The Alpha's Blind Fate
Chapter 226: The Ransom

Chapter 226: The Ransom

ZINA

Zina sheepishly followed after Daemon as he tugged her to god knows where. The feeling of guilt engulfed her, threatening to sink her in a pit of despair.

She followed numbly as they waded their way among the sea of the ever growing number of workers in the Ice Palace. They all bowed to Daemon while managing to give him a wide breadth at the same time for his rage poured forth like the waves of the very violent sea.

Finally, they appeared before Eldric’s former dwelling and the official dwelling of the Alpha King.

Zina gasped as memories of the place slammed into her. But Daemon gave her no chance to find her footing before he was already leading her into the room that held more nightmares than memories.

But Zina knew she had no right to dwell on her trauma, not when she had done it again...

...she had lied to Daemon.

She never truly grasped the full extent of his feelings until the door behind them slammed harshly until its hinges threatened to fall off. Daemon slammed her body against the wall while he breathed over her. Zina was so sure that a bone or two should have dislocated, but no. Her body was alright, it was her heart that was breaking though. And into tiny pieces for that matter.

"Explain." Daemon gritted. That one word could have meant anything; explain why you lied! Explain why you took Falcon’s side in the lie. Explain why you had to do what you did!

So of course, Zina opened and closed her mouth like a fish in water for they was no right answer she could muster. Whatever she tried to think about only sounded horrible even in her head, and her wolf was in agreement with her.

"I...I... what do you want me to explain?" She finished dumbly, and the way that Daemon’s eyes darkened and narrowed into slits told her that she had in fact answered dumbly.

He scoffed harshly like he couldn’t quite believe her. "What about your promise to never lie to me? Of all the people that I expected you to conspire with, Falcon is mildly understandable. But Garuk? That I simply cannot accept."

Zina quickly rushed to defend Garuk which she later realized was a gross mistake on her part. "Garuk is also your brother. Whatever you think I tried to do for him is the same thing I would have done of it was Yaren or Marcus. I only wished to help..."

Just as the word ’help’ rolled off her lips, Daemon’s fist slammed against the wall beside her head, denting the concrete. Zina’s eyes grew impossibly wide as she stared at the rage of a man before her. All her life, she had never seen Daemon that angry before. Not when she betrayed him, nor when she annoyed him to no end... and that said a lot about his current state.

Zina figured there must be more than meets the eyes that was going on there, but for the life of her she couldn’t figure it out.

"You’re bleeding," Zina observed, her fingers reaching out to his bruised fist which he immediately withdrew like he couldn’t stand her touch. That hurt, but Zina could only blink back the hurt as she attempted to understand his anger for what it was.

She wanted to be the logical one for once since it seemed as though Daemon no longer cared for that role anymore.

"Why are you so angry?" She asked, "did anything happen?"

"So now you are going to pretend as though you aren’t aware that Garuk is the one responsible for the missing ten million grams of gold.

Zina frowned hard. "I only just found out...."

"Spare me your lies," Daemon cut her harshly, causing her to draw back in barely contained hurt. At that moment, her tears really threatened to spill.

"I am not lying to you," she spat the words that now tasted like bile on the tip of her tongue.

Daemon didn’t seem to be listening to her though. Instead, he produced a sheet of paper and shoved it in her face. "I’ve received a letter by an unknown person whom has asked me to exchange you for the money that Garuk supposedly stole and lost."

Zina stared between him and the letter that indeed spewed the exact words that Daemon spoke of. "What?"

Daemon chuckled darkly, "oh please. I am aware that you’re aware of the tongue that was delivered to me yesterday on the morning of my coronation."

What did that have to do with anything? Besides, Zina only knew that the tongue of one of the participants was delivered to Daemon with words engraved on them, and that the victim had said horrible things about her at an inn. As for the words that were engraved on the tongue, and as for who the culprit could be... she truly had no idea. She had wanted to inquire of it from Daemon before he had abruptly announced that he would be putting up her position as Theta for gambles.

"The same man that delivered the tongue is the same man that claims he possesses the money. He wants you in return."

Zima tilted her head up in confusion. "Who is this man?" She asked, the question a sincere and genuine one on her part.

But instead of a frank response, all she got was Daemon’s scathing reply. "Should joy not know him better than I do? Especially when he offers so much for you in return?"

That was when Zina decided that she had heard enough. Her features twisted from a hurt so profound that it made her ache physically while she shoved at Daemon without giving him any warning.

He didn’t budge, but it didn’t matter for she shoved and shoved at him over and over again. "How.Dare.You?!" She gritted in between each shove.

Because she wanted to hurt him as much as he did her, she resorted to dropping even lower than he did. "Are you so jealous of seeing me with your brothers that you would resort to accusing me of wanting to abscond with another man?"

"What?" Daemon said, his eyes narrowed at her.

"Was that not what you were inferring? That I might be running away with another man. One with the ability to shake you so much that you had to resort to embarrassing me like this?"

"Believe me, I’ve not accused you Zina. But the man in question has done far too much for me to simply just ignore him. You just know something, try and remember and we will be done with this."

Daemon might have as well slapped her. No, it wouldn’t have been any different if he had just drowned her in hot water. It hurt that much.

Zina didn’t know that she was already crying until she sniffed. "So tell me, what has this so called man that I could possibly know have done?"

Daemon didn’t answer that.

Zina sniffed again. "Did you ever even trust me? Why do you keep so much from me, and yet you leave hanging at the cliff while trying to follow and understand you. Can you begin to imagine just how exhausting it is for me to have chase you around all the time... to try to understand you?!"

Daemon’s eyes seemed to be colored with concern. But for all Zina knew, that could be him being his enigmatic hot and cold self. "Zina...."

"It’s Theta to you your majesty! Zina is tired of trying to understand and make sense of your thoughts. She’s tired of you always being like this, and she’s certainly tired of your trust one minute, and your distrust the other. From now on wards, you will be dealing with the Theta. So if you must put me in prison for consulting with your brother who committed a crime, then please do.

Daemon seemed to glared at her through narrowed eyes, obviously thinking that he words counted for nothing. "Zina...." He gritted again, wanting to say something which she cut him short of saying by bowing to him as a Theta would to the Alpha King.

Perhaps it was incorrigibly petty of her, perhaps she was being unduly unreasonable... but she simply could not find it in her to care anymore. She had been long convinced that there was a reason why Daemon held her at a hands length... a reason why he wouldn’t claim her just yet, but now she was tired of second guessing him or playing along in this terrible game of his.

"I shall now await punishment for my crimes, your majesty."

Zina hadn’t expected that he would, but Daemon did punish her with his next words that halted her exit from the room.

"From now on, Theta Zina WolfKnight will now be under house arrest and cannot leave the palace without my permission. Beta Marcus, see to it that her punishment is enforced."

Marcus appeared from nowhere, ready to carry out the order. "Of course, your majesty."

And just like that, it started.