The Delta's Daughter Chapter 204

OLIVER

How Ironic, that Alpha Travis would have me put in the same cell that I once had him held in for months. It took us four days of traveling to get back to MacTire. At first, I laughed that they would take me back to the place I grew up in. I knew every single inch of that castle, every nook, every cranny, every secret passage, and tunnel. It would be easy to break out of their cells and leave the dungeons, I knew the mechanisms by heart.

How wrong I was.

I realized it was idiotic for me to think they would not have made upgrades and changes to the castle. I understood that as soon as the guards led me down below and into the dungeons, bringing me to Travis’ old cell. There were new barred doors and the floor had been painted with silver, leaving a small strip for a prisoner to walk on. I was stripped down and hosed down, then given a pair of thin shorts and shoved into my new home.

There was no way I was breaking out of this cell. A cot, a chair, and a bucket were all that furnished the dark and damp 6x6 cell I would now call home while I waited to be executed. I sat on the cot, my toes burning when they touched the edge of the silver-lined floor. A guard came and provided me with a meal. Not scrapes or porridge, but an actual meal with meat, potatoes, vegetables, and a bottle of water.

I was apprehensive to eat it and cautiously sniffed it for any poisons, fully expecting it to be at least laced with wolfsbane or something. It was not, which made me nervous. For a man who was about to have his heart ripped out or his head chopped off, they were treating me rather well. Too well.

I ate, picking at the food, mulling over the why. There was no doubt I deserved to be here, after everything I had done. I would accept my fate like a man. I would pay my penance for the crimes I committed. I truly wish it hadn’t come to this and I had been able to escape and live the life I had dreamt of since I was a little boy. Alas, that future was not in my cards. A cunning fox always meets his end and I had run out of luck, like a cat I had used up my nine lives and now it was only a matter of time before death met me to guide me to the pits of the underworld.

For three days I was fed, and for three days I wondered when I would receive sentencing. It was the night of the third day when finally I was visited and not just by a guard bringing me food or exchanging my bucket. I knew it was someone with ranking when I heard the slow and heavy steps approaching from the far corridor. My wolf began pacing and growling in my head. He too was ready to accept our death. Less happy about that me, as he knew all too well most of our crimes, the worse, were unavoidable. I had no idea what time it was but late into the night, a time when most members of the castle would be tucked up in a comfortable bed sleeping. No demons to keep them awake, no echoing screams of their victims filling the black void or their minds. No, those people would be sleeping peacefully under the protection of their Alpha and the warriors that patrolled the main pack grounds and surrounding villages.

The steps came closer until a large figure stood in front of my cell. He had changed. No longer was he the mildly toned wolf with soft brown eyes and an aura of good around him. No, instead a man who had put on muscles and looked to have grown several inches since I held him in the cells stood in front of me. His shoulders were broad and his arms thick; a neatly trimmed bread and short freshly cut hair with his dark eyes gave him that rugged and imposing look. This wolf had been broken and put back together, yet when he was glued back together somewhere, a piece was missing.

“Hello Oliver, welcome home.” Travis, now the Alpha of MacTire said with an all too deceptive smile that spoke volumes. “I have come to tell you that your execution will be held the day after tomorrow.”

I nodded, understanding and not expecting anything less. The dark Alpha looked down at the food still on my plate and scowled.”You need to eat, old friend. I need you in good health.” This time it was me who drew those eyebrows close together not understanding his meaning.

He laughed “Do you really think I would execute you so fast No,” he looked up at me through hooded eyes, his hands clasped behind his back and a shadow covered part of his face giving him an eerie and crazy presence “No, the man who will die is a rogue. Everyone will just think it is you. I would not give you up so easily now that I have you.” He turned his back on me and drew in a deep breath letting it back out just as slow. “I remember how much you liked to play games, Oliver. I have many fun games we will be playing together. Enjoy your food.”

The heavy fall of his steps faded as he left the corridor where my cell was, The furthest corridor from the stairs that led down here. I gulped and closed my eyes. So this was how it was meant to be. Travis had no intentions of killing me, yet. Instead, I could only imagine all the things his games would bring. After all, I had played most of them with him. I picked up the wooden plate with the food and threw it as hard as I could at the wall.

