Chapter 26 - Don't Be Stubborn

"Be careful Leonard." Francis growled, letting his hands fall away from the girl's waist. How could Leonard talk to him like that in front of his sex slave?

Did he want to fight? Olivera thought, feeling the surge of fear in her guts. She almost pleased with her companion to apologize but for his next statement.

"Be careful Leonard..." Leonard mimicked, shaking his head side to side in a funny way (unknown to him though), that Olivera let out a giggle, before she could stop herself.

"Did you just laugh at me?" Francis thundered, pushing the slave girl away from him, before taking mighty steps towards Leonard and her.

Olivera felt her breath seize, as she watched Francis saunter towards them. She could already sense her body quaking; a promising onset of a seizure attack.

But she managed to calm herself down, remembering Nick's words. She had to act brave even if she was feeling completely opposite that. She couldn't afford the others knowing too about her seizures attacks. They will surely utilise the weakness against her.

And so, she forced herself to take in a deep breath, even as she noted that her task mistress had left her post and was now grasping the huge man by the arm.

"Calm down Francis. You can't be fighting your fellow man over a stupid slave. That's even low for you." She stated, after hissing, her cold eyes promising untold horrors to Olivera, that she was almost glad that the Alpha was coming for her the next day.

Francis listened to her.

Surprisenly, Leonard stood like nothing had even transpired at that moment, like Francis hadn't just be tearing down towards him few minutes ago.

Rather he scoffed.

"Quit egging him on, Leonard. I don't want a fight on my hands." Rose said.

"I wasn't planning to have a fight with him. He should have a larger control over his anger. That's what would differentiate him from the beasts of the field." Leonard mentioned with a smirk.

Olivera pulled her lips in, while thinking on the drastic change of his grumpy mood. She would have never believed that the grumpy Leonard had a troublesome side, a playful side even.

But she would be happy if he took it back in from where he had brought it out from. She thought, regarding Francis who was boiling in anger again.

Obviously he had understood the underlying meaning of Leonard's statement.

The other had called him a beast of the field, like an oxen or cow.

"Leonard..." Rose drawled, a sharp warning in her voice.

Leonard shrugged, before looking away from Francis, his gaze settling on her.

"Why not get going? She has gotten to her cell." She said, with a curt nod towards Olivera.

"Not yet. The doctor made me promise to lead her straight to her cell." He mentioned.

"You know that doesn't matter, right? She would still be punished. Francis doesn't forgive easily. Me either." She said, not hiding her plans at all for Olivera. She had already mapped out the different ways to make the girl regret why she had been taken by her pack.

"Well, about that...I don't think that's a good idea." Leonard said, with a shake of his head.

"And why do you think so? The doctor has no right over the slaves under me. I choose what to do with them, anytime, anywhere, anyhow." She stated, tightening her arms across her chest.

"You're right to an extent. But the Alpha has the final say." He responded, a smirk finding its away across his lips again.

Rose furrowed her eyebrows, not understanding where her ex Friend was heading to with his deductions. How does the Alpha come into play in this discussion?

"What do mean?" She asked, voicing her thoughts, hoping that it wasn't what she was thinking about.

The girl couldn't have gotten the Alpha's attention already, or had she?

"I think you know what I mean, Rose. But if you prefer to be ignorant, then I have no choice to fill you in. He is coming for her tomorrow. It seems Seth had mentioned the matter to him too. And since he can't punish the only doctor of the pack, he decided to take her away from him." He replied with a shrug.

"That's not true." Francis said, his voice coated with unbelief. He couldn't accept that the girl whom he had thought he would be the first to have a taste of her, was going away to the Alpha's palace tomorrow, to come back only whenever the Alpha was done. He might even sell her away.

So, he might not see her again.

He didn't like the news one bit. If anything, it upsetted him greatly.

"You know I don't lie, Pervert." Leonard mentioned, a bit happy that at least Olivera wouldn't be subjected to the rough handling of Francis. Even though his Alpha wasn't really better off, Olivera would have access to good things while it lasted. Who knows? She might last longer than the others, since she has a knack of attracting people's favour, well, not everyone obviously. He thought, darting his eyes between Francis and Rose. They had been his friends once, until their belief system clashed.

"So, whatever punishment you have for her has to be suspended, or at best deleted. You know how the Alpha can be." He said, daring the two refute his statement.

But they kept silent, fuming within themselves.

"Now, if you would excuse me, my companion needs to rest." He carped, before pulling Olivera with him and stepping around them, walking without looking back, until they were within the confines of the prison house.

"Thank you." Olivera said, after hearing him sigh and breathe out tiredly. He was exhausted.

He grunted his acceptance, retracting into his former mood, as he led her to her cell. When he unlocked it, he motioned her with his eyes to go in.

But Olivera hesitated.

"Here, take this." She said, as she pulled out a plastic covered plate from her bag, one of the five plates inside the bag which contained food.

She knew he was hungry. He must have worked hard today. She thought.

Leonard stared at the plate in her hands, and then to her face, and sighed again.

"No, I can't. You need it, more than I do." He replied, pushing the plate back to her.

But she shook her head, grabbed his right hand- surprising him, and forcefully put the plate on it.

"You don't have to be stubborn about everything." She ethused.

"There is more from where it had come from." She stated, before turning away immediately -not giving him a room to object.

Opening the door, a smile made its way across her lips, brightening her facial features, as her eyes met Jeremy's.

He was awake, and he had been waiting for her.