The Alphas' Pride Mate (The Pride Who Goes Into Heat)

HIS DEMISE.

Chapter: 50
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As Dirk slowly regained consciousness, he found himself in a dimly lit room, suffused with Malta's overpowering pheromones. His head throbbed, and his body ached from the brutal attack. He struggled against the restraints that bound him to the chair, but they held fast.

There was no sign of where he was, though he could hear the sounds of movement around him. Muffled voices, speaking in an unyielding rhythm, were barely audible but distinguishable. He tried to call out for help, but there was nobody present who would be willing to save him. So, he resigned himself to wait as his captors planned their next move. It was clear to him that they intended to torture him, but why? Why would Floridia, his former ally, be in league with Malta, his enemy? He had never wronged her, not even during their time together. The only reason he had recklessly responded to her call was the picture of her son, who bore an uncanny resemblance to the man who had named him heir in Qiemont. How could he abandon the child when he clearly needed him? Once again, Floridia was betraying him.

She had plotted with his enemy, and now they had captured and trapped him in a room drenched in Malta's pheromones, leaving his body fighting for control over the invasive scent... his weakness.

His own recklessness had led him to this predicament. He should have called Kurt and informed him of his decision to leave the Villa, or, more prudently, waited for Bogo's return so he wouldn't go out unprotected.

He was no ordinary man. Apart from Floridia and Malta, he knew he had enemies all around, people seeking his demise.

Floridia was right; as a werelion, he was annoyingly reckless. He seemed to always seek his own destruction with his own hands. What a fool he had become, trusting Floridia after all these years.

A fool.

Dirk felt his eyes sting, the pain unbearable now. He couldn't hold back the tears any longer; he wanted it all to stop. He might be the Don who had protected and led the family with great command since Mandracchia's death, but for some reason, matters of the heart were the only part of his life he often managed to mess up... unlike everything else. It was as if his brain shut down, and an empty skull took over.

Hopelessness at its finest.

His mind wandered, and his thoughts drifted into darker waters, drowning him. This was what he deserved. He deserved every moment of pain he suffered because he had brought it upon himself time and time again.

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Floridia and Malta loomed in the shadows, their smirks revealing their malevolent intentions.

"Why does his body reject dominant pheromones?" Floridia asked, exchanging a glance with Malta, whose gaze remained fixed on the screen.

"I have never seen anything quite like it... I even inquired about why a werelion body rejects dominant pheromones, but in truth, they do not—only Dirk's," Malta remarked, shaking his head. "How could such a powerful pride's body weaken simply because of another Alpha's pheromones, especially when the Pride in question is mated to three powerful Alphas... How will he survive that?"

"That is precisely what I am thinking!" Floridia exclaimed in frustration. "What if he is not fully a Pride?" She tapped her fingers together eagerly. "From what I have gathered about him, his Birth Omega was once the Rogue King subdued by a Pride, and he transformed into an Omega for his pride, and Dirk, his firstborn... look how he turned out... there is every possibility that he is not full Pride."

Malta frowned, though his expression did not betray his disappointment. He was too familiar with her plans. "That is why he is a Recessive, I mean he's a Pride, he has to be, remember? Otherwise, none of my plans would work."