Monster (1)

"You called for me, Alpha Sylas?" Rick, the beta, asked.

Sylas stood by a window, watching the moon in the sky. "I gave you one simple task when I left, didn't I? I told you that regardless of how much we hate them, you were to greet my new wife."

Rick looked down at the floor. "You did but-"

"There's no buts here, Rick. I gave you one simple instruction and I had to find out from her that you didn't greet her. No matter how you feel, you are to obey my orders. Do you not have to obey them?" Sylas asked, watching Rick's reflection in the window. 

"I must," Rick replied, his jaw clenched.

"Then," Sylas turned around to face Rick. "Explain to me why you didn't."

"She's a Porter," Rich gave the simple answer. "She's a Porter now in your hands. You can treat her however you see fit. You don't need to follow whatever Joel expects of you. She should understand how we were treated."

Rick saw a good chance to use Ophelia to get revenge for what Joel did to them. They could inflict the same pain onto her that Joel inflicted on their women. Why should she come here and get to live in luxury?

Rick was furious that Sylas cancelled their plans to kill the Porters and decided to marry one of them. "I know you, Sylas. It doesn't make any sense that when you're gearing up to kill them, you catch wind of your mate being there. Those witches had to be wrong."

"They are never wrong," Sylas replied. 

"Well, this time they are wrong," Rick argued. "She can't stay our Luna. The entire palace is upset for you. Her father tried to kill your family. He and the rest of his pack attacked our women and children. Now he wants to act like he did nothing and his daughter gets to be your mate."

"I know all of that," Sylas said, not in the mood to be lectured about the past. "I gave you an order to welcome her. You didn't need to be her friend. When I ask you to act on my behalf, do it without getting your personal feelings involved."

Rick bowed his head in shame but he was also angry. What was Sylas doing? Why was he being so generous to a Porter?

"All due respect, I just want some answers to what you're doing. One moment we're getting ready to kill them then you accept your mate is there and go along with it. Just tell me what the big plan is," said Rick. 

Sylas lacked the patience to deal with Rick ignoring his order and questioning his actions. "I hate to repeat myself, Rick. Will you do as I say or do I need to replace you?"

"I will do as you say," Rick replied but he wasn't truthful. He couldn't forget how the Porters tried to wipe them out. 

To keep Sylas safe, Rick planned to have a few of the guards and maids keep an eye on Ophelia. She wasn't to be trusted. 

"Where the hell did you put her?" Sylas asked, not trusting Rick at least handled that well. 

"I put her in a place fit for a Porter so you and everyone else might get some satisfaction out of it. I did what was best at the moment to calm how upset everyone was. Sylas," Rick said, remaining still as Sylas came toward him.

"Please don't tell me that you are like this because you care for her," Rick quickly said. 

Sylas grabbed Rick's shirt which was a better option than if he had grabbed Rick's neck. He didn't know which to be upset about more between Rick thinking he had feelings for Ophelia or his beta not acting like a sensible person.

"Until you have proof that she is a threat to this castle then I will not treat her as you want. As of now, she is my wife. Before the wedding, it was her father and other relatives we were after. We knew nothing of her so before you try to have your fun, watch her," Sylas instructed Rick.

"She's his bastard. Is that why-"

Rick was interrupted by Sylas's fist connecting with his face, making him stumble. He tasted blood in his mouth. 

Sylas didn't feel any remorse for what he did since Rick needed to know when to stop talking when it concerned his decisions. 

"I understand you want to watch my back but I don't need you acting like a fool when I trust you to greet our guests. Now, tell me where you placed her," said Sylas.

Sylas couldn't stop forgetting how she seemed nervous to speak about her room.

Rick wiped away the blood from his bruised lip. "I put her in the west wing. I'm sorry," he apologised. "I should have acted better while you were away."

Rick felt foolish for questioning Sylas's decisions. Sylas would never easily trust Porter so there had to be some secret plan to protect everyone. He had to wait until Sylas would share it since the others were watching him and would act a fool if he did. 

When the beta didn't listen, why would the others behave?

"I put her in the west wing so she would be out of the way," Rick shared.

Sylas felt the need to hit Rick again but he decided to go move Ophelia from where she was now. "I am going to go clean up your mess. Start acting like a second in command by telling the others not to behave like how you did. Just watch her to see if she's a spy."

"And if she turns out to be a spy, what happens then?" Rick asked, checking to see if Sylas hadn't lost sight of their plans.

The Porters needed to die. Since no one accepted Ophelia as their luna, she could join the rest of the Porters in death.

"If she's a spy then she dies along with the others. Thanks to you, I now have to move her around. Don't get any blood on my floors," Sylas said, leaving Rick to clean up himself.

Sylas headed to see personally that Ophelia was placed in a better room. He hated her father but he was quickly getting the feeling that Ophelia wasn't thrilled about her family as well. 

Joel suddenly announced he had a daughter and thrust her into the plans for his daughter to be married to the man he hated. If Ophelia didn't hate her father for that then she was a fool. 

Sylas didn't make it far out of the room when he heard a scream belonging to a woman. His first guess was Ophelia. 

"What now?" Sylas wondered, running off to find the trouble in his castle.