"Alpha Thorne‚ welcome." And then another. "Alpha Thorne‚ it's an honor." And another. "Alpha Thorne‚ we've been expecting you." Every single one of them used that same word. Alpha. They said it with a reverence that went beyond professional respect‚ beyond social politeness‚ beyond anything I had ever heard in a corporate setting or any other setting for that matter. What did that word mean? Why was everyone calling him that? And why did every person who looked at me have that same strange expression‚ like they were seeing something unexpected and didn't quite know what to make of it? I wanted to ask. I wanted to grab Thorne by the arm and pull him aside and demand an explanation for everything that was happening around me. But the room was too crowded and the people kept coming an

