Nowhere to Run from My Bully Alpha

Chapter 3 – The Heir Arrives to Applause

The party was finally over and the guests had left. But the night of work was not even close to being over.

Maris had invited Kaels Family over for dinner. And of course I was expected to serve the whole night.

I pushed through the heavy wooden door leading from the service passage. The bundle of fresh linens weighed heavy against my chest. I kept my head down, focusing on the polished grain of the floorboards. The ambient noise in the front hall changed before I even stepped into it. The usual chatter of Selene's friends and the clinking of glasses sharpened into a frantic, eager pitch.

"Straighten those flowers," Maris snapped from somewhere near the entryway. "And someone take these coats. They are here."

I rounded the carved stair landing and stopped completely.

Kael Draven walked through the main double doors. He was flanked by his parents, Alpha Dorian and Luna Evelina. He was dressed in black formalwear cut close through the shoulders, moving with a cold, effortless command that made everyone else unconsciously shift to accommodate him. The air in the foyer instantly thickened, growing heavy with the sudden influx of pure power.

Selene crossed the marble floor with open delight. "Kael. You made it."

Rowan my useless father straightened his spine nervously near the coat rack. Maris practically glowed with triumph, her hands clasped together in pure social ecstasy.

"Welcome, Alpha Dorian," Maris said loudly. "Luna Evelina. We are so profoundly honored to have you in our home tonight."

Kael did not acknowledge the greetings right away. His gaze flicked once past Selene, past Maris, and past Rowan. It landed directly on me where I stood frozen on the stairs. He tracked my position in the room before speaking to anyone else, like a hunter cataloging a target.

《He is looking right at us.》 Nyra went instantly taut inside my mind. Her voice carried a low, displeased rumble. 《 Do not look away. Make him look away first.》

"I can't do that," I told her silently. "You know I can't."

I forced myself not to react. Kael had always had a way of looking at me that felt less like seeing and more like selecting a target. I kept my expression completely flat. I stared at the space just to the left of his jaw, refusing to offer him the satisfaction of a flinch or a blush.

"Kael?" Selene asked, her voice faltering for just a fraction of a second.

Kael broke his focus on me. He turned his attention to my stepsister and greeted her with perfect public ease.

"You look flawless tonight, Selene," Kael said. He bent just enough to press a kiss to the back of her hand. He accepted the approving attention of the room like it was his absolute due.

"I wore the pearls you sent," Selene murmured, sliding her hand onto his arm. "I hoped you would notice."

"It is impossible not to notice," Kael replied smoothly.

Maris stepped forward again. She began fussing over the engagement dinner seating, detailing the ritual preparations, and talking endlessly about the honor of hosting the future Alpha.

"We have placed you at the head of the table, of course," Maris explained, gesturing toward the dining room. "Right next to Selene. The chef has prepared a venison roast, and we opened the oldest wine in the cellar."

"That sounds adequate," Alpha Dorian said, his voice deep and bored.

I tightened my grip on the linens. The entire welcoming committee was distracted by their own sycophancy. I took a slow breath and stepped down the remaining stairs. I tried to move past them with my linens unnoticed. I kept close to the wall, calculating the distance to the upstairs corridor.

I almost made it.

Kael stepped half a pace sideways without looking as though he had done it. He placed himself directly in my path.

I had to stop abruptly or crash directly into his chest. The sudden halt jolted the heavy linens in my arms. My boots scuffed against the floor. I involuntarily lifted my eyes and met his gaze despite every survival instinct screaming at me to keep my head down.

He looked down at me. He gave me the faintest, most infuriating curve of a smile. It was the exact kind of smile that said he had noticed my stumble and enjoyed it immensely.

Nyra bared her teeth in my mind. 《Move, you arrogant bastard,》 she snarled. 《Take one more step toward us and see what happens.》

"Keep quiet," I told her, clamping down on my own rising anger.

"Is there a problem with the floor, Lyra?" Kael asked. His voice was low and perfectly calm.

"No," I said quietly. "Excuse me."

"Make sure you watch your step," he advised.

Then he turned back to Selene the very next second, as if I were too unimportant to waste any more words on. The casual dismissal somehow made the insult far worse than the block. He allowed Selene to guide him toward the dining room, leaving me standing near the wall with my heart hammering against my ribs.

"Get those linens upstairs," Maris hissed at me as she swept past. "And then get into the dining room. The wine needs pouring."

I didn't answer her. I just nodded and hurried up the stairs, my bad knee aching with every step.

The families gathered in the formal dining room while the rest of the servants and I moved around them in careful silence. The long mahogany table was set with heavy silver and crystal. Taper candles cast a warm, flickering glow over the expensive cuts of meat and roasted vegetables.

I was stationed directly behind Maris's high-backed chair with the heavy silver wine service. My job was to stand perfectly still and ensure no glass ever went empty. It meant I was forced to listen while everyone at the table discussed Kael's upcoming Alpha ritual. They spoke about it as though the outcome were already completely blessed by law and blood. No one in the district doubted he would pass, claim his place, and move one step closer to formalizing his future with Selene.

