Ileus: The Dark Prince

Olivia opened the door of the house and saw a room that had minimal furniture. There were two small couches, two ottomans and a table over a rug in the center and a lamp on the side. A few books were strewn on the table and the rug. As she traipsed inside, she saw that there were two more doors that led to another room. An arched window on the opposite wall opened to a lovely vista of snow-capped mountains far in the distance. 

"You must be Olivia," a cheery voice from behind came and she snapped her head back. 

"Alpha Murtagh!" she said and bowed to him. Standing in front of her was a tall, muscular man with broad shoulders and shoulder-length raven black hair. He had fine lines around his eyes that spoke of experience. He was wiping his hand on a cloth and was wearing a kitchen apron over his tunic and pants. 

The alpha's presence screamed of authority and Olivia felt she should submit to him. But thankfully her bond with Kaizan had weakened the bond with Murtagh and if the alpha was using his force to make her submit, she didn't feel it much. 

Murtagh gave her a smile and waved at the sofa to sit. "I was making something for both of us. Do you like strawberry pastries?" 

Seeing Alpha Murtagh coming out of the kitchen and making something for her simply charmed her. He was not what others had painted him. "I love them," she replied, sitting on the ottoman. She had seen him last when she was only twelve and she wondered if he remembered her at all. 

Murtagh hurried back in the kitchen and brought a tray with a few strawberry pastries and cookies and wine. He placed them in front of her on the table and settled on the couch opposite to her. He tilted his head and with a smile said, "I hear you have married Kaizan, the Second-in-Command to King Dmitri in Silver Vales." 

"That's right," she replied. "As a part of a peace treaty…" 

Murtagh tipped his chin up slightly and narrowed his eyes. "Peace treaty by whom?" 

Surprise burst into her like icy waves. "By you, Alpha…" she replied in a low voice, unsure of what to say at this moment. 

Murtagh tipped his head up and burst into laughter. When he settled, he crossed his ankle over the knee of another leg. "Vaarin is pretty clever, I have to say. He never told me that he was crafting a peace treaty with my enemy. He just went ahead with it and got you married to Kaizan to seal the treaty. Isn't he smart?" He said sardonically, making her cringe. 

Olivia's mind became numb. Her breath became ragged as she gazed at him without blinking her eyes. "B—but Alpha Murtagh, this was a move that was initiated by you." She couldn't believe that such a big thing happened and that too without Alpha's consent. "My father said that to me. He wanted to end the war between the two packs for a long time and that is why he offered my hand to Kaizan. It was a decision that he had taken with King Dmitri." 

Murtagh leaned over. He put his elbow over his knee and then supported his chin with his hand. "Your father, my Beta, Vaarin, betrayed me. I never agreed to this proposition. The war between the two packs is more for freedom of the Whiteclaw pack and not for some wishy-washy treaties. Vaarin has let me down in every sense." 

Olivia's eyes stung with tears. Her initial impression of the Alpha, shattered. He looked so friendly but, on the inside, he was like an asp. "Please don't say that about my father," she managed to speak in a hoarse voice. "The war between the two packs has left the Whiteclaw pack in one of the worst situations. With this treaty, we see hope. The trade is now open amongst various kingdoms with our pack. There are many benefits that come with it." 

"Oh, puhlease!" Murtagh snapped. "Stop citing the benefits to me, Olivia. You are nothing but an instrument used for the treaty. And I see that the fruit doesn't fall far from the tree. You are just like your father shouting peace, peace, when in reality, we want freedom. When in reality, we want to establish ourselves as a sovereign state who is capable of existing and flourishing without crutches. And yet your father goes and betrays me behind my back. He has stabbed me in the back!" 

"No!" Olivia retorted. How could her marriage to Kaizan be nothing but a betrayal? She had given up on her dreams for the pack. However, after marrying Kaizan, she could never be more thankful to the moon goddess. Still, before she married, she had so many worries about her future. But she did what her father and her pack members decided for her. "It was a collective decision of the council and not just my father." 

"I am sure Vaarin has his own private agenda behind the garb of the peace treaty," Murtagh snapped, throwing his head back slightly and narrowing his eyes. "What is it? Can you tell me, Olivia?" 

Olivia was feeling horrible at all the accusations Murtagh was hurling at her and her father. Pushing her tears back, she countered, "There is no private agenda, Alpha Murtagh. Father did only what was best for the pack. People in our pack are pushed to the brink of poverty. The law and order have gone down, there is an increase in the number of wolves who have turned rogue. The trade paths are infected by the rogues from the Whiteclaw pack and we have become infamous for the breeding ground of rogues." 

"That is preposterous. If you call freedom fighters as rogues, then that is what we are!" Murtagh hissed. He clenched his fists tight as if seething with anger. "My men who were with me, who were loyal to me, would have never betrayed me. Vaarin—" he paused to look outside the window. A moment later he added, "Vaarin was my Beta, but now he is just a traitor." He looked back at her. "If I ever get free from here, I will come for your father, Olivia." 

Olivia gasped. Her hands flew to her mouth. Murtagh failed to see everything that she was telling him and was only harping about freedom. "This is so wrong—" 

"Wrong?" Murtagh lashed. "Before getting married to my enemy, you should have considered death. That is what I expect from my people. That is what loyalty is. But you—" he raised his hands up as if disgusted by her. "But you chose to marry Kaizan!"

Olivia's mouth fell to the floor. "What else could I have done?" she asked, feeling her heart plummeting. 

Murtagh got up from his place. He walked to his room and came out with a small kitchen knife. Giving it to her, he said, "If you still believe in your Alpha, you will plunge this knife in Kaizan's heart tonight. If you are still loyal to the Whiteclaw pack, you will do this and we are going to fight for our freedom!" 

"What?" Olivia's hands shook so violently that she thought she had plunged her hands into an ice cold bucket. "This— this is insane!"