The Alpha's Underworld Princess

A Week in the Cells

'We should go look for her.' Felix said for the umpteenth time. My father had been encouraging me to let it go. That if we dragged her back here, it would make it worse. That Anthony wouldn't let anything happen to her. Even if those things were true, they didn't change anything. Val was mine. Mine to take care of and to love. Another wolf doing it was unacceptable, even if it was his primary job.

'Even if we should, we have to convince Dad to let us out of here first.' I had been locked away in my cell for almost a week. My worry made me lose all control over my aura, and my father gave up being patient and trying to calm down the pack. The silver blocked my energy but didn't help me regain control. He lied and told everyone I was away, and he was filling in. We had told everyone Val went to visit her grandmother to spend time with her before the pup got there. It seemed as good of an explanation as any and wouldn't be unheard of. It made me think one day Val should take the pup to meet her. It might be a reason she will want to come back into our world. It would balance out the alpha energy to have the queen back if the king wouldn't step down. A thought for another day.

'He can't do this in the first place! We should execute him,' Felix snarled, forcing me to pace the cell again. We knew there was no escape, but it was nice to move around. Being locked up in here was making us both more on edge.

'I'm not going to execute my father, Felix.' It was my turn to snarl at him. Sure, he pissed me off with all of this, but he was doing what was best for the pack. He was right to do it. There was a reason this cell existed, and it was occupied by other alphas throughout the years. My father only never got here because his father died before he was officially made alpha, forcing him to step up early. But from what I have been told, I take after my grandfather this way. He frequented the cells himself. At least they were nicer now. My mother made sure of that once I took over. Seeing her pup in a cell didn't sit well with her.

"Good morning, Alpha." My sister mocked me as she brought me breakfast.

"Shove off, Gale," I growled at her.

"Come on, Wyatt. This isn't helping. You need to get control of yourself. If Kassandra did come back, she would turn around at the border with the energy you have right now."

"This is a lesson about your self-control—or lack thereof." I hadn't noticed my father behind her. Awesome.

"Because you would be perfectly calm if your beta took Mom somewhere and you didn't know where?" I challenged him.

"No. But I would realize it was my own fault and that I needed to prove to her I was worthy of coming home to." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the keys. "Now, are you willing to work on that, or do we keep doing this?"

I stared at the keys in his hands. Could I resist ripping apart every territory looking for her? Torturing my beta until I killed him because he couldn't talk? Executing everyone who got in my way as I tried to get to my mate?

'We have to try. For her.' Felix gave in and held his head up high. 'They are right. Enough is enough. This isn't dignified. We are alpha.'

"We don't need to keep doing this." I looked at my family, staring at me through the bars. "You are all right. I have not been in control. You called me on it. She called me on it. And I must atone for that now."

"Finally. I'm sick of bringing you breakfast." My father opened the door, and I brushed myself off for a second before following them up the stairs. I held tight to my aura and headed to my room to shower. A week in the cells was not great for your personal hygiene.

Then I ordered all the pup things I knew of: a crib, changing table, clothes, diapers, and bottles. When Val returned, I'd let her pick the other things, but for now, this would do. All I could do after that was wait. She had two months left—two months, and she would be back here with me. I could do it, focus on work. For two months, I would try to pretend my mate didn't exist.