Savage (Alpha Brotherhood 1)

Most important, I had to stop the bleeding.

A male servant rushed in and I started barking orders.

“Clear the table and get me clean bandages,” I roared.

Within seconds, I heard things clatter to the floor. I didn’t even look and swept my arms beneath her, lifting her off the floor and laying her on the wooden table. Servants swarmed into the room and soon, there was a pile of white bandages and medical supplies at my side. I didn’t pay attention to the people bringing the bandages or the whispers asking who I was or what had happened, I just cared for Freya.

Although I wasn’t a doctor, I had enough knowledge and training to tend to her wounds from my time in the Brotherhood. When the blood flow began to slow down, I poured a bit of alcohol on it in order to keep any infection at bay. With a needle and special medical-grade thread, I stitched the injury closed and wrapped her in clean, sterile bandages. After I was finished, I ensured everything was tight and secure so that she could heal properly. Pleased with the job I had done, I wanted to ensure that she was comfortable now.

I surrounded her body in soft fluffy blankets and when I was sur

e that moving her wouldn’t injure her further, I lifted her off the table and carried her all the way to her chambers. I had the servants follow me with copious amounts of blankets and pitchers of water, along with any additional medical supplies I might need. When I was finally pleased with what they had brought, I settled her in her bed and sat in the chair where I’d first laid eyes on her, knowing that now she needed her rest in order to heal.

She didn’t wake up that night. Or the day after. I soon began to fear that she wouldn’t at all.

In those following days, I didn’t sleep. I waited by her side, not caring if the sun had risen or only the moon and the stars lit up the night. I changed her bandages dutifully and ensured that her injuries were healing as well as could be expected. Her pale skin slowly grew pinker and more alive, but still, she never opened her eyes. Not even for me.

The bond between us felt weak, but it was still there so I knew that I hadn’t lost her and that she was still there somewhere inside. It would pulse from time to time and I would watch her more closely when it did, but when it became apparent that she wasn’t ready to wake, I let her be. I just had to ensure that she survived this and I would do whatever it took to make that happen.

In that time, an occasional servant would visit. There were a number of faces, but when the female servant who had led me to her that fateful night brought a basket of fresh linens, I stopped her before she left.

“I’ve seen you before,” I said softly, and she dipped her head in acknowledgement. “Please tell me your name.”

“Ariana,” she answered. She trembled a bit before me and I came to understand that I made her nervous. I didn’t blame her for it either. I was a strange alpha in her midst and if I wasn’t mistaken, she was a beta. I sniffed the air without letting on what I was doing, and I realized that she was, in fact, an omega. And an unclaimed one at that.

“Would you sit with me?” I asked her, ensuring to keep my voice gentle. She looked at me and then to the chair across the table from me, chewing her lip in the most adorable fashion.

“I won’t hurt you. I just want to know more about the man Freya was with before she was hurt,” I added, smiling as to not appear threatening in any way.

“Okay,” she answered timidly, taking a seat beside me. Her back remained stiff as she sat by me. Nervously, she folded her hands in her lap and waited for me to begin.

“Can you tell me the name of the man she was meeting with?” I asked. I hadn’t recognized him when I’d seen him crouching over her, but I recalled that he was at least dressed like a man with means and that his appearance indicated he wasn’t from Valgertha, but perhaps somewhere else.

“His name was King Thranar,” she replied softly, and I stiffened immediately.

I may not have known his face, but I certainly knew his name and so did the Alpha Brotherhood. Thranar was the reigning king of Ravenrath, but that’s not all he was. I knew that he was a member of the Cult of the Blood Moon, which meant that his attack against Freya may go far deeper than I had initially realized. If they had sent him here to handle Freya as well, it would probably mean that they intended to kill her and would do anything they could in order to ensure that they did. None of us knew how high Thranar sat in the fundamental power structure of the cult, but as a king, he had to be pretty far up the chain.

I knew what this meant. My mate would be in danger if we didn’t figure out how to put the cult back in their place and quickly. I would have to take care of Thranar in some way, but I was going to need the help of the Brotherhood to do it. It went deeper than Thranar though. The cult was coming for Valgertha too and I needed to inform the Ghost right away.

“Was he stopped on his way out? Or did anyone follow him?” I asked next and she shook her head.

“No, he seemed to have been prepared for a quick exit. From what I understand, he escaped out of a rarely used servant passage to his men and took off into the night,” she answered. Her voice was slowly becoming more confident the more she spoke to me. I was careful not to show any emotions on my face either, because I didn’t want her to recognize just how concerned I was over the information she was telling me so far.

“Do you think she’s going to be alright?” Ariana asked, drawing her knees into her chest. The look of concern on her face was more than apparent. She cared for my little redheaded queen and I smiled gently in her direction, cocking my head to the side in approval. The servant girl relaxed just a bit and she returned my smile, although more tentatively.

“She’s doing much better. Thranar hit her head really hard though. Her knife wound is healing well and she’s breathing normally. She should wake soon, Ariana. I’m sure of it,” I reassured her.

“I’ve never seen her lose a fight,” she whispered, charmingly chewing on her lip again.

“Thranar is an opponent that should be feared,” I answered simply. “To be honest, she’s lucky to be alive.”

Ariana shivered beside me.

“I didn’t know he was that dangerous,” she replied. Her body language had relaxed, and I smiled softly.

“He is, but Freya has me to help protect her. And now she has you too. Can I count on you, Ariana? Will you help her with me?” I asked her. Right now, I had to come up with a plan. If this little omega was game, I could use her help. She was a member of the working staff. She could slip in and out of rooms virtually unnoticed, picking up information that I might not be able to. She could be my eyes and ears of the castle.

She turned toward me, shrewdly appraising me now. It was clear she was finally comfortable with me and was deciding if she could trust me with Freya, who was someone that I could see that she very much cared for and considered her friend.