26. Mercy

There was a tense pause after Alpha's statement, a pause that seemed to stretch on forever with him breathing against my ear, his scent(oddly enough it reminded me of a garden; flowers and clean air) hanging over me. My own breathing was even, but I knew if my lungs were working right, they would've been expanding and contracting faster and my heart's steady thump thump thump would've been a racing gallop. As it was, I was just another puppet whose strings were in Alpha's hands.
How could I have been so stupidly consumed by anger that I'd rushed straight into the maniac's palm?
After all, if he could be harmed, Kane would've gotten to him way before me.
A bark of bitter laughter broke through the stifling quiet.
Behind us. Kane.
Alpha moved away from me, sliding his blue gaze to his cousin- and it was like the spell had come undone. The arm that had been standing in the air, tense and stone still suddenly dropped like an anchor. My knife fell to the floor and there was a flood of feeling-racing heart, blood rushing with adrenaline, head pounding- as my body returned to me. I gasped as if I'd been the one being choked, and in a way, that's exactly how it felt like.
I stumbled away from Alpha, the bells in my hair jingling with the movement, body tense, expectant- and feeling another flood of gratitude when he didn't seize control of me again.
He was staring at Kane, who was sneering back.
"Did you honestly think if I cared about Ember I'd treat her the way I did? That I wouldn't have tried to kill you when you threatened my mate?" Kane scoffed. "Do whatever you like with her, it doesn't matter to me."
Werewolves are good at smelling out lies, it's usually in the small details humans can't detect. An irregular heartbeat, perspiration that wasn't there before or even a twitch of one of the eyes. It's a handy trick, but it also means most werewolves don't lie...and the ones that do are very good at it. If it weren't for the fact that I'd heard Kane clearly telling me to run earlier, I would've believed him now without a doubt. He was that convincing.
Was he trying to make it seem like he didn't care so Alpha would leave me alone? Whatever the reason it was moot point anyway, I wasn't the only one who was unconvinced.
Alpha was shaking his head, that crazed grin twisting his princely face into a nut job's. "I've been bored for a good two years waiting for you to give in, but I have found ways to entertain myself." He folded his hands behind his back, tilted his head slightly. "I've seen a woman willingly consume cyanide to save her child, a man tearing out his own fingers to feed a pack of rabid wolves so they wouldn't eat his wife-"
He smiled apologetically at my horrified look. "I was bored. People will do the craziest things for the people they love- but only two kinds of people will cast everything away for love's sake. The stupid ones and the desperate ones."
Kane folded his arms, regarded Alpha coldly. "Are you done with the chatter?"
"Almost. We both know you aren't stupid. When I offered to release you in exchange for playing this game, you could've attacked me, yes, and gotten yourself killed in the process. Stupid choice that would've ruined my fun and perhaps spared Ember. But again, you aren't stupid. After I killed you, who's to say I wouldn't go after our precious Emy afterwards?" He raised a finger, voice taking on a gleeful tone. "But you went along with my game and rules, meanwhile searching for a creature immune to my compulsion. Or creatures, I should say. The fae woman succumbed, but actually resisted me for a good while."
"What did you do Aster?" I growled.
"Nothing as bad as the hybrid," he replied, still watching Kane. "You said you don't care about what I do to her? Alright, then I'll go ahead do what I want." He bent down, picked up my fallen knife. "But in case you've changed your mind, I think I could let Emy here leave without a scratch if you get on your knees and beg for mercy."
"You want him to kneel?" I asked incredulously, trying to laugh but instead releasing a haggard, disbelieving yelp.
Maybe I was actually the one who had gone mad, maybe the party was still going on while I was busy hallucinating about all this. Where did crazy people end up after they've lost their minds anyway? Did they drift from one realistic dream to another, forever lost in a sea of madness? Were they even aware of their insanity? Was Alpha aware of the insanity in his request? He was asking Kane Wilder, king of infinite arrogance and douchebags to lower his knees to the floor in front of another being besides himself.
"That's ridiculous," I said.
Alpha closed an eye, studying the knife from different angles. "Life is ridiculous, honey. I'll allow Ember control of your vocal cords, that way she'll be able to scream as loud as she wants. Unless there's something you'd like to do, Kane?"
Kane pressed his lips into a firm line.
Alpha started towards me, twirling Aster's blade in his hand expertly. "Choice made I see. Cutting time then. Chop, chop, chop."
I felt it, his magic, swirls of smoke caressing my body like a lover's touch, beginning to sink its claws into me once more. I wasn't going to scream, I decided. No matter what.
"Don't touch her."
Alpha stopped, directed a raised brow at Kane. Mouth dry, I followed his line of sight. Kane was slowly lowering himself to the floor- right in front of his whole pack. His expression remained stoically imperious, even as he went down.
That's when I heard Ian's voice, as I apparently did whenever I was in serious life or death kind of trouble.
"Shit is real, Em," Ian said, "time to make a choice."
So I did.
"Get up."
The venom in my voice was apparently the right amount, but maybe it was the dash of resignation that had Kane straightening, surprise on his face. A similar expression Alpha wore as I stalked over to him and grabbed the collar of his shirt, pulling him down to my height.
"A real alpha uses his own strength to conquer," I hissed, staring balefully into his eyes. "Or aren't your claws sharp enough?"
"I am using my own strength," he said, holding up his right fist, the one with the knife in it, and tapping the onyx ring on his index finger.
It was a simple ring, no particularly special pattern or gem on it- but there was...an aura about it. Not evil, or good either, but... limitless. I don't know what that meant but I do know just looking at it made me uneasy. But I knew that was the missing piece, the thing that had made me so uneasy after meeting him the first time. This was what was letting him use magic. With that thought came another realization: if I could get him to take it off somehow then this whole circus would end.
I forced myself to remain calm and snorted at him. "You call using an enchanted item to bring an alpha to his knees your own strength? How very macho of you."
He frowned and I pulled him closer, until our noses were practically touching. Too close for comfort, but it also made it seem like I wasn't afraid of him and that was good.
"How about taking off the ring and playing a game with me?" I whispered. "Just you and me."
I had him. It was in his brow, the furrow that said I'd offended his pride, the grin that made an appearance to hide that fact and- most of all- the eager gleam in his blue orbs.
"Okay," he agreed. "You get to the roof intact in twenty minutes before I kill your fae friend and you win. I'll back off and leave all of you alone. But if you don't get there in time I'll kill her and everyone else."
He wanted me to bet on Aster's life. But what other choice did we have? Stand back and let him use all of us like toys until he broke us? And if Aster was injured and alone up there while we were getting slaughtered down here, wouldn't her life still be forfeit?
She'd want you to do it.
The fingers fisting his shirt clenched. "Deal. But you take off your ring."
A pause.
"No."
He moved swiftly, striking out like a cobra and suddenly the knife was burying itself into my neck.
Well, that was the last time I was going to try and negotiate with a maniac.
And then I was falling.