XLIV. Alpha with a Conscience

Raine's POV:

“How am I supposed to do this?” Leon question.

I look at him while fighting the burning sensation on my face. I held out my wrists. “Tie me up.”

“How am I supposed to do this?” I cannot believe he doesn’t know how to tie up a girl’s wrists. I mean, it’s not a bad thing, but I would assume he did it at least once. Somehow, I feel happy that he doesn’t.

“Around the wrists.” I want to add - duh - but I fought the urge to do it.

Leon looks at his belt then my wrists and back towards his belt. “Wouldn’t it be more functional for me to use my necktie.”

“Where’s your necktie?”

“My bedroom.”

I tilt my head, “Oh, throughout our fight. You had the time to go to your bedroom?”

Leon motioned his head back and forth, before nodding. “You make a valid point,” he said. He inches towards me. The leather was oddly warm. Probably because it was around his waist merely seconds ago.

I stared at my hands while he wraps it around my wrists. My head moved up, “What is this?”

“I tied it.”

“A boy scout can tie better than this.”

“What’s a boy scout?” he asks.

I forgot those boy scouts don’t exist in this world.

“Tie it tighter. Firmer! Make me bruise.” There is so much wrong with that sentence.

Leon tightens it.

“Tighter!”

He tightens it some more.

“Tighter!”

He tightens it more.

“Tigh- Oh, fuck!” My hands felt like it was about to fall off.

“Oh shit,” he whispers. “Are you okay?”

I flop on the bed, “This is good. This is tight. Am I bruising?”

He examines my wrists, “No. I think you need to fight.”

“Fight?”

“Yeah. You know, struggle. Move around.”

I tried to move, but I couldn’t. It hurts to move. I shook my head, “I can’t do it. It hurts to move.”

“That’s the point,” he replies.

I shook my head more, “I can’t do it. Untie! Untie!”

He unties my wrists. There was a light shade of redness. “Your pain tolerance is really low.”

I glared at him while rubbing my wrists. “It hurts to move around and bruise myself with that belt.”

“If your tolerance is this low. How are you supposed to get bruises?”

I inhale a sharp breath and place my wrists out. “Hold my wrists and squeeze it.”

“Wha-”

I shook my head, “I can’t do it on my own. You need to do it.”

The moment his flesh touches mine, millions of sparks seemingly invade my body. Our eyes meet each other. We look away. Leon squeezes my wrists.

“What was that?” I ask. “Hurt me!”

Leon exhales, “I don’t feel comfortable doing this.”

“What kind of Alpha are you?”

“An Alpha with a conscience.”

“Just hurt me.”

“No. I’m not going to hurt you!”

“Why not?”

“Because-” his hands shake, “Because-” He bit his lower lips and exhaled furiously. “Because I promise my mom I would never hurt anyone that hasn’t done anything.”

Then, it clicks.

His father.

He releases my wrists, “I’m sorry, but I can’t hurt you.”

“Then, how are we supposed to convince ever-” My eyes went towards the shards. I got out of bed and made my way towards it. I grab a shard. I could do it. One or two cuts should be good.

Leon grabbed my wrist and turned my body towards him. “What are you doing?”

“If you can’t hurt me. I’ll do it. Just give me a second to take a deep-”

“No.” His voice was the firmest I’ve ever heard.

“It’s okay-”

He tugged my arm, “I said no.”

Oddly, his voice was kind of a turn on. “Leon-”

“No.” He held onto my wrist. “Let it go.”

I need to do this. If I don’t go through with this act then how else will everyone believe I’m miserable. If I behave happily and get along with everyone then they will fall into depression when I leave. I hate to admit it, nearly everyone is fairly nice around here after I got over the initial resentment. “It’ll be okay. You can go to your room and I’ll take-”

“I said: No! Now, drop it.”

I fought against the tempting yet oppressive atmosphere around Leon. He struggled to grab the glass from me without hurting me while I fought back, attempting to hurt myself. We stumbled around the room, bickering back and forth. This time, we weren’t acting.

We fell on the bed.

Then, it happened.

A cut across the flesh.

The blade dropped from my fingers as I stared at the cut across Leon’s cheek. “I’m so sorry. You shouldn’t have tried to stop me.”

Leon flicks the shard across the room. He closes his eyes and exhales, “It’s okay.” He opens his eyes. “Are you okay?”

I nod, “I’m sorry.”

Leon plants his head against my shoulder, “Don’t try to hurt yourself.”

Leonardo Tayson is a weird Alpha.

I’ve never met any other Alpha other than him, but I can tell he is an odd one.

