Up In Flames

JADEN
She stared at me, her mouth agape, eyes wide with shock. "How? Why would she..." Her voice trailed off as she furrowed her brows, a look of realization crossing her facial features.
"Don't tell me... she actually wants to challenge you for it. Does she have a death wish?" Rhea breathed, her nose scrunched up in disgust.
"She hasn't challenged me yet. Nonetheless, I know she's preparing to" I said.
"What you said about her trying to kill me...what is that about?" She asked and I sighed, pushing my hair away from my face.
"When I took the orange juice that was supposed to be yours, you thought I did it to tease you. But, I was saving you the trouble of feeling pain" I explained.
Her eyebrows lowered, her facial features relaxing.
"She actually poisoned it? How could she? I knew there was something off about her sudden apology. I knew it" she said.
"That's why you were feeling dizzy during the third tournament" she pointed out and I nodded. She pursed her lips, her jaw clenched.
"That bitch..." She muttered. I nearly smiled. She was so hot when she was mad.
I rubbed my left eye and leaned against my car.
"The thing is, she got away with it, the first time. I'm sure she thought it would be the same way, this time" I uttered.
"What do you mean by that?"
Looking away from her, I folded my arms across my chest.
"She helped Zaden in his quest to render me mateless. I didn't know it. I only figured it out, recently" I said, feeling bitter.
"Sheila told you?" Rhea asked, her gaze soft. I nodded.
"Trisha knows how strong my senses are. She knows I could have smelt the poison in the orange juice. But, she went ahead to do it, anyway" I said, realizing that Trisha could have done it on purpose, to rile me up.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go" Rhea said and got into the car, slamming the door shut.
I got in and turned on the ignition. In a couple of minutes, we had hit the road.
"Does Klaus and Darryl know about this?" Thea questioned.
"They do. I asked them to keep a close eye on her. Klaus called me and told me that he overheard her on the phone. Apparently, she was discussing how she was going to take over my pack"
Rhea looked like she'd just drank something sour.
"How did she even end up being your Delta? She's despicable"
I sighed.
"She was more eligible for the position. She's stronger than Darryl, even in wolf form. We'd been friends since we were kids. I knew she was fond of me. I just didn't know how deep rooted her obsession was" I responded, keeping my eyes on the road.
"She's supposed to look for her mate. She's infuriating" Rhea mumbled.
"Her mate died in the fire that killed my parents and some other pack members. Even before he died, she'd always made it clear that she was more fond of me" I stated. Rhea looked away, pursing her lips.
"It still doesn't make any of this okay. She needs to be put in her place. Who knows what else she's planning"
Rhea was right. I couldn't underestimate Trisha. She was a warrior. She was also ambitious. I hated the fact that she had no respect for me and had let her greed control her. It was such a pity that I would have to exile her from my pack.
The fact remained that, the way she felt towards me wouldn't change. Even if I sent her packing, she would still resent me and cooperate with my enemies to bring me down. She might end up going to Zaden. She knew a little about me, but I'd always been careful enough not to reveal everything to others. I couldn't help but wonder how things had gotten so bad to the point where she'd become a villain. Maybe, she'd always had a rebellious streak in her blood, just like Zaden. And maybe, I'd been too blind to see it.
When we got to the pack house, Chase took our bags to my quarters. A few of my pack members came out to greet me. "You two look so tensed. What's going on?" Haru asked. I gave her a smile and she frowned.
"What's this about, Jaden? You don't usually smile. That smile on your face is definitely forced" Dana added.
I turned to look at Klaus who seemed like he had something to say.
"What is it, Klaus?" I asked.
"Chase said he was doing rounds last night and he noticed residues of the magic of dragon shape shifters around the perimeter" he said and I frowned.
"That's strange. Haru, Dana, come with me" I said.
'Tell Chase to meet me in my office. I need to talk to him' I said to Klaus through the mindlink.
"Come along, Rhea" I said to Rhea who seemed to be lost in thoughts. We got to my office and I lowered myself onto my chair.
They all sat down. Dana and Haru gazed at me with expectant looks on their faces. "Trisha," I began.
"What did she do? I've been getting wrong vibes from her. She's been acting weird lately" Haru said.
I rubbed my temples where an ache which stemmed from my tension, throbbed in a relentless manner.
"She has plans to take over the pack" I said. Haru and Dana looked like I'd just dropped a bomb right in their face.
"Why? I don't understand. How do you know this?" Dana asked with a worried look in her eyes.
