SOULLESS

CHAPTER NINE

Ricard was returning to his quarters followed by a few guards but then he heard a familiar female voice call his name and turned around to find his pregnant sister rushing to meet him.

He shook his head smiling, watching her wobble towards him as much as her belly would allow. She hugged him crying, telling him how much she had missed him. He took in her mint scent realizing, how much he had missed her as well and held her tighter to him but felt her stiffen in pain, whimpering.

Ricard let go of her out of concern but her mate scoops her in his arms and quickly holds to him.

'She has been really sensitive and fragile since we found out we were expecting. I told you not to come but you insisted' he scolded his mate playfully, kissing her fore head. Anna smiles at Ricard but he notices that the joy doesn't reach her eyes, but he decides not to press the matter till later so as not to make create a scene before the omegas carrying bags.

'Its good to see you again Victor, thank you for coming to my ceremony', he said.

'I couldn't miss it for anything my friend. It will be quite a spectacle, I'm sure', the alpha responded making Ricard suspect there was a deeper meaning to the statement.

'Where's father? Mother told us you are with him', his sister asked bringing him back to the present.

'He's with duke Farad and the crown prince, you'll see him once they done with their meeting', Ricard responded

'The crown prince is here!', Victor states, gaining attention to himself.

'Yes, is that a problem?', Ricard asked suspiciously.

'No of course not, I am just surprised because he never leaves the king's side.'

'He is here on official duty', said Ricard observing Victors reaction carefully.

'You will excuse us, I need to take my wife to rest. We can meet up later to talk', Victor says seeming uncomfortable with the news.

'Of course,' Ricard says smiling at him

'I can't believe you're both finally going to be lead our the pack', his sister said making Ricard smile but Cybele held a stoic expression.

'Cybele did I say something wrong?', Anna asked

'No Anna, I am simply preoccupied with the preparations for the ceremony. If you will pease excuse me, I still have alot to do', Cybele replied.

'Oh! I was hoping you would stay with me so we could catch up on old times', Anna responded but Cybele looks at her and says.

'Perhaps later, my sister asked for my help and I need to go to her.'

'You would choose her company over mine?'

'That shouldn't come as a surprise to you after what you did', Cybele said, her voice turning cold. Anna leaned closer to her mate, hiding her face in his chest.

The atmosphere became tense and Ricard looked at both women who were once the best of friends, not understanding the reason for the recent hostility between them.

'Alpha Victor, please go to your room and rest', Ricard said to the alpha who nodded back at him.

'Take alpha Victor and my sister to their quarters, I wish to be with the future Luna alone', Ricard ordered the omegas who led the guests away.

'I did it for you', Anna hissed at Cybele who said nothing back and remained composed, looking at Anna with indifference as she was being carried away.

'What was that about?', he asked

Cybele looked at him but said nothing.

'I SAID...'

'I heard what you said but I cannot give you an answer because you will not believe me even if I told you. If you are truly curious, you should ask your sister', Cybele replied and bowed to walk away

'Where are you going?', he asks

'To look for Ari. She texted earlier asking me to meet with her but I told her I couldn't leave Luna Star at the time because we were receiving guests, I need to see if she still needs my help', she responded. Her words cut deeply into Ricards guilt and jealousy. Ari didn't ask him for anything since he arrived but instead preferred to ask for the help of the person he was protecting her from.

'How did you do it Cybele?', Ricard asked

'What do you mean?', Cybele replied

'How were you able to convince everyone that you are such an angel? You and I both know you are a murderous snake, you are the snake that is feeding Ari with lies and turning her against me. One day I will prove it and when I do, I will have you thrown away from my pack and my lands', Ricard said to her

She was about to respond when she received a mind-link. She opened it and heard her mother crying.

'Mum, what's wrong? Why are you crying?', she asked

'Ari and Sinder are in the hospital', Sarai responded through sobs

'Again! Which wing of the hospital are you?' Cybele asks.

'The west wing. Please come, I don't know what to do', Sarai said crying before cutting the link. Cybele turns to rush to the hospital but is stopped by Ricard.

'I'm not having this discussion with you Ricard, Ari is in the hospital and we need to go to her', she replied but notices that Ricard doesn't react to the news.

'Wait, you knew. All the time we were standing with your sister you knew she was hurt but didn't say anything', Cybele said to him but he doesn't respond.

'What happened Ricard? I'm guessing she came to you for help when she couldn't reach me. What did you do? Cybele asked again.

'Go to your sister, Cybele', was all he said to her defeated before walking away from her.

