SERVING THE ENEMY ALPHA

The Branding Ceremony

LIANA

My hands were sweaty even though they were gloved, but my body was cold as ice, out of line with my emotions.

I was in the row with the other recruits in the Main Hall, a big, hollow space, with a bright chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The atmosphere was heavy, and the scent of the fear and unbleached linen was so strong that it was almost suffocating to inhale the air.

On one side of me was a boy and on the other side of me was another person. Both of them had already taken off their upper garments. Both of them were nervous and kept talking to each other in low tones. I couldn’t take my eyes off the one thing I was most scared of, the Alpha’s branding station.

Firstly, the recruits, one by one, had to put their backs out, then arm the metal against their skin. It was small, yet burning hot. The sounds were so dreadful that one can hardly imagine. The hiss, in pain, a grunt and the flesh fighting against the stinging sensation.

“Next! Up here, give it to me, or are you so feeble-hearted that you won’t be able to pledge your allegiance?” Gamma shouted.

The movement in the queue was so slow that it was dreadful. My thoughts were all over the place, trying to come up with an exit plan. If I take off my uniform, my lie would be exposed, ruining everything for my family.

I was trying to keep my composure at all times, and I even went so far as to put on a stony expression, which I have learned to perfect in the high-stakes world of art curation.

Slowly, the queue was getting shorter.

Looking around the hall, I saw Kyran, the Alpha, on a high balcony above the ceremony with his arms crossed over his chest and his cold, blue eyes scanning the place from one corner to another, leaving out nothing.

The moment when the man in front of me screamed as the brand was applied, I saw my chance. A young maid, looking tired and heavily burdened, was coming through the edge of the crowd with a heavy tray of silver goblets filled with red wine, balancing, and trying not to be seen. She was rushing.

This is the moment, Liana. Sia whispered, followed by a soft growl.

The man in front of me exited the scene with his back already marked and stinging.

“Lancaster! You’re next!” Gamma Anthony’s voice startled my thoughts, his intense gaze focused on me. I moved up step by step, the distance between us shrinking.

Just when the maid came inches closer, I sneakily extended my leg around her ankle, and her balance crumbled down.

The girl’s breath caught in her throat. The heavy tray teetered dangerously and then fell to the ground. Silver goblets rolled, and the red wine splattered all over the floor, over the nearby recruits, and over Gamma Anthony’s thick, dark uniform.

“What the bloody hell is going on here?” The Gamma shouted, brushing his palm on his chest where the wine had been absorbed. Looking at the terrified maid, whose face was pale with fright, he said, “Do you even realize what you have done?”

The crowd of the recruits changed position, and their focus was completely on the mess and the Gamma’s anger. Everybody was talking about the wine-stained Gamma and the poor girl on the floor. My turn had come.

One last glance at Kyran. He was distracted, watching Gamma’s rage, and I took advantage of that moment to make my escape.

Instead of taking off my clothes, I looked down, took my cap lower, and slipped away. I kept close to the wall, moving like a ghost, and quickly I went through a door on the side that led to the service corridors.

Coming to my room in the aide's quarters, I waited until the chaos went silent. The ceremony ended, and nobody noticed me.

The sweat was streaming from me and the branding iron’s image kept coming back to my mind. I was craving a relaxing bath.

Several hours went by. The Pack House was pin-drop quiet . I opened the door very gently when I was sure the whole male population was asleep. I could hear their regular breathing through the thin walls.

I took a towel and walked through the back door of the quarters to the lake that was behind the main building and was being fed by a mountain stream. It was called the Silver Pool. It wasn’t for normal people, it was for Alpha. I had no choice. The common male washroom in the pack house was out of the question. There was always someone in the washroom.

For the past few days, I have been bathing here in the middle of the night.

The air was fresh and cold. The moonlight came through the tightly packed pines, and the path was in silvery-blue light. Here I was at the lake's edge, a dark reflective mirror under the sky at night. I quickly removed Leon’s heavy uniform one layer at a time until I was absolutely naked. Then, I loosened my red, long hair, reaching my waist.

The coldness was what hit me, and my body bristled with goose bumps, but the relief of taking off the disguise felt amazing. I got into the freezing water, cleaning the dirt and the sweat of the day, purifying myself.

The water was pure, and the silence was deep. I drowned, embracing my freedom. Just at the point when I was going to come out of the water, I heard a sound.

The sound was the light crunch of gravel under a heavy boot, quite distinct. It was coming from the narrow path that led down to the lake.

Someone is here. Sia sensed it.

My breathing stopped working for a while. I went further down into the cold water and swam towards the pine trees. My eyes narrowed, looking hard toward the path. There was no sound for a few seconds. Then, the silence returned, revealing a tall figure in the dark.

Kyran? My heart was in my mouth.

No, he was not in his formal Alpha attire. He was rather stripped down to only a pair of dark trousers that clung to his hips. The rest of his powerful torso was quite literally a bare one with the moonlight helping to show off the hard planes of his chest and the sharp lines of his collarbones. He looked like a statue made of granite and shadows.

He didn't seem to spot me. He moved straight to the water’s edge carrying a closed-off, thoughtful look on his face. His walk ended only a few meters from where I was hidden under the water.

Control your scent, Sia. I ordered her through our mind connection.

Suddenly, his gaze shifted in my direction.