The Alpha's Progeny [The Alpha's #3]
Chapter 18

MALIK VLADIMIR

The rest of his day had been boring and quiet, so boring that he fell asleep straight after dinner. It was several hours before he usually went to bed but it felt like the day had dragged on for so long, the only way to end it was by sleeping. And so, that was what he did.

Or at least, tried to.

Malik wasn’t sure what time of night it was but when he opened his eyes, it was still dark out. If it wasn’t for his enhanced werewolf vision, he wouldn’t have been able to see through the darkness and when he did, he found himself wishing he hadn’t.

Looming over him were two dark figures with every inch of their skin covered. From his angle, each one of them looked taller than the other and their faces menacing even though he couldn’t see under the faceless masks.

Even though he was an Alpha, he wasn’t ashamed to admit that in that moment, he was scared. Scared about what was happening, what these two wolves were in his room but most prominently, he was scared that his dad was a part of this.

“Who are you and what are you doing in my room?” Malik growled as he sprang up in bed; already on edge.

Honestly, Malik wasn’t sure what he was expecting. He had asked what these two strange, unknown wolves were doing in his room as if there was a possibility that he would receive a somewhat reasonable answer.

Instead of answering, the two masked figures glanced at each other before reaching out for him.

Malik swore under his breath as he kicked out his legs. He kicked one in the stomach and rolled away from the other, sending him over the edge of the bed. The sudden impact of the wooden floors stunned him for a moment but he was able to snap out of it before either of the wolves could reach him again.

He had two options here. He could stay, fight and unmask these strangers in his bedroom or he could run for his life and scream out for help.

Naturally, he chose the first.

He marched over to the first and kicked him in both shins, taking sick joy in the way he curled up into a ball. As if he believed that that would protect him. When he felt the second wolf approach him from behind, he threw his elbow back and clipped him in the chest. The wolf growled and Malik swivelled around on the balls of his feet. He didn’t wait to be fully facing the wolf as he fisted his hands and threw punch after punch at him, all while keeping an ear out for the maimed wolf by his feet.

This continued – Malik having the upper hand. Or rather, he did until one of the wolves produced a pair of silver handcuffs.

“What are you doing? Let go of me!” Malik growled and struggled, but it only resulted in the cuffs tightening around his hands. “How are you not affected by the silver?” he asked but it was pointless. Other than the occasional growls and groans of pain, neither of the wolves spoke to him.

How did they touch the silver and not even react? Malik asked his wolf, the force of the beast vastly reduced by the presence of the silver.

Malik should have realised that these wolves had silver on them when his wolf didn’t take over during the fight earlier! He should have realised there was more wrong than what met the eye!

Not that he was expecting him to, his wolf didn’t answer.

Malik grunted in pain when the silver of the hand cuffs dug into his skin. Before he could make any more sound, one of them reared his head around and reached to slap him in the mouth. He would have grunted in pain again if a large strip of tape hadn’t just been slapped on his mouth.

What the fuck is going on? Malik continued to ask his wolf even though he could feel his presence fading.

It was simple. The longer the presence of the silver, the ore of an effect it had on him and his wolf; dimming them powers.

But one thing he didn’t understand was how these two wolves didn’t seem the least bit affected by the silver in the near vicinity. Especially since they had been around it sooner!

Silver to werewolves wasn’t like anything else. No matter how much time you spent around it, it was something a wolf would never be able to get used to. Never grow to tolerate.

Despite how difficult it was, Malik made sure to keep his eyes peeled as the two wolves forced him out of the pack house and toward the forest. The whole time, more than worrying about what would happen to him, he couldn’t stop thinking about whether his dad would be standing at the end of whatever this was.

Malik wasn’t left wondering for long.

“I thought I told you not to use silver until it was absolutely necessary,” Orpheus tutted as he glanced between the two wolves.

“Trust me, Orpheus, the silver was very necessary,” the first wolf snorted before letting go of Malik.

The second wolf was quick to do the same but he, the same one that Malik had kicked a bunch of times, kicked at Malik’s knee which sent him tumbling to the ground.

“You’ve got a right piece of work on your hands,” the second wolf growled but neither moved to free him from his restrains.

Malik growled into the tape, the sound muffled by it, and lifted his head. In front of him stood his father, flanked by three wolves on each side. Now four now that the two that had attacked him, joined his side.

“I bet you’re wondering what you’re doing here, Malik,” his dad chuckled, as if there was something remotely funny about the situation. There wasn’t and the dark glint in his eyes only confirmed it.

Malik merely nodded as he couldn’t do anything else. Not even get back on his feet.

“I know what you were researching today,” Orpheus murmured in a low tone, his eyes not once wavering from his son. “I know that you were trying to replace information on Lord Erebus on Google, and I also know that you ransacked the library for the same reason.”

Even though his father spoke the truth, Malik shook his head frantically. He didn’t care if this was weak or hypocritical of him, but all he cared about now was staying alive. If he stayed alive then he would be able to get to the bottom of things.

“Don’t even try to deny it. I have proof that you were doing this!”

Despite the truth, Malik continued to shake his head. He made muffled sounds through the tape in hopes that they would remove it. At least that way, he could fight his case with words. His second most powerful weapon.

“Remove the tape,” Orpheus growled at the wolf stood on his immediate left. “Let us hear how he’s going to lie himself out of this.”

Malik growled as the tape was ripped off his mouth, barely given a moment to recover before he was forced onto his feet.

“Go on. Tell us what you were doing today,” Orpheus prompted him again, watching him for his every move and reaction.

