Shining Through Shadows

The Empty Office

Lydia

It was extremely hard for me to carry the tray with my trembling hands. Somehow, the prospect of seeing the Alpha again had my whole body in knots and my nerves on edge.

What if I dropped his food? Would he kick me out into the cold and leave me for death?

I barely had time to take in my new surroundings as I followed Louisa down the hall. The journey from the kitchen to the Alpha’s office seemed endless, and I almost broke a sweat due to me concentrating so much on not dropping the tray.

“Remember to knock twice before entering. He knows when it’s mealtime and expects you to come, so don’t wait for an invitation.” Louisa explained with a soft voice and I nodded my head.

Luckily for me and my trembling hands, Louisa knocked on the large door and opened it for me, so I could focus on balancing the tray instead.

As I went through the door, my heart hammered inside my chest, but it stopped beating entirely once I noticed the room was completely empty. I frowned, feeling almost disappointed, but shook my head mentally before placing the tray on the left side of his desk as I had been instructed.

His office was extremely neat and tidy. Not at all what I had expected from his previous behavior. Perhaps I had expected more broken furniture and a chandelier dangling by a thread from the ceiling.

The wooden panels provided some warmth to his nearly empty office. No decorations were present, no plants or personal belongings either.

I could almost imagine him sitting in his chair, brooding over whatever a Rogue Alpha was supposed to be brooding about. Maybe, planning what he should break the next time he would throw a tantrum… The porcelain displayed in the dining room? Or should he finish breaking the staircase while he was at it?

Something tickled my neck, making me shrug my left shoulder to get rid of the sensation. It almost felt like the lightest touch, but it must’ve been a breeze or a hair tickling my skin.

With my mind focused, I turned on my heel and went to the door, quickly opening and closing it after me.

“See, that wasn’t scary, right?” Louise asked me with an amused voice. I turned to look at her. Small wrinkles appeared around her eyes.

“Won’t he be bothered if the food gets cold?” I chose to ask her instead, wondering how he could know that lunch had been served when he wasn't even in his office.

“I imagine he’s already feasting…” She answered with a smile, her eyebrows raised in a knowing look. I frowned in return, wondering what she meant. He couldn’t possibly be in there already. His office had only one entrance… That I knew of. “He has a sixth sense of sorts, that’s all I can tell you.”

I nodded my head and followed her back to her office where Louisa spent the next hour informing me about my new duties. From what it seemed, the Alpha was strict about his mealtimes.

“Can you fetch the plate and take it to the kitchen? I have another matter to take care of. You are free until dinner after that.” Louisa closed the book she had been writing in and waited for me to scribble down the notes I was taking.

It took a little longer for me to write it down. I was getting better with each day I practiced in my spare time, but I wasn’t as fast as she was. Practice makes perfect, my mother used to say when I had to learn the different stitches.

“Of course.” I replied as I closed my notebook and stuffed it into the pocket of my uniform. With a nod of my head, I left Louisa’s office and headed towards the Alpha’s office.

As I stood in front of the door, I hesitated a moment before raising my hand to knock on the door twice. I waited a few seconds until I carefully opened the door and poked my head inside.

Nothing. Or rather no-one.

A sigh left my lips as I hurried towards his desk and stared down at the completely empty plate with only a few crumbs and streaks of sauce on it. His utensils were neatly placed on top of it and his napkin was folded and placed beside it.

I glanced around his office again, wondering where he was while I was there. My eyes followed the wooden panels, looking for another door, but nothing sprung to my attention. For some reason my heart was thundering inside my chest, as if I expected him to watch me from the darkest corner, but I was completely alone.

Another sigh left my lips and I closed my eyes to take a deep breath.

“Fetch the plate, go to the kitchen.” I reminded myself out loud before I opened my eyes and placed the plate and napkin on the tray and went to the door.

Now, I had some time to spare until I had to serve him again, or rather his empty office…