"She has been making it clear that she dislikes the fact that Rhea is my Luna. I asked Klaus to keep an eye on her. He recorded her conversation with someone we don't know" I said to them. They both went pale.
"She also poisoned Rhea's juice" I added. They gasped, bringing their hands to their mouth in astonishment.
"Are you alright, Rhea? When did this happen? Why are you only telling us now? She needs to be dealt with" Dana said.
"Don't worry, I'm fine. Thankfully, Jaden smelled the poison on time" Rhea said, giving them a reassuring smile. Haru rose to her feet, looking furious.
"This is outrageous, Jaden. We cannot accept it. We have to punish her. We need to" She said and Dana nodded in agreement.
"This is all so strange. We didn't know that she would stoop so low" she said.
There was a knock on the door. "Come in" I said and Chase walked in.
"You wanted to see me" he said after he'd shut the door behind him.
"That's right. I heard that you sensed the magic of dragon shape shifters around the perimeter" I said and he nodded.
"Yes, Alpha"
"Can you tell me exactly where you felt it?" I asked.
'Close to the river, Alpha'
"Alright, I'll go with you tonight. We'll talk more about this later" I said and he nodded.
After he'd left, I rose to my feet and left my office. Then, I asked Haru to ask Trisha to come to meet me on the field. Less than three minutes later, Trisha arrived. I noticed the fake smile she gave to Rhea.
"You called for me, Jaden" she said and Tarus growled, wanting nothing but to rip her apart.
"Tell me, what have you been up to?" I asked. She stared at me for a moment and I expected her to at least give excuses or show some remorse. Her next statement angered me.
"Oh, so you finally figured it out. I've always known that you're as smart as you look" she drawled.
I growled and she took a step closer to me.
"Yes, I deserve to be Alpha. So, I'm going to challenge you for the title" she said and I let out a dark chuckle. She parted her lips to say something else, but Klaus who'd joined us without her notice, knocked her out with a punch to the back of her neck.
...
RHEA
I stared at Trisha who was kneeling on the ground, bleeding from the several injuries Klaus had inflicted on her. She didn't have a look of remorse on her face. Infact, she stared at him with nothing but hate. Jaden was so pissed, his eyes were glowing red.
"I trusted you!" He roared.
He was trembling with rage, his fists clenched. Blood dripped from his injured hands as a result of his claws digging into the palm of his hands.
The pack members had gathered around the scene and were watching her with disgust and irritation.
"All you've ever done is treat me like trash! I deserve better!" Trisha screamed, angry tears making their way down her cheeks.
"Your obsession has ruined you, Trisha. You are fighting a lost battle" Klaus said with a blank expression on his face. His shoulders were stiff, it showed how angry he was.
Trisha spat at him, a vile action that I found disgusting. Klaus didn't flinch or wince.
"I hate you all. I hate you!" She screamed, her voice hoarse.
Jaden's eyes went cold.
"I should kill you. Heck, I should do it without hesitation. But, I feel sorry for you. So, I'll let you live" he said, his voice guttural.
"Fight me, Jaden! Fight me! Fight me and see who will win. I'm challenging you! Fight me!" She screamed at him. Her eyes were glowing a bright silver, her cheeks flushed. She was like a maniac who was desperate for blood. A blood thirsty monster.
"I have nothing to do with you, Trisha. You have betrayed this pack. You are now an enemy of my pack. It's only fair if we disown you. I, Alpha Jaden reject you, Trisha Harlow, as my Delta and member of the Silver Claw Pack. From this point onwards, you are a rogue" Jaden's voice as cold as ice, as hard as stone.
Trisha let out a cry of rage and the rest of the pack members began to disperse. Just like that, Trisha had become a rogue and she would always be remembered as the one who stabbed her Alpha in the back.
"Klaus, Darryl. Take the rogue out of my sight. If she remains in front of me, I might consider killing her" Jaden ordered. As soon as he turned around to walk away, Trisha threw a knife at Jaden. It embedded itself on his back. A cry slipped out of my lips before I could stop it. Klaus and Darryl grabbed Trisha's arm to stop her from causing any more havoc.
I held my breath as Jaden reached behind him and yanked out the knife without showing any signs of pain. He turned around so quickly, his movement was a blur. Trisha fell to the ground with a thud, blood seeping out of the side of her neck where the knife Jaden had just thrown had lodged itself. We all went still, eyes wide with unbelief. Jaden barely spared her a glance. He walked away and all we could do was stare.
Trisha was dead.