I raised my chin. "I don't know what you are talking about."
How come he knew Ian's name?
I heard a crack as he tightened his grip on the phone, only then realising he was destroying it with his palm — his expression intense and unreadable, as though he wasn't even using his powers at all.
I swallowed, watching him toss the pieces of the ruined phone to the floor.
"Who was the first person?"
"What?"
"The first person you called?"
Wait — how did he...? Right. He was an Alpha. Of course he heard the conversation from his room. How could I be so stupid?
"Uhm. That was Gideon."
"Who the fuck is that?" he barked.
"My—my friend, Alpha."
"Elaborate." He breathes
"M-my friend from the Omega, East wing. We met in high school."
Would he smell that I was lying?
"You've fucked?"
I studied his questions until realization dawned on me. "What?! No! I've not had anything sexual to do with him." I paused for a moment. "Only Ian."
He smirked as if he knew something I didn't. "You still have feelings for Ian."
I looked up at him. "That's a lie."
"I can read your feelings, love."
Panic rose in my throat. "Alpha, I—"
"That's okay," he said softly. "That can be taken care of."
He looked around. "I'm leaving for night duties."
I looked at his outfit, noticing how put together he was: a white jacket with silver intricates over a white T-shirt, and black pants.
"O-okay. Have fun."
So, he won't punish me for contacting Ian? Or had he given up and planned to hand me over to the authorities instead?
"A-alpha?" I called out softly.
"Hmm?" he answered gently, his gaze soft.
"Will you spare me or am I in trouble?"
"Trouble? No. Not at all."
I let out a relieved sigh.
"Which is why I'm here." He continued. He produced a unique key with the Pack's logo and swung it toward me.
"I'm going to throw this key," he said. "If it lands on the side of the Pack's logo, you will pick two options I'm about to relay. If it doesn't, you won't need to pick."
I studied the key. It had the Pack's logo on the front and an eye design decorated the back. I nodded.
"What are the options?"
"Relax, love. If I let you know, it'd kill the fun." He smirked slightly.
What is this psycho up to again?
He tossed the key; both our eyes followed it as it landed on the bed, on the side of the Pack's logo.
"That was a nice throw. The options must be something beneficial to you since you purposely made sure the key landed on the side of the Pack's logo."
"You are smart, Bambi," he said, eyes intense.
"So, what are the options?"
"Option 1," he began, plucking his phone from his pocket. I watched him dial a number and let it ring. It was picked on the first ring. "Marcel, I need you for a job."
Marcel said something I couldn't catch over the phone.
"Yes," Alpha Dawn replied with composure. "His name is Gideon. An Omega who works at the Pack's library."
It took seconds for realization to dawn on me. "What are you doing?" I whispered anxiously.
"If I send you a signal through a message, find him and murder him."
My heart lurched; my lips were too still to protest.
What was happening?
"And for the second option," he proceeded as if discussing the weather, he turned to me and his gaze went cold. "Option 2 is..." he said, training his stare on me, "Ian Fothergill from Vintage Pack. Make his death torturous too."
Marcel responded again from the other end.
"Okay," Alpha Dawn said. "You'll receive the signal on which one you should do by a message from me."
He hung up and faced me. "You heard the conversation. Pick an option."
"What are you doing? This is not funny. Stop the joke."
"You really underestimate me now, don't you? If you don't want to pick an option, I could do the honours. Personally, I wanted Gideon because you didn't tell me about him, but seems like Ian is more of a threat."
I scoffed in disbelief, tears falling down my face.
What situation have I put myself in?
"He was grinning from ear to ear on that call." He settled on the couch, crossing his legs, hand in pocket. "I heard his heartbeat. It was beating fast. So, left to me, option 2 is the better one. But I want to hear from you. You are the one to make this decision."
"A-alpha, why are you doing this?" My tone cracked, pain in my voice. "Please, stop this if it's a joke." I pleaded, already sobbing.
"Ah. So you need to see me get into action before you believe this is real." He picked up his phone and started typing.
My trembling hands shot out to stop him.
"Wait! Please!" I went to my knees. "Please, Alpha. Don't do this. I'll do anything. I'll—" my voice broke, unable to believe what I was about to say, "I'll be your girlfriend. Please, don't."
"Sweetheart, there is no debate on that anymore. Either you wanted it or not, you were bound to be mine. This is a different thing entirely. You either choose or I choose by myself."
I tried gulping the bile in my throat but it was too thick. "So, what must I do? What must I do to ensure you don't do anything to those people?"
He leaned forward. "You choose or I do."
My lips parted in shock.
"You have ten seconds," he said.
"Ten, nine, eight, seven, six," he studied me, "five, four, three, two," he stared for a while, "one."
Then he plucked his phone. "Option 2 it is."
I was totally speechless, my mind blank and my head empty.
What is happening?
I watched him move his fingers over the screen. He killed the screen and pocketed the phone. Then he rose, his boot tapping on the floor.
"I won't be long, love," he said, walking toward the door. He suddenly stopped and turned back to me. "That was a set up, by the way."
I frowned.
"Mind manipulation. I made you think I kept people in that secret room you sneaked into — people from Vintage Pack — in order to see if you'd contact your ex-boyfriend or not. I'll see you later, Bambi."
Then he opened the door, stepped out, and slammed it shut behind him.
I was left where I was, on my knees, speechless.
I felt numb.
What the hell just happened?