Approaching Alpha Zeke Sterne

She screamed, “You'll regret this, Mira Forest! Once the Alpha is back, I swear he'll punish you and make you beg like a b***h for mercy!" *** *Mira* The loud chatter of excited voices filled the air as I stepped into the bustling pack mansion. “Can you believe he's finally coming back tomorrow?" one girl gushed to the other, her eyes sparkling with excitement. The “he" they were talking about was none other than Alpha Zeke Sterne of the Star Ocean pack—the very man I'd spent the past year and a half trying to get close to, with no success. I paused, then clenched my fists tightly, a surge of anger and anguish rose within me. “I know! I can't wait to see him again. It's been months! Alpha Sterne is just so hot. Too bad most of the time, he isn't even with the pack." sighed her friend. That was true. And that was why I hadn't been able to hunt him down—yet. The first girl nodded. “And he's been single for years. Imagine, having the strongest and most desirable male of the North as your mate"... I kept my expression neutral as I moved through the crowd, but I couldn't help sneering at their infatuation. Clearly, they had a skewed view of who Zeke Sterne really was. To the Star Ocean pack, he was thought of as the most formidable leader, but to someone like me, he was nothing but a ruthless and heartless man who built his reputation on the countless wars he'd waged against other packs over the past decade—definitely not the kind of romantic or loving hero those girls were fantasizing about. “Mira, come help with these centerpieces," my friend Carlos waved at me from the other end of the banquet hall, interrupting my thoughts. “Coming!" I hurried over to him. “Did you hear?" Carlos said excitedly. “Alpha Sterne expanded our territory again. We're three times the size we were ten years ago. I bet we're the strongest pack in the north now. Pretty cool, huh?" “Indeed," I forced a smile at my friend. “He has certainly done a lot." “Um… you don't sound very happy," Carlos said, giving me a suspicious look. “Are you okay?" “I'm fine!" I replied quickly as I took out the lavender from the centerpiece, reminding myself to stay focused on my mission and not let my emotions get the better of me. “I'm just nervous. You know, with the big celebration and all. We need to make sure everything is perfect for the Alpha's return." “Really?" he asked, his warm brown eyes searching mine for an answer. “If you need anything, just tell me okay?—Hey, why are you taking out all those lavender?" As I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, I hesitated. I had never seen Zeke Sterne in person, but I'd learnt everything I could about him. There were plenty of people who wanted him dead, but the fact that he was still alive wasn't due to good luck. I wasn't naive enough to think I could take him down in one bold move. If I were to have my revenge, I would need to know him, get close to him, and wait for the right moment to strike. “...Because Alpha Sterne hates purple," I told Carlos. “Mira Forest!" A shrill voice interrupted us, and someone grabbed my arm and yanked me away from the table. “Who do you think you are to say Alpha Sterne hates purple? You've never even met him before!" Steadying myself just in time so I didn't hit my face to the ground, I glared at the culprit. Jane Allen, the spoiled daughter of Beta Allen and the number one fan of Alpha Sterne. She was also Zeke's second cousin, though not too many people knew that. Ever since I joined Star Ocean, she had been treating me like her greatest enemy. In her mind, I was a filthy rogue who wanted to climb the ranks by seducing their Alpha. Jane spat, “What the hell do you think you're doing?" “Setting up for the Alpha's return, just like everyone else," I replied, trying to maintain my composure. Jane sneered. “Do you really think making up lies would make Alpha notice you?" I gritted my teeth against the urge to wipe that sneer off her face. I lowered my head. “I'm just trying to do my job." She scoffed, “Ha, and are you actually talking back to me?" Without any warning, she raised her hand and slapped down without hesitation. Every instinct screamed at me to move, to dodge, but I forced myself to stay still. Tomorrow night, Zeke would return, and I planned to approach him as a harmless maid. I couldn't afford to blow my cover now, not when I was so close to my goal. I took a deep breath and prepared myself for the impact. SLAP! However, the sting didn't come as I expected. I shot open my eyes and realized that Carlos took the hit for me! A vivid red handprint was already forming on his face. “Carlos!" I gasped. But Carlos gestured for me to stay back. He lowered his head to Jane, “Sorry, Miss Allen. Mira is still learning, please forgive us." Jane narrowed her eyes. “Carlos, back off. I'm teaching that b***h a lesson. You need to stay out of it!" Carlos didn't budge and that made Jane's face seethe with anger. She snapped her fingers as her goons quickly gripped Carlos' shoulders, ensuring he couldn't intervene any more. Jane ordered, “Take him to the dungeon!" “Stop!" I shouted. Who knew what she'd do to Carlos if they took him away. I couldn't let that happen. “Let Carlos go. This has nothing to do with him!" “Tsk, tsk, a pathetic pair of filth! An omega tried to play the hero," she pointed a long, manicured finger at Carlos whose face is now beet red with humiliation and then jabbed her finger in my