Our eyes lock, and I feel like I can hardly breathe. Alpha Xavier's piercing gaze holds me captive, leaving me transfixed in the moment. The intensity radiating from his eyes is so potent that it sends shivers down my spine. I can sense a flurry of emotions swirling within him, yet he remains silent.
Why is he not saying anything?"You," he says huskily. "You are..." he stops talking again.My heart pounds in my chest as it fills with dread. Has he recognized me from the other pack? But how could he?He clears his throat. "Remind me your name again.""It's Sylvia, Alpha," I say meekly."Sylvia," he repeats, his voice filled with a mix of curiosity and intrigue. I peer into his eyes, searching for any sign of recognition, but there is none. I only notice a subtle shift in his gaze. There's something else lingering in his eyes, something that goes beyond recognition. "This is very strange, Sylvia, but I can't quite track your scent. Are you not a werewolf?""Of course I am!" I exclaim."Then explain the absence of your scent," he says. "All I can smell on you is Lily flowers."I can't help but feel a bit relieved. He has no idea who I am, nor can he smell me.. The potion I used to cover my true scent must be working wonderfully."It must be my lotion!" I chirp."Your lotion?" he narrows his eyes."Yes. It's a new and..."He suddenly grabs my hand.His firm grip closes around my hand and a surge of warmth courses through me. His touch is strong yet gentle. A jolt of electricity shoots up my arm, sending a shiver through my entire body.What's wrong with me?"I need to go back to work. Rosemary is expecting me," I manage to croak out.Alpha Xavier releases my hand. "Of course, Sylvia," he says, his voice is calm, but I hear a twinge of disappointment in it. "Duty calls."I rush out of there without wasting any more time."Where have you been? How long does it take to deliver a stack of letters?" Rosemary scolds me when I get back in the kitchen."I am sorry," I say and try to think of an excuse, but my mind goes blank. I keep thinking of Alpha Xavier and how good it felt to hold his hand earlier."Nevermind. Just finish the laundry. Amelia started a load already, so go help her," Rosemary says, shaking her head.I quickly obeyed, relieved that she didn't ask me any more questions.I rush to help Amelia with the laundry, but my thoughts are consumed by the meeting with Alpha Xavier earlier. His touch still lingers on my hand, reminding me of the strong energy I felt."About time you got here," Amelia sneers at me. "Do you think these things get done by themselves around here?""You don't need to be so nasty, Amelia. I am here, aren't I?" I say. Amelia is one of the girls who is mean to me for no reason. I take a deep breath, trying to maintain my composure despite Amelia's snide remark. I have to remind myself that I am here to stay hidden and safe.Ignoring Amelia's comment, I focus on the next load of laundry. Carefully, I mix the proper amounts of detergent and bleach into a water-filled bucket. I mix them well, then I select a few white garments and dunk them into the soapy liquid, allowing them to soak.But it seems that Amelia wasn't done with me yet. "You are doing it wrong," she says.I pause for a moment, taking a deep breath to center myself. Instead of responding defensively, I choose to remain calm. "I appreciate your concern, Amelia," I reply calmly. "But I have my own way of doing the laundry.""Is that right?" Amelia says.I keep my composure, refusing to let Amelia's sarcasm and skepticism affect me. "Yes, it is," I respond firmly, meeting her gaze with confidence.Amelia shrugs and turns her back on me.Molina walks in right then and looks at me with contempt. "Rosemary is looking for you," Molina says."Me?" I thought Rosemary wanted me to stick to the laundry. Why is she calling me now? It isn't because of my interaction with Alpha Xavier, is it? Did he tell Rosemary something?I sure hope not!I nod and quickly leave the laundry room to meet with Rosemary.When I reach Rosemary's office, she looks up from her desk in surprise. "Sylvia? Did you finish with the laundry?" she asks."No, ma'am," I say nervously, wringing my hands together anxiously. "I thought you called for me."Rosemary shakes her head in confusion. "No, I don't recall calling for you," she says after a moment of thought.I'm relieved but baffled at the same time. Why did Molina tell me to come here then?"I'm sorry, ma'am. I must have misunderstood," I say."It's alright," Rosemary says. "Go back and finish. It's almost time for lunch."I nod, relieved that she didn't call me in because of Alpha Xavier. "Yes, ma'am. I will go right away," I say and quickly exit the room.I frown, wondering why Molina would lie to me. I need to be careful and pay attention to what's going on around me. Something is off, and I can't afford to let my guard down.When I enter the laundry room, I find Amelia