I laughed, loudly, the sound echoing through the cell and down the corridor, bouncing off the stone walls. I laughed some more and couldn’t stop. Death would have been too easy, why did I even think it would be that easy Of course, it wouldn’t be. I was now Travis’ play toy, just like once upon a time he was mine. The only difference was, that the dark Alpha was doing this for himself, nobody was giving him orders, or commanding his obedience. He was going to repay the favor because he wanted to not because a dominating and superior Alpha was commanding him too.

I suppose this is retribution for complying, yet I could not deny that I and my wolf did enjoy part of what we had done. I still hated what we had become. But the blood lust had always been there and it seemed someone else had also begun to crave it.

I don’t remember much of my mother, but I could still see her angelic face when I squeezed my eyes tight and concentrated enough. I tried to do that now, but my vision filled Tala’s face instead.

My mother died when I was still a young boy, I wish I could say a happy young boy, but that was never the case.

I had always lived here or in the village. I had only known this place to be filled with rogues, dangerous men who cared for no one and nothing except their greed. Some only wished to survive. The women in the village were not here by choice except for the select few who were just as mentally damaged as the men, most women were stolen, kidnapped, or born into the life of a rogue pack of delinquents, criminals, murders, and people whose wolves had craved for a pack.

I grew up fighting for scraps of food, my mother taking different lovers just to put food in my belly until one day, she wasn’t there. Gone to the New Moon Kingdom where they executed her in cold blood without a trial.

Silas had told me she went there to beg for a place in the pack and the king had given no attention and ordered her death right there on the border. I was there, supposedly. In my mind, I remember it, but my wolf does not recall it. It was shortly after that I became a servant to the Rogue King and a few years later I grew strong and joined the ranks. It wasn’t until I shifted did Silas really start to take note of me and eventually named me his Beta after showing him loyalty. I didn't follow him because I wanted to, I followed him for survival. Then it was out of duty once I was properly initiated and became the Beta to the Rogue kingdom.

When the Dire Wolf killed Silas, I felt a weight had been lifted from me, his death freeing a part of me. But I was scared, I had nowhere to go, I was left in a void and I wasn’t ready to die for that bastard. So I blindly followed Jack and found myself too deep into Orion’s charades. I should have left, he was much worse than I could ever imagine Silas to be. Yet, I didn’t. I fell into step in fear that I would become one of the creatures, so instead, I showed my loyalty again, and even helped lead the Crawlers into battle, transporting them to each town we attacked and letting those monsters loose.

I killed for Silas and I killed for Orion. I took my pleasures out on women and a few men. The only way I knew how to placate my wolf, who craved a mate but would get carried away in his primal desires, then hate that the person we fucked because we were not who they wanted, and kill them. A bad person like me is never blessed with another half by the moon goddess; she does not give gifts to murderers like me.

I had come to the conclusion, in my short 26 years of a life full of violence, that the moon goddess had never given me a chance. From the moment I was born, I was cursed. A child of the moon hated from the first breath I took. She didn’t favor me, or any of the children born to Rogues. Instead, she turned a blind eye to our misgivings. There was no hope for a child born in the life of a rogue’s world.

*****

TRAVIS

I left Oliver Cell, feeling smug and excited. I didn’t know what to expect from myself when I would finally once again come face to face with the man and wolf that caused me so much pain.

For three years I had dreamt of killing Oliver. For three years I imagined what it would be like to hold his life in my hands. Now I finally had him, I didn’t want to kill him. I wanted to inflict the same pain on him as he had done to me. It wasn’t revenge, I wanted to serve that man; when I lived not once but twice after he had deemed to kill me. This was retribution. There’s a fine line between the two similar acts but a whole different way of serving my repayment. Revenge would have me taking his life and executing Oliver like I said I would. Retribution would be dishing out his punishment as fate best saw it.

I walked away from Oliver’s cell with lighter steps and an air of pleasant darkness surrounding me. I shook my head with a chuckle aimed at myself, how could darkness in someone’s soul be considered pleasant Yet mine was and my wolf Janus relished in the growing power we both felt.