His hot breath scattered across the vein of my neck. I had to hold mine inside as his chest pressed further towards me. This position does not look good at any angle. Though, in a different scenario, it’s all types of good.

My hands scrunch a handful of sheets. “H-Hey. Mind getting off?”

I can feel his adam’s apple moving at the collar of my neck. “In a little bit.” Leon inhales a shaky breath. “Just let me calm down first.”

My eyes widen at little Leon’s appearance. I bit my lower lip when his fangs scraped against the surface of my neck. The thump-thump inside my chest refuses to comply with my command. Blood diffuses in every inch of my body. His fingers slide up and down my waist.

“You smell really good,” he whispers.

I don’t know what to be more afraid of. That sentence or the fact that he can bite me any second.

“What’s your wolf’s name?” I ask, attempting to divert him away from the veins on my neck.

“What?”

I stared at the ceiling. “Your wolf’s name. You never told me.”

Heartbeats, then a burst of laughter. Leon rolls off of me. “That caught me off guard.” Good. He turns his head, his long bangs drift across his eyes. “Wendell.”

I turn to my side and expel a light breath. I’m glad he calmed down. “Wendell?”

“My wolf’s name is Wendell.”

“I’ve always wondered about something.”

“What?”

“Do you name your wolves or do they come with a name?”

“They come with a name,” he responds.

“How?”

Leon exhales and goes on his back. One of his arms lifts and rests beneath his head. He’s handsome. Too handsome. Everything looks perfect at any angle. I wonder if this is where the quote - love is blind - comes from. “Legend says the other half within a werewolf used to be wolves.”

“Wild wolves?” I question. “Like actual wolves, not werewolves?” I didn’t understand what I was saying.

He nods, “Yeah. They come from all different types of worlds.” My heart skipped a beat with that sentence.

I wonder if Leon believes in different worlds.

“Their desire to be human was so great that the Goddess empathized with them. So, she bonds them with humanity, those who wished to be one with nature. And as a result, werewolves are created.”

“Why doesn’t she just make them human?”

He shrugs, “They say it wasn’t physically possible. You are, what you are.”

“Is that a true story?” Or are you pulling my leg?

He shrugs, “Not sure. There are many other stories.”

“What else?”

“Being a werewolf is actually a curse. They said that there once was a group of humans who were, in better terms, misfits. They would go around and murdered so many wolves that the Moon Goddess got bitter and cursed them. Legend says that our wolves counterpart is actually a mark of a reminder of what our ancestors had condemned.”

I laid on my stomach, using my arms as pillows. “I’m curious about something else.”

“What?”

“How come Wendell never surfaced and talked to me? I read that wolves love meeting their other half.”

Leon chuckled, “I guess that would be the usual response. My wolf desires to surface and communicate with you.”

My toes motion left and right. “Then, why hasn’t he?”

Leon exhales, “He just doesn’t want to do it. Wendell isn’t exactly good when it comes to communication. He’s afraid he will screw up with you.”

“That’s what he said?”

“Yeah.”

“Wendell,” I said. Leon turns his head towards me. “Wendell sounds like a nice name.” I smile.

“He said not to do it.”

“Do what?”

“Be nice when you’re going to leave him.”

I fidget slightly in my position. “I’m sorry.”

“He said: It’s fine. As long as it’s what you want.”

“He’s not going to stop me?”

Leon shook his head. “Wendell said as long as you’re happy. It’s fine to leave.”

I hate it.

How kind everyone seems to be around here, except for certain individuals.

My eyes narrow, “Is Wendell using reverse psychology? Because it’s not going to work.”

Leon smiles before he gets up. His eyes scan the room then towards the window. “It’s late. Go to sleep and try not to step on anything when you go to the bathroom at night.”

I sat upward, “Is that really all?”

“I’ll help you clean in the morning and someone will leave your meals in front of your door. Confine yourself for a few days until your bruises disappear.”

That was a choice I never thought of. I could lock myself in the room for days and pretend I got hurt.

I nod, “Alright.” At least I don’t actually have to get hurt.

Leon got off of the bed and headed towards the closet door.

“Leon?”

He stops and turns around.

“Is your dream of becoming a videogame designer really the reason why you don’t want to take over Crescent Moon?”

The wind rushes into the door, his hair scatters across his grey eyes once more. It cast downward towards the wooden floor before it went back towards me. I can see it. There’s this ball of sorrow. “Rest up. We have a lot to clean up tomorrow.”

The door inside the closet closes.

There’s definitely something Leon is hiding.

But, what would it be?

If it’s not his defiance towards his father.

What is the real reason why he doesn’t want to be Alpha of Crescent Moon?