gone. The room is empty, and the washing machine is beeping, signaling that the cycle is over. I open the lid and gasp when I look at the white clothes.They are all pink! How did this happen? Could it be because of the different types of detergents I mixed together?I frantically take out the clothes and try to separate them, hoping to salvage what I can. Did I accidentally swap the bleach and detergent containers with something else? I groan in frustration as I realize my mistake. If Rosemary found out about this, she would be furious!I know there's no time to waste if I want to fix this mess."Oh no, what have you done!?"I hear Amelia screech behind me.I turn around to see Amelia standing at the doorway, arms crossed and a triumphant smirk on her face. I grit my teeth, knowing that she is going to take advantage of my mistake. "I made a mistake," I say, holding up the pink-stained clothes. "I'll fix it, I promise."Amelia shakes her head in disgust. "This is just like you, Sylvia," she says. "Always messing up and making everyone's lives harder."I clench my jaw, trying to ignore her hurtful words. "I said I'll fix it," I repeat, trying to keep my tone calm and even.Amelia scoffs, walking in. "As if you even know how to," she mutters."It's not what it looks like," I say, trying to explain myself."Really? Because it looks like you ruined the laundry," she says maliciously. "I bet Rosemary is going to be livid when she finds out."My heart sinks at the thought of Rosemary's disappointment and anger. I can't let this happen. I have to fix it somehow."Please, Amelia. I need your help," I say, trying to appeal to her better nature.Amelia looks at me skeptically. "Why would I help you? You've been nothing but trouble since you got here. I am going to get Rosemary right now," she said and grinned.Tears gathered at the corners of my eyes. Why is this happening to me?"What happened here?" Rosemary demands, but I don't know what to say. I'm still not sure how I made a mistake with the clothes. I could swear I put bleach in there and nothing else!"I don't know...I don't know how it happened. I put all white clothes there but...""She is a liar," Amelia sneers before I have the chance to finish my sentence. "She did this out of spite."Out of spite? What is she talking about?"That's not true!" I protest. "Why would I do something like this on purpose? I like it here!"Rosemary crosses her arms and gives me a stern look. "Then explain to me how this happened. And don't lie to me."I take a deep breath, trying to calm down my racing heart. "I'm not lying. I put all white clothes in the washer and added bleach. I don't know how they all turned pink."Amelia scoffs. "That's ridiculous. You're just trying to cover up your mistake."I feel a surge of anger inside me, but I try to keep my voice steady. "I'm not lying. Maybe someone else put tainted the cl
In the kitchen, I see the chef has already started cooking. He looks up at me and smiles kindly, and motions me to come forward."You are the new girl, right? I am James," he says.He is quite handsome, I think to myself. He has a strong jawline and a neatly trimmed beard that adds a rugged charm. There's a mischievous sparkle in his eyes as he smiles at me."Yes. My name is Sylvia. Rosemary asked me to come help you," I inform him."Great to have you on board, Sylvia," James replies, his voice warm and welcoming. "Rosemary mentioned that you have some kitchen experience. That's fantastic! We can definitely use an extra hand today."He gestures toward the stove, and I see something boiling in a big pot. "We're preparing a special menu for tonight's event, and things are starting to get busy. Let me show you what needs to be done."We work side by side for a bit, and I notice James is pretty skilled in cooking."What are the things you can cook, Sylvia?" he asks me as he throws some sp
Alpha GabrielWhat do you do when your pet bird escapes its confines and soars to freedom? You hunt her down with wild determination, enraged that she dared take flight. When you catch up to her, you rip her wings from her body with a vengeance, taking out any chance of freedom. And that's what I plan to do when I catch my soon to be bride, Victoria. Think she can hide from me forever? I don't fucking think so. Ha! I will find her and when I do, she'll wish she never tried to run away from me!But I will have to admit, she is a sneaky little thing. She slipped past all my guards and somehow still managed to stay hidden. It's been a few weeks and I'd been looking for her everywhere, but even my keen sense of smell can't seem to track down her scent.I decide to visit her parents in the dungeon this evening. They claimed not to know where she is, but I could see through their lies with ease; those bastards were determined to protect their daughter from me at all costs.As I make my wa
