Chapter 44: Achieving One's Goal Without Hard Work

When Ran opened her eyes; every part of her body had gone numb. Her hands were chained behind her back with silver handcuffs. When she moved, the silver burned her skin. The rest of her was tied down to a chair—a surprisingly comfy one.
Her head throbbed.
This was a weird situation to be in.
Her captor reclined on the large bed that took up much of the hotel room. He held a remote control in one hand, his eyes fixed on the large TV screen behind her. Heavy curtains decorated one wall and soft yellow light glowed from hidden crevices in the ceiling and furniture.
They were in a hotel room.
As Ran surveyed her surroundings, Dingo turned to look at her.
'We're still in New City,' he told her. 'For now.'
She shot him a death glare. He smirked and shuffled to the edge of the bed.
Ran tried to wrench her leg from its bonds to kick him. The rope didn't even budge.
He clucked disapprovingly, then said to himself, 'Well I suppose you don't like me very much anymore.' Dingo turned her chair around so she could see what's on the screen. 'I'll let you look at your boyfriend instead.'
On the screen was a video of Caph and Nusha kissing at the bus stop at New City Central, looped.
She watched Nusha kiss Caph and herself in the background dropping the coffee she had bought for him about fifty times before she realised Dingo was waiting for her to say something.
Ran glared at him again, trying not to wince as the silver pressed into her skin. 'What do you want?' she spat.
Dingo crouched in front of her, running one hand along her jaw, his thumb brushing over her cheek. 'I've always like that part of you. Always straightfoward, to the point. That's how I knew you liked me. It was so obvious.'
She jerked her head away but he yanked her by the hair so he could look into her angry black eyes. Her toes dug helplessly into the carpet.
'You changed,' he said menacingly before releasing her.
Ran snorted. 'So have you.'
He stood up and rested his arm on top of her head, watching the looped video beside her. 'That's true. You like this guy now. It was a ruse in the beginning but somehow, you've fallen for him like the protagonist of a cliche web novel.'
'At least I didn't return to the pack I deserted with my tail between my legs, asking them for an alliance,' she retorted.
Dingo pressed down on her head with his body weight. She growled in annoyance.
'That was really annoying to do. But hey, if it helps me achieve my goal, I will do it. You understand that, don't you, Beta of Eridanus?' He didn't give her time to respond. 'After all, you'll even deceive your pack to become Alpha. You gotta admit we're not that different after all.'
Ran could not refute that.
'You're right,' she admitted. She tilted her head to stare at him, her coal eyes impassive. 'So, what do you want?'
Dingo was taken aback by her quick admission of defeat.
Then, he smiled.
'Very simple,' he said. 'Become my mistress.'
Ran made a face. 'What?'
He crouched in front of her again and stroked her face.
It took effort to keep her revulsion from showing.
'Marry me. Be my second wife and form an alliance with Leo instead of Cassiopeia. Let me lead Eridanus.'
'You're already Alpha of Leo,' Ran said carefully. 'How will you also lead Eridanus.'
He smiled patronisingly, like he had been waiting for her to ask this question all along. 'Simple,' he explained. 'Eridanus will become Leo Minor.'
Ran flinched but she couldn't help it. That was the most humiliating thing one pack could say to another.
Dingo knew what he was doing. His smile turned menacing.
'If you choose to come with me willing, I will reward you. I'll give you information you can use to ruin Caph and avenge your parents. It's a good deal, isn't it? It's the reason you wanted to become Alpha in the first place. With this information, you can achieve your goal without having to work so hard.'
He lowered his voice.
'I'll do the dirty work for you instead.'
Ran stared at him. 'And if I don't cooperate?'
He shrugged. 'I'll take Eridanus by force and withhold the information.' He tilted her head up to the screen where Nusha was still kissing Caph over and over again. 'You'll have to live with Caph's betrayal and forget about your pack and your parents. Also, Caph and Cassiopeia will get away with murder.'
She turned her black eyes back to his innocent chocolate ones.
'What do you say, Ran? Isn't this a good deal?'
Her brows furrowed. She gritted her teeth as she thought about his threat.
Finally, she sighed and relaxed into her bonds.
'Fine. I'll cooperate.'