An ownership?

Vlad did everything to avoid the intense stare Luciano threw at him.

He had heard before how women would say that one's glare could make their skin crawl, and now, he had a chance to experience the feeling. Eyeing the living room, Vlad noticed how plain the interior was - it was clear that the Alpha had no intentions to stay around for longer than needed.

No photos of loved ones or even a personal object laying around - just another basic house the Council granted their guests.

Shifting in his seat, Vlad cleared his throat, quickly changing the topic: “Listen, back at the Council mansion; you mentioned something about the importance of who Dominic is. Could you explain the reason why my friend could be so interesting to you?” He raised an eyebrow, biting onto his bottom lip.

Even though both of them still stood before equal chances for the crown - only an idiot could hope that they stood a chance against Luciano Vincent.

“Right, about that. Well, we had to face the fact that Seth managed to sleep with me and you both. I won't shame her for the decision, nor will I ever try to make her feel bad about that, but.. there's a but.” As if intentionally, Luciano dragged the answer, smirking like a mad-man.

The crazed look in his eyes, the canines - slightly brushing against his lips made the Alpha look truly terrifying. No wonder so many people feared Luciano without him giving them a reason for panic.

Most of the time, he appeared to be emotionless, quiet, and all people could get from him were the occasional cold glares. However, now, the Alpha seemed to be rather amused - as if Vlad was just another toy for his mind games.

“I have enough time, but I'd really like to find out whatever you know about my friend before both of us die out of starvation here. We can't spend weeks or even months sitting on the couch and waiting for the moment when you'll decide to come clean. Don't be so stubborn, and neither will I.” Vlad leaned forward, pushing elbows against his knees to support the body weight.

Perhaps his body language could give Luciano a hint or two about how interested he was in their conversation and the possibility of building a plan.

While both of them sat like morons, speaking about any other detail that didn't matter at the time - Seth could be anywhere, possibly even on the other side of the Earth.

Vlad didn't enjoy the thought of sharing the woman if it came to the point. It wasn't as if Luciano ever spoke about it out loud, but the Alpha knew - Vincent wouldn't be any less willing to share than he was.

Going against one of the most powerful wolves was a suicide, so Vlad decided to keep a low profile and try to gain some more information.

Sighing, his eyes met Luciano's - ones full of mysterious anger and a hint of mischievous flame dancing in them. Vlad eyed his opponent, wondering if Luciano knew more than he was supposed to know, and if, by any means, could he use it against Vlad.

“I'm not stubborn, quite the opposite. If you wouldn't interrupt me, I might explain everything - give you some inside information.” Luciano mirrored Vlad's movements, sitting in the same position.

He had nothing against the other Alpha, at least for now. His feelings, thoughts, and ideas might change as the discussion develops to the point they can reach conclusions. Until then, Luciano still had to keep his eyes and ears open.

“Go ahead, please.” Vlad encouraged the Alpha to speak up, pretending to zip his lips.

Of course, it was quite a childish action for a grown Alpha, but who really cared? Around Luciano, he could act however he wanted.

“The reason why I questioned you about the said friend is quite simple. I might be wrong, of course, but my experience thus far hasn't proved that thing like that happened before. You see, I have a tendency to trust my instincts - as any other wolf should. Dominic was the name?” Luciano raised an eyebrow, watching Vlad's reaction like a hawk.

The Alpha nodded his head, leaning a little closer, clearly showing off his interest. The corner of Luciano's lip lifted, slowly stretching into a smug grin.

“Well, this Dominic might be another problem. You met her the night when Seth and I had something like an argument. I wouldn't call it that, more as her throwing a fit, but it's in the past now. After that, I went to see Seth, but she wasn't home, so my first assumption was that she found a place to stay or perhaps went to see a friend. Both of us know that it was wrong. I should add that I fucking hate being wrong, and so does my wolf. When I finally managed to get her - I found a pile of clothing lying on the cabin floor.”

“It rekt of an Alpha, but for some reason, I couldn't catch the same scent later on in the competition. Honestly, at one point, I thought that you might be the man I was looking for. We met before, next to her cabin. The scent didn't match, but since then, I chose to keep an eye on you - nothing. Needless to say that my gut didn't let me down there - after all, you've slept with her. And so did your friend,” Luciano chuckled.

The surprised look on Vlad's face amused him. The Alpha chose his words wisely, making sure to throw in fewer details, yet make them vivid enough to shock his newfound friend.

Whatever Vlad had going into his mind had to be hilarious, yet the Alpha kept quiet, opening and closing his mouth, unable to speak.

“Let's move on, shall we? We should come up with a plan.” Luciano added, sure that Vlad wouldn't be able to discuss the previous topic anymore.

“We do,” Vlad cleared his throat. “But, we have to change a couple of details probably. Since you decided to tell me the bit about Dominic just now, I should confess. I haven't seen Dominic in a while - since he quit the competition, actually. Don't ask me why he did; he just did.” Vlad let out a deep breath, leaning back against the backrest of the couch.

His hands slid into his hair, eyes closed. The Alpha tried to grasp the details, soon enough figuring out why his friend might have decided to leave.

The title was just as crucial to Dominic as it would be to any other participant, yet he turned his back to the throne even when he still had a chance.

It had to be because of Seth.

Not that he would blame the cat shifter, Dominic was a grown man, responsible for his decisions and actions. Seth might have been just an encouragement to the Alpha to throw it all away - both of them went missing; who said that they didn't leave together?

“Interesting.”

The room fell silent. The type of silence that wasn't soaked in tension - absolute opposite.

