The Alpha And His Mysterious Mate

City

Sage POV

The world was no longer safe for humans. Survival required either working for or stealing from the vampires and werewolves who dominate most cities. No one was your friend; that was a lesson I learned fast growing up alone on the streets from the age of six.

I differed from humans. My body's ability to heal rapidly was extraordinary, comparable to the regenerative powers of vampires and werewolves. I also possessed supernatural strength. To top it off, I had witch-like abilities that didn't require any incantations.

My memories from my early childhood have vanished. My true identity and family were unknown to me. The one certainty I had in my mind was that the responsibility for the actions lay solely on the werewolves. I vowed to exact retribution when the time was right.

Humans didn't accept me, and vampires and werewolves saw me as nothing more than a useful tool. I worked for both, but I preferred my vampire clientele.

My scent differed from that of an ordinary person, so I applied various measures to hide it, such as tattoos that sealed my abilities and potions that covered my scent. Nobody needed to find out I wasn't a human.

As I arrived at one of the most popular clubs for Vampire Lords, I ordered a whole bottle of whiskey. I made myself comfortable in the booth I usually occupied. I was respected in the club as someone not to be messed with, which allowed me some peace.

“Just the girl I was looking for,” Ezra, the Vampire Lord and owner of the club, said as he sat down in my booth.

“Oh joy, what do you want?” I muttered.

“A new Werewolf Alpha is in town for an extended stay with several of his pack members. They will be in the nightclub shortly, and word has it: they have a powerful gem. I want you to follow them and get as much information as possible,” Ezra instructed as he slid a file over to me.

“What’s in it for me?” I sighed, not very interested in the job.

“I won’t charge you rent for a month, and if you find information on the gem, we will discuss a cash p*****t as well,” he offered.

“Two months; I hate tracking dogs,” I countered.

“Fine, I want a daily report on what you learn. Start tonight,” he grumbled as he twisted off the cap on my bottle and took a swig.

Taking a moment to flip through the file, I drank straight from the bottle without using a glass.

On the outskirts of the city, a sprawling casino had recently fallen under the ownership of Zane, a remarkable twenty-three-year-old who also happened to be the Alpha of the Red River pack. Possessing a secret strength, he was considered one of the most powerful Alphas. It was believed that this strength was connected to a missing gem that had been around for centuries.

“Shouldn’t be hard,” I muttered as I folded the file and put it under my shirt while taking another swig from the bottle.

Shortly after that, the Alpha and his loyal guard dogs made their way into the club as I remained fixated on my bottle. Ezra deliberately seated them at the table directly behind mine, giving me the perfect opportunity to discreetly eavesdrop on their conversations.

“Kinda pathetic to polish off a bottle by yourself.” Colson, a lower-class vampire, laughed as he welcomed himself to my booth.

“Out,” I grumbled, not paying him much attention.

“Mind your place, human,” he snapped, moving closer to me.

“You will regret moving any closer,” I hissed, pissed off. He was distracting me from the damn job I had just accepted.

“I wonder what you taste like?” Colson mused as he sniffed my neck.

“Currently like whiskey.” I laughed, only pissing him off for my lack of fear.

Colson's intense gaze, characterized by his piercing red eyes locked onto mine, remained fixed as he meticulously pondered his forthcoming words, only to suddenly shatter my bottle against the table.

“Good going, idiot.” I snapped as one werewolf behind me stood up and came to my table.

“I think she said leave,” the wolf snapped as he grabbed Colson by the collar and tossed him from my booth.

“I was handling this just fine on my own.” I sighed as the werewolf looked me over.

“The smashed bottle says otherwise. What is a human doing in a club like this alone?” He asked.

“None of your damn business, that is what,” I responded.

“You seem like you have had a terrible night. How about you join our table so that creep does not bug you?” The werewolf offered.

Despite my reservations, I understood the necessity of gathering as much information about them as I could.

“Sure, why not? I haven’t partied with werewolves in a while,” I responded as I flagged a server over and ordered another bottle.

As soon as the server arrived, I immediately headed over to the new table, where I found the werewolf I spoke to earlier, along with three others.

“Looks like you have a better view of the DJ,” I stated as I twisted the cap off and swigged the bottle.

“Interesting choice of beverage,” one wolf at the table said.

“Sorry, I completely forgot to offer you guys some,” I said as I held out the bottle.

“Sure, why not?” Another one said as he grabbed the bottle and took a swig.

“So, tell us why a human is in a club like this.” The werewolf I first talked to asked again.

I sighed. He clearly would not leave the topic alone. “I didn’t know humans were not allowed into clubs anymore,” I replied.

“From my research, this is not a human-friendly part of the city,” he insinuated.

“Ha, not human-friendly. Please tell me, is there a part of any city considered friendly to humans today?” I laughed.

“Good point,” one guy with him responded.

“So, tell me, what’s your name?” The werewolf who invited me asked.

“You first,” I replied.

“Zane,” he said as he held his hand for me to shake.

“Sage,” I replied as I took his hand, but a weird sensation made me withdraw fast.

Zane's piercing gaze, his eyes a captivating shade of bright green, was fixed on me with such intensity that it became incredibly difficult to concentrate on anything else. I gathered my thoughts quickly and indulged in a final gulp from the bottle before I put it down at the center of the table.

“I’m going to call it a night; meeting you all was nice.” I chimed as I got up and hurried towards the door. The Alpha had left me so unsettled that I had to step out for some fresh air.

“I’m ready for that taste,” Colson said as he caught me off guard outside the club entrance.

“Not tonight,” I snapped as I slammed my hand into his stomach.

“Umph. f**k, you pack a good punch.” Colson groaned as he hunched over.

“I guess you can take care of yourself, and here I was worried about your safety when you left,” Zane said as he walked out of the club behind me.

“I don’t need protection,” I responded as I walked away.

“Wait, Sage, can we talk?” He asked.

“Not really in a talking mood; I’m sure you will see me around,” I replied as I took off. I needed to distance myself for now.

Even though I only received limited information, I managed to gather some insight into his character. Tomorrow, I plan to pay a visit to the casino that he recently acquired to gather additional information.

Entering my tiny apartment, I took off my clothes and quickly showered. I rubbed my hand under the water, remembering the weird, warm, yet welcoming sensation his hand gave me.

“Come on, Sage, get your act together,” I mumbled to myself as I finished washing up and then pulled on a t-shirt before getting into bed.

The familiar sounds of loud sirens, gunshots, and screams wafted through my window. They used to frighten me when I was a child. But as I grew up here, they gave me comfort.

The Alpha lingered on my mind as I gazed up at the ceiling. He wasn’t like the other werewolves in the city. Something about him felt familiar, but I couldn't identify what it was.

No one stands up for humans, yet he was so worried he followed me out of the club. Why? What did he want with me?

I clicked open a small lamp and reviewed the small file the Vampire Lord gave me. The Alpha had just moved into the city after the ownership of the casino was transferred to his pack.

It seemed like Alpha Zane was a recently appointed Alpha. Now, with the casino ownership as well, many were questioning his success. I’d never heard of these rare gems before, but by the sounds of it, if they ended up in the wrong hands, it would mean even more trouble for this world.

Additional power should never be given to people like Ezra. Although I was still going to gather information for him, I’d make sure neither he nor the wolves got hold of the gem if it existed.