Dire's POV
"Why do you let her get under your skin?" Theo complaints filled my ears as I shuffled through my office files. I could feel his hateful gaze piercing through the back of my head.
I picked out the needed document and turned to face him, smiling in the hopes that he dropped the topic.
"Let it go, Theo. And no one is getting under my skin,"
He chuckled faintly, pouring himself a drink as he waited patiently for me to snap.
"Some will say you have gone soft, Dire. She is conspiring to throw you out, to break a blood contract and you are letting it slide,"
"It's amusing," I laughed.
"The image of her thinking she's steps ahead of me amuses me and I haven't seen something that intrigued me like that in a while,"
"Pornography," He said with a suspenseful tone. I waited for him to complete his statement but instead he took a huge gulp of his drink.
I sighed, waiting in exasperation,"Can you use your words, please?"
"Pornography amuses a person, Dire. Strippers, gunfights, full moon transformations, all those are activities that amuses and intrigues a person. You are caring too much for the girl,"
"She is my wife," I retorted sharply. My expression was as pale as my interest for the discussion.
"I have an obligation that I need to fulfill. It's not up to me, honor demands it,"
"Honor?" He shook his head, displaying disappointment in the moment.
"I think you need to evaluate the plan again. You needed to take control of the company and now you are one step closer to owning it. She is the only one in your way,"
"Not for long," I passed him the file I had been holding all through his tantrums. I watched him read through it closely with his grip on his liquor glass tightening with every passing second.
"Is this real?" He asked with a concerned look. I was about to respond when I caught the sound of an impending footsteps from the other side of my office door. I could tell that Theo heard the same sounds because he immediately dropped his drink and hid the file among the piles of other documents.
"Come in," I voiced just before the unknown person could knock. The door blew open and the smell of antiseptic and antibiotics hit me with the breeze . The lady stepped in wearing a uniform - a paramedic uniform.
"How can I help you?"
"Alpha Dire," she made a gentle bow. My heart suddenly became uneasy. Strange, I just knew something was wrong.
"It's your wife, Alpha."
*********
The beeping sound of monitors was like a trigger to a past that I had buried a long time ago. I couldn't stand it, alongside the pungent smell of pharmaceutical chemicals and cleaning agents.
"Joanna," I called out to her instinctively, reaching to her cold hand as she lay still on the bed with her body all bruised and battered.
Her heartbeats were subtle but fast. I could still smell the shock and fear oozing off her. Watching her on the bed, I felt so close to my goal. She was the only obstacle between me and the power that I had always craved, the power my father craved.
"Alpha Dire," A doctor stepped in and I backed away from the bedside slowly.
"How is she?" I inquired curiously.
He hesitated to respond as he took a look at the charts in his hand.
"She will live. The injuries sustained had already begun to heal but we have no idea why she isn't waking up,"
"Nothing in there that will explain these?" I pointed at the chart on his hand.
"We have already ordered scans to be taken - Head CT, Chest Xrays- but it will be done within the hour," He replied swiftly, keeping on the professional smirk.
"Let me _"
I had barely finished my statement when the door blew open. Lucien walked in, panting heavily with tear filled eyes. He walked past me with a sneer, ignoring my presence and that of the doctor as he went straight to Joanna's side.
"I'm here, cousin," he muttered softly to her. I observed closely, intrigued by his loyalty and curious of what he might do next.
"Mr Thorson," The doctor disrupted his moment with Joanna.
" I was just filling the Alpha in on what is __"
The doctor paused when Lucien turned back around to face me with a scornful look. He looked into my eyes with hate, exhaling heavily, causing his breath to slap against my face with a wave.
"Now you want to take her life away well?" He uttered without fear.
A smile danced on my lips as I salivated hungrily. It was satisfying to see someone other than Theo stand up to me.
"Excuse us doctor and carry on with the necessary scans,"
I walked the doctor to the doctor and gently shut the door behind him. With my hands still on the knob, I could feel the change in the room. A soft intense growl emanated behind me, sending excitement through me like it was Christmas.