Both men sat in front of each other and lost themselves in the waves of thoughts. Vlad kept his eyes shut, trying to recall if he had missed any red flags from his friend.

How did he manage to miss Dominic and Seth sleeping together?

Dominic did arrive late that night, but he wouldn't go around the rooms to check if someone decided to join them for the night. Seth didn't take Dominic's room - she slept in the furthest guest room; he had no reason to approach that.

The next morning Vlad had to leave early, but he met Dominic, and he didn't carry even a bit of Seth's scent. Perhaps Luciano was trying to trick him into hating his friend, building up some bad blood between them, to get rid of the competition?

Then again, Vincent was strong enough to kill them both - he could, at least following the law.

Luciano, on the other hand, didn't let his guard down.

Experience had shown the Alpha that he couldn't trust anyone - even the closest of the closest. Family members would betray each other, driven by greed and lust for power, so a stranger could do the same in a heartbeat.

Vlad seemed deep in thoughts, probably trying to figure out if he could trust the Alpha. He shouldn't. Even Luciano couldn't trust himself, let alone other shifters.

Giving someone utmost trust was the biggest mistake someone could make.

As time went by, both men still didn't continue their conversation. Was there a reason to develop any plan when details as such came to the surface? There weren't two men, aiming to capture the heart of the same woman - now, there might be three.

Plus, Luciano didn't feel even near comfortable about the fact that Dominic had disappeared, God knows where.

Seth had been missing for a while, perhaps she was safe with the guard's family back then, but now she might be running around with the Alpha. The thought itself disgusted Luciano - a territorial wolf such as him wouldn't positively react to such things.

“Are you jealous?” Vlad suddenly questioned Luciano, unintentionally bringing the attention towards himself.

The question wasn't supposed to push any buttons; it was more of the thing one would ask to clear the air between two people.

“Huh?”

“Are you jealous?” Vlad repeated himself, well aware that he shouldn't back away from the question.

He might try, but knowing that Vincent already heard it just played the fool to make Vlad repeat himself, was enough to man up and keep the same energy.

“What makes you think so? Why would I be? Even more - should I be?” Luciano threw back questions of his own, acting a bit amused.

The Alpha stood from his chair, crossing his arms in front of his chest - daring Vlad to challenge him. Their interaction reminded him of something like a game of cat and mouse.

The little mouse would keep on trying to escape while the cat took his time to toy with the terrified animal. It was all just a game, but instead of a cat - they had one of the most powerful werewolves.

“You're lost in thoughts, watching me and zoning out at the same time. Your jaw is clenched, and you broke the beer bottle seconds ago. Your palm might be bleeding. Check on it.” Vlad grinned, matching Luciano's energy.

Showing fear, especially to a wolf that seemed to feed off it, would be a foolish move. He might feel like having a minor heart attack, yet his face wouldn't give out the feeling the slightest.

To kill a monster, you must become the monster yourself - they say. It wasn't quite the same situation; in this case, Vlad tried to befriend the beast.

“I'm not jealous,” Luciano laughed, throwing his head back.

His laughter didn't sound humorous - the sound reminded someone psychotic. The main characters in scary movies - serial killers who laugh as they get ready to kill or finish their business with the victims.

“You're sure?” Vlad tilted his head, raising an eyebrow.

“Absolutely. I'm not jealous; I'm territorial. You see, jealousy is something you feel when you want a person that isn't yours. However, territorial would be when you're protecting what is yours. There is a difference.” Luciano explained, as always - full of himself.

The Alpha stood in front of Vlad as if he expected the world to be grateful for his presence. Most of the time, Vincent looked down on everyone, eyeing them as peasants. Not to much surprise - he did the same thing to other Alphas, deeming them unworthy of his presence in a heartbeat.

“Interesting... But tell me - how does one know that they're protecting what is said to be theirs if they have no idea if they have any ownership over the said person?” Vlad's hand rose to his chin, a finger tapping against it as if deep in thoughts.

This was the first time the Alpha questioned another high-ranked wolf, acting as if they were friends, as if he was absolutely safe, with no consequences whatsoever.

“I didn't mention ownership, did I? There's no such a thing as owning someone. Each person has to be free enough to make their own decisions, choices and act on their own accord of heart. Just because I say that I am territorial doesn't mean that I claim the said ownership. We might be half-animals, but I intend to keep it that way. Wouldn't it be vile for a man to leash up the woman they have feelings for and act as their owner? Why don't we keep them on the leash, outside in the rain, alone, just like some humans do with pets they claim to love? That's my definition of ownership - complete control over one you decide to own, one you claim to love and protect. I won't play that game. It might be a news flash, but there are women you can't tame. Seth is one of them - free, wild, strong-spirited. You don't kill a spirit as such based on your ego, based on your greed for control. You just don't.”

Luciano didn't shy away from showing off his disappointment in the question. He might be slightly more dominant than other men tend to be, but even he wouldn't go as low.

An owner and slave relationship seemed more like a vile, sadistic experience some want to go through rather than an actual relationship. The Alpha knew that starting something serious with a woman needed time - they had to trust each other.

Without trust, there would be no relationship in the first place. Luciano parted his lips to explain more about the territorial aspect he mentioned before, but the male noticed how Vlad's eyes clouded.

Someone mind-linked him, or Vlad decided to reach someone as their discussion went on.

Quite disrespectful.

Instead of throwing a fit, Luciano sat back down and suppressed his anger, patiently waiting for Vlad to explain himself.

He did. Without Luciano demanding answers, Vlad cut the mind-link, and his eyes met Luciano's. “It was Dominic.”