A Blonde Visitor

Today was quieter than usual.

Where maids usually hang out by the corners is now as empty as the rest of the halls. I hold on to the clean clothes in my arms as I walk down the hall. This quietness makes me feel as if I am walking down an abandoned mansion, with nothing but me and the ghosts that dance in the thin air.

Speaking of ghosts, I stop in my tracks when I hear a burst of muffled laughter emitting from inside the wall. Is that a spirit? I lean close to the wall and listen again. I hear soft talking from the wall and I begin to think that I am losing my mind. Perhaps staying in the palace alone for a day will be interesting– I scream when I see someone standing behind me. The white hair wrapped in a bun, and a glare gazing at me behind from the glasses she wears.

"Madam Fara," I say breathlessly. "You scared me."

"Now why would I scare you? In fact, I should be scared by how you look."

"I don't mean to disrespect you madam but can you even see with those glasses. They are quite unclear."

She rolls her eyes and I try to not react to her insult. This isn't the first time someone has tried to undermine me being from the Human Lands. "Insolent." She bares her teeth at me. With a whip of her hair, she walks down the opposite end of the hall, her heel clicking down the hall where I can longer see her anymore.

"So rude," I say to myself. I began walking down the hall. I can still hear the soft muffling of laughter that becomes laughter when I am near the hall. I open the door and my mood lightens when I see at the end of the hall is Solaria and Ophelia sweeping the floors. They seem so happy– especially Solaria that always seems to wear a scowl.

"Hi Melanie," Ophelia waves to me.

I wave back at her. "Hi. What's going on today?"

"Harvest Moon is soon," says Solaria.

"Yes, we're cleaning up the palace before we have to leave."

"Word has it that it may be the Alpha's mother," says Ophelia leaning into me in a whisper.

"That's a lie, Ophelia. The Alpha mother is dead just like his father."

"You never know. The Alpha and his family are very secretive people," she replies. A small smile spread to my face seeing Solaria and Ophelia arguing over the Alpha family affairs.

"Both of you are like an old married couple."

"What?" They both speak together.

"It's a thing we say in the Human Lands when two people fight like an old couple."

"Oh," Solaria says quietly. A small smile creeps on her face when looking at Ophelia packing up the dirt to the dustpan.

"Well I'd love to talk more with you, Mel but I need to get going," Ophelia says. "I hope we can go to the tavern one day." Oh, the tavern. I almost forgot Ophelia had mentioned that last to me. I don't listen to most of the things she even tells me. "I hope we can go together."

I wave to them goodbye and I venture into the halls and I hear a muffling noise. I turn around to see if it was Solaria and Ophelia again, but something about the voices seems too distinct for it to be them.

I follow the sounds of the male voice coming from the upstairs floor. The noise emits from the Alpha bedroom and I become reluctant to open the door. Maybe it is not my place to sneak upon him. But I want to know who is on the other side of the room.

Peaking through the door, I see the Alpha in his silk shirt. He cranes his neck down at the figure that is standing in front of him, soft hands trailing his chest. I stand on the tip of my toes and catch a loc of blonde messy braided hair that reaches to her butt. I wonder who this woman is and why she is so close to–not like I care. She looks beautiful enough to turn the Alpha's attention to her. me. I turn to leave but I catch on to the words of their conversation.

"...The Krae attacked them on the way to the village." The woman says.

"Are they…" The Alpha says, his voice almost breaking.

"No. They are okay. No casualties."

I hear the Alpha sigh out loud. "Good to know. I cannot live knowing my people are dead. But I cannot stand these…Omegas terrorizing my people."

"The Kra's need to be stopped. And you know we can't keep hiding around, hoping they don't kill or convert anymore of our pack."

I lean in a bit closer, catching more of the woman's face. She looks like Ophelia, but her features are more sharp and mature than Ophelia's soft and dainty look. The woman runs her hand on his chest, cooing at him as she stares into his eyes.

The Alpha takes her hand, stopping her mid-stroke of his chest. "My pack."

"Don't be like this Rhys." She nears him, maintaining her gaze. "You know we are fated–"

"Almost fated. Remember that and remember your place, Lady Julia."

The woman I now know as Lady Julia crosses her arms, lips slightly open as she still looks into the alpha with her dark eyes. "My, you haven't changed much. I mean mentality. Physically, you are…" She eyes down his body. "Different."

"The same goes for you, Lady Julia."

"Why are you being so formal with me? Don't act as if you haven't lost yourself around dme."

The Alpha looks away but he doesn't seem to keep Lady Julia's hands away from him. This time, she reaches arms, and she rubs her chest to his chest. Alpha Rhy's reminds me of a stoic but the downturn of his eyebrows tell me he might give into her charms.

I lean a bit closer, now that they are whisper-talking. The doors creak open and both the Alpha and the woman jolt, staring back at me. The woman pulls away from the alpha smiling at me in a way that seems too forced.

"I'm sorry." I try to close the door but then Rhy's turn his body to me, gesturing to me to come into the room.

"You came just in time," Alpha Rhy's says. "This is Lady Julia. She is coming to visit."

"Melanie," I say, shaking her hands. The woman's smiles faded from her face as soon as I sensed the tension in her hands. She crinkles her nose at me as if she wants to smell my hand, and she does take a quick sniff of my hand.

"She's a…" Julia flies her head up to me, staring in horror.

"Human, yes," I finished her words. At this point, I don't really care about other reactions to me being human. I don't know what they don't understand about my existence. I look like them but I don't have the ability to turn into a werewolf– which is kind of cool.

