hurt Neah again, this pack would become mine."

"She didn't hurt her though. I assume because you have tipped it on the floor that you figured it out before any damage was done." His eyes shift to Cassandra who was still sitting on the floor, rubbing her neck. "She didn't break any rules, thankfully."

'He has found his own fucking loophole.' Aero growls.

He had. For the first time since I had started creating contracts, Trey was the first to find his own loophole.

"I'm sure we can talk about this... misunderstanding." Trey mutters. He turns to his mate. "Leave us." "I'm not leaving."

"Let her stay." I mutter. "Let her stay and give away all of your secrets."

I sit back down, watching them both. My eyes flicker to Neah and I hold a finger to my lips. She nods her head, acknowledging that I didn't want her to speak, but to listen. To listen to all the lies she had been fed over the years.

"Where's the other one?" I ask. Cassandra said Kyle and Trey were hunting together, but Trey had arrived alone.

"He's coming." Trey mutters with a clenched jaw.

"Good, while we are waiting. I want you to tell me who really killed your parents, Trey."

His eyes flicker to my mate. "I already told you."

"But it's not the truth, is it? The fact your mate tried to poison us with the same shit, makes me think that it was her, or at least both of you?" "It was Neah! And what does it matter? You have taken her as a bride, you clearly don't care about the things she has done in the past."

"Because it is not true. Now you can keep denying it as much as you want, but I know it was one of you." My eyes flash to Cassandra, "Or maybe both of you were involved."

Cassandra drops her eyes at the mention of both of them.

"Did you both plan it together?" I ask directly. "Were you so desperate to become an Alpha that you killed your own parents?"

I see how his cheeks pulsate as he clenches his jaw.

"If you did, then that is your own issue, but to pin it on a child and punish her the way you have is unfair. But I'm guessing if the rest of the pack found out the truth about it, they wouldn't think of you as a leader, but as a traitor. There would be no place for you in this pack."

"What do you want?" He snarls

"Tell me the truth."

"Don't!" Cassandra cries

"Shut up!" I growl at herText property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Trey turns to look at Neah. "You did kill them. But it wasn't supposed to be them. You were too young to remember, you were supposed to have taken the poisoned lemonade to Cassandra's parents. But you took the jug and served our parents first."

I watch Neah, blink back the tears. Her hands ball into fists as she slides them under her legs until she is sat on them.

"So you punished her for your actions?"

"I had too. She served them and there were too many witnesses." He sinks into a chair. "I couldn't let her go unpunished."

"And yet, you still let everyone beat her, including yourself. Was binding her not enough?"

"Then the stupid cow should have followed instructions!" Cassandra snaps.

Everything Neah had told me about Cassandra's attitude changing made sense. She had tried to befriend Neah and get her to do her dirty work. It was all a ploy.

"So let me get this straight, if she had killed your parents, you would never have tormented my bride?"

Neither one of them answer me.

"I thought as much."

I was waiting for Aero to say something, but all he does is pace in my mind. I think he was just trying to hold it together until he got more information. "You may be angry with me, Alpha Dane, but it's in the past. We want to move forward and have a strong alliance with your pack. I know there is bad history between us and my sister, but we can move on from that. Can't we?"

"Bad history?" I snort. "You made her life hell."

I look over to my mate, who is staring down at her lap. And I had a demanding need to get revenge for her. For everything that had ever happened to her, I wanted them all to pay. Every last Wolf of Moonshine would feel my wrath.