"You should think very carefully about what you are about to do," I said as I turned the knob's lock, shutting us in.
"You hurt her!" He roared loud enough that even the dead could hear. His claws were already out, his eyes blazing red as he snarled spitefully.
"Restrain yourself," I warned. I approached him with caution because there was one thing that scared me in an opponent -hurt- and he was hurt.
"You took her father!" He attacked with hesitation.
He came at me like a ferocious predator, moving like he had nothing to lose. I didn't expect him to move that fast, so swift and precise that his claws ripped through my shirt even after I successfully got out of the way. The shock I had from him almost landing an attack made the moment even more exciting. An overwhelming joy came over me, one that was prompting me to let loose.
'Hospital'
I had to remind myself of where I was. I leapt on the visitor's couch before he could land another attack. Due to his speed, he couldn't stop his punch from going into a wall after I dodged the attack.
"Please think about what you are doing," I warned again.
His growls were getting more intense with veins popping up on his forehead. His skin was getting dark – strange – it was almost as if he was transforming. Transformation was impossible for those without a royal bloodline.
"Fascinating," I remarked as I watched keenly.
"I will wipe that cocky look off your face!" He growled with a distorted voice. He looked different with the veins spiralling vividly across his body.
"You will pay,"
I noticed the tension in his right foot, the tension was the momentum build-up before an attack. He was going to take off like a rocket but I was curious as to just how fast he was going to be.
He was just about to come at me when he hesitated for a second. He reacted to the movement behind the door and from the scent, I already knew who it was.
In a blink, he came through the door like a rush of wind. Lucien reacted to the attack but he couldn't evade it in time. Theo's dagger went into his shoulder and he came crashing down.
"Don't!" I instructed loudly, sensing his next action. I could see how tensed his wrist was, he was about to go for the kill
"Don't hurt him any further,"
"Relax," Theo shot back as he pulled out the dagger.
"I laced with a sedative because I knew you would get this emotional,"
A squad of my private guard came in and grabbed Lucien's unconscious body.
"Take him back to the Thorson's mansion and have someone there with him,"
"Why do you care about these people?" Theo shook his head as he sheathed his dagger.
"Have someone take care of the staff and the wall that was ripped apart," I ordered, ignoring his initial statement.
He sighed reluctantly as he gave the signal to the man by the door. I could hear them explaining the hospital staff but my focus went back to Joanna who was still unconscious all through that big fuss.
I walked to her, ran a finger from her wrist to her shoulder. I didn't even get a flinch - no reaction at all.
Theo's close examination was noticeable from a distance. "As your beta, your well-being and that of the pack comes first in my agenda,"
"What is it, Theo?"
"You told the doctor to do a MRI for her, are you sure?" He retorted with a fierce look. I knew there was something more at that moment.
"What did you do, Theo?" I asked with a deep growl. He tried backing away but I held his hand firmly while staring into his eyes. I couldn't explain the feeling but it was pure rage – why I was angry was a mystery to me.
"A MRI was already done, she has a bleed in her head. If not tended to, she would die in a few hours," he muttered softly, looking away from my gaze.
"You told the doctors to hold on to the information?" My grip on his hand became firmer, his muscles fought back but the resistance only made it tougher on him.
"Why?"
"To clear the path,"He groaned. The agony made his entire body tremble with his jaw clenched.
"You are going to rip my hand apart,"
I hesitated, stared into his eyes for a while to be sure that he had felt the pain my rage demanded. I wasn't satisfied but I had to let go or I would rip off his arm.
"This is not our way," I said.
"Way," he gasped desperately, inhaling and exhaling like he was running out of air.
"We need her out of the way, the same way the father got out of our way. And we can't do that by lying and hoping. Just let her die,"
I thought about it and he was right. I had no idea why I was getting sentimental but the feeling sickened me.
"It's not your fault this time, just let her die,"
His words echoed in my head as I watched her sleep peacefully, knowing it could be her last nap in the world.