“I was researching Lord Erebus today. On my laptop and in the library,” Malik told them, confirming his father’s previous declaration. “But it’s not what you think!” Orpheus didn’t comment, merely pursed his lips. Malik took that as his sign to continue. “I wanted to replace out more about what was going on. I was too scared to admit what I had heard yesterday.”

“And what did you hear yesterday?”

“That you’re trying to free Lord Erebus with sacrifices. That you’re trying to get revenge for what the Moon Goddess had done to him,” the words rushed out of his mouth, all but spilling what he was thinking right now. “I know that you’re trying to bring back Lord Erebus and I want to join you. I want to be a part of it!”

“I want to believe you but I’m not completely convinced,” Orpheus hummed with a faux thoughtful expression on his face. He kept up the act as he turned around to glance at his secret group, only some of them familiar to him.

“I’m speaking the truth,” Malik continued to insist, trying not to shiver in disgust and a small tang of fear.

“Then you need to prove it to us,” Orpheus grinned like the sick bastard that he was.

“How can I do that?”

“You know the saying,” his dad paused to chuckle; the sound rather sadistic. “If you can’t beat them, join them.”

Malik didn’t have the courage to ask what they meant. Neither did he have the time.

As if this had already been planned for the night, a wolf emerged from deep within the forest. But it was the baby in a bundle of blue blankets in his arms that caught Malik’s attention.

The sacrifice.

Even though Malik was shocked and disgusted, he made sure to keep his face neutral. With all of his might, he wanted to reach out and save this baby but he couldn’t. Not only would it give himself away and put him in danger – he knew that by this point, this baby wouldn’t survive regardless of what he did; his fate having been decided the moment he was kidnapped from his pack and parents – but he couldn’t move.

He was paralysed with fear. Not that anyone could tell by his face.

“When you say join them?” his voice purposely trailed off in question, sounding more curious than disgusted even though the latter was exactly what he was feeling right now.

“I mean literally join us,” Orpheus grinned as he took a step back, allowing the other wolves to start getting things in order. “You’ll round us up to a nice solid ten.”

Malik couldn’t bring himself to say anything. Instead, he gulped and turned his eyes to the sleeping baby. No doubt this child had fallen asleep in his mother’s arms, his father leaning down to press a kiss to his forehead. The both of them had placed him in his cot for the night and gone to bed themselves, unrealising of the fact that that was the last time they would ever see their child.

“This is a privilege, Malik,” Orpheus spoke loud and clear, truly believing his words. “This will be one of the last sacrifices until Lord Erebus is risen. I’ll make sure he knows your name and your part in bringing him back.”

Malik gulped and nodded, but still couldn’t bring himself to look away from the baby which was now being brought toward him.

“I know it’ll be hard at first, especially since you haven’t done this before but it’s for the greater good. You know that. We all know that,” Orpheus continued preaching as his handcuffs were removed and the baby was placed in his arms.

A moment of silence wrapped around them as everyone watched him and Malik watched the sleeping baby in his arms. They all knew what was expected of him in this moment. He knew what was expected of him in this moment.

It was only this baby that didn’t know what was expected to happen in this moment. This poor, innocent little baby.

“Now?” Malik questioned in a low tone, trying not to visibly shiver.

“Now,” Orpheus confirmed, walking up to him. “I know this is your first time so I’ll help you through it,” he reached out to take the baby from him in exchange of a small, sharp blade.

Malik gulped and nodded, tightening his grip around the handle of the blade.

“Where?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

“The throat.”

He couldn’t help but hold his breath as he raised his hand, his skin clammy and his grip on the handle slipping. He wished it could slip through his fingers but he knew that was not possible. Not if he wanted to keep up this act.

“Want me to count you in?” his dad prompted him after a few moments of him doing nothing.

“That might help.”

“On the count of three,” Orpheus started him off. “One,” Malik tightened his grip around the handle of the blade, raising it higher up in the air. “Two,” he brought his hand down, moving it back and forth, mimicking the path that his blade would take across the baby’s throat. Orpheus lowered one of his arms to drop the baby’s head, making the neck more accessible to Malik. “Three,” his dad finished counting, leaving Malik no other choice.

He cut the baby’s throat just like his dad instructed him, oddly feeling like he was cutting through a cake. It was just too bad that it was nowhere near as enjoyable. The entire time, Malik gritted his teeth and imagined not only himself, but this baby, somewhere else. Anywhere else.

“I’m so proud of you, son,” Orpheus grinned at him before taking a step back. He handed the baby off to one of the other wolves so he could dip his fingers into the fresh blood, coating all five of them.

Malik ferociously blinked back the tears, barely able to make out his father moving into the centre of them all and dropping down to his knees. He used the first four fingers to draw four lines on the ground. The first was a medium-sized circle, the second a smaller circle inside of it and then a third and fourth to create a triangle inside of the smaller circle. He saved the fifth fiver, his pinky finger for the lifeless baby whose neck was still unsupported. Not that it mattered anymore.

Orpheus drew two lines on the baby’s forehead before taking him back in his arms. He moved over to the circle and kneeled on the ground again. This time, he placed the baby in the centre of the triangle and took several steps back. When they all took several steps back, Malik somehow found it in himself to do the same.

He didn’t know what to expect and neither did he have the time to fathom over all that had happened these past five minutes as in the blink of an eye, the whole world changed.

The sky opened up for a flash of lightening to slip through, the ground shaking as the silver-golden bolt cracked through the sky.

Despite the travelling sound, he blinked and it was gone.

When Malik turned to glance at the symbol on the ground once again, the baby was gone.

-

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Layla Knight

20.08.2021