Chapter 1: The Scary Alpha
Note: This is a reverse harem werewolf story.
Be aware of cheating (not between main characters),attempted r*pe, death and abuse.
-Helena-
I was a hopeful person. I was a dreamer. I believed things would turn out better for me. I might have been born as a lone wolf, carrying the lowest status among werewolves besides rogues, and I might have to work my tail off every day to make a living, but I believed it would all pay off in the end. I was certain of it.
I walked through the big white doors leading into the pack house. Not every wolf from The Gray Hunters Pack lived there, but many did, and as soon as I entered, small kids ran by me, almost making me trip. I was glad I didn’t actually run into them. Those small ones belonged to the luna of the pack.
She had had one son years ago, then not gotten pregnant for so long, and suddenly those two mischievous creatures showed up. They loved making my life extra hard, and they had only just rounded a corner when I heard… Crash!
“Whoops…”
I closed my eyes, counting backward, because I knew what that sound meant. I walked into the room they had disappeared into, and it didn’t take me long to find the source of it all. The two twins stood side by side, looking as if they felt guilty about the whole incident, but I knew the truth. They felt guilty about nothing.
“It was an accident,” Tyler stated, looking at the ground.
“We really didn’t break the sculpture on purpose,” Teresa assured me. “Truly.”
The sculpture was heavy. I knew because I had had to dust this room off many times, and you couldn’t, just by accident, push it to the ground. Therefore, they probably both had to lift it together. I smiled, trying my hardest not to let it get to me.
“Well, I will just put my things away and get a broom. Next time, be more careful,” I informed them.
“We will!” they chimed in simultaneously.
That guilty look they had worn just a moment ago was suddenly gone, and smiles were on their lips as they ran off. Such small little beasts, I thought. It was a good thing they wouldn’t inherit the pack.
No, a powerful and very handsome alpha was going to. Since I started working here, I hadn’t been able to stop following him with my eyes. But I knew Carter would never notice me.
I went to put my things away in a small closet that was meant for us who worked there to keep our belongings safe. Then I found some gloves so I wouldn’t cut myself when I picked up the small shards and got a bucket and a broom. When I got back to the living room, though, someone was waiting for me.
She was tapping her foot against the wooden floorboards, her arms crossed and looking at the mess in front of her. Luna Crystal turned to me, her long blond hair flowing around as she did, and the white dress, which had an unbelievably plunging front, moved like there was a wind in the room, and it had to show her off like the most exceptional thing.
“What is this?” she inquired.
“Oh, Luna… I was just coming to clean it up,” I informed her.
“What happened?”
“I…”
I wasn’t sure what to say. Every time I attempted to elucidate the twins’ messes, she never really seemed to believe me or inquire why I couldn’t keep them in control. As if I were their mother!
“It was an accident,” I conveyed. “They didn’t mean to.”
“Who?”
“Your pups…”
“My children did this?” she queried, as if she couldn’t believe me.
“It’s fine. I will clean it up now.”
“You better, and let me not see a single shard left. Do you understand me?” she demanded. “We pay you for a reason.”
“Yes, Luna…”
I could hear her frustrated sigh as she walked by me. Although she was much older than me, she was incredibly beautiful. Werewolves just naturally retained their beauty all the way up to their deaths, but Luna Crystal… Oh, she was fashioned as if she were the Moon Goddess’s favorite. Maybe she was? I couldn’t say, but sometimes I believed it. She wasn’t pretty on the inside, though.
I hurried over to the mess and commenced cleaning it up, sweeping all the shards into the bucket, and then I began locating those small pieces. I knew Luna Crystal would come back and check if I had done it correctly.
“What happened here?”
I glanced over my shoulder, and my heart began to beat nervously in my chest. While Luna Crystal could be harsh, I would much rather be in a room with her than her mate, Alpha William. I wasn’t sure what it was, but every time he looked at me, it felt like he was devouring me with his eyes.
“Oh, just… an accident,” I stated, averting my gaze from Alpha William.
The hairs on the back of my neck rose when I sensed him drawing closer. I didn’t appreciate his proximity. I still had a few shards to pick up. He crouched down beside me, inspecting the mess that remained, before turning to me and offering a slight smile.
“Better hurry before Crystal sees this,” he remarked playfully.
I didn’t find it particularly amusing. If anyone else had made such a remark, I might have chuckled, but he gave me an unsettling feeling.
“Too late,” I replied nervously.
“Need some help?”
“Oh, no, Alpha, this is not your job,” I declined.
It was peculiar how nice he was. Was he always like this with lone wolves? Since nobody discussed it, I hesitated to broach the subject.
“I have some time on my hands,” he insisted.
“It’s fine. I am almost done.”
“Very well,” he acquiesced. “Good job.”
Then he unexpectedly reached up and smoothed a loose strand of my hair behind my ear. A chill ran through me.
“It’s your birthday today, right?” he inquired.
“It… is…” I confirmed.
“Well, happy birthday.”
“I am not quite eighteen yet…”
Why did I phrase it like that? I shouldn’t assume things… Just friendly banter, I reassured myself.
“Later today, though,” he remarked. “You will be an adult.”
I swallowed hard, forcing a smile.
“Isn’t age just a number?” I quipped.
He chuckled, though I hadn’t intended to amuse him.
“You make it sound like you’re turning fifty,” he teased.
His gray eyes wandered oddly across my face, as if he were absorbing every detail or perhaps counting the freckles on my nose.
“I… guess I should be more thrilled.”
It thrilled me to turn eighteen, but I didn’t appreciate the alpha discussing it.
“That’s more like it. Let’s celebrate later,” he proposed. “I will bring out the finest drinks.”
“Just you… and me?” I inquired, puzzled.
His gaze darkened in a manner I found unsettling, prompting me to quickly create some distance between us.
“Oh, I had better hurry up. There are starving wolves in this pack, and breakfast won’t make itself,” I said.
Alpha William chuckled and rose to his feet, but internally, I was screaming. What did he mean by celebrating? Alcohol? Why alcohol?
“Yes, better hurry,” he remarked before walking away.
I hadn’t realized how shallow my breathing had become in his presence, but as he departed, I slumped onto the floor, exhaling heavily and placing a hand over my heart.
“What was that?”