5
Kamari
If I wasn't enraged before,I certainly was now. Not only did this alpha try to infiltrate my haven, but he had the audacity to lie to my face. If he did it one more time, he wasn't going tohavea face anymore.
The stupid wet dog didn't even look guilty. He scoffed and said, "I'm not lying. How do you think I'm doing this? Not sure if you know this but normal wolf shifters don't breathe underwater."
I almost gritted my teeth in anger, but if I did that, I'd bite his leg off for real. Despite my irritation I didn't want to mutilate him just yet. He wasn't entirely wrong. Wolves weren't supposed to be able to do what he was doing, but there had to be some other explanation. There was no way he was a descendent of Nautilus. I refused to believe it.
Yet I had to admit, he didn'tlooklike a normal wolf. His pitch-black fur was streaked silver down his chest, and his eyes were mismatched; one was black and the other piercing yellow. He was alsobreathing underwater.
I exhaled heavily, releasing a stream of bubbles through my blowhole. Something unusual was going on here. This conversation clearly wouldn't be resolved like this. And as much as I despised alphas, I wasn't about to kill this man.
Though if he kept talking with that smart-ass mouth of his, I couldn't promise to refrain from it forever.
I said nothing, not wanting to admit even the mildest of defeats to an alpha, and released my grip on the wolf's leg. He could swim back to the surface on his own. I wasn't going to put in the effort.
He was a slower swimmer than me, obviously, but his skills weren't bad. He didn't resemble a pathetic wet rat as he pawed his way to the surface the way I expected a wolf to look.
"Thankyou," the wolf said sarcastically once he caught up with me, shaking droplets off his head.
I grunted. "State your name."
He looked unamused before pausing. His nose twitched. "Wait, are you a--" He couldn't finish his sentence because a rogue wave of saltwater crashed into him. "Ugh. This shit with the water is getting old."
What did he mean by that? He spoke as if he was aware of the fluctuating state of the water, but how could he have known?
"I said, state your name," I repeated forcefully.
"Friendly, aren't you?"
"No."
The wolf actually barked out a laugh. "Your blunt honesty reminds me of someone I know."
My patience, which was already hanging on by a thread, was now one atom away from disintegrating. "I don't care. Speak your name now before I really lose my temper."
The wolf grinned. "Wow, if this is you in a good mood, then I wouldn't wanna see that." Before I could bite his face off, he said, "It's Zakariel. If that's too much of a mouthful, you can call me Zak."
I was never going to call him that. "State your purpose here, Zakariel."
"Oh, so I don't even get your name in return? That's kinda rude."
Gods give me fucking strength,I thought.
"Kamari," I ground out.
"Are you swearing at me in orca or is that your name?"
If I wasn't so annoyed I would've been flabbergasted. Then again, why should it surprise me that an alpha was a complete and utter shitbag? Wasn't that the whole reason the haven existed? Because alphas were assholes who couldn't control themselves?
I controlled myself. We weren't too far off from the haven's entrance and I didn't want the omegas to hear a big violent commotion when it was supposed to be a place of healing and peace.
"It's my name," I growled.
Zakariel tilted his head, soaking in my name. "Kamari, huh? Interesting."
Another wave slapped Zakariel, making him grunt. As funny as it was to see him battered by the elements, I had to admit he handled it well. Even aquatic mammals had trouble taking harsh rogue waves like these but Zakariel took them like a pro. Any other wolf would've been yelping for help by now.
