Alpha Lucien

The Alpha King Lucien Danforth

LUC

I stand by the window of my office, watching my pack members move like ants, each one desperate to prove their worth. They know I’m watching. They know what happens when they step out of line. Fear keeps them efficient. Fear keeps them alive.

A knock. Then another. Then another.

I don’t respond. The door opens anyway. Mason. The only one with enough sense—or stupidity—to enter uninvited.

He clears his throat. “Alpha, the six new recruits are on their way. One of them is a warrior. Have you checked their files?”

I exhale slowly, turning from the window to give him a blank, unreadable stare. Without a word, I walk over to my desk and pick up the thin file resting on top.

I flip it open. One page. That’s all it takes to decide if someone is worth my time—or if they’re just another disposable pawn.

PERSONAL INFORMATION

Full Name: Maya Diane Calder

Date of Birth: May 19th

Age: 18

Hair Color: Blonde

Eye Color: Green

Height: 5’5”

FAMILY & AFFILIATION

Guardian: Finral Calder (Father)

Siblings: Tara Calder (Sister)

Pack: Oakwood

SKILLS & ABILITIES

• Proficient in hand-to-hand combat

NOTES & OBSERVATIONS

• Classified as a run risk (Three escape attempts recorded)

• Displays wayward behavior and disregards rules

I scoff under my breath, flipping the page back down.

“A runner,” I murmur.

Then I smirk.

This could be fun.

Mason shifts on his feet, hesitant but speaking anyway. “Alpha, Oakwood didn’t even go through the Annual Ceremony. They just handed her over. It’s like they’re sending her straight to us—probably because she was too much trouble for them.”

I drop the file onto my desk with a dull thud. “Then she’ll learn how things are done in my pack.”

Mason exhales and nods before hesitating again. Annoying.

“Alpha… what are we doing about Craig? He’s been rotting in the dungeon for a while now.”

“Who?” I ask, uninterested.

“The patrol warrior. The one you caught kissing his mate while on duty.”

I raise a brow. “He’s not dead yet?” I turn back to the window, slipping my hands into my pockets. “I expected him to be dead and thrown out of my pack by now.”

Mason stiffens. “But, Alpha, he—he’s sorry. He just found his mate, and it got to his head…”

I cut him off with a slow, menacing turn. My gaze darkens. “I. Don’t. Care.”

The room tenses.

Mason swallows hard, lowering his eyes in fear.

“And since when do you argue with me, Lance?”

His pulse stutters, and I can hear the tremor in his breath. “M-My apologies, Alpha.”

I scoff. Weak.

“Who cares if people die in my pack?” I say, my voice cold, merciless. “They exist to serve me, to be used however I see fit. And every year, more come to die. I am the Alpha King. My word is law. I am the law.”

I let that sink in before continuing.

“Kill him.”

Mason clenches his jaw but nods, his fear suffocating the room.

I step closer, my voice dropping to a lethal whisper. “And don’t make a mistake, Lance. Beta or not, the moment you overstep, I’ll rip you apart myself.” I tilt my head, watching his fear with amusement. “You’re replaceable. Do you understand?”

He nods, stiff and obedient.

I lean back. “Anything else?”

A shaky breath escapes him before he speaks. “The Joining Ceremony is about to commence, Alpha. They’re waiting for you in the main hall.”

I exhale, already irritated.

“Then get out of my sight.”

He doesn’t hesitate to obey.

Mason leaves my office without another word, and soon, I take my time making my way downstairs from the second floor. The ceremony tonight is meant to welcome new pack members and bind them to the pack’s mind link. That’s the only reason I’m required to be there. If it were up to me, I wouldn’t bother attending.

The moment my guards catch sight of me, they pull open the massive mahogany doors without hesitation. I step into the main hall, where staff are still scrambling to finish preparations.

They freeze the second they sense my presence.

Then, in perfect sync, they drop their tasks, bowing their heads at a precise ninety-degree angle.

“Good evening, Alpha King!”

I’m not impressed.

I let my gaze sweep over the unfinished work, then speak, my tone razor-sharp. “Don’t you all think you’re failing at your jobs?”

Panic spreads like wildfire. They fall to their knees in fear, their heads dropping even lower. Pathetic.

My cold stare lands on Mason, whose head is lowered as expected. Then, beyond him, I see someone else.

Sally.

She’s grinning, waving at me like a fool. “Alpha!”

I watch as the thin brunette rushes toward me, her 5’10” frame moving with an irritating bounce. Just yesterday, she was in my bed. A few nights before that, too. And likely after tonight.

Sally works in the pack’s accounting department, but her real purpose? My most recent anger reliever.

She places a delicate hand on my bicep, her deep brown eyes meeting mine with a playful glint. “I was hoping to schedule an appointment with you after the ceremony,” she purrs. “We need to go over some business projections.”

I don’t move. Don’t react. My voice is void of any warmth when I say, “Are you that jobless, Harper? Or can’t you see there’s still work to be done?”

She sticks out her bottom lip, feigning innocence. “The professionals are already handling it…”

I cut her off.

“Shut up and walk away.”

My gaze is ice. A warning.

She lingers for half a second too long—then quickly turns.

Just as Sally turns to leave, I grab her wrist and yank her back to face me. Her body presses against mine, and I tilt her chin up, forcing her to meet my eyes.

“When I want you in my bed, you’ll know,” I say, my voice low and commanding. “And I want to remind you—that’s all you are.”

She flutters her long lashes, unfazed. Desperate.

“But don’t you need a Luna?” she whispers. “You’ve been Alpha King on your own… lonely, too. I could be that for you.”

My grip tightens for a brief second before I push her away.

“I don’t need anyone. I’m fine being alone.”

She stumbles but regains her footing, staring at me with wide, hopeful eyes. Pathetic.

Anger coils in my chest as I turn from her. “No one is fit to be my Luna.”

I walk away, heading for a darkened corner of the hall as unwanted memories creep in.

I had a mate.

A beautiful one.

She was supposed to be by my side for eternity, but she’s long gone… a century ago. She died, and I was left behind, cursed to exist in this world without her.

I’ve spent the years adjusting to a world that keeps changing, people who live and die like fleeting shadows. They all die anyway, so I kill them when I want to.

That’s right… I’m the monster in their story.

My gaze flickers to the open doors, the cool evening air beckoning.

Through the pack link, I speak to Mason.

“I’m heading out for a run and checking in with the patrols. See to it that the new members get settled.”

Mason’s voice filters through my mind. “Yes, Alpha.”