Meanwhile, Victor and his mate had arrived at their lodgings, which was Anna's old suite in the alphas mansion. It had two rooms with a walk in closet and a huge bathroom. It was decorated like the rest of the house in renaissance style. When all the omegas had left and Victor was alone with Anna, he dropped her unceremoniously on the bed and walked towards the balcony lighting a cigarette. She sits staring at him with eyes filled with fear, knowing she is about to bear the pain for whatever it was that is angering him.

'What was my instruction before we left the pack?', he said lighting his tired cigarette stick. Anna looked at him, visibly shaking as he turned around holding up the stick. He moved towards her making her crawl deeper into her bed.

'What were you doing? Trying to run away from me?', he said moving closer to her. She shakes her head violently to indicate she wasn't.

'You want to belittle me in front of your brother you want him to think I'm a lesser alpha, don't you? You were running to him to save you weren't you?', he asks, but she continues to shake her head.

'I would never do that to you Victor, I love you', she says hoping the words would calm him.

'I love you too Anna, but you disobeyed me and you know what happens when you disobey, right?', she nods covering her mouth to silence her whimpering.

'WORDS!', he yelled

'Yes alpha, I know what happens when I disobey', she replies shaking.

'Then why did you run to your brother? Why did you let him touch you?', he says to caressing her hair.

'Please', she said crying, 'I sorry I made a mistake.'

'Shhhh, don't cry. You don't want us to lose another baby do you. You know how upset mother was the last time. She blamed me for what was entirely your fault. It was all you fault for not doing as you were told. Am I right?', he asked

'Yes Alpha, you are right', she responded.

He smiled at her and kissed her softly, the kiss gradually began to intensify as he pulled up her blouse caressing her scarred lower back, filled with cigarette burns and knife cuts. His kiss becomes demanding as he grips her head and lays her on her side. He holds her in a vice grip as he puts out his cigarette on her back, leaving a fresh wound among many others, silencing her scream by plunging his tongue in her mouth. He rips off her clothes and has his way with her despite her pleas of discomfort in the various positions he places her.

'I am your alpha, only I can touch you, remember that', he whispered harshly into her ear as he pumped his seed into her for the final time before pulling out of her and going to the bathroom. Anna lays in bed for several minutes crying, exhausted and covered in body fluids. She is very uncomfortable but knows from past experience not to move or the situation would only get worse for her.

Victor comes out of the bathroom, freshened up in a towel and looks at his handwork on the bed. The defeated look on Anna's face made him grin from ear to ear.

'You have learned your lesson?', he asks

'Yes alpha', she responds weakly

'Then go to the bathroom and freshen up, while I order for food so we can feed my son, he must be starving', he said caressing her belly.

'Yes alpha', she responds rising slowly. He helps her to get out of bed and into the bathtub and goes back to the bedroom to pick up his phone and make a call.

'Hello mother', he says to the older woman at the other end of the line.

'Hello son, have you arrived at your destination?' she asks

'Yes we have arrived, but there is a bit of a complication. I'm told prince Kohan is here, that means the security will be tougher than we anticipated', he said again before listening to her response.

'That shouldn't be much of a problem. With your mate beside you, you will be almost as powerful as a royal. Is she still obedient?'

'Yes she is obedient', he says looking at the bathroom door where Anna is bathing.

'Does she suspect anything?'

'No she doesn't suspect anything yet', he replies again.

'Search the island, I'm sure that what we ate looking for is there. Once we get our hands on it, you will be the king of all wolves', his mother responds

'Are you sure what we are looking for is here mother? If we do this with the crown prince here, the royals will accuse us of attacking him and declare war on my pack. We will be destroyed', he said worried.

The voice on the other end rises so loud, it shatters a mirror in the room, making the alpha wince in pain dropping the phone and covering his ears. He picks up the phone and places it back on his ear.

'Yes, mother, I'm still here', he says

' I said have you heard from your beta?', she asks

'No I am yet to hear from him', answering a question.

'Communicate with him to confirm the rouges haven't done anything stupid to lead to their capture', the older woman says

'I doubt they have been caught, no one suspects our reasons for using a ship. It was easy use their daughters pregnancy as a ruse so they have no reason to doubt us', he continues.

'I can't wait to have my vengeance on all of them and take back what it ours', his mother responds

'Don't worry mother, soon everything we want will be ours, I promise I won't fail', he finally says before hanging up.

He feels someone trying to communicate with him through the mind-link and opens it in anticipation.

'My alpha, your army awaits your orders', says his beta Maurice.

'Excellent, what about the rouges?', Victor asks

'They are a rowdy lot my alpha, I had to kill a few to prove a point, but now they are obedient', his beta responds

'Excellent, make sure to not call attention to yourselves on the ship, when the time is right we will strike', Victor says

'Yes alpha', the beta responds before closing the link.