Alpha

STELLA fidgeted anxiously with the hem of her pajama shirt. 

Valeric's eyebrows rose, and for a moment, all barriers were washed off his face. Those eyes that darkened so cruelly just a second ago widened a bit, but no sound escaped his mouth. It was as if he were incapable of making any noise, a man such as him. 

She darted her eyes around and bit hard into her lower lip. "I know it's what married couples do, and you probably want to. But…I don't want to do it." 

Valeric blinked, and in that split second where his black eyelids covered his gaze, his eyes hardened from their stunned blankness into something akin to amusement. 

"I see," he mumbled to himself and took steps toward her.

Stella flinched like she was scared, and yet the look on her face said the exact opposite as if she were trying to act tough. 

"What are you doing?" Her words were hardly able to even leave her throat. 

Bam! Two hands slapped flat against the wall on either side of her head, trapping her in between his large frame and the wall. She forced herself to meet his gaze with a rapidly beating heart.  

"M-mr. Jones?" 

A finger swept a soft strand of hair from her face, and Valeric pressed a thumb to the flesh under her left eye, tightening gently for a second before he cupped her cheek with his hand. 

Stella felt her skin burn under his palm, and all she could do was swallow constantly, her eyes nervously following his movement. It was as if her vocal cord was broken, and she couldn't seem to utter a word. She wanted to tell him to let go and to take his hand off her, but she didn't. 

She rather chased every movement he made, running a finger through her hair, caressing the flesh under her eye, and wounding down to her cheek to linger there. What was she trying to figure out? What exactly he was doing, or the reason behind his slow and deliberate action? 

Valeric smoothly lifted her chin with the tip of his index finger. "No one has ever touched you, not even the one that gave you that ring?" It was a whisper, one that splashed on her ear, burning hotter than she thought. 

Opening her mouth, she searched for words and found none. She fidgeted uncomfortably with her clothing, and the pace of her breathing rose with each passing second. 

The man exhaled deeply and finally drew away from her. "Don't worry, I never had the intention of touching you. And even if I did, it wouldn't be without your consent. I'm not like that." 

He left the room, shutting the door. She didn't see him even after an hour, and he never returned to the room throughout that night.  

———

An unsettling atmosphere, the air was heavy with a sense of negative energy, one that couldn't be glimpsed, but it was there. In the center of the room hung a thick black curtain, dividing the space into two distinct halves. 

On one side, obscured by the curtain, sat a man. His dark silhouette could only be seen due to the dim light of the chandelier above the ceiling burning the gray-painted room. And on the other side, a woman sat, her expression a mix of apprehension and frustration. 

She fidgeted slightly and lifted her head to look at the dark fabric. The coldness emanating from the space beyond the curtain sent shivers down her spine, prompting her to lower her head. 

"I heard you paid my son a visit." The voice was rough, carrying an undercurrent of menace. 

Sudden nausea cursed up the woman's throat and her fingers tightened on the edge of her suit. She was afraid. Though she couldn't see the man's face, she was still shaken by his mere tone. 

The king, the alpha, and the ruler of their entire blue night's race in the world of the werewolves. The only man who had been able to produce something rare… his son, Valeric Jones, the first prince of the Jones royal family. 

For twenty years, no one, except the royal family, knew the reason why he hated Valeric or why he had cast him out. It was confidential information, which had the members of the Blue Night race questioning what was going on in the royal family.

But no one dared voice their thoughts. 

Though Valeric was cast out of the royal family, he was still a supreme alpha, the strongest and highest, in the ranking system they had. A man whose rank as the supreme alpha is even above his own father. It was the reason why, despite his father being the king and the alpha of all, Valeric still had as much influence, if not more. 

However, due to the rumors surrounding him and the trial Omegan wives he took years ago, no family was willing to give their daughters to him anymore. Sure, their race acknowledged power, but that was it. He had their respect in that aspect, and nothing more than that. They would never hand over their daughters to a man who would likely kill them eventually.  

Especially the special pure omegas. 

"Should I make you talk, Selena?" That voice was devoid of warmth or any sense of emotion.  

Selena swallowed anxiously and quickly stood up from the chair. She dropped to her knees on the floor and shook her head apologetically. "I did meet with him, Alpha." 

"And what did you find out? I heard he's been making unwanted moves, and I want to know what it is. My son is very rebellious, and you know that."

Her hands stilled and dropped to her side. 

"I am not very sure what it is, but Nix seems to know. They wouldn't tell me anything, but I know something is definitely going on. C-compared to the last time I saw him, he is even more intent on not marrying me now."  

"Oh? He's still fixed on going against me." 

She made no reply.  

"I see I have to make Nix pay me a visit. In the meantime, find out what Valeric is hiding and report back to me in three weeks. If you return here without any valid information to give me... I'm sure you know what's waiting for you."  

Selena breathed nervously, almost like she was out of breath. She was scared, but she couldn't say no and nodded her head. "Y-yes, alpha."  

"Get out." 

She stood up and hurriedly rushed out of the room, her shoulders heaving in heavy breathing. Once Valeric marries her, everything will be fine for her. She won't have to live in the royal manor with the royal family anymore, and she won't have to worry about her head getting snapped off someday either.

"It has to be me, Valeric," she mumbled under her breath, clenching her hands into fists. "You have to choose me, whether you want it or not."