SERVING THE ENEMY ALPHA

Face to face

LIANA

My heart was pounding against my chest, it was as if my heart was performing a crazy drum solo inside the suffocating uniform. "Right away," The guard had said. So it was a moment when I could not get a mental preparation, could not practice my brother's deeper voice. Alpha was back. And I had to face him.

You're going to face him, Liana. My wolf, Sia, whispered into my head.

I was walking down the long, silent corridor to the Alpha's study. The floor seemed to pull me down with every step I took, as if I was moving in water. I kept my eyes on the ground concentrating on the polished floor.

I am Leon. I am Leon. I am Leon. The mantra was very weak but my mind was holding onto it with everything.

My feet stood at the door of the study. The door was of thick, dark oak, it was solid and domineering, just like the person who I thought was waiting inside. I lifted my hand and knocked twice, my fingers slightly shaking.

“Enter.” He said, his voice was deeper, more authoritative than I had remembered. My worst nightmare, Kyran Salvatore, was only one door away. I gasped a breath before opening the door and stepped inside.

The study was huge like a library. The walls were covered with bookcases full of leather-bound books, and a fine glass table made of mahogany was in the middle. Checking out the interior, the dark decoration, my gaze landed on him. He was sitting at the table, facing the tall window on the wall, the soft sunlight embracing his skin.

He got up slowly.

The second his eyes met mine, my breath was choked in my throat, and the incident from years ago flashed in my head. The incident that changed everything.

He wasn't a teenage boy anymore. He was a 28-year-old man made of fire and power. His shoulders were broad and were stretching the black shirt that he was wearing. His hair was longer, but cut short and those piercing, cold, blue eyes were holding an intensity that sent a shiver down my spine.

The time was gone. We were the same age, eleven, but I was chubby and awkward, and he was handsome and popular.

My red, curly hair was a frizzy mess. He and his friends made fun of me all the time. "Look at the little pig, she can barely walk."

Comments were one thing but it went as far as throwing me into the mud, stealing my things, making my fat drawings on the blackboard. Then, an incident happened. The incident that forced me to leave the school. I ran from Blue River town, promised myself to never come back again, yet he was standing before me, and it all came back at once, like an unstoppable typhoon.

I wasn't that chubby girl either. He wouldn't even recognize me now. My transformation was real, completely different from my past.

I forced myself to look down, my eyes were fixed on a point just above his costly shoes.

Do not react, Liana. You are Leon. Sia whispered again, warning me. She knew my pain, my fear, and my hatred.

"Alpha," I said, calling out with my voice that was a little bit hoarse, and maybe it could be taken for that of Leon. I made a small, respectful bow that my father had taught me.

Kyran came out from the shadow of the table. "You must be Leon Lancaster."

"Yes, Alpha. I am sorry for the delay. During a solo training exercise, I sustained a minor injury," The lie sounded thick in my mouth.

He was going around the table while looking at me and I could feel the temperature dropping low enough for me to see my breath. The scent of agrawood from him was coming loud and clear between us and was overpowering. He stopped at my side. I could see that he was hot from his body but I was cold from inside.

"Minor injury, you say? Your father was quite vague," He said in a dangerously soft tone. His eyes, now quite near, were like a magnet and scary at the same time. They were the same old spark of evil, but now it was mixed with the cold indifference of an Alpha.

He did not wait for an answer, pointing his hand towards a long, dark wood table in the corner. On a velvet cloth were dozens of hunting and fighting knives, daggers of all shapes and sizes, their blades shining a little in the fluorescent light.

"I am missing a collection of daggers for my personal use," He muttered softly, narrowing his devilishly charming eyes.

"Clean each and every one of those daggers. Take the oil and cloth from the shelf. Be careful with them. You break one, I'll have someone break your bones."

My breath was choked in my throat.

Moon Goddess! He's still frightening. My hands were of the curator, soft and gentle. Daggers were never my interest.

"Yes, Alpha," The words were forced out.

I took the oil and cloth and started working. My hands were moving as if it were a routine and I was quite efficient. Cleaning weapons was part of my self-defense training.

He definitely was not taking his eyes off me. Every part of my body felt as if it was vulnerable. He was looking at my actions, the way I was holding the cloth, the small muscle near my jaw that twitched.

"You are very thorough, Lancaster. Most men would do it quickly, but you handle them as if they were fragile." He spoke, and the silence between us dropped.

I gulped and did not look up. "Sharp tools require careful handling, Alpha. If you do not show respect, they will be your enemies."

“Hmm.” It was not a firm yes and the silence that followed was thick with suspicion.

He came nearer, the reflection in the blade I was holding showing his face. He was standing so close that the beating of his heart reached my ears. I kept on with the work, my heart was about to jump out of my chest and I was silently praying to the Moon Goddess with all my might that my hands would not tremble.

The atmosphere then changed. I was able to catch a glimpse of the metal. Kyran had moved a dagger. Without warning, he pointed the blade of the dagger at my neck.

“Alpha?” My eyes widened.

The blade was close enough that a tiny twitch of his wrist would have ended me right there. I felt as if all my blood had turned to ice. Every inch of mine was shouting at me to flinch, to retreat, to scream Kyran, stop!

But I didn’t.

I kept my head straight, my eyes on the dagger in my hand, my breath was shallow and controlled. I did not move at all. He kept it there for a very long time, he was looking for fear or weakness in my face.

Slowly, he pulled the dagger back. A devilish smile played with the corner of his mouth.

“You’re trained well, Lancaster. A good warrior should never react to a sudden move. Fear is a ‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌liability for enemies.”

“I understand, Alpha,” My voice answered, calm and obedient, though the adrenaline rush made my ears hot. Kyran slowly turned his back on me and went to his table.

“You may continue.” He ordered.

A sigh escaped my lips.

Suddenly, a loud buzzer was heard all over the Pack House. Kyran became alert.

“Perfect timing,” He whispered, his face now showing that he was excited for what was to come but in a very cold manner. “We can forget the daggers for now. It’s time for the first ceremonial marking. Gamma Anthony is gathering the new recruits in the main hall. You will go there, Lancaster.”

“Ceremonial marking, Alpha?” I asked him, not being able to understand what he meant.

“The Alpha’s mark. The mark is the brand. Every warrior who is under the Alpha’s command must carry it. It is the symbol of loyalty, strength, and pack belonging. It is a brand that will be put on your back. Go, now.”

The thought of it hit me like a solid punch. The Alpha’s mark. A brand. And to get one, you had to be… shirtless.

I was a woman, pretending to be a man. The mark would require my chest and back to be totally exposed not only to the pack but also to Kyran. My secret was about to be out there.

I stood there, the dagger I was cleaning slipped a bit from my sweaty hand.

“What are you waiting for, Lancaster?” He twitched his brows.

Shocked by the command, I left in a hurry, my brain working in overdrive.

I was in the main corridor when I saw a man in his forties. He was dressed all black, a grumpy look flashing over his face. He was the Gamma, pushing a group of young men in the direction of the Main Hall.

Gamma Anthony shouted. “Now, everyone, strip to the waist, quick!”

My eyes glanced at the men around me who were already taking off their shirts, exposing their broad shoulders and muscled backs.

I had nowhere to run. I was trapped.