Dark Alpha: A Fated Mates Novel

49: TALK DIRTY

~VANNIE~

Now that there was a bit of calm (or an illusion of it) Sin and her did rounds of the Inlands.

It was the first time she'd ever gone house to house, and the people were very eager to welcome her. She knew this because somehow, everyone tried to offer her lemongrass cream. 

"Isn't that expensive?" She asked Sin in a hushed voice as they left the first Keeper's house — the one who still bore a mark on his neck from Maeve's blade.

"Inlanders have wealth," he replied simply, but she could imagine the rest of it. If the Inlands was the seat of power in the Realms, it would make sense that the poorest Inlander would be a middle-class lupus in another territory.

She smiled. 

When they reached the next Omega's house, she politely declined the large cup of her favorite delicacy, but offered to reimburse her for her trouble. She looked insulted

"You're having a lot of fun giving back to the people, I see," he said when they left. It was kind of nice how they were leaving their interactions till they were alone, and Vannie smiled up at him.

"Yes."

He looked thrown off by her expression for a while, then blinked it off. "I don't want to ruin your fun. But I should probably tell you that it's not necessary. We just like doing nice things for you. Hell, we are required to do so in order to survive. Our physiology demands that we pay tributes periodically, or we begin to feel worthless."

Her smile disappeared, understanding that he said 'we' instead of 'they' for a reason, but not knowing why. "I'm not comfortable just receiving 'tributes' if I'm not giving anything back! I'm sorry, but you can't ask that of me."

He led her into a new street. "I don't know how else to explain it to you. I'm not going to start listing everything you've done for us since you got here. Well, other than the fact that you gave these people a female to look up to when they'd already thought all hopes were lost. Oh, and also the fact that you brought their Alpha back from the brink of insanity. But let's not also forget that you saved their lands and lives."

Her face was on fire. "Stop."

"You can kiss me to shut me up."

"Or I can put a fist into your face."

He laughed. "I love it when you talk dirty to me."

***

"I see the King has marked you."

Despite how angry she'd been at Maeve that day of the battle, she was glad that the Keepers were unable to kill her. Now that it was confirmed that her magick had healed the males that Maeve attempted to kill, she could almost forgive her. Almost. 

She probably shouldn't have visited her at the dungeons, but she couldn't help herself. She'd taken Maeve as a friend, and that wasn't just something she could turn off or on.

"Yes," she replied. "It was a glorious ceremony."

"I can't relate," Maeve said, rather conversationally. "I didn't want the King to suspect too much, so I didn't let mine mark me."

It was as ridiculous as the day she'd heard it, that Crom was actually Maeve's mate. But it did make sense. Vannie was fresh into the matehood thing, but she could already imagine the lengths she'd go if she thought Sinclair's life was on the line. What she'd do if she thought Sin wouldn't be accepted in her life.

She already knew what she could do, which was to lead an entire army and subdue two territories. She didn't need any other situation to know she'd kill for Sinclair. Without thought, without remorse.

Maybe it was a mistake to come here. "We could put you together with Crom. You and him alone in a dungeon." She couldn't keep the wry tone away from her voice. "You deserve that much after everything you've been through."

"You're not going to tell me what I could have done differently?"

"I'm sure you already know what you could have done differently, Maeve." She turned abruptly to leave after that, but was stopped by Maeve's sly voice.

"I have answers to all your questions."

She stopped. "What questions?"

"What happened between the King and Enoch. Why the Inlands gave you the pack link and mate bond. Why I know that this is just the beginning of you and Alpha Sin's issues. There's just too much to unpack between you, don't you think?"

She smiled, a mean, feral one that was so unlike her, Vannie almost took a step back. 'True colors' suddenly made so much sense to Vannie, because surely that was what this was, right? Maeve was showing her the side that had been hidden all along. It was sinister.

"Did I tell you? This was the same technique your mate used to lure me in. Distractions, preying on my curiosity and vulnerability. Making me question alot of things that may just be natural." She hated how her voice quivered on the last word. "But I know better now. And I'll tell you this, if I have any questions, I'd be better off asking someone who actually has solutions. My mate, the King of all the f*cking wolves." 

She moved closer to the cell gates, putting her hands on it till they rattled. "You were stupid to cross him. You'll find out the hard way, I'm sure."

And she left, thinking of how much of a good thing it was that she was now on Sin's good side.