I manage to avoid Alpha Xavier for one more day before fate decides to mess with me again. It's as if the universe has some sick sense of humor - no matter how hard I try to keep my distance from him, he always manages to find me. This girl just can't catch a break around here!Just like today when he summoned me out of nowhere.I knew better than to question Alpha Xavier's orders. He was the leader of the pack, after all, and my survival depended on this pack."Are you sure he is asking me to do this? Wouldn't Molina be a better fit for this?" I ask Rosemary, not because I like Molina. Far from it since she has nothing but mean to me but because her eagerness to serve him kept me away from him.But Rosemary shakes her head. "He specifically asked for you by name."I hold back from groaning out loud. My heart sinks at the thought of being so close to him. I have been trying so hard to stay invisible and avoid any attention from the Alpha Xander as much as possible.This is the opposi
"Why do you look like you just got transported into another world?" Alice asks me as I stumble back into the house. "Hmm?" I ask distractedly. My head is still swimming from that kiss earlier."See? You are not even listening to me. What's wrong with you, girl?" Alice barks at me, snapping me out of my dream world. I hesitate. Should I tell her about Alpha Xavier kissing me? I didn't have a lot of friends here, but Alice has been nothing but nice to me since I got here, so she could be considered my friend. "Something happened," I say quietly.Alice narrows her eyes. "What happened?""I went to the bathhouse earlier to meet Alpha Xavier, and he..." I stop. "He what?" Alice asks, her eyes glinting with curiosity."He gave me a promotion as his personal maid," I say, still hesitant to tell her about the kiss.Alice claps her hands together. "Oh my god, Sylvia! That's amazing! His personal maid? That is such an honor. Why don't you look more excited?"I shift uncomfortably, avoiding A
I quietly enter Alpha Xavier's room and take a moment to compose myself. I remind myself to stay calm and confident, ready to fulfill any request he may have. I knock on the door, my heart pounding in my chest."Come in," a deep voice responds from inside.I push open the door and step into the opulent room. Alpha Xavier is seated at his desk, engrossed in some papers. He looks up as I enter, his piercing blue eyes meeting mine. My breath catches in my throat, but I quickly regain my composure."Good morning, Alpha Xavier," I greet him with a polite smile.He nods in acknowledgment, his expression unreadable. "Sylvia, you are here on time, he states, his voice commanding and curt."Yes, sir," I reply, keeping my voice steady.Alpha Xavier studies me for a moment before nodding again. "Very well," he says. "You can start by bringing me a cup of black coffee."He is acting cold, I think to myself. He is acting as if the kiss yesterday never happened.I sigh. It's probably for the best.
This isn't the first time I have been undermined by my peers. Oh no.Just because I look like the weakest wolf of the pack doesn't mean I am just some useless broad to mess with because, you see, I have skills that go beyond having wolf powers. Since a young age, I have had a knack for mixing potions and herbs to create powerful concoctions. My mother was a professional apothecary, and she taught me everything she knew about the art of magical alchemy. I quickly became her apprentice and grew to be an incredible alchemist in my own right.I can whip up almost anything with whatever resources we have in our area at the time. When I arrived here, I made sure to use my skills to make the perfect concoction that would help me hide my scent so I could stay hidden. And now, it's time to use my skills against Molina and Amelia so I can teach them a lesson!I have my potions filled up with the wolf pelt essence of my wolf pack. This essence was made from the wolf pelts of all the old wolf
I look at Rosemary incredulously. What does she mean by me being in trouble? A million thoughts race through my mind - am I in danger? Am I about to be punished? Nothing could have prepared me for the news she was about to reveal, and yet I found that my curiosity outweighed my fear."What's going on, Rosemary? What are you talking about?" I ask.Rosemary's voice dropped to a solemn whisper as she spoke of the incident. "Alpha Xavier's mother left him a lot of pieces of jewelry after she passed away. Some of them went back hundreds of years, belonging to his great-grandmother," Rosemary says grimly.I look at her with confusion. Why is she telling me all this?"One of the jewels got stolen this morning. A necklace with rare emerald pendant," Rosemary continues."That's awful!" I exclaim, still not understanding what any of this has to do with me.Rosemary's eyes flashed with rage as she spat the words, "Yes, it's awful indeed. That thief is going to rue the day they crossed him. He se