Claimed By The Enemy Alpha

Dario Ken

I came to a stop at the edge of the stone railing, overlooking the London skyline. The air out here was cold, biting at the exposed skin of my shoulders.

Even without turning around, I was aware of William’s steady pace behind me. The sound of his shoes on the concrete stopped a few feet away.

"We are not getting married in two days," I muttered slowly, keeping my eyes fixed on that distant light of the city. This was happening so fast, it was becoming hard to process.

"Yes we are," William replied. His voice was calm and detached. It held no room for negotiation.

I turned to face him then, my hands clenched into fists at my sides. "It is too soon.” I try to reason, mainly because I could not see myself marrying him. I wanted him gone forever. “People will talk. You put me on the A.S.A. radar less than forty-eight hours ago. Now we are engaged and set to marry in two days? No one will believe that."

The words came tumbling out, my mind racing to find a way to push the date back. I needed time. I needed so much time. I needed to find something I could use against him, even if it was just one thing. As long as it was important to him, it would work.

I could feel the cold knot of panic clawing up my chest. Control was something I had spent my entire life maintaining, and now it was slipping through my fingers.

William stepped closer. Looking almost bored. "They will not think it is a conspiracy, Astrid. They will just think we are crazy in love and want to spend the rest of our lives together. It is a common human narrative. It covers a multitude of inconsistencies."

My eyes narrowed as I looked up at him, searching his face for a sign of a joke, but his expression remained serious.

What does he really want from me? Could this all really be a game to him?

A dull ache started behind my eyes, and increased by the second. I reached up and rubbed my temples with my fingers.

Fuck, where was Yui when I needed her.

I turned back to the view, the wind whipping a loose strand of hair across my face. The reality of my situation was starting to get to me.

"I need a drink," I whispered to myself. "I really need a drink."

William looked around before stepping even more closer to me, he reached out and offered his hand, his palm facing up. When I didn't move, he turned his arm over and gestured for me to go ahead.

My frown deepened as I looked up at him, my back pressing against the cold stone railing. I scanned the corners of the balcony and the dark glass of the doors leading back into the ballroom.

"Where did you hide the cameras, William?" I asked. "If this is another one of your schemes to gather more evidence on me, I am not falling for it."

William smiled. "I do not need any more videos of you feeding, Astrid. And there are no cameras here."

He pushed his wrist closer to my lips, his scent, mixed with that of his blood hit me hard, thick, powerful, and laced with the heat of an Alpha. My fangs began to throb in my gums responding immediately to the possibility of feeding off him again.

"I’m just trying to help," he whispered smugly. "I know you are just dying to have another taste of me."

I was.

The urge was so strong, demanding I sink my teeth into him and drain every drop. But I would rather cut off my own tongue than admit that to him. I raised my hand and swatted his wrist away with a hard smack.

"I am not a pet you can feed to keep quiet," I snapped. I moved to walk past him, my shoulder brushing past his chest. "I can find my own meal. London is full of people who are more than willing to give."

William’s hand shot out, catching me by the waist. Before I could pull away, he swung me around and backed me against the wall. Invading my personal space. His body was warm against mine and his face mere inches from mine, his eyes dark and fixed on my lips.

"I thought I made myself clear this morning," he growled.

"And I made myself clear, too," I cut him off, my eyes flashing red as I stared up at him. "I am not your property. I do as I please."

How hard was it going to be getting this into his thick skull? Nobody owns me regardless of what I signed.

The air between us felt charged, as William stared at me. I could feel the heat radiating off him, and for a second, I thought he might actually try to force the issue.

"Excuse me." A voice cut through the moment, forcing us to both look past his shoulder to see a man standing by the balcony doors. He wore a black suit that fit him and a pair of silver-rimmed spectacles that caught the dim light.

He didn't look like a wolf, and he certainly wasn't a vampire.

He looked like a bureaucrat.

William stepped back slowly, releasing my waist but staying close. He smoothed the front of his jacket, his expression returning to that state of indifference.

The man stepped forward, his eyes moving from William to me.

"Ms. Lancetii," he said as he reached into his inner pocket and pulled out a leather wallet, flipping it open. "I am Dario Ken, District Director of the A.S.A. and would like to have a word with you. Privately."