A Banter of Wills

~SLOAN'S POV~

Tick Tock. Tick Tock. Tick Tock. Tick Tock.

The air thickened with tension as the song of time echoed in my ears and the angered gaze of the Alpha drilled holes into my orbs, trying to burrow deep into my soul.

It's a good thing I have no soul.

“You know, for a healer who's nothing compared to her renowned father, you have quite the mouth on you.”

Anger bubbled in my blood and my wolf—who has always been a passive bitch—clawed against the mental restraints I've wrapped around her and a menacing growl left her lips as I clenched my fist by my sides.

I can't even blame her for getting upset, because I am also upset. So upset that I almost lashed out at him If he hadn't spoken first.

“As much as I would love standing here with your ‘professionally’ dressed ass, I didn't exactly send you an invite for nothing now, did I?” He spoke with a note of mockery in his tone and walked away from me before planting his annoying ass on the plush seat of his throne as his lips were drawn into a thin line.

The urge to slap emotions on his bland face brewed with me and I almost gave in if it hadn’t been for the pang of curiosity living within me.

“I asked for your presence because although your father is the most renowned physician in the pack and beyond, I have heard few qualifying words about you and I would like for you to make use of your expertise.”

I folded my hands around my chest and arched an eyebrow as his words reached my ears.

“So behind the polished sentences and the formality of a spineless bitch, is an Alpha who needs my help?”

“Do not address me in that manner! I am your—”

“Just answer the question,” I rolled my eyes as a heavy note of indifference laced every word that fell from my lips and after what I can only describe as an eternity but might have actually been a few seconds, the big, bad Alpha let out a frustrated sigh before he turned away from me. He didn't need to say anything at this point because I already know the answer.

“Why I'm I here?” indifference dripped from every word that left my lips as the lazy gaze of my blue eyes crashed against the clipped glare of his green orbs and for a second I could have sworn that I saw an emotion subtly flash through his eyes.

An emotion that almost seemed like uncertainty.

“Are you aware of the rumors being circulated around the pack?”

“To be honest, I don't give two shits about anything that doesn't benefit me. But yes, I've heard about the rumors concerning your inability to mate.”

His face was still frozen in judgement and the only way I could tell he was affected by the venom that dripped from the words that left my lips was the subtle twitch in his eye and the invisible steam that puffed out of his eyes.

“Yes…those rumors,” he gritted out through his teeth and a smirk appeared on my lips.

“So are they true?” I asked with a smirk still plastered on my lips and he all but glared daggers into my orbs.

And that was all I needed to know.

“So the big, bad Alpha has trouble getting it up?”

He lifted his head so fast I almost feared for his neck. Keyword; Almost.

“I have no trouble with anything! I'm just a man who has very high standards which haven't been met by any woman.”

“So you're a virgin?”

I hated a lot of people. Fat people, skinny people, poor people, rich people and any other kind of person whose way of life doesn't sit well with me.

But one of the people I hate the most are virgins. Virgins are one of the most self absorbed people I've ever met. They think they are the most righteous of us all because they haven't ridden on a bumpy ride that could lead to a few orgasms at the end of the day.

I hate virgins.

The gaze of his eyes danced against the walls of the room and I didn't need intervention from the goddess to know exactly what his refusal for eye contact meant.

He's a virgin. An Alpha virgin.

“That doesn't matter. What matters is that I need your help to lower my standards in order for me to settle for a female.”

“Why didn't you get another healer? And don't give me that poorly rehearsed horse shit about hearing a few “qualifying words” about me. We both know that this pack has nothing good to say about me, not even on their deathbeds. So answer the question, why no one else?”

A pregnant silence moved between us like the spirit of death moving past an elderly man. The gazes of our eyes crashed against one another until Trager gave a deflated sigh.

“Everyone I approached refused to take the job. Especially your father.”

Surprise washed over me at his words and I tried to imagine what would make my father refuse a job from the Alpha but nothing came to mind. What was father thinking?

“But what makes you think I would accept? You were literally rejected by healers and physicians better than me, so why should I take a job they didn't?”

The ghost of a smirk touched his lips and he stood from the chair before walking towards her with slow, calculated steps.

“You are a 22 year old woman still living under her father’s roof, even though you two never get along. You have no job in the pack, no stable source of income, no romantic relationship and no friends—”

“I have a friend.”

“Doesn't make your life any better though.”

“So what, you're going to list all my short–comings in hopes I will accept your job? Newsflash, no such thing is happening!”

“Are you sure about that?” he stood so close to me that I could feel the heat radiating from every pore in his body.

“You haven't even heard what I'm willing to offer.”

“I don't care.”

“You wouldn't work for me for free.”

“What did you plan on offering me?”

“Nothing much…just a thousand dollar weekly wage and a roof over your head. A roof where you would have to run into your father.”

To be honest he had me at a thousand dollars a week but the chance to be away from my father was just the cherry on top.

“So miss Sloan Deveraux, do we have a deal?” He stretched out his hand to me to initiate a handshake. A simple gesture that didn't seem so simple at the moment.

To one part of my mind it seemed I was selling my soul to the devil.

I placed my hand in his and gave it a fierce shake while staring into his eyes.

“Deal.”

And to another part of my mind it seemed like I was selling my soul to myself.