THE ALPHA'S LURE

CHAPTER 2

SIGRID’S POV

I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. I remained rooted to the spot while enduring their stares.

The atmosphere surrounding me felt dense with anxiety. Their eyes fixed on me as they anticipated my breakdown by displaying any kind of vulnerability. But I couldn’t. I wasn’t allowed to.

Alpha Leif blocked my path while his gaze cut through me like a blade. The force of his stare felt like a physical pressure upon me. He forcefully moved towards me and tilted my chin upward so I had to face his gaze. His grip on my throat was firm enough to show that I was powerless but gentle enough to avoid choking me.

"You poisoned your parents?" He asked with a voice as cold as ice.

I choked on the words. I reached out six years old when it happened. “I just... As silence filled the room my voice broke into a trembling whisper while I told them about making lemonade. Memories of my parents' features faded from my mind but the guilt from that day has remained with me to this day.

He didn't seem convinced. His deep red eyes scanned my brothers. "A six-year-old?" he asked, his voice laced with disbelief. She shouldn’t be held responsible for that action.

Alpha Bjorn showed a darkened expression while his voice grew sharper. The knowledge about plant species should already be present in a six-year-old.

I wanted to scream. My voice remained silent even though I wanted to explain that I lacked the knowledge and didn't intend to cause them any harm.

Alpha Leif’s gaze hardened. He whispered his suspicion that she had been deliberately deceived. We've all recognized that wolfsbane poses no threat to our kind anymore. We evolved from that crap centuries ago.”

What? That didn’t make sense. Wolfsbane had always been deadly, right? The lessons I received and the information they drilled into my mind taught me that.

Alpha Leif whispered quietly so it sounded like he spoke to himself, “Which leaves one possibility.” “Blood of Ulvenbane.”

I felt my stomach drop. My heart skipped a beat. My voice trembled as I whispered, "What do you mean?" while struggling to understand his words.

Alpha Leif’s eyes contracted as he raised his voice to speak again. “You know what I mean, Sigrid. No other substance but the Blood of Ulvenbane could have produced these powerful effects. The knowledge needed to use it would have been beyond a six-year-old's understanding.

Blood of Ulvenbane? I had never heard of it before. I wasn’t even sure what he meant.

Alpha Leif you weren't present there,” Alpha Bjorn snarled while advancing. “It was wolfsbane. I saw it myself.”

Leif’s expression didn’t change. “True,” he said, his voice soft. “But tell me this: Could a six-year-old possibly acquire Blood of Ulvenbane?

A chill ran through me. My legs turned to stone but I needed to remain silent. I didn’t know the answer.

Alpha Leif gave a little shrug while his fingers were still on my chin before I had time to think. You'll have to figure that one out yourself. But something doesn’t add up.”

Alpha Bjorn spat out his words with poison in his voice as he said, “I didn’t invite you here to discuss my slave.” “We already have a deal. What the hell are you playing at?”

Alpha Leif fixed his posture towards me while keeping his gaze locked on me as he took his jacket from the chair. His attire did not match other alphas since he lacked both high-end suits and showy armor. His clothing consisted of a basic black T-shirt and jeans yet his size remained enormous. His powerful aura filled the space around him so strongly that the air appeared denser with his presence.

His voice remained calm and measured as he said "You’re right." I now need to consider several things before moving forward.

Alpha Bjorn growled at me while his fists clenched at his sides as he stated, "You're wasting my time."

Alpha Leif faced away from us as he moved toward the door yet stopped briefly before departing. He took one more quick look at me from his back. He instructed me to pack her things while speaking in a low tone. “I’ll be back tomorrow.”

I felt my heart race. What did he mean by talking about me the way he did? What did he want with me?

I whispered desperately, "Please," but my own voice sounded faint. “Don’t do this.”

But my brother didn’t listen. My brother seized my arm to pull me toward the door. “Shut up,” he hissed, shoving me forward. He pulled my wrist as if it were a vice while forcefully dragging me down the hallway toward the basement.

I begged again with a breathless whisper as the words tumbled from my lips. “Please, don’t do this. I didn’t do anything wrong.”

But Alpha Bjorn wasn’t listening. He wasn’t interested in my pleas. He pushed me through the door to force me into the basement where darkness engulfed us like dense fog.

I moved forward unsteadily while the freezing air stung me and tears streamed down my face. I didn’t care anymore. I had no control. Nothing in my life made sense.

The atmosphere changed abruptly and a pressure that caused my skin to twitch developed around me. Alpha Leif was standing in the doorway. He hadn’t left after all.

"You have many things to explain," he stated with a voice that sounded cold and distant.

Alpha Bjorn released a growl while his eyes blazed furiously with rage. “You should have left,” he spat. “You have no place here.”

Alpha Leif didn’t flinch. His gaze swept across my body as he absorbed every detail of me. “She’s underfed. She has bags under her eyes. What’s going on, Bjorn? She doesn’t look like an alpha’s sister. She looks like a prisoner.”

Alpha Bjorn snapped that she had become a prisoner herself. “She deserves nothing.”

Alpha Leif lifted his eyebrow while he continued to stare directly at me. “Is that what you really think? You have been depriving her of food and confining her to confinement, correct? Do you believe this approach will help you gain a powerful ally?

“You don’t understand,” Alpha Bjorn growled. “She’s a traitor.”

“You’re wrong,” Alpha Leif said, stepping closer. Her childhood experiences do not concern me. He faced me with his deep red eyes narrowing after stating it wasn't fair to punish her for something she couldn't control. “What happened to you, Sigrid?”

I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. What could I say? They wouldn’t believe me. They never had.

Alpha Leif scanned the room while his gaze moved sequentially between each person present. “Where is your mate, Bjorn? I wish to understand Luna Astrid’s perspective on this situation.

“Leave her alone,” Bjorn said softly while his voice remained icy. “She’s already as vile as I am.”

Alpha Leif briefly softened his gaze before narrowing his eyes and redirecting his attention back to my brother. “You’re making a mistake. Your actions will lead to consequences if you continue treating her in this manner.

Bjorn clamped his jaw shut without speaking.

Alpha Leif paused to consider this before giving a smirk. “I’ll make you a deal, Bjorn. He offered me assistance with the condition that I would provide him something in return. “Let me take her to my pack.”

Bjorn spoke with obvious disbelief in his tone. “You want her?”

“Yes,” Alpha Leif said, his voice low. “And if you agree, I’ll help you. Should you refuse my offer you will have earned my enmity.

My heart stopped. What was going on? Why would Alpha Leif want me?

After a brief pause Alpha Bjorn slowly stretched out his hand. “Deal.”

But Alpha Leif didn’t take it. His eyes remained fixed on mine while his lips formed a subtle smirk. “I’ll be back tomorrow with the paperwork. I felt a strange chill crawl down my spine as he stared at me.

He gave me one last look before he turned around to exit the room with the door remaining wide open behind him.

My brother charged at me and yanked me by my arm to pull me upstairs. He pushed me towards the exit as he growled the order to pack my belongings. “You’re leaving tomorrow.”

I didn’t argue. What could I say? What was happening?

Why did Alpha Leif want me? Alpha Leif saw something in me that my own family did not recognize.

Did I stand on the brink of abandoning everything for a future that seemed completely foreign to me? I questioned whether I would ever discover the answers I was seeking. Did this situation mark the start of something far more terrifying than my imagination could grasp?

I found myself questioning who Alpha Leif truly was and what his genuine intentions for me might be.