C36 At the dungeon

Artemis pov

I and Iris were in the elevator headed down to the dungeon. Ajax, he was one pain in the ass. He was like that mole you could not just cut off because it was likely to escalate into something big. And I hated when something small itched more than it was supposed to.

We trotted into the dungeon where he was chained to a metal chair, we were all tired, not knowing how to easily dispose of him. He was a quicksand, any move we make would come back to bite us. And to make matters worse he was Loretta’s father. The idiot had Loretta up coming to seduce me, it didn’t work after all those years but the slut followed me around like a bug, something she and her father both had in common.

His head hung low, his face a complete disaster from the constant torturing, he won’t buldge, he is adamant on striking a deal. The old fool was desperate to save his life. People who feared for their lives were most likely cowards and most times it was better never to trust such people.

The place stung of burnt flesh and wound, he was chained, the chain coated in silver. The dungeon was small, in form of a cube, each person to a cell, small and dimly lighted. Cameras were placed at each end of the the roof, empty with only one person inside.

Our boots made contact with the metal floor as we walked around, he was asleep, not even the sound of the agile colosion with our boots and the floor woke him. Or maybe he did wake up but was faking. That would not save him though.

If not for the reasons I bore in mind, I would have gotten him over with, deal or no deal. It was all because of Freya. She was the reason I hadn’t killed him and thrown his body away with the others. She was really making me weak, making me retrace my steps and turning me soft.

I remembered how she smiled on the day of our date, after then, I could not dare harm a life because of her. Her scent, that sweet soothing smell……. My mind immediately drifted back to when she had Oslo’s smell on her and immediately a growl left my chest startling Ajax awake.

Iris looked at me, probably wondering why I suddenly turned into an angry lion.

We heard the clicking of iron boots with the metal floor and with sync, I and Iris turned to the door. Oslo trotted in. By reflex, I growled again. He looked to me and rolled his eyes.

“Chill man, I showered, had a change of clothing, I got rid of your mate’s smell so can you stop growling like a hungry lion,” he said nonchalantly.

My wolf sniffed the air, when he didn’t find the trace of our mate’s smell in the vicinity, he retreated.

“Possessive much?” Iris said.

With a brief glare from me, his mouth was shut into a thin line.

“How are we dealing with this?” Oslo asked the question that had been prodding in the mind of I and Iris from the start. By ‘this’ he meant Ajax.

We heaved and shrugged. All this time, Ajax was awake staring at us with fear. One thing about death, no one knew when it would come and claim its victim. Like Ajax, he was a waiting duck and not for something good. The more his death was delayed the more fear had a part in his heart, the more fear lived with him.

He turned to me, “Artemis… no.. alpha, please I’m sorry, I was put up to it,” he stuttered, his eyes dim, loosing every bit of life in it.

“Who put you up to it, tell me!!” I demanded.

“It was someone in the court, someone in the multi-billion dollar group,” he said, stuttering.

“All I want is a name!”

“I can't say, you will kill me then,” he quivered.

Oslo collared him, yanking him up with the stool he was chained to, “you are going to die anyway, either inside here or out, so better speak! Name!!” Oslo spat.

Ajax was drenched in tremor, “please I just want to see my daughter, at least once before I leave, he spoke like he didn't have other kids at home.

“What do you think we are, charity organization? Do we look like we grant wishes?!” Oslo inquired harshly, And dropped him profusely, Ajax screamed out from pain, he cried out from the impact of the metal chair shooting pains through his body.

“Alpha please, for Loretta, please let me go,” he begged.

“It surprises me how such a big ass man was such a weakling,” Oslo bit, pissed.

“A name!” I demanded. I was getting really pissed, my patience were running dry. I had an inkling on who would have put him up to it, but I wanted to hear the name out loud. That werewolf that thought he could trample on me and go scot free.

Iris pushed past us and approached the fallen man on the floor, he picked him up and had him sit straight up back on the chair. Iris crouched down beside him, his hand on Ajax's thighs, his eyes damn serious.

“Now listen Ajax. Two things are gonna happen. 1. We are going to release you and you're gonna die in the hands of your master, or 2. You gonna die a painless death inside here as a bonus of being a pack member. Now they both come down to one thing, death, but you get a chance to choose how you die. Slow and gruesome, or quick and painless?” Iris inquired, staring deep into his black orbs.

“My…my da..,” he stammered

“Off course your daughter, we could send a message to her, you tell her all that you want to say and we will deliver your message, I'll beg Artemis for that,” Iris told him.

“Ho——,”

He was cut of by an irritated Iris, “video, writing, however you want, do we have an agreement?” Iris queried.

Ajax looked at me and then back to Iris face, then he nodded in agreement.

We sighed, finally. Iris stood up and rolled the sleeve of his shirt. Oslo and I were more on the brutal side but Iris was more of the word type. He had a way with words and was pretty convincing. He was so damn good. He made his threat solely with words, and word should not coerce you enough, then fist and breaking of bones were surely going to do the trick.

‘Alpha do you agree?’ he mindlinked me.

‘Yes,’ I returned, nodding my head alongside.

“But, I get to send the video first,” Ajax said from his end, fear evident in his eyes.

“Whatever,” Oslo replied him.

Are you really going to kill him? What would Freya think.

Again, little things that itched more than they were supposed to, I wish I could plug out my conscience at this dire moment.

Freya, she would not find out, and this would be my last time.

“I guess I better go get the camera ready,” Iris said, leaving to the elevator.

When he left, we both turned to Ajax on the metal chair, he had seized crying and sobbing, it occurred to me that his mind was already made up. That was good, it would do him no good wishing and hoping.

“Please alpha, take care of my little girl for me, I know you never liked her but she did like you as her alpha. And please don't mind my foolish act of putting her up to seduce you, I never——,”

He was cut off again.

“Save your introspection for your video. Nobody here cares or give a shit about how you've been a bad parent,” Oslo said pissed.

The elevator door opened and in came Iris. He was with a camera, and a tripod stand in the other. Setting it on the ground, he infixed the camera in its place, pressed the ‘start’ button.

Ajax sniffed, trying to hold back the tears but they flowed effortlessly, “Hello Loretta, my love. I know I hadn't been the best father to you, I was an asshole and treated you with so little respect and care, for….”

I zoned out, his words were stirring up something in me and I didn't want to dwell into my father's memories.

Loretta must had thought her father was the worse person on this earth, but it wasn't true, he was nothing like my father. He cared for her deeply and even till his grave, the only person he wanted to reach out to was her. He had three kids, she was the only girl, he always hung out with the boys and never with Loretta, but now, at the face of death, he wanted to do one last good and apologize. He wasn't evil, life just happened, my father was the evil one.

“I'm okay now,” he called out to us.

“Name!” I demanded, I was suddenly angry and definitely not in the linear mode.

“Jude, your father’s beta,” he said.

That murderf***ker.