"The elders have finalized the trial grounds," Alpha Dorian announced, slicing into his venison. "The outer ring has been cleared. The combat phase will be standard, but we expect a strong showing."

"Kael has been training endlessly," Luna Evelina added, dabbing her mouth with a linen napkin. "He is more than ready to take the mark."

"I have no doubt he will dominate the challengers," Maris said eagerly. She leaned forward, desperate to insert herself into the Draven family dynamic. "Selene was just saying today how safe the pack feels knowing Kael is taking over the patrols."

Kael took a slow sip of his wine. He set the glass down and spoke with smooth confidence about patrol reforms, trade leverage, and pack authority. He sounded much older than his years, completely at ease with being the center of their admiration.

"The current patrol routes are outdated," Kael explained. "We are wasting resources on the southern perimeter when the real vulnerabilities are near the city borders. I plan to restructure the guard rotations by the end of the month."

Rowan cleared his throat. He looked nervously at Alpha Dorian before looking at Kael. "I was actually reviewing the district ledgers yesterday. The funding for the southern perimeter is tied to a few old treaties. Perhaps we could transition the guards slowly to avoid—"

"The ledgers reflect past mistakes, Rowan," Kael interrupted smoothly, cutting him off with elegant efficiency. "I am focused on future efficiency."

Rowan deflated instantly. He looked down at his plate and nodded. "Of course. That makes sense."

He is spineless. Just like how all these years he let Marris and her daughter bully me without saying a thing. He just watched happen and turned a blind eye. All for the status of staying married to the Beta family.

Selene saw an opening to display her own political cleverness. She smiled brightly and tilted her head toward Kael.

"That is exactly what I was telling my friends in the parlor," Selene said. "We need a modern approach to leadership. The old ways are so inefficient. Once we are married, I plan to overhaul the internal household budgets to match your new efficiency models."

"The household budgets are already being audited by my financial staff," Kael corrected her without looking at her. "You will not need to trouble yourself with them."

He redirected the conversation back toward himself without missing a beat, never quite rude enough to be openly criticized, yet never generous enough to share the ground with anyone else.

I stepped forward, my footsteps silent on the thick rug. I picked up the wine bottle and carefully refilled Maris's glass. I moved to Rowan, then to Alpha Dorian. I poured wine, cleared empty salad plates, and watched the room respond to Kael like a field bending to weather. Every word he spoke was treated like absolute law. Every opinion he held was immediately adopted by my family.

《Look at them,》 Nyra muttered in my head. 《They are practically begging him to step on them.》

"They have to," I thought back, stepping away from the table and returning to my spot behind Maris. "He is the future Alpha."

《He is a tyrant in a nice suit,》 Nyra countered. 《Arrogance wears a handsome face far too often for the good of the world.》

I kept my face perfectly blank, but I silently agreed with her.

"Will you be addressing the full pack before the trial begins?" Alpha Dorian asked.

"Briefly," Kael answered. "The elders requested a formal declaration of intent. I will give them what they require, but I prefer to let the combat results speak for themselves. Words offer comfort. Strength offers security."

Selene smiled, resting her chin on her hand. "You always know exactly what to say to them, Kael. The pack trusts you completely."

"Trust is earned through competence," Kael said flatly. He glanced at Rowan. "Speaking of competence, Rowan, ensure the eastern border reports are on my desk by tomorrow morning. I will not tolerate delays this close to the ritual."

Rowan scrambled to grab his napkin, coughing slightly. "Yes, Kael. Of course. First thing tomorrow."

Maris shot Rowan a look of absolute venom for embarrassing them, then immediately smiled brightly at Luna Evelina.

"Lyra," Maris snapped. "Clear these salad plates. You are moving too slowly tonight."

I stepped forward immediately. I stacked the plates with practiced efficiency, ensuring the silverware didn't clatter against the fine china. I reached over Selene’s shoulder to take her plate.

Selene leaned back slightly, forcing me to adjust my angle awkwardly to avoid brushing her hair. "Mind the silk, Lyra. It stains easily."

"Yes, Selene," I murmured.

I carried the heavy stack of plates back to the sideboard. Kael was still talking, his voice an unbroken current of authority shaping the room. He didn't look at me again. He didn't need to. He had already established exactly where I belonged in his world, and he was content to let me stay there, invisible and silent, while he planned his empire.

I poured the final glasses of wine. I watched the room bend to his will. I watched them all surrender their power to a man who would never truly value it.

《Save your pity for them,》 Nyra advised coldly. 《She chose her cage. We are breaking out of ours.》

I stepped back into the shadows behind the chairs. I let the noise of their conversation wash over me, completely detached from the reality they were building. The countdown in my head continued, steady and relentless, matching the beat of my own heart.