THE ALPHA'S LURE

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 000

Sigrid's Point of View

"Where the hell is she?" The sound of Beta Kael yelling reaches me from every corner of the house. I understand he means me because I'm the servant of the pack. I let out a sigh and push myself out of my bed while reaching for my cleaning basket.

Beta Kael immediately sees me upon entering the hallway. He comes at me quickly and delivers a strong slap to my face. I don’t make a sound. After many years I've realized that remaining silent is the best approach to safety. Speaking up will only escalate the situation even though it hurts.

Alpha Leif and I have guests coming and yet you failed to clean the office as required. He spits at me.

I acknowledge his statement by nodding while my hands grip the basket tighter. I want to retaliate by striking him with the basket and force him into silence. But I know better. His strength exceeds mine and I don’t want to endure another week isolated and deprived of food.

Our meeting with Alpha Hakon demands a strong positive first impression. Do you understand how important this is? We need his pack!" He says, his voice dripping with anger.

I keep my head lowered, silent. He wants to provoke me into speaking so he'll have a reason to punish me. I understand that giving him satisfaction only rewards his behavior.

I’ve heard the rumors about Alpha Hakon. Ravenhart leads one of the largest packs throughout the land. People report that he maintains a ruthless nature which makes him feared by everyone who opposes him. He doesn’t take nonsense from anyone.

You need to recognize how essential this is for us! Beta Kael continues. Our pack has neither faced an attack nor participated in war yet we require an alliance with Ravenhart. Do you understand?!"

He seizes my shoulders with his fingers sinking into my skin before turning me towards the office. He pushes me ahead by striking my behind with his foot. "Useless wolf," he mutters.

The door shuts silently behind me as I lean against it for a moment. The office is spotless. It’s already clean. There’s nothing out of place. I know Beta Kael wouldn’t care even if I told him.

I drop to the floor while slipping down against the door. I hate this house. When I reached eighteen years old I believed I would achieve freedom. Four years after turning eighteen I remain in this house cleaning and serving while following every command from my brother Alpha Bjorn. My ex-mate Beta Kael roams around the house acting like the owner while constantly telling me I'm worthless.

The sound of throat clearing reaches my ears which causes my entire body to stop moving. I thought I was alone.

I look over and feel my heart skip a beat. The corner of the room features a tall attractive man seated in one of the chairs. His posture is relaxed with one foot resting on his knee while he holds a dark glass. His hair has short dark strands while his eyes display a disturbing crimson hue.

The tall man holds my gaze with his crimson eyes which causes me to stop moving completely.

"Is this how you greet all Alphas?" His voice fills the room with a rich deep sound that carries a hint of amusement.

This man remains a stranger to me yet I can sense his powerful presence without needing my wolf to detect it.

I murmur an apology while standing up with a trembling voice. "I thought I was alone."

He remains silent but his prolonged stare makes my skin crawl. I’m unable to determine whether his expression shows annoyance or amusement.

His commanding voice drives me to approach him. I can’t explain it.

I pause briefly before advancing closer while keeping my head lowered. I refuse to meet his gaze by keeping my eyes focused on the ground.

His sharp voice breaks the silence with the accusation 'You smell strange.' "You are a wolf, aren’t you?"

I give a nod but remain puzzled about how he figured it out. The majority of people fail to recognize them or they simply ignore it because they lack sufficient interest to inquire.

"You're odorless to me," he declares with narrowed eyes. What made you unaware of my presence in this space? You should have smelled me."

I freeze. I know why. I understand the answer but find speaking it aloud unbearable. I have maintained this secret for multiple years.

"My wolf abilities were locked away," I whisper softly.

There. I said it. This version of the truth isn’t complete but it covers enough details. My abilities were stripped from me and I still feel the pain. I wanted to live a normal life but I have been forced to serve others as if I were worthless.

"Bound?" He leans forward in his chair while repeating his question and maintains eye contact with me. "Why would anyone do that to you?"

I swallow forcefully as I attempt to suppress the lump forming in my throat. "It was a punishment," I say quietly.

He doesn’t seem satisfied with that answer. He gazes at me with intensity for a few seconds before his lips start to move. Was it pity? Amusement? I can’t tell.

The door slams open before I can continue speaking and my brother Alpha Bjorn stands there glaring at me.

"Sigrid!" he snaps. What the hell is bringing you into my office?

His eyes briefly move toward the seated man. He gives Alpha Leif a fake smile as he says, "I’m sorry, Alpha Leif." My sister has no permission to be in this space.

Crap. It’s him. Alpha Leif.

I feel my heart sink. I’ve heard the rumors, of course. The Alpha of Ravenhart. He’s powerful, merciless. All the talk about him existed but I never imagined I would actually encounter him in this situation.

Alpha Leif rises to his full height above my brother while his hand secures Bjorn’s wrist in a firm grip. Alpha Bjorn should have received my message at your dwelling's entrance. "Instead, I had to find your sister."

My brother looks at me with a hard stare while his jaw stays tightly shut. "You’ll face consequences for this," he whispers. "Later."

I attempt to move away from him but Alpha Leif refuses to break his watchful stare. The feeling of being watched by him allows me no movement without scrutiny, exposing me like prey standing vulnerable in the open.

My brother commands me to bring Beta Kael here. "Tell him our guest is here."

Without hesitation I give a quick nod because I want to leave the room before the situation escalates. I quickly move down the corridor to escape from the oppressive tension in the air.

While walking through the dining hall I notice Beta Kael seated at a table as he turns the pages of a newspaper. When he catches sight of me his expression becomes tense.

"What is it?" he snaps, his voice low.

The voice was Alpha Bjorn who sent me here, I whisper while maintaining a downward gaze. "Alpha Leif is here. He’s waiting."

Kael slams the paper down and stands. Kael takes my neck in his grasp and pulls me close until his warm breath touches my skin. He remains silent as he leans toward me demonstrating his control over me.

My body fights against the reflex to move but keeping still proves difficult. In the past Kael has acted even more cruelly and I am aware of those actions.

Kael finally lets go of me after what seems like forever while pushing me away with a quiet grunt. "Let’s go," he growls.

I trail behind him to the office while my thoughts race uncontrollably. What is Alpha Leif doing here? What is the reason behind Alpha Leif's current way of speaking to my brother? It seems as if my whole life is on the brink of transformation.

Upon entering the office I see my brother seated opposite Alpha Leif. On the table sits a bottle of champagne and my brother gives me a look of annoyance.

"Sigrid, get the champagne glasses," he orders. "We’re celebrating."

I give a confirming nod then proceed to the cabinet while attempting to conceal the shaking in my hands. I take the glasses and the bottle before returning to the office while keeping my head lowered.

Alpha Leif's stare hits me as I move towards the table. His intense focus makes me uncomfortable because he seems to analyze all my movements closely. After I set down the glasses on the table I want to leave but he reaches out to grab the bottle from my hands.

His voice remains cool when he says, "I can handle it," but an underlying emotion escapes his tone. "You can leave."

My cheeks flare with embarrassment although I understand that I am not responsible for this situation. I should’ve been quicker, but I wasn’t.

The moment I begin to walk away Alpha Leif speaks to me again.

"Alpha Bjorn," he says calmly. "This is your sister, correct?"

My brother answers "Yes," but his gaze remains mostly on the ground. "She’s a burden."

A strange tension fills the room.