Alpha Petrova

Chapter 9

Serena:

His question lingered between us, heavy and impossible to ignore. For a few seconds, I couldn’t find a single word.

I had spent years hiding what I was, years learning how to suppress my scent, how to quiet my wolf, and how to pass as nothing more than a human slave. It had kept me alive longer than I ever expected, and I wasn’t about to let one Alpha unravel everything simply because he had a sharper sense of smell than the rest.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, keeping my voice steady, watching as he raised an eyebrow. “I’m human.”

“Are you?” He asked, smirking as if he could easily read through my lie.

“Yes.” He hummed under his breath, and something about the sound irritated me. “You don’t believe me?”

“Not even a little.”

I clenched my jaw. “Then why bother asking if you already made up your mind?”

“Because I wanted to see whether you would lie.” He said, shrugging.

“I’m not lying.” His lips curved into a smirk, and I hated how easily he did that. “I was born human,” I said quickly. “My mother was human, my father was human, and whatever you think you smelled was probably one of the guards. There are wolves everywhere in this estate.”

“A reasonable explanation.” He said, nodding. “Smart.”

“Because it’s the truth.”

“Except, there is one small problem.” He said, as if not even hearing a word that I was saying.

“And what is that?” I asked, my heart racing against my ribcage.

“I know exactly where the scent came from.” I swallowed hard.

Alexander stood, and my body stiffened as he walked around the table. “What are you doing?”

“Testing something.” He whispered, looking me in the eye. He stopped directly in front of me.

I glared up at him. “If you touch me…”

“You’ll slap me?” He asked, stopping me.

“I might do worse.” That familiar amusement returned to his eyes. I was beginning to believe he enjoyed being threatened. Alexander leaned closer, and I instinctively moved back. “What are you doing?”

He didn’t answer. His hand rested lightly against the back of my chair, and before I could shove him away, he lowered his face toward my neck. “Alexander…”

His lips brushed the side of my neck. Heat rushed through me so sharply I nearly gasped. My wolf surged forward, breaking through every barrier I had spent years building around her.

Mate.

The instinct hit me like a wave. My fingers tightened against the edge of the table as his scent overwhelmed me. My wolf pushed harder, desperate and unrestrained.

Mate. Mate. Mate.

“Stop,” I hissed, shoving my hand against his chest.

Alexander pulled away, and the expression on his face made my stomach twist. He wasn’t smirking because he wanted to touch me. He was smirking because he had been testing me, and my wolf had answered him.

“Don’t lie,” he said quietly. “It doesn’t look good on you.”

I shoved him again, harder this time. He barely moved. “You bastard.” His smirk widened. “You did that on purpose.”

“Obviously.” He said, stepping back.

“You had no right.” I snapped.

“You were lying to me.” He said, as if it was going to explain his situation.

“That doesn’t give you the right to touch me.” I said, glaring at him.

“You forget that your place right now should be my bed where I am mounting you… so you should be thankful that you were getting off easy.” I stood and glared at him, my wolf still restless beneath my skin, and Alexander returned to his side of the table as though nothing had happened.

“You knew,” I said. “You knew and yet you didn’t say a word about it.”

“I suspected.” He said, calmly.

“Since when?” I asked, frowning.

“The first day.” My stomach twisted. The corridor. That was why. He had caught my scent when he passed me.

“Why didn’t you tell Helena?” The question escaped before I could stop it.

Alexander shrugged as if we were discussing something trivial. “I was finding your presence refreshing.” I stared at him. “And amusing.”

My anger returned so quickly I almost saw red. “My life is hanging on the line here because of this and you’re finding this amusing?” I asked, my eyes darkening with anger.

“You tried to slap me within minutes of entering my room.” He said calmly. “Your life seemed to have no value to you the second that happened, little wolf. And you might be angry, but you’re missing the important part.”

I frowned. “What important part?”

“I haven’t told Helena.” He said, making my heart drop. “And I’m not going to,” he added.

I stared at him. “You’re going to let me stay? Even though you know that I am a wolf?”

“Yes.”

Helena had been very clear, the slaves were supposed to be human. Alexander knew I wasn’t. And instead of exposing me, he was letting me stay.

I crossed my arms. “What’s the catch?”

“There isn’t one.”

“I don’t believe you.” I said, keeping my eyes on him.

“That is probably the smartest thing you’ve done since arriving here.” He smiled. “You’re smart not to trust me.” He looked at me, his eyes studying my expression before he continued. “But you should have been equally smart when you decided to sneak into my estate.”

“I didn’t sneak…”

“Serena.” Alexander stepped closer again. I didn’t move this time, though every part of me remained alert. “You made a decision,” he said.

“I did what I had to do to survive.” I muttered, looking away from him.

“And now you’re going to live with the consequence.” There was always a catch. No one did anything for free. Especially powerful men… he had to get something in return for this.

“And that is?” I asked.

Alexander didn’t answer immediately. His eyes moved slowly over me, not in the way my previous masters had looked at me, but in a way that felt thoughtful and calculating. That didn’t make it any better.

He stepped directly in front of me, and I held his gaze, and his hand moved, and I stiffened when his palm rested lightly against my stomach. I looked down at it, then back at him, my heartbeat accelerating. “Get your hand off me.”

He didn’t move it immediately. His palm remained there for a moment, and something about the gesture sent an uncomfortable chill through me. Not because he was hurting me, he wasn’t, but because I remembered Helena’s words.

Your job is simple. You are to give the Alpha an heir. Alexander’s lips curved into a slow, deliberate smirk.

“When the time is right…” He leaned closer, his voice dropping until it was barely above a whisper. “I choose you.” His eyes stayed locked on mine. “To be the one who gives me my heir.”