Aliana
His long coat swung, suspended in the air.
I was so tired and hungry that everything seemed to slow.
I blinked and the coat settled. The Alpha King sat on his chair again.
This time he stretched his long legs out and rested them on my father’s back before crossing them at the ankle.
I stared at the soles of his boots. They were enormous.
Cora lay motionless on the floor, the dirty rag still in her mouth. I shouldn’t have been pleased, but I was. The girl was a compulsive liar, and every single one of them had made my life a living hell for seven years.
“You know why I’m here, Gerald,” he drawled as a man approached, brandishing a blowtorch.
I’d heard of the Bloodborne pack’s hunting skills. No one could run from them. No one could hide. One day or ten years—they eventually found you. Their notorious reputation had garnered a great deal of interest. The pack was global.
How stupid was my father, to steal from the Alpha King? It didn’t make sense.
He tossed something onto the floor. The metal skittered and lay still against the wood. A gold pendant. A large crystal crescent moon surrounded by tiny diamonds to complete the look. One tiny stone was red. It was unique.
My lips parted. If that moon was a diamond, it was worth more than all of our lives and this house combined.
I tried to focus on the words my dumbass father was babbling.
The canister lit with a hiss of pressurised gas. The scent of burning flesh filled the room, along with my father’s terrified screams. My heart stayed dead. He’d had zero empathy for his mate when she died.
I swallowed as my mouth watered.
Dear Moon Goddess. It smelled like a Saturday afternoon barbecue.
“It’s upstairs in my safe,” he screeched. “Please stop. I beg of you, Alpha King. I-I made a mistake.”
“Take the whore to the safe and retrieve my pendant,” he said, almost bored, as he stared at Deeana.
Her back straightened, but she daren’t utter a word. A weight lifted off my chest and a lovely lightness settled there. Or it might have been my head.
“What’s wrong with that one?” someone asked.
Silence.
“Yeah. Why is she smiling?” Another voice.
The Alpha King didn’t respond.
“Now, Gerald. Your life is forfeit. Mine to claim.”
I tried to focus on their words, but I was so hungry my belly ached. My head hurt. I hadn’t eaten yesterday. Not since I’d accidentally shrunk Cora’s favourite sweater. I could have sworn it wasn’t in the cotton pile.
“Take my daughter’s life. She is useless. No wolf or dynamic.”
Was that my father’s voice?
That filthy swine.
I mumbled something.
“She’s kinda funny.”
“A life for a life,” the Alpha King murmured.
“No,” I whispered.
But it was too late. My eyes rolled back and I felt myself collapse. I lay on the floor, staring at my father’s dismembered foot. There was no shoe, and the top of the sock was frayed. A bubble of laughter built in my chest.
It would take forever to get the bloodstains out of that sock.
My vision blurred.
I tried to open my eyes, but nothing would respond.
? ? ?
I blinked and sucked at the saliva in my mouth, only to realise I was lying in a puddle of my own drool. I stared at the dark brown leather for a moment. My head tilted back, and the world spun. I closed my eyes and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.
“You’re awake.”
I recognised that voice.
I opened my eyes and this time they focused.
Wood, marble, glass. Everything soft in colour, the wall lights setting it all aglow until the room felt almost serene.
Almost.
I grabbed the back of the couch and hauled myself up.
I was in the Alpha King’s domain.
“Why am I here?” I asked, turning to face his desk.
Of course he had floor-to-ceiling windows beside him. Before he could answer, I felt something hard around my neck. I touched the plastic device.
A collar.
I fingered it until I found the metal contacts.
No. A shock collar.
“You cannot leave my compound without getting fried. Standard procedure for non-pack members,” he said casually as he capped his pen.
A life for a life.
“Is my father alive?”
“Yes. I’ll admit I was a little upset, so I took his hand and you to conclude matters.”
His hand. The foot hadn’t been enough.
I swung my feet to the floor, then held my head as a dizzy spell took over.
“Why me?”
“I needed a personal servant.”
Liar. He was the Alpha King. He had countless minions.
“Someone biddable,” he continued. “Broken in, like you.”
My hands trembled and I blinked against the burn of tears. I raised my head. The long coat was gone. The white shirt remained, sleeves rolled up. A skull, blades, and part of a wolf were inked along his forearms.
“Did I make you cry?” he taunted.
I met his gaze. It felt equal, in a bizarre way. The depth of black in his eyes was like mine.
“Is that what makes you happy? You don’t have anything better to do, being the Alpha King?” I asked, dismissing him as I smoothed my hands over my skirt.
Before he could answer, a door opened and a stunning, leggy woman walked in. She could have stepped out of one of those glossy magazines Deeana and Cora read.
“No. Give it to her,” he said, and that’s when I noticed the tray in her hands.
She changed course and placed the small tray on the coffee table before me. The warmth in her eyes cooled as she took in my ragged appearance and the collar.
“This is Ember. My housekeeper.”
I gave her a nod. She hesitated a beat before nodding back.
She turned to leave, and I couldn’t take my eyes off the grey skirt. She had the most perfect ass I’d ever seen. My gaze trailed down to her heels. She was probably close to a foot taller than me in those things.
I tore the foil off the plate and moaned.
A foot-long steak baguette with all the extras. Caramelised onions, cheese and—ugh. It was so good. I tore off another piece.
Oh, I could have five of these.
So good.
When had I last eaten meat?
I sighed, pausing a moment before I swallowed.
So many flavours. I licked my fingers and lifted the second piece.
Yes. Yes.
So fucking good.
The bread was fresh.
Not stale.
Soft.
Cheese.
I licked the sauce off as it dribbled between my fingers.
Nothing would escape me.
Another moan.
I was in fucking love with Ember.