Five.
1043 Words
Chapter Five.
Love’s POV.
The room felt colder the moment Alpha Hanma entered inside. His presence alone was enough to make the remaining applicants tense up.
He was tall and broad shouldered, and his was dark hair neatly pulled back. His features were impressive, but it was his golden eyes that made my breath hitch. If you didn’t know of his sins, you’d assume he was some sort of powerful otherworldly creature with how beautiful his eyes were. They swept over us with a slowly, as if he could see right through us.
I lowered my head slightly, pulling the scarf tighter around my hair, hoping not to draw his attention. The last thing I wanted was to be recognised.
"I am alpha Hanma.” He said, his deep voice commanding silence. "I expect nothing but discipline and competence from those who serve in my household. If you cannot meet my expectations, leave now."
No one moved.
His lips curled slightly, almost amused.
“Good. Then we will proceed. Follow me.”
He turned and began walking toward a set of doors at the far end of the hall.
We obeyed, trailing behind him as he led us into a smaller chamber. The room was not very big, but had a lot of vertical space. There was a long wooden bench against the wall, and at the far end, there was another door, leading to what I assumed was his personal office.
"You will be tested one last time.” Alpha Hanma said. "Each of you will enter this room one by one. If you pass, you stay. If you fail…" He didn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t need to.
I swallowed hard. This was the hour of reckoning.
A guard standing beside the door gestured for the first person to go in. A young woman, probably no older than twenty, hesitated before stepping forward. The door closed behind her.
Silence.
I tried to breathe evenly, keeping my hands tightly clasped in my lap. A few minutes passed, and then the door opened. The woman rushed out, her face red and eyes wet. She didn’t say a word as she hurried out of the chamber, never looking back.
The second woman was called in.
This time, it took longer. Almost ten minutes. When she got out, she was crying openly, her shoulders shaking as she practically ran out of the room.
What was this? Rejection was bad enough, but why were they crying hysterically?
A sinking feeling settled in my stomach.
Althea’s eyes were on me, and she smirked, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed.
“Scared?" She asked.
I didn't answer.
The guard gestured for me to get in.
I forced myself to stand, my legs stiff as I walked to the door.
“Come in. I don’t have all day.” Hanma said.
The door shut behind me with a quiet click.
-
The room was bigger than I expected, and it was lavish. Dark wood bookshelves lined the walls, filled with old leather bound books. A large desk sat in the centre, and behind it, in a high backed chair, was Alpha Hanma.
He watched me in silence. If only I could read those golden eyes.
"Sit.” He ordered.
I did as he said, keeping my back straight, my hands resting in my lap. I could feel my heartbeat in my throat.
For a long moment, he said nothing, just studied me. Then, finally, he leaned forward, placing his elbows on the desk.
"Your name?"
"Destiny.” I answered smoothly.
A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
“Oh? Is that so?"
I nodded, forcing myself to not look away from his eyes. He leaned back, tapping his fingers on the armrest.
“Where are you from?"
"North of the territory.” I repeated my earlier lie.
"Hm." His eyes never left mine.
The silence after that was overwhelming. I felt an itch in my fingers, a nervous habit I had never been able to leave behind. I couldn’t scratch, so I tried to concentrate. My eyes went to the snow globe sitting on his desk.
Without thinking, I reached out and picked it up.
It was heavier than it looked, a delicate glass sphere encasing a tiny frozen scene of a lone wolf standing atop a snowy mountain. I turned it over, watching the white flakes move about inside.
Hanma’s voice broke through the silence.
"Why do you want this job?"
I toyed with the snow globe.
"Because I need to work.” I answered simply. "And I can do the job well."
He tilted his head slightly, nodding.
"And why should I choose you over the others?"
"Because I won't fail. I am better than all of them at this and more. I will make sure everything is done perfectly and in due time.”
Silence. Then, unexpectedly, he chuckled.
"You’re very sure of yourself, Destiny.” He mused.
"I am."
"Do you know why I hired you?"
He has hired me already? I kept my expression neutral.
“Because I’m good, and you have faith in my abilities."
He shook his head.
“No. Because I know you're hiding something. And I want to know what it is."
My pulse quickened. Did he know already? If he knew, why was I still alive?
For a moment, I considered being defensive. But something about the way he looked at me made me pause. Instead, I nodded slowly.
"Well, I’m not hiding anything you need to know.” I said carefully.
His eyes darkened slightly, and then, without warning, he reached across the desk and snatched the snow globe from my hands.
"This is my home.” He said, tossing the globe and catching it. "Don't touch what isn’t yours."
I clenched my jaw but nodded.
He leaned back once more, watching me for a moment longer before finally dismissing me.
"Go back outside.” He said. "Tell the next person to come in."
As I went back into the waiting area, Althea was still watching me with an unreadable expression on her face. Not that that mattered.
I had passed.
And little did they know, I was one step closer to killing Hanma.
- Writer
