MARKED BY THE ALPHA

MARKED BY THE ALPHA Chapter 1 The Nightmare Olivia Fillin woke up screaming. Her heart was racing. Her hands were shaking. Sweat covered her skin like a thin sheet of fear. She sat up in her bed, holding her blanket tightly to her chest. It was the same nightmare again. Wolves. Teeth. Blood. And her parents. Dead. She covered her face with her hands and tried to breathe. The clock on her nightstand read 4:17 AM. She still had a few hours before work, but she knew she wouldn’t go back to sleep. Not after that dream. She got up and went to the bathroom, splashing cold water on her face. Her reflection stared back at her with tired, brown eyes. Her dark hair was messy from tossing and turning. "Get it together, Olivia," she whispered to herself. "It’s been fourteen years." But it didn’t matter how long it had been. The dream always came back. The sound of growling, the flash of yellow eyes, the scream of her mother, and then silence. Olivia wiped her face and went to the small kitchen of her one bedroom apartment. She made coffee and stared out the window. The city was still sleeping, but not for long. Rotex Technology was in the middle of downtown, and she had to be there by eight. She’d worked there for four years now. It was the only job she’d ever had. She never went to college, but somehow, she got the job as a secretary. She didn’t understand why they chose her, especially with so many people better qualified. But she was grateful. The pay was good, and she liked her desk. It was right outside the boss’s office. Adam Weston. The CEO. And the strangest man she had ever met. Tall, always wearing black suits, and never smiling unless he had to. Rumors flew around the office like wild birds he was a playboy, a heartbreaker, a man with secrets. Olivia didn’t believe most of the gossip, but one thing was true. He was beautiful. And terrifying. There was something cold and dangerous about him, like a shadow that moved just a little too fast. Olivia grabbed her coffee and sat on the couch. She pulled a blanket over her legs and closed her eyes, just for a second. **** By the time she got to the office, the sun was up and the city was awake. Cars honked, people walked quickly, and the tall buildings stretched into the sky like they were trying to touch the clouds. She walked into the Rotex lobby, nodded at the front desk, and headed for the elevator. As usual, no one looked twice at her. She liked it that way. Her desk was clean, just how she left it. She sat down and turned on her computer. The hallway was quiet, and Adam’s door was still closed. He usually arrived by nine, but he was unpredictable. That night, Olivia went home feeling more tired than usual. Her head was full of questions. Who was that man? Why did Adam look like he was about to break apart? And why did she feel connected to him? She curled up on her bed and closed her eyes. But sleep didn’t come. Instead, the nightmare returned. This time, the wolf had silver eyes. And it wasn’t attacking her. It was standing still, watching her from the shadows. Waiting.