"Of course, he is the Alpha," Susan Rooney answered Athena's unspoken question as the latter looked from one of them to the other.
Hating how good the rogue looked even with Ludric's fingerprint on her throat, Susan, in a fitted crimson silk dress that hugged her curves, turned and curled her hands around Richard's neck with a smirk, "Baby, I only know she is wolfless. How come nobody mentioned she is stupid and ugly too?"
Dressed in an open-neck black shirt and tailored charcoal trousers, Richard did not think Athena's fuller curves looked ugly at all. In fact he was thinking, "Wish I could suck on those rosy lips right now."
He nodded as he dragged his feasting eyes away from her face, his breath shuddering out as he struggled to respond to Susan's taunt, "Seeing is believing, sweetheart."
To Athena, he said, "I see you are back, Athena. You are more resilient than I give you credit for, I must say. So many rogues die daily out there. But you?" He shook his head as he gave her cheap wear a derisive look. "You just keep… showing up."
Still as trashy as ever, he finished the thought to himself.
"You wish I died?" Athena queried with a slight head tilt.
Richard inwardly rolled his eyes.
Then he innocently raised hand circled by a heavy silver watch, "I never said that, did I?"
"I didn't hear anything of such, Alpha," Ludric snickered.
Alpha.
"Why are you the Alpha? Where is your father?" Athena asked, with her face devoid of expression.
"How do I explain this?" He started like he was talking to a dimwit. "My father died, and I became the Alpha. It's that simple, Athena. You just need to engage your brain."
"You are assuming she has one, baby," Susan said as she trailed a coral-painted ringed fingers down Richard's exposed chest. Her gold hoop earrings shimmered against his shoulder
"Ah, that is my mistake," Richard crooned as he turned his head towards her.
Susan seized that opportunity to kiss Richard fully on the mouth, adding a little hum in her throat, while giving Athena a side look.
The thrill of taking someone's mate excited her so much that she wanted to see Athena's visible pain.
She was slightly disappointed when Athena just gave them a bland look, and Richard eased back from the kiss.
Despite her unbothered façade, pain was lancing gleefully within Athena so much that she had to visibly force her hand from curling into fists.
The retort of "Get a room, will you?" was right on her tongue, instead her voice scraped out, "Who is this, Richard?"
Susan rolled her eyes, and stepped away from Richard.
"Open your eyes, bitch," she scoffed as she raised her ringed finger.
The waning evening light caused the diamond to wink right into Athena's eyes and she convinced herself that was the only reason her eyes suddenly seemed wet.
Susan got angry when Athena barely looked at her, and continued looking at Richard as if still expecting an answer.
She moved towards Athena in matchng red stiletto heels while saying, "I swear I have never met someone as stupid as you are. I am the fiancée. So, crawl back to the hole you came out of. Go!"
On the last word, she raised her hand to slap Athena, but Athena snatched her hand mid-air.
Susan's eyes bulged as she winced when Athena pulled her arm back.
She had not expected the strength she felt in Athena's grip.
"Let me go!" she shrieked as her arm seemed like it would fall out of its socket soon.
How can she be this strong as a wolfless rogue? she wondered, even as she screeched, "Richard, tell her to let me go!"
Before Richard could even talk, Ludric was already moving on Athena.
"How dare you lay your filthy hands on…"
Athena pushed Susan into Ludric, where she collided against him with her butt, right against his crotch.
Ludric automatically grabbed her waist, holding her to him in her bent state for a split second before stepping aside and asking urgently, "Are you okay, Miss Rooney?"
"Get your hands off me!" Susan snapped as she jerked away from him and went to Richard with teary eyes.
"Look at what she did to me!"
"I asked you a question, Richard," Athena said with her eyes still on him. Blazing, jewelled-green eyes, the only indication of her internal turmoil.
"How dare you address the Alpha by name? You have a death wish?" Ludric made to move towards Athena again, but Richard raised his hand to stop him.
Maybe he still cared, Athena's unbidden thought came as she remembered how different he had been that first night when he saved her.
That reminder of their instant connection then doubled the pain she had been holding back since Susan slithered to his side.
Then, Richard said in a bored tone, "She already told you, Athena. Don't be daft."
"I am your mate," Athena stated simply.
A mocking grin graced his face as he shook his head and said, "No, that is where you got it wrong. You are a flea-bitten stray crawled into my pack, and claim to be my mate. You are just a useless rogue, and I am the Alpha. Come on, use your brain. You are worthless to me."
"I am the queen, you worthless prick," thought Athena as the throbbing misery inside her steadily turned into a flaming anger.
She didn't need Morrigan's wrath for this.
This bastard who had slyly mocked her back then was now doing it so openly now that he believed he had the ultimate power.
She who had made the vampires tremble at the mention of her name and could wipe out his entire pack without lifting a finger?
"You call me worthless? Are you sure about that?" Athena asked in a fury-laced tone.
Susan rolled her eyes again, but her aching hand made her stay glued to Richard.
Richard's mocking smile bloomed as he responded to Athena, "Of course. You are like a…" He snatched a flying butterfly in mid-flight. "…a bug." He continued as he raised the struggling butterfly by one wing. The butterfly thrashed in the air, its fragile wings beating frantically against his grip in a blur of desperate colour. "All it takes to crush you is… this." He crushed the butterfly with a snap.
Pity for the unfortunate butterfly eased through Athena's fury, even as her loathing for the bastard increased.
Accepting the handkerchief Ludric passed him, Richard wiped his hand and tossed the handkerchief in Athena's face.
"So, you see? You will never be worthy enough to be my maid, not to talk of being my mate." He grabbed Susan closer, his palm moulding her arse as he continued, "Susan here is my fiancée. She is a strong wolf with good sense. The only one worthy to be my Luna and bear my pup."
Athena's back straightened even more despite how the pain wanted to drag her under.
"This has been your thought from the start, isn't it?" Richard's smug look answered her. "Why then did you mark me?"
"Another mistake." Richard mused it to her, he said, "Because you are so pathetic and you won't stop looking at me with those witchy eyes. I just had to give you something, don't I? After all, I am known to be very generous and kind to the less privileged."
Ludric's chuckle made a thought come to Athena's mind as she looked at him.
The unwavering confidence. The audacity and even the nonchalant attitude when Athena mentioned his crime earlier.
Athena's knees almost collapsed under her as the realisation dawned on her.
She looked from Ludric to Richard, "You knew, didn't you?" Athena hated how her breath shuddered as she asked the ultimate question. "You sent him after me? Y… you did that to me?!"
Richard looked confused for a moment. Then he looked at Ludric's expression.
Athena's vision suddenly grew hazy as she saw the look that passed between the two of them.
Richard's smug look remained as he looked back at her and said, "Oh, that."