Threats And Promises

RHEA
There was silence at first. An eery silence that made shivers run down my spine, goosebumps appearing on my skin. Then, I heard it. The ear piercing cry of the rogue wolf. A howl of pain. I opened my eyes, my gaze resting on Jaden's large wolf which had pinned the other wolf to the ground, effortlessly.
What was scary about this, was that the rogue wouldn't stop howling, despite the fact that Jaden wasn't even putting so much pressure on him. I didn't feel sorry for him, you see. He had tried to kill me.
'The only reason why I'm not ripping him apart yet, is because I don't want you to feel bad. But, I'm going to knock him out' Jaden told me. I sighed, turning away from them.
'Sure. What else are you going to do with him? He's a rogue who trespassed into your grounds' I said.
'Darryl and Klaus will interrogate him' he said and moved towards me. The rogue wolf was lying on the ground knocked out. He suddenly shifted into human form and on the floor lay a pale teenager who had a mop of red curls and freckles on his face.
'Give me the spare clothes' Jaden said and I placed it on his back. 'Seriously?' he said and I shrugged.
"Where else could I put it?"
In a blink of an eye, he was gone. I still hadn't got to that insane speed of his.
"Rhea? Where's Jaden?" I turned to look at Klaus who had finally arrived alongside Darryl who was in wolf form. His wolf had brown fur and his eyes were a bright silver.
"He was here few seconds ago" I said. A look of understanding crossed his facial features.
"Oh, he probably went to get changed" he said and I nodded. Darryl was sniffing the rogue wolf. He suddenly started growling, his large fangs in full display.
"Did you get his scent? What pack was he from?"
We all turned to look at Jaden who'd returned so suddenly, we hadn't even noticed it until he'd made a statement.
He raised a brow.
"He was from Zaden's pack? And now he's a rogue? That does sound sketchy" he continued. He was obviously communicating with Darryl who was still in his wolf form.
"There are whip marks on his back and his feet are bruised" Klaus pointed out.
"But, he's so young. What offence would he have committed?" I said and Klaus shrugged.
"That's why we will have to interrogate him" He said after helping the teenager to slip on a pair of black shorts.
"Let's go, Darryl" Klaus said as he lifted the boy and hoisted him over his shoulder, the muscles of his arms, flexing.
"Come with me, Rhea" Jaden said and I quietly followed him down a path in the woods until we got to a flowing river.
"There's an ocean nearby?" I asked and he nodded.
We both sat down on some large rocks closer to the boulders. The sky had turned a milky mixture of orange and pink. The sun was already setting and it's yellow glow reflected on us. The cool evening breeze rattled the leaves on the trees and ruffled our hair. Jaden sighed.
"Are you sure you're cut out for the werewolf world? Once I claim you, you are to become my Luna" Jaden said with a worried look in his eyes. "These kind of things are bound to happen and you'll have to prepare yourself again unknown threats too" he said, his gaze fixed on the running water.
I placed a hand over his.
"Jaden, would you look at me, please?" I said and he turned to look at me, a wary look on his handsome face.
"I like that you're concerned about me, Jaden. Don't be too worried, though. I can do anything if I set my mind to it" I told him and he gave my hand a gentle squeeze.
"I'll make you proud and most of all, I'll make myself proud of me" I said and his eyes brightened, a grin slowly working it's way onto his face. He reached out and brushed my hair out of my eyes, a warm look in his eyes.
'Look at you. You're all grown up' Crystal cooed.
"You're beautiful, Rhea Stone" Jaden commented. I drew in a long breath.
"So are you, Jaden" I responded with a grin.
We both stared at the setting sun until it had sunk low, beyond the horizon. For the first time in my life, I felt peace and tranquility. Maybe it was because my mate was sitting right beside me and I was feeling good about myself. It was a really nice feeling. I hoped that I would feel like this for the rest of our lives.
....
JADEN
After spending some time with Rhea, I finally made a decision concerning the Alpha tournament. So, I dialled Matthias' phone number. He picked on the first ring.
"Have you finally made your decision?" He asked.
"Yes, I have. I'll join the tournament" I rasped and he chuckled.
"Now you're talking"
"I still think it's not going to be a fair tournament" I said and he laughed.
"Trust me, whether you joined the tournament or not, Zaden would find a way to cheat" he said.
"There's one problem, though" he added and a ran my fingers through my hair as I stared out the window, watching Rhea who was talking to Dana.
"When you win the tournament.."
I snorted when he used the word 'when' and not 'if'.
"You don't have a mate to claim" he said and I sighed, still watching Rhea.
"You don't have to worry about that. I've got it figured out" I told him.
