Chapter 15 #2
If he wanted his alpha to suffer for him, Sarang would do so, and for an alpha, there was no greater suffering than going through rut without a partner, or at least a toy that could simulate the feeling of a hole taking their knot.
Bishop probably thought Shiloh was doing this out of some sense of revenge for being lied to about the life-bond. While he wasn’t fond of the fact Sarang had kept that he was a hybrid from him, he’d meant every word he’d spoken to his Lefthand about the rest.
The life-bond was a blessing in disguise. Another tool that could be used against the alpha.
Shiloh wasn’t above manipulating him. Never had been. Never would be.
That’s all this boiled down to. Same end goal, different set up. He was torturing his alpha not out of some misguided need to get even, but because Sarang was still fighting him.
He’d break the older man down, reduce him to nothing but sensation and instinct, cut off his ability to think. Without that, without those thoughts swirling around Sarang’s mind, all the reasons he thought he had to deny Shiloh, he would succumb to basic biology.
He was turning Sarang’s own body against him. Was it despicable? Sure.
Would he stop?
No.
If only the alpha would cooperate and save them both some time.
Ever since that first rut, Sarang had left the offered bottles of water untouched.
He got thirsty at night, Shiloh knew it, had witnessed him carrying water to his bedroom for four years now, but was stubbornly refusing.
If he kept this up, Shiloh was going to have to order Bishop to slip the drug into something else, but he was hesitant to risk putting it in food.
He wanted the alpha to suffer and beg for him, sure, but he didn’t want his life in jeopardy.
“Do you remember how you scolded Kian when he first brought Sky here against his will?” Sloane suddenly asked. “You weren’t wrong then, you know.”
“I’m aware what I’m doing is unforgivable,” Shiloh agreed. “But I’m not after forgiveness.”
She hadn’t seen the look on Sarang’s face when he’d realized what Shiloh truly was. Hadn’t watched her alpha immediately choose to enter the Wardrobe in search of another bedpartner right after learning one of her dark secrets.
“He can’t handle me,” he said. “Not the real me.” And since it was too late to go back to pretending… “This is my only choice.”
“Keep telling yourself that, brother.”
“Thanks.” He pushed away from the railing. “I will.”
Kian had left behind most of their forces, relying on the branch still stationed on Synastry to help him with locating Elm.
The Hierarchy consisted of several members, four of which—including the Dominus—were there.
The others, those who had come to Glyph to help build on Glyphian soil, had taken to Shiloh’s command easily enough, but that didn’t mean there weren’t… questions.
The story of Sarang being rendered unconscious due to their car flipping was believable, but too much time had passed since then. The Eumia was starting to worry, and Shiloh needed to think up a few ways to counter that concern before someone started sniffing around places they shouldn’t.
He really didn’t want to kill someone important. That type of thing led to complications, and he seriously didn’t have the energy for that shit.
Sarang was proving handful enough as it was.
The alpha had been even more suspicious around Bishop, but hadn’t tried attacking him yet, managing to keep his composure despite the forced rut.
Every day, he picked at his food, eventually eating enough that Shiloh at least wasn’t concerned he would try something extra foolish like starving himself.
But he still refused the bottle of water, only drinking juice with meals, even though it’d been five days.
Bishop had given him one an hour ago, and when Shiloh checked his multi-slate, there’d been no changes.
The bottle remained on the table where the beta had left it, and the alpha was lying in bed, reading a book.
Which somehow made Shiloh feel like he was being ignored, even with this vast distance between them.
Perhaps Shiloh should take it from him?
He’d left a stack of fiction novels in the room so the alpha would have something to occupy his time.
Shiloh wasn’t a complete monster, and he didn’t want him going crazy staring at a blank ceiling all day long.
The whole point of this was to wear him down so he couldn’t overthink, not give him an opportunity to do so, so books as a distraction made sense.
But Shiloh didn’t like this jealousy over paper and ink.
All of Sarang’s actions revealed a refusal to accept him as his omega.
Or…He was vastly overreacting to this because he was the one being driven to madness.
Yeah. It was probably that.
Hell, if someone had spiked his drink, he wouldn’t trust them not to do it again either.
And there really was another dose of rut inducers in the bottle.
It was fine. Shiloh had anticipated this, hadn’t he? There was no reason to get so bent out of shape about it.
On the small rectangular screen of the multi-slate strapped to his wrist, he watched as the alpha shifted uncomfortably on the bed and started fanning himself absently. Bishop had been instructed to react accordingly if it seemed like the alpha wasn’t going to give in tonight.
The temperature of the room was no doubt rising in an attempt to make Sarang thirsty enough to throw caution to the wind.
The alpha would see through it, of course, but that was also part of the fun.
Seeing how long Sarang could resist and push back, before he knowingly conceded.
Shiloh made it to the main level of the club, spotting Tull, who’d moved over to the bar, and went to him. He made sure to shut his device off before he got too close, not wanting to risk anyone seeing the underboss locked up, then tapped on the bar top to get Iris, the bar tender’s, attention.
“Yuzu tea, please.” He returned Iris’ smile.
“Faking politeness again?” Tull sipped from his glass, not bothering to look his way.
“I’m polite,” he argued.
The alpha grunted. “Have you spoken with Kian?”
“About?”
“Last I checked, there are a few different topics of importance.”
Shiloh’s tea was set before him. “No news on Elm,” he said. “My brother wants us to continue business as usual.”
“Nothing about you and Sloane staying in doors?”
“We can take care of ourselves.”
“Is that why you stopped keeping bodyguards around you?”
“I’ve found it’s most effective to drive a point home quickly.
” In the beginning of Kian’s reign, Shiloh’s innocent act had been mutually beneficial.
It’d set up a reputation of him being quiet and delicate, the type of omega who needed pampering and protecting.
Not fit to rule the mafia. But things were different now.
“And if something goes wrong? Have you considered that?” Tull asked sternly. “What happens to the rest of us if Kian comes back to his other brother injured? Or worse? What do you think the underboss will do?”
Losing the bodyguards was all part of the plan.
He was giving the appearance of being vulnerable and open to attack to instigate that very thing.
This past week had kept him busy, with more than just members of Lady Luck slinking out of the trenches in an attempt to get a leg up by kidnapping or harming the Prince of the Eumia.
Silencing them had been easy so far, and he didn’t anticipate it getting any harder.
Once word spread that Shiloh was actually a ruthless fighter, he’d become an asset to Kian instead of a burden the way Elm was currently being perceived. Win-win for them both.
“Let’s pray we never have to find out.” Shiloh had come over here simply to make a public appearance, but he was finding this conversation rather dull. Perhaps he should return to his rooms and jerk off to the live feed of his alpha…reading.
Damn it.
“Prince, this isn’t funny.”
“Who’s laughing?”
Tull finally turned to him. “I liked it better when you were pretending to be a normal college student.”
“Yeah, well I liked you better when you were fucking my—”
He slapped a hand over Shiloh’s mouth. “Are you nuts?!”
Iris pretended not to be paying attention out of respect, but her ears turned red at the tops, and she fumbled the cocktail shaker, almost dropping it.
A shout on the other side of the room came then, and both Shiloh and Tullius turned toward it, spotting a furious alpha shoving one of their employees against a wall.
“I’ll handle it,” Shiloh said when Tull went to move.