BENEATH HER DARKNESS: The Alpha’s Little Demon
Chapter 99 – The God of the Underworld
ADAN STONE…
After the commotion of Blade and Althea’s arrival, everyone calmed down as I and Lucius laid out the plan we had agreed upon. Everyone, including Blade, would have a role to play, and the only one that was not present was my Beta, Collin.
But he had been informed as soon as we arrived back in the territory.
Only Kingston and I went back. Patrea and Althea remained in the Silver Crest territory, and Blade was left with no choice but to meet his brother and make his presence known. Blade also brought the witches to the packhouse for added protection and gave them access to an isolated clearing so Althea could practice what she needed to do.
I, on the other hand, had to be cautious because Lucien was still checking the pack house from time to time and, according to him, was wondering when I would be returning home. So the moment I came back, I had to continue pretending I still had no memory of my mate, including in front of my parents.
Collin, Kingston, and their mates were allowed in on our secret since they would be needed to help us out.
We only had two full days left before the day of the cleansing, and I still hadn’t made my move to try to summon Hades. I was not even sure if I could make it happen, and even if he showed up, I had no guarantee he would give me what I wanted.
But I had to try.
After a day’s work and a full day of pretending that I had no idea who the f*uc*k Lucy was, I went out for a run. I still hadn’t let Beast out. You could say I didn’t trust him up to this point, only because I knew that he was suffering and that his outlet was always his anger.
And I couldn’t risk him hurting anyone. But I wasn’t blaming him this time. I could fully understand what my wolf was going through.
We found our mate, and I was given a chance to be with her to hold her, mate with her, and tell her I love her – but Beast was not given that privilege. He saw Angel from a distance on the night that they shifted, but he was not able to touch her, lick her, or bow down to her. He was able to communicate with her before I was brought to the underworld, but it was only for a short period of time. 1
And the happiness that he felt when we found out that Lucy would visit us as a succubus was also short-lived the moment we were informed that it was impossible for Angel to be with Lucy in that form.
So I had to run on my own, like I’d been doing for the last two years, but I knew one day, once we had our Luna back, Beast would be free again.
The first step to achieving that was to summon the god of hell. I stopped at the farthest point of my territory. I was almost in a ravine with a deep creek below it. It was now or never. I kneeled on the ground and raised my head to the moon. Before anything, I wanted my Goddess to bless me.
“Selene, I know you can hear me. I’m not a perfect son of yours, and I doubt if I deserve your attention or your guidance. But I’m seeking it. Bless me so I may be able to take my Luna back. And I promise you, I will work hard every single day of my life to be a better Alpha, a better mate, and a better son of yours. And a better father, if you will bless me with a family.” I prayed to the moon, even though I knew I didn’t need loud words for her to hear me. But I felt better after saying that out loud.
The clouds that overshadowed the moon began to clear away until only the moon was left in the starless sky as if telling me the Moon Goddess was giving me all her attention.
“Thank you, Selene.” A smile tugged on my mouth as hope arose from my chest. I stood up from kneeling and prepared myself for my next move.
Lucius volunteered to come with me, but I refused. I had no idea what the deal or discussion would be between me and Hades if he ever showed up, but I wanted it to just be between us.
“Hades!” I shouted at the top of my lungs, knowing no human or shifter would be able to hear me from here. “I know you can hear me, Hades! I might be nothing in your eyes, but my mate, my fated mate is Lucija! She’s one of your princesses! She’s fated to be with me for a reason, and I want her back! Help me!”
I raised my hands to my head and slipped my fingers through my hair before tugging them. I held onto that position while looking around, hoping he would appear out of nowhere.
Lucien had never seen Hades. So, I had no idea what he looked like or in what form he would face me. But it was the least of my worries, I just wanted a chance to plead with him.
After an agonizing 20 seconds of silence, I began again.
“Hades! Just give me a few minutes! They said Lucija is the rightful heir to the throne of Kalmerus, which makes me, by default, the future king of one of your kingdoms…” I took a deep breath and entwined my hands on the top of my head as I swiveled around slowly, hoping he was just somewhere. “But I don’t know how to rule the underworld. Do you think growling will make the demons follow me?”
I chuckled in disappointment and shook my head. This was going nowhere. He would never check on me.
I knew I was wasting my time, but I couldn’t give up now that Lucy’s cleansing was approaching. Lucius could always take me, but I needed a power greater than a contract. with a demon prince.