"Wait, you... have a second mate? Since when? Who is she? Why haven't you introduced me to her yet?"
His questions kept coming, and when he wouldn't stop talking, I placed the phone on my desk and left my office. It was how I'd always handled his excessive questions on phone calls like this.
I went to the holding cell where rogues who trespassed my territory were usually interrogated.
One of my elite wolves opened the door to the cell and I strode in, my hands buried in the pockets of my pants. Trisha was wearing a pair of white surgical gloves stained with blood.
"Jaden, he had a tracking device on him" she said, gesturing at the small bloodied device now lying on a white towel.
"His story makes sense. He might either be a very skillful liar or he's just being plainly truthful" Darryl stated and I turned to look at the teen who was tied to a chair. He was perspiring heavily and had tear tracks on his face. There were dark circles under his eyes and his face was awfully pale. He had a couple of bruises and a black eye. He looked malnourished. He was more of skin and bone. Darryl had covered the teen's mouth with a duct tape. I took a step closer to him and he began to tremble, his head lowered.
"Take off the duct tape" I ordered and Darryl immediately peeled off the tape from the boy's lips eliciting a wince from him.
"Get me a chair" I said to Trisha who left the holding cell and returned with a chair. When she set the chair down, I sat down, not taking my eyes off the teen.
"What is your name, kid?" I asked and he swallowed hard as he avoided my gaze.
"K-Kalen" he stammered, a tear sliding down his left cheek.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to. But, I was afraid he was going to kill my sister if I didn't do it" he cried. He was telling truth about being afraid for his sister's life, I could tell.
"Who sent you?" I demanded.
"Alpha Zaden. He asked me to follow you to your pack house. He wanted to know where it is. He also asked me to kill any woman I found around you" he confessed, his body still trembling with fear.
"You're either stupid or very brave. Did he not tell you that I'm not an ordinary werewolf?"
"No, he didn't. He described your wolf, just in case"
"So, you did it just to protect your sister?" I asked and he nodded frantically.
"I was trying to protect her from him, but he hated it. So, he punished me by sending me out of the pack. He announced to the pack that I'm now a rogue. Then, I was kicked out"
"That doesn't make sense, Kalen" I said. I hated liars.
"I swear. He said he would spare my sister if I succeeded."
"And you would remain a rogue," I pointed out. He nodded again.
"How old are you, kid?" I asked.
"Seventeen, sir."
"Your sister?"
"Twenty one. She's an omega"
"For how many days have you been tracking me?" I asked and he stiffened.
"Ten days" he said, his gaze fixed on the floor in front of him.
Darryl sighed.
"He's telling the truth, isn't he?" He said and I nodded.
"What makes you think that I won't kill you?" I asked Kalen who froze.
"Please, sir. I'll do anything. My sister... He's going to kill her. I need to get her out of the pack even if it's the last thing I do" he pleaded.
He was brave, I'll give him that. It seemed to me that Zaden was worsening as the years went by. He was becoming a monster.
I rose to my feet and turned to look at Darryl.
"Come with me" I said and he left the cell with me.
'Trisha' I said through the mindlink.
'Get him some food'
'Yes, Alpha' was her reply.
"What do you think?" I asked Darryl when we got back to my office.
"I think he's being sincere. He no longer has a pack and he's so young" Darryl said.
I sighed, rubbing my forehead tiredly.
"Klaus went to apply for the tournament on my behalf. So, you'll go with Haru and Kalen to Zaden's pack to pick up his sister. You'll have to leave before sunset tomorrow"
"Alright, Jaden"
"You all will have to hide your scents. Make no mistakes, if Kaleb begins to act strangely, do not hesitate to kill him"
He nodded.
"You can go now" I said.
My phone rang and I stared at the phone, hoping that it wasn't Matthias who was calling. I wasn't in the mood for his stupid questions.
I picked up my phone, furrowing my brows when I saw the caller ID. It was an unknown number. I slowly picked the call and placed it on my desk after setting it on loudspeaker.
"Alpha Jaden" a taunting voice said. I could recognize that voice anywhere. It was the voice of the man who'd once been my brother. It was the voice of the man I loathed so much.
"What do you want?" I droned.
"I heard that you joined the tournament. You must be crazy if you think you're going to win"
"So, you called me just to threaten me?" I said, clenching my fists.
"It's a warning, Jaden. Don't meddle with my business or you'll regret it"
For some reason, I felt amused.
"A warning? That's unlike you, Zaden. You must be feeling anxious. You don't have to worry about the tournament. I won't go easy on you. It's not a warning or a threat. It's a promise."