BLUE
The blast is deafening, so powerful it almost knocks me out on its own, but my temporary purple alpha ‘bodyguard’, assigned to me by Fate’s Choice agency, shields me with his body from the force of the explosion.
We both hit the ground as debris and chunks of plastic rain down on us from the ceiling, dust swallowing everything around us, turning the conference room where I was supposed to meet the agency head into something that looks like a war zone.
I lie there stunned, ears ringing, staring up at the cracked ceiling where metal supports now jut out, a broken fluorescent light hangs loose, and torn wires sway faintly.
Right.
Another assassination attempt survived. At this point, it is practically routine.
I keep count, and that makes twenty-three attempts on my life so far.
The previous ones varied in severity, but a bomb in a conference room is new.
My enemies are getting more determined, I will give them that.
Without a bodyguard hired from outside, I would already be dead.
I move my hands and legs slightly to make sure everything still works, and it does. The bodyguard, Storm Nolan, scans the room, tense, but the dust makes it hard to see anything.
Then he turns toward me, and I watch his face shift as he begins transforming, his body armoring up the way purple alphas do under stress.
"My boyfriend’s in the next room, I have to go to him! I don’t want to leave you here, but I do have to check on him…" he blurts out, his voice saturated with stress.
A boyfriend.
Someone to care about.
Good thing I don't have anyone like that. One less person to worry about when bombs start going off, that is definitely a plus. Besides, he would have to be someone like Storm, capable of plating himself in carbon fiber armor and surviving a blast of that magnitude.
"Take me with you. Only you can save me," I mutter grimly as I push myself up. I wish I had a bodyguard like him. No other would be enough. I watch as his body finishes shifting into something spiky and monstrous, preparing to face whoever set the bomb.
Then a thought dawns on me.
No. Even someone like him might not be sufficient. Because anyone can be bought, my enemies know that.
I follow him out of the room where I nearly died, my insides twisting with anger and bitterness. What it feels like to be the most hated man in the world is something only I understand. No one shares that burden with me. I walk that path alone, but… I have no intention of stepping off it.
It is a matter of principle.
I live by rules, by a code, but on days like this, when I brush up against death, those brief moments of weakness creep in. I know I have been betrayed again. My security has been compromised.
The feeling that I am never safe, anywhere, only grows stronger. At this point, I don't even know who to pay or how much just to stay alive.
Soon enough, the place is swarming with police.
They surround me, ask questions, but what am I supposed to tell them?
Someone tried to kill Blue Lowen again. No biggie.
I talk, explain, describe what happened. They listen and nod.
Their gaze… pities me.
At some point, Storm Nolan approaches me again, asking how I am holding up.
I grimace. "Well, once again, I’ve learned the hard way that I can’t trust anyone in my security detail.
Evidently, my bodyguards were bought off too.
No one knew about this meeting, I didn’t inform anyone.
I arranged everything directly with Mr. Ragu, but clearly, some of them got an offer… they couldn’t refuse."
The purple alpha spreads his hands in a helpless gesture.
"Then you need better security."
I let out a dry laugh and look him up and down.
"Volunteering? A purple alpha like you might actually get the job done."
"Sorry, not my line of work," he says with a smirk, coughing meaningfully. "I'm in the business of finding True Mates."
I raise an eyebrow and let out a sound somewhere between a laugh and a scoff. Plenty of people before him have claimed they can spot fated mates, but as a scientist who studies this among other things, I remain highly skeptical.
"That’d have to be real magic to pull something like that off," I say in a tone that tries to sound diplomatic but, well, doesn't.
"Sometimes, I even manage it on the spot," he shoots back, his gaze boring into mine.
"You trying to tell me something?" I raise an eyebrow.
"All I’m saying," he replies, "is that you might want to show up at the next marriage contract fair hosted by Fate’s Choice in two weeks."
I let out a sound of pure disdain.
"I don’t attend events like that. And I’m not looking for my TM. I’m a skeptic about the whole concept. Relationships aren’t everything. There are plenty of other fulfilling things in life," my tone is deliberately haughty.
Storm gives me a pointed look.
"Well, suit yourself. But I’ll just say this, you might find someone there who could also help you with your security issues."
Storm suddenly bites his lip and looks away, like he realizes he has said too much. What does he mean by ‘security issues’? I am already forming the question when he cuts in again.
"Right. Well, I think it’s time for us to go," he says quickly, as if to smooth things over. "Of course, we’ll show up for police questioning at the scheduled time."
Funny.
Is Storm just another person trying to use me for his own gain? Having someone like Blue Lowen use their services would make headlines, basically free advertising.
But what if he’s actually being honest? What if his intentions are genuine?
As he walks away, this thought crosses my mind, there is one factor that could, in theory, support his claim: he’s a purple alpha, and they are known for seeing more than others.
Well, who knows. Maybe I could entertain the idea of showing up at one of those fairs? If only to see the spectacle for myself.
If Fate decides to intervene, maybe it will steer my life in a different direction. Otherwise, nothing changes. Just another day in my life. I survived, and that alone is already a net positive, is it not?