I w*et my lips. My throat suddenly felt dry, and the mark that Lucy placed on my neck throbbed as if a fire were igniting from within. My hand flew to my mark spot, and despite the heat coming off of it, I didn’t find myself bothered by it as I rubbed my palms against my marked skin.
Then the surrounding area darkened. I looked up at the sky and saw the clouds hovering over the moon so that it turned moonless, and before I knew it, the whole place heated up as the air stayed still. Sweat formed on my forehead as my heart began thudding loudly.
“You called for me…” A deep voice came behind me, making goosebumps rise from my skin. I slowly swiveled my body around and came face to face with someone who I had no f*uc*king idea how I would categorize.
He looked ethereal – something I never thought I would ever see in my whole life. I had seen different demons in the underworld, but the one in front of me left me speechless. The skin of his body looked burned and sticky. Big horns and tails sprouted just about everywhere, and the shape of his head was akin to a snake. I couldn’t see any feet but he was towering over me.
I mentioned earlier that I could take it in whatever form it would be. But seeing him right now was overwhelming my senses. I had no idea if I was scared or amused.
“King Hades…” I stuttered.
Instead of acknowledging my greeting, the God of the Underworld laughed, and it echoed around us. It was only now that I realized we were no longer on the ravine in my territory. I had no idea if he had built an illusion that we were in a dark, cave-like place or if he had brought me to the underworld.
“You called me Hades earlier. Why are you addressing me as King now? Does my god form scare you, Alpha Stone?”
“I’m… I don’t know how to answer that.” I was being honest. His aura was so strong that if he wanted to, he could make me bend because, at this f*uc*king moment, my knees felt like they would buckle soon. I wondered if this was also what I would feel if I saw Selene.
In seconds, he transformed his form into another one. It wasn’t his human form like what Lucien and Lucius used when they faced me, but this was more acceptable in my eyes. He had straight, white hair, eyes, and a nose, but the burned skin extended now to his face. But there was nothing scary or bothersome about his form right now. “Is this better now?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“What makes you think you’re a capable ruler of Kalmerus?” He chuckled as he sat on a big, murky boulder.
“I never said I was worthy to be one, but Princess Lucija is my fated mate.”
“She is, in your realm but not in my realm.”
“She marked me. With her demon blood.”
“I know. That mark means she chose you in this realm. And she risked K*lling you as well.”
“What do you mean?”
“It is very rare for a demon to fall in love. It was our curse. I had lived a thousand years and had not found the perfect female to carry my mark. You love Lucija.”
“I do. But I don’t understand what you mean.”
“Love is a word not used in this realm. Love is a myth. That is what my demons were taught. But in reality, even a myth comes from a distant truth. Only love can make the victims of a demon’s mark survive, and in return for the love, the victim would be granted the lifespan and the power of the one who bit him.”
“Are you saying if I didn’t love Lucy, I would be dead now?”
“Yes. It didn’t matter if Lucija loved you. What matters is you.” He chuckled painfully. “I had lived more than a thousand years and loved thousands of females, but despite their claims that they loved me, no one had survived my bite until I just stopped trying.”
“Why do you need to mark anyone? You’re a God. You can just have anyone you want.”
“Even the gods had walked and lived among their species. But Gods have immortal life, and living this life alone is something I wish on no one. As much as I had many females, males, and subordinates around me, I am alone.”
I swallowed hard. I had many questions for him, but I didn’t think I had time.
“I know what is happening in Kalmerus.” He added as if he could read my mind, and my head snapped up to meet his gaze.
“And you’re just turning a blind eye?” I couldn’t help the sarcasm in my voice.
“In the same way that Selene turns a blind eye to every chaos, uprising, war, and death perpetrated by her wolves, year after year, decade after decade. We might be the gods of our species, but we are not your babysitters. You reap what you sow.”
“But Lucien… he’s violating all the laws of…”
“The same way, rogues, lycans, and werewolves are violating the rules set by Selene.”
“So you cannot do anything to stop him…” I asked, but I couldn’t help the disappointment in my voice.
“I can. But I refused to interfere unless I needed to. When Lucien’s time in my realm is over, he will be judged.”
“He’s a demon…”
“Did you think the demon’s sole purpose was to cause chaos in the world? We are here to take the souls of the unwanted and the unworthy, but sometimes my demons turned out to be the unworthy ones. Demons are the guardians of the afterlife as well, like the angels, only we take bad sides.”
I could stay here and let him discuss what it was like to be a demon, but I didn’t have the luxury of time.
“Can you help me?” I blurted it out. I needed to get straight to the point.
“I know what you want. The question is, what are you willing to give in return, Alpha Stone?”