Julia turns to the Alpha. "Why do you have a human in Wolvendom? It is against the rules."

Alpha Rhys sighs. He takes a small step back with his hand in his pockets. "It's a long story–"

"He's keeping me here to serve as his slave."

"Melanie!" He shoots me a warning glare.

I stand in silence, my eyes locked with the Alpha's piercing glare, feeling the weight of his disapproval settle upon me. Lady Julia stands beside him, her expression morphing from amusement to something more sinister. The atmosphere grows tense, and I can sense an undercurrent of judgment in the air.

Alpha Rhy's breaks the silence, his voice carrying a hint of apology as he addresses the situation. "I'm sorry about that," he says, deliberately avoiding eye contact. "Melanie is my mate, and she can have quite a mouth sometimes."

"Mate?" Lady Julia's smile dissolves, and I am met with a shiver down my back. Her tone drips with disbelief and condescension.

"Yes, Melanie is my mate."

Lady Julia's laughter echoes through the room, sending a wave of unease crashing over me. The sound is mocking, filled with disbelief and superiority. It stings, fueling a fire within me, a determination to stand my ground.

"A human? Your mate?" Her voice drips with disdain, her disbelief palpable. "You have to be joking, Rhys."

Alpha Rhy's expression remains stoic, his gaze steady. He refuses to waver under the weight of Lady Julia's judgment. A flicker of admiration ignites within me, the strength of his conviction inspiring a sense of defiance.

"I'm not joking," he asserts, his voice firm and unwavering. The room seems to hold its breath, awaiting Lady Julia's response.

Lady Julia raises an eyebrow and crosses her arms across her ample chest, her posture exuding a sense of superiority. "Wow, Rhys. I don't know what else to say but this is very absurd."

Her dark gaze shifts from the Alpha to me, and I stand my ground, refusing to falter under her scrutiny. Fear and uncertainty may course through my veins, but I am determined to face whatever challenges lie ahead. Silence hangs in the air, tension thickening the atmosphere. Lady Julia's words may have struck a nerve, but they do not define me. I am more than my human status.

"If you are going to choose a human to be your mate she should at least be of Alpha quality herself. Well, there is still time for you to change your mind."

A blue moves past me and meets Lady Julia. Alpha Rhy's loom over, meeting her gaze. "I have made my choice in choosing a human as my mate. No one, and not even you Lady Julia will decide on that. Learn your place, or I'll make you."

I watch the tension between Alpha Rhys and Lady Julia, their eyes locked in a silent battle, filled with a mixture of animosity and something else, something deeper, like a flicker of desire. The air thickens with unspoken words, their unyielding gazes creating a palpable tension in the room.

Lady Julia finally breaks away, her voice laced with a hint of dismissal. "Well, I have to go now. I have important things to do."

My curiosity piqued at the mention of an update on Helios, a topic of great significance to our pack. Lady Julia's response, however, carries a subtle sarcasm, insinuating that she intentionally withheld the information.

"Did I?" she continues, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Seems like it must have slipped from my mouth on purpose."

I glance at Alpha Rhys, catching a glimpse of regret in his eyes. It appears that he now realizes the consequences of his harshness towards Lady Julia. The weight of his unspoken apology hangs heavy in the air.

"I must go now, Rhys," Lady Julia declares, her tone softer than before. "I might see you again."

Like that, Julia leaves the room. Leaving me alone with the Alpha staring at me. His lips are tight but he doesn't say anything to me.

"Mad that I made your lover go."

"Lover?" He repeats, smiling. "Is that what it's all about? You're jealous of my dear friend Julia?"

"Don't flatter yourself. I heard that she was your mate."

"We were almost mated."

"Why isnt that you mated her?"

Alpha Rhy's sighs. "Let's not do this here."

"Tell me and I will tell you what Councilmen Leo is planning."

Alpha's Rhy's ear perked upwards in interest. "What is it he said?"

"Tell me why you didn't mate Lady Julia and I will tell you."

"You are a pain in the ass." Alpha Rhy's takes a seat down on the chair. I don't sit next to him.

"Lady Julia from a wealthy family in Cerluis, however she lacks the heart of a true Alpha female."

"And you think a human like me will be a better choice?"

"Alpha female is a name that is earned. Not given. You may be my mate but the rest of the pack may decide if you are alpha worthy."

"And what if I'm not."

Alpha Rhy's purses his lips. "You will find out."

"Keeping another secret huh?"

I drop my hands. "Says the woman who refuses to tell me what my councilman is planning."

"They want to resign when something happens because of your choice picking me as your mate."

The Alpha jitters his leg. "Let them seeth. THey are easily replaceable."

"Their words sounded like a threat."

Alpha Rhy's stands from his seat. He approaches me, touching my arms then sliding his hands down my waist and the other hand touching the side of my lips. "Worrying too much is not good for you, my beauty."

"But–" I am stopped by his thumbs on my lips. And I can already see where this is going. I pull away from him and distance myself from him. The closer I am to him, the more I seem to lose myself around him because of his touch, his tender eyes, and his warmth spreading all over my body. He is too dangerous for me.

"You never want to spend time with me anymore." The Alpha frown. "I think I have to do something about it."

"What? You're gonna lock me in a room with you?"

"Even better." He grins.

My lips open ajar and the Alpha clasp his hands together.

"Pack your bags, Melanie. We are going on a little trip together."