CHAPTER 1
~Scarlet ~
10 years later.
I sat in the kitchen with some maids, exchanging jokes. I had missed their company since I was often out running errands for Harry. It had been ten years since the massacre, and I was now twenty-four, no longer the fourteen-year-old pup locked up in the cupboard. Our distant chatter filled the kitchen, audible even from afar.
Today was supposed to be my birthday, but here we are preparing for my parent's memorial. I dare not talk about my birthday as the pack members already hated me. Most of them blamed the massacre on me. They say I had brought the enemies into the border since I went out that day.
After my parent's deaths, they were buried immediately with white caskets. They deserved it. A lot would say because they presumed my parents to be saints, but were they?
Growing up, I still had some unanswered questions that I dared not ask in case I was tagged as the killer of my parents again.That night I recognised my wolf, Bey.
She had kept me company all these years, and I couldn't help but thank the goddess for her.
When I turned 19, I opted for a birthday party for my birthday, but I was thrown into the dungeon that day on the pack elders' order. They said they were mourning their Alpha and Luna, and I couldn't help but wonder how many more years they needed to wrap up the mourning, besides the fact that they weren't saints. My mom had a gun, which Harry now possessed. But bringing that up, I'd bet I would be stoned to death if not stabbed with a silver blade.
I had been out for the past few months running errands for Harry, who was now the Alpha. It's been a long time since I came into the packhouse, so I had to meet up with the maids who were still loyal to me.
However, Beta's voice interrupted our conversation. "Scarlet, the Alpha wants to see you," he said before leaving.
Annoyance surged within me. Why did Harry want to see me again? Another mission, perhaps? I disliked the fact that he called upon me whenever it pleased him, leaving me with little or no time for myself. I stomped my feet in frustration, bade the maids goodbye, and made my way to Harry's chambers. I dare not keep him waiting.
Once inside, I pushed the door open and entered. To the world, he was the Alpha, but to me, he was still my stepbrother. My behavior might be erratic, but he still ordered me around and protected me from the pack, who wanted me dead, seeking for my parent's souls to rest in peace. To outsiders, he might seem like a father figure, but he was just twenty-seven, not too older than me, but he ordered me around like he was my dad. He was indeed one of a kind, taking on the Alpha title at seventeen, and his tenor had been impeccable, even if I hated to accept it.
I approached him and sat on the plush couch opposite him. He puffed on his cigarette and blew the smoke my way, causing me to cough while he smirked at my reaction.
"Scarlet, I've heard you're still flirting," he said, furrowing his brows, then took another drag from his cigarette, forcing me to turn my gaze towards him and retorting, "And what has that got to do with you?"
He seemed to want to control every aspect of my life, scaring away potential partners and ensuring that I couldn't have romantic interests, which was the main reason I still hadn't found my fated mate. However, he didn't do it to protect his little sister, he did it to serve his purposes. I had been with different men at his command. I had grown up being trained to be a seductress, not like other she-wolves. I hadn't gone to school, instead, Harry had trained me to be physically and sexually skilled. Most of my days were spent on his bed or outside the pack with mafia lords, Alphas, or prominent personalities and high-ranking werewolves he wanted me to seduce and manipulate. I did everything he commanded without question, and it had become my profession to be a skilled seductress.
"Do you dare to talk back to me?" He bellowed, dropping his cigarette. However, I didn't flinch, Harry wasn't the type to physically harm women, and that was one thing I knew he had inherited from our father, apart from other things, he was ruthless and greedy. Wanting all the other Alpha's territories at just twenty-seven was something I would want to speak of, but who would want to listen?
"That's a conversation for another time. Get ready, I have a mission for you," he snorted with a livid tone that left no room for argument.
"What kind of mission?" I asked.
He chuckled.
"This is unlike any of the other petty missions you've done before. It's a significant one, and you'll need to be exceptionally cautious to survive," he explained as he poured wine into two cups. I raised my brows and focused on him, leaning forward as my mind filled with questions, but who gave two cents about my thoughts?
"You'll be staying there for three months for you to complete whatever you are to do," he added, and my brother saw. Bey had never liked Harry, she claimed he had a negative aura, but who am I to judge?
"Why three months?" I was startled.
"As I said earlier, this is a substantial mission, not like the usual ones you undertake. Tonight, you'll infiltrate the Whisper Howling pack, and tomorrow you'll ensure your presence is felt in the Fedele family," he gulped his wine, appearing as though he hadn't just revealed something monumental.
My eyes widened when he mentioned the 'Fedele' family—the same family responsible for the loss of my parents and our pack members in that dreadful massacre ten years ago. Bey gnashed her teeth. Regretting why I wouldn't let her attack Harry
The Fedele family was no ordinary family. Rumor had it that they were the mafia and operated with dark forces. No one dared to challenge them, and my desire for revenge seemed impossible, given their notoriety. There is some revenge we take with us to our graves, and this is a typical example of it if you ask me, but I doubt anyone would want to tell Alpha Harry the truth.
The last time three Alphas attempted to take down the Fedele family, they were annihilated in one swift move, and their territories were taken over by the Fedele family. It was a mystery why the Fedele family hadn't taken over our pack as well.
"Scarlet, it's been ten years. It's time to confront your fears. I've equipped you with skills that can take down even a million men. It's time I visited them." Harry's words filled me with satisfaction. Hearing his praise bolstered my confidence, and I was determined to seek revenge, but that wasn't the issue here. Knowing Harry took it well, I know he is only trying to gas me up, but this is a successful mission. After staying in the Fedele family for months, I sure would be killed within twenty-four hours.
But I couldn't help but voice my doubts. "What am I supposed to use to fight them, Harry? I'm just the person you've trained me to be—a seductress, not a fighter."
"You possess something more potent than a weapon, something sharper than any sword. You can make men bow before you, and the Fedele family will be no different. They are men, flesh and blood with dicks in-between their legs. Nothing is different about them from other Alpha's," he declared as he closed the distance between us.
He pushed me against the wall and ran his hand down to my hips, basically forcing me to heat up, and all my veins awakened as he squeezed a part of my ass. He held me to the wall again and forced his two fingers through my middle, causing me to let out a light moan. I wasn't expecting that.
"That doesn't count, Harry, it's the Fedele. These men are beasts and dragons in human skin, I can't risk it."I disagreed, my tone mixed with pleasure and tiny moans.
"And you dare refer to your Alpha by his name?" he sneered.
"They are flesh and blood, who can resist you not to talk when drunk. Scarlet this is a done deal. I've got everything in check. It's now or never scarlet. Fight your fears and avenge your parents." His assuring words waved in my mind, but I scoffed.
His touch left me breathless, and I moaned lightly. His grip on my neck stifled my breathing as though he was preparing to exert control and give me some backstrokes while his tongue teased my ears. I surrendered, realizing there was no escaping his grip.
"What you have down there is a weapon that can conquer a million men and make them all bow to you." He uttered slowly, making each word loud and clear. He released me from his grip, and I exhaled, adjusting my dress. I was already half-naked.
"Harry, what's your plan? The death of Alpha Eliot won't bring down the Fedele family," I questioned. I knew these notorious werewolves too much. I studied about them in books, and I know killing their Alpha won't be the best.
"Dumb!" he snapped at me. " We're taking down all three of them at once. You just do your part and forget the rest, I'll handle it." His voice exudes an air of confidence that I wonder if it's worth it.
"Count me out, Harry!" I snapped, storming away from him. But his final words stopped me in my tracks.
"I am the absolute authority in the pack, and my word is law!" He sneers.
"And you'll abide by it!" He added