Chapter 3- Stuck With Him.
REINA
Mira froze beside me. Her jaw dropped open and same as mine.
I blinked, once, twice, like my ears had lied to me.
The Alpha?
I repeated it softly under my breath, not really asking. Just trying to make sense of it.
He was back?
That made no sense. He'd been gone for over a year. No one had heard from him. Not even the Elders. Some said he died at the border. Others said he ran off with a rogue she-wolf and abandoned the pack. A few even whispered that he had gone mad and would never return.
Now, just like that, he's back?
Something twisted in my stomach. A question I didn't want the answer to.
What if he was the one from the mating ceremony?
That man in the shadows. The one who touched me. Who looked at me like he saw all of me. The one whose presence made my scent change and my body burn like I had no control anymore.
"It's possible for him to be the one right?" I asked my self.
No.
No way.
The Alpha? Him?
With someone like me?
That's not how this world works. Alphas don't want omegas. Not unless it's for something temporary. Something dirty. Something they can forget in the morning.
Am I kidding? Even if it was for someone they would want to forget in the morning, they still wouldn't pick an omega.
The guard cleared his throat, loud and annoyed. His voice cracked through the silence.
"Mira go to where you are assigned to and as for Reina. You are to follow me." The guard said to us but we didn't even answer. We were still both in disbelief.
"You two deaf now? The Alpha will cut off your legs if you waste more seconds daydreaming about him."
Mira gasped quietly and looked down. I scoffed under my breath.
"What's there to dream about," I muttered, "a cheat?"
But even that word didn't feel right. He wasn't really a cheat.
He was worse.
Everyone knew about him. The stories weren't secrets. The Alpha never slept with the same woman twice. He didn't believe in love. Just desire. He used them, then tossed them aside like trash.
A small voice inside me whispered something I didn't want to hear.
What if you're next?
What if I was just summoned to be another body? Another night? Another name he won't remember?
I shook my head. I'm just an omega. Useless. Unwanted. The Alpha would never pick me. Not even for a quick fling.
But that thought didn't help. Not this time. Because my heart had already started pounding, and my palms were sweating, and no matter how many times I told myself to calm down, I couldn't.
I followed the guard down the hallway. The one that led to the Alpha's wing.
It was quiet. Our footsteps echoed off the high walls.
The walls were tall. Dark. Clean and cold, just like him.
I kept walking.
———
My stomach flipped again.
We stopped in front of a huge door. One I'd never been allowed near before.
The guard didn't say much. Just glanced at me with that blank face of his and pointed.
"Knock. He's waiting."
"Why don't you help me knock?" I asked him.
"When you are ready to knock then do so, you have less than a minute to be in the alpha's chamber." He said to me as he left me alone.
I stared at the door.
And tried not to pass out.
I stood in front of the Alpha's door like a statue.
My hand shook as I raised it. I swallowed hard and knocked once.
Silence.
I waited. Nothing.
I knocked again. Still no answer.
For a second, I thought of turning back. Maybe he wasn't in. Maybe this was some sick joke the guards cooked up just to mess with me.
But my feet didn't move.
My fingers reached for the handle, slow and unsure.
I pushed the door open.
It creaked slightly as I stepped inside.
The room was dim. There was a fireplace to the left, but it was low. Barely warm.
And then I saw him.
Standing on the balcony. Back to me. One hand resting on the railing. The other holding a glass of wine. His shoulders were broad. His posture calm.
I kept my eyes low.
"My Alpha," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "I was sent to serve you."
No response.
Just the quiet sound of wind through the open balcony doors.
My heart started pounding again. Loud.
My hands clenched into fists at my side.
He didn't move.
Seconds passed. Maybe minutes. I couldn't tell.
Then, finally, he turned.
His eyes locked onto mine the moment he faced me.
He looked at me without blinking.
He took a breath and tilted his head.
"Why do you smell… familiar."
My whole body froze.
My chest tightened.
I didn't speak. I didn't know what to say. Didn't even know if I was allowed to say anything.
He stepped off the balcony and walked into the room
He stopped a few feet away.
"Were you at the mating ceremony," he asked.
I nodded. Just once.
His eyes narrowed, like he already knew the answer before I gave it.
"You smell… intoxicating."
His voice dropped softer.
He set his glass down on the table beside him and started walking again.
My legs moved without thinking. Backward. One step. Then another.
My heart was beating so fast I thought it might stop.
"I don't know what it is," he said, his tone darker now. "But I can't resist your scent."
I kept stepping back until my back hit the wall.
My breath caught in my throat.
No more space behind me.
He didn't stop until he stood right in front of me.
Just inches between us.
He looked at me with pure lust as he licked his lips seductively.
"Now… you're stuck with me."