I came up the stone steps that led to the back of the castle and emerged close to where the Omega quarters and kitchen were located and started humming a tune that belonged to a song I didn’t remember.

“Uncle Travis, did you go to see the prisoner” My self-absorbed tainted happiness was broken with Petra’s interruption.

My wolf growled “Not now Petra, I’m not in the mood” I barked at her and walked past and began to hum my tune again. I could feel her heated stare at my back and hear her little growl. She was a feisty one that little she-bear, she already had a deep growl and her spirit animal would not even emerge for another three years when turned fourteen, Reminding me that her birthday was coming up in just a few short weeks, turning eleven.

I stopped before I had reached the entrance of the door, my hand pausing to push it open. “I’m sorry Petra,” I said with my back still towards her “Uncle Travis just needs some time,” I told her feeling guilty for pushing her away and brushing her off. I had been doing that a lot lately and she didn’t deserve it.

Petra had chosen to stay with me instead of heading to the Clan Mansion and bear Kingdom with Lamia, Ria, and Mathias. And when they would finally move into Riocht Petra still wanted to stay with me. The night Hunji received the mark of the Knight had scared her and I don’t think the fright had ever left her and even though she loved him, she would never see him in the same light again.

From the first moment I met this little girl, she captured my heart, and knew I would always be there to protect her. It cut me to pieces when Orion orchestrated her kidnapping. My heart had stopped when Finn held her in his arms, the scent of fear rolling off her. I can only thank the heavens and whatever god she prays to that Finn turned out to be a good man and protected her with his life. If he hadn’t, Lamia would have taken his head for herself.

If only Petra knew of the darkness slowly growing inside of me.

I felt little arms come up and circle my waist, trying to squeeze me. “It’s ok, I still love you. Even if you are grumpier these days.”

I finally turned around and bent down to her level “Give me a couple of days and will be back to my old self again. I promise.” I ruffled her hair and headed towards my office, leaving her in the kitchen. Not even questioning why she was up at this hour when she should be tucked up in bed safe and sound.

It turns out Petra was not the only one up at this hour, I found Rhett sitting in my office waiting for me. Another night owl. “Rhett” I acknowledged him and came around my desk, sitting in my chair across from him. “What can I do for you”

I liked Rhett, he was honest, brave, and different but right now his genetic makeup was a mystery. He could grow fangs and extend claws, move with inhuman speed, and had far more strength than that of any human. Yet he had no wolf. And like the rest of us, even if he bore the mark of a Knight, we could not understand how that was possible. By all rights, he was a hunter, but no hunter could half shift as he could. They had strength and speed, some even healed better than humans, Rhett was indeed a mystery.

“We have the execution of Oliver set for the day after tomorrow, is this still the plan” I nodded at his question.

“Yep, he is in cell 3 the first corridor. I want his head covered and chopped off.” Lies, Oliver was not in that cell, he wasn’t even in the same corridor. The man in cell 3 was a rogue criminal but I had beaten him so badly you couldn’t even tell what his face looked like. He would do as a decoy.

Was it wrong that I didn’t even feel the slightest bit of guilt for lying to the gamma I didn't even care if Lamia or Kellen found out that I hadn’t killed him. They had given him to me to decide his judgment and I had decided to take my time serving his punishment.

Part of me thinks Lamia should have let me die on that hospital table that night. When I woke up, something had shifted inside, not just with me but also with my wolf. I dismissed Rhett, he was making my wolf uncomfortable. That’s the thing about Hunters, they have a sense of justice and smell a lie if given enough reason to suspect you. And Rhett was very good at his job as an enforcer.

Once he left me alone I opened up my laptop, pulling up the now forgotten pictures someone had taken of me and Lamia in the throes of passion. My cock twitched and Janus whined, remembering the feel of her. We craved her sometimes and sometimes the craving was so intense that I wondered if our obsession was for lust or her blood. This crazy reaction to and for her had only started a few weeks after she saved me.

I thought it was a normal side effect of her bite, but I came to realize nothing was normal or healthy about how much I wanted her, how much my wolf lusted after her blood.