SERVING THE ENEMY ALPHA

Disguise

LIANA

A sweet melodious chime, my phone's ringtone, was louder since the evening.

The ringing seemed to go through the entire walls of my penthouse. It was not the sound of a usual phone call, it was the sound of the past breaking into my perfect present.

The screen of my phone was glowing, and the caller ID was shouting, Dad.

Coming out of the shower, an eerie feeling settled on my shoulders. My wolf sensed it long ago. Something about my perfect life was going to change for the worse.

I needed an entire lungful of air to brace myself, and in order to calm my nerves, I rubbed the wrinkles off my expensive dress. A small habit of mine since school days.

"Hello, Dad," My voice finally answered.

"Liana! Oh! Moon Goddess!" My father's voice, always loud and confident, was now mixed with the panic of a strange kind.

"Dad, wait. What's the matter?”

"I-It's Leon, your brother." He took the name as if he were struggling with his voice. "Something terrible has happened, Liana."

The grimace on my face was the mask of my success that I instantly dropped, and it fell to the floor. Leon. The one whom I share my DNA with, my twin brother.

"What is it? Let me hear the truth." My tone was now serious.

"H-He went into a coma after a car crash. The doctors said that they can't tell when he will wake up." The words beneath his heavy voice trembled like a leaf.

I took a step back, the phone being cold in my hand. A coma. Leon. This can't be.

"He was just starting his new role." The truth hit me stronger than a storm.

Leon had been appointed as the Alpha's personal aide, a position that every young male of the Crescent Moon Pack wanted. It was his lifelong dream.

"That is exactly the problem, Liana. That is why I am calling you. It cannot be long that the Alpha's aide position is left empty. If your brother does not report to the Pack House tomorrow night, they will give it to a new person. A new person that will never let go of the position even when Leon gets back." He was speaking fast, hardly breathing.

"This is the moment for our family to get into the inner circle. We can't afford to lose it."

I closed my eyes, my brow tightening, "Dad, what are you suggesting? I am in Milan. I am a woman, an art curator. The Alpha's aide has always been a male warrior."

"Yes, and that is why you have to do it. You and Leon are identical, Liana. You are twins. No one has ever seen Leon without a uniform and a mask on at first, the Alpha's aide has only been there for two weeks, most of the new recruits don't even know his face. Do it until Leon regains his senses."

My thoughts were all over the place.

Pretending to be Leon at the Crescent Moon Pack House was a dangerous risk. More than that, it was the place that had haunted me forever. My traumatizing memories of childhood, my youth, led back to that place.

Kyran Salvatore was a nightmare to me. The one who bullied me, forced me to drop out of school and run away.

"If the pack found out, they would consider me a rogue and maybe even banish you and Mom. It's not doable," I reasoned, trying to talk him down from his crazy idea.

The pack had a sacred rule made by the three elders. No woman was allowed to take place as a warrior in the pack. They were limited to being maids. The patriarchy was still thriving in the pack, following old customs.

"Please, Liana. I am asking you on my knees. This is the only way to save Leon's future. The only way to save our family's standing. You are clever, you are tough. We have already informed the Alpha that Leon got injured slightly during training and will be at the service tomorrow night. I will send you everything, the details, the uniform. Do it for your brother."

My heart melted. I couldn't hear my father crying. The image of Leon's warm smile came to my mind. He deserved his dream.

A sigh escaped my lips. "Alright," The words tasted bitter. "I will do it for Leon."

"Oh! Thank you, Liana! Thank you!" The conversation ended with an empty, lifeless, silence surrounding me. I remained motionless, a shiver passing over my bare shoulders. My heart was heavy with the thought that I have to face Kyran again.

There was no other option left.

After two days of preparation, in appearance, and learning basics from Father, I stood before the heavy gates of the Crescent Moon Pack House. The ride had me feeling quite scared, and it was all a haze.

My hair was tightly packed under a military style cap, my face was partially covered with a high collar and a newly grown-out patch of stubble that I had applied with professional makeup. The thick, black fabric of Leon's Alpha Aide uniform was not only physically restricting, but it was also draining my soul.

I took my last, yet shaky, breath. I was not Liana, the famous art curator. I was Leon Lancaster, the Alpha's aide.

Since childhood, Leon had always been a name for praise in the pack. He was stronger and capable than most of the young man. Unlike me, who couldn't manage weight. I was always a nobody in the pack.

The most shocking part? The pack didn't know Leon and I were twins or siblings. The pack was never interested in my background. For them, Gerald Lancaster had only one son, Leon Lancaster.

Disguised as Leon, my feet entered the grand Silver Gates. I had mentally gone through my steps and my moves, but my heart was still flapping like a trapped bird.

The Pack House was a power-building made of dark stone and polished wood. The structure looked ancient but it still had the strength to face storms. Linda, the head maid led the way to a warm room in the Silver Quarters allotted to Leon.

Alpha Kyran was out of town. It went easy. The first couple of days were filled with minor tasks, reading reports and learning the complex security methods. Fortunately, everyone in the Crescent Moon pack shared the same scent or I'd have been found out long ago.

I kept my head low. No one asked me. It was working...until he returned.

A guard came up to me in the main corridor. "Lancaster? The Alpha needs to see you in his study. Right ‍‌‍‍‌‍‌away. "