12 YOU CAN DO AS YOU PLEASE

"You look so tired," Aria said, as she entered Cane's study room, she was holding a tray. "I brought you snacks and tea, you need to rest, my alpha."

Aria looked so beautiful in her white dress. She looked almost like a high ranking shifter in the pack, even though she was born as a slave. Because she was the only woman that was beside Cane for the last three years, people respected her as Cane's woman.

Some people even went as far as saying that she would be the future luna of the pack and in Aria's mind, she was thinking the same.

Alpha Cane's mate had died along with their firstborn and the chances of him getting a second chance mate were so slim.

Finding a second chance mate was akin to a miracle. It was so rare, but was not unheard of.

However, they needed to stabilize their pack soon and having a luna would reassure people that the Alpha wouldn't leave the position empty forever. It would also secure the bloodline.

"Thank you, Aria," Cane said, without lifting his head from the documents in front of him. All of those were petitions for him not to merge the two packs together, because it would disrupt the power balance in this continent, which seemed laughable to Cane.

They didn't mind it when it was his pack that was being swallowed by the Blue Moon pack, but now they were making a fuss when he did exactly the same thing.

"This tea will help you. You will have a good rest." Aria started to brew the tea leaves.

"I will never have a good rest." Cane didn't shift his focus from writing the answer for those ridiculous petitions. He really wanted to add some curses in his writings, instead of talking formally to them, but in his current condition, his people couldn't afford to go to another war.

The coup had taken many great warriors from both sides. Many people had died for him to sit in this position.

"Here, drink this first." Aria took the paper from his hands and handed him a cup of tea. "Take a five minute break, you need it."

Aria then walked behind him and started to massage his stiff shoulders. She helped him to relax, while Cane drank his tea. She learned this from her slavery days, when Gerald's mistresses would treat him like he was some kind of God.

She remembered how pleased he was and she wanted Cane to feel the same.

"You have done so well, my alpha. You have been so busy these days." Aria started, her fingers skillfully put some pressure in the right spots and made Cane feel a little bit relaxed. He soon put the tea cup down and just closed his eyes. He had not slept for two days straight, but this was nothing to him. He had gone through hell before this. "Alpha, I heard that woman has woken up."

Aria stated and Cane knew exactly what she wanted, even when she just started speaking.

"The servants feel restless because she takes days to recover and stays in the servant's room instead of the dungeon, after all she is supposed to be a captive of war. She should be no higher than a slave, but you are very lenient to her."

Aria felt bitter when she heard that Cane spent the night with Iris, but when she saw the aftermath, she was quite satisfied. Their alpha had exacted their revenge and was not swayed by compassion.

"When will you torture her again?" All the high ranking shifters of Alpha Gerald's reign had been turned into slaves for those who managed to survive the coup, which extended to their families as well and now, they were working in the mines.

"She is a runt. She will not last long if we torture her very often." Cane didn't open his eyes. He was grateful for the massage, but this kind of conversation gave him a headache.

He thirsted for revenge and tortured those people that had brutalized him and his people, but aside from that there was another important thing that he had to do first, which was; strengthen his new reign.

There was no guarantee if they would be attacked or there was a mutt or two that managed to escape from this place and gathered strength out there. Their position was still risky.

"If you treat her gently, people will start to talk."

Cane wanted to end this conversation. The nice massage was not worth adding to his headache. "What do you want?"

"Why don't you make her work in the mines?" Aria suggested. The runt would die miserably if she worked there.

Cane was silent for a while before he spoke curtly. "You can do as you please."

A bright smile curled on the corners of Aria's lips, she wanted to kiss him, but she knew that he hated it. During the years that they were together, he had never allowed her to kiss him, not even a small peck on his cheek.

"Thank you!" Aria was all smiles.

==========================

It took a total of ten days for Iris to feel better and finally manage to get up from her bed. She looked a little bit pale, but she had always been like that. She was wearing a long-sleeved dress that looked shabby on her and humbled her appearance, but wasn't able to hide her beauty.

"Miss," Hanna called her, as she nudged her hand. She was staring out the window. It was a rainy day and the gloomy sky almost felt like a perfect picture of what she was feeling right now.

"Yes?" Iris turned her head and looked at Hanna, who was smiling, but what she would say was not something that could be called as a good news. She could tell that from her eyes.

"The alpha's mistress wants to see you," Hanna said, as she moved uneasily. "She wants to see you now."

Aria.

Iris had met her before.