direction. “And a filthy rogue acted like a friend! You want me to let him go? Then get to your knees and beg me." Sucking in some air, I tried to calm my angry breathing. I clench my fists, nails digging into my palms. I wanted nothing more than to put this foolish girl in her place, but I knew I couldn't. “Don't do anything rash, Mira! I'm okay!" Carlos shouted aloud. “I said," Jane stepped forward and roared, “KNEEL AND BEG!" My entire body was shaking with a seething rage that threatened to consume me, but I just couldn't bring myself to drop to my knees. She scoffed, “See Carlos, I told you she's just a selfish piece of s**t. You think of her as a friend, and she couldn't even do a simple thing to help you! That's too bad." The banquet hall fell silent as the rest of the pack members had backed away, not wanting to be dragged into the conflict. “Take him to the dungeon!" Jane ordered again, and I shouted out, “Stop! Wait!" “Now what?" she smirked. “Please…" I murmured, fury boiling inside me, but I had to do something… With a loud smack, I brought my hand up and struck my own face with all the strength I could muster, the impact jarring my teeth and sending a shockwave through my skull. The dining hall was dead silent, so quiet that I could hear a pin drop. “Please," I gritted through my teeth, “let Carlos go." Jane finally understood what I was doing and bursted out laughing. Once she was finally done, she spat out viciously, “More!" Carlos yelled, “No!" I paused, then slowly raised my hand and slapped myself again. “More!" I lifted my hand and struck myself again. One. Two. Three. And Four. “Mira!" Carlos cried out, his voice breaking. My head spun, and the faint taste of metallic filled my mouth. I looked Jane in the eye, trying to steady my voice. “Was that enough?" She waved her hand and I was relieved to see that they finally let go of Carlos. “Listen, you w***e," Jane hissed, leaning in close so her venomous words would be heard by my ears alone. “Alpha Sterne is far above your reach. You're not worthy of even looking at him, let alone being near him. Learn the lesson and know your place, you hear me?" I bit my lip so hard it started to bleed, but I kept quiet. I knew that anything I said would only irritate her further, and I really didn't want to stir up any more drama tonight. Turning to the crowd, Jane raised her voice, addressing them all. “Mira will be taking care of the kitchen and basement cleaning tonight ON HER OWN. Make sure to give her plenty of work, won't you?" She emphasized “on her own", so that no one else would dare to help me. With that, she sauntered away with smug satisfaction in her eyes. Murmurs bubbled up around us as the pack members returned to their tasks, leaving me standing there with my burning cheeks. “Mira… I'm so sorry!" Carlos rushed to my side, anguish in his bright red eyes. “It's all my fault. I'm so sorry! Let me help you. Let's split up the kitchen and basement work tonight." “Carlos, it's not your fault at all." I patted him on his shoulder. “You've already done so much for me. If you help me, that's only going to get both of us in more trouble later. So what's the point? I can handle it myself." “But—" “Besides, I'd feel worse dragging you into this," I sighed. “How about this, once I'm done tonight, I could really use a massage on my arms and shoulders. You said you need to practice that for your healing lessons, right?" “Absolutely." Carlos promised. I knew anything about healing would cheer him up. His dream was becoming a healer. After a short pause, he asked, “Hey…um, is what she said true?" “What?" “Jane said you're trying to get Alpha's attention?" “Well, all the girls in the pack want to get the alpha's attention, don't they?" I replied, trying to sound nonchalant. “I'm not an exception." “But you're not like them." “I'll take it as a compliment then." I tried to lighten the mood. “That's absolutely a compliment. You're special,." he chuckled, “Anyway, why don't you let me take care of the work here? You go get started." “That would be amazing, Carlos," I nodded to him. “Later!" He waved back and hurried away as I headed towards the basement. *** By the time I was done, it was almost 2:00 AM. The moon hung low in the sky, casting its silver light on the empty corridor. My muscles ached, but my mind was restless—tomorrow, to be precise, later today, Zeke Sterne would be back. “I thought the kitchen and basement would keep you busy throughout Alpha's return dinner tomorrow, but I guess there just wasn't enough work." Jane's voice echoed through the hallway. Really? Her again? Just kill me. “What do you want now, Jane?" “Isn't it obvious?" she scoffed, stepping out of the shadows. “Since cleaning won't keep you away from Alpha, I just have to do the dirty work myself." Without any warning, her fists punched out toward my face. Enough was enough. I glanced around. No one else was here. Perfect. This time, I wasn't going to just take her crap. I pretended to be frightened and wrapped my head with my arms while dodging her strike swiftly. As she stumbled forward, losing her balance, I seized the moment and gave her back a hard shove. She crashed toward the stone wall with force, while I used the opening to bolt out of there. Her face contorted in shock and anger. “How dare you hit me!" she screamed and lunged at me again, but I had already kicked a brick into just the right spot, tripping her up. She stumbled and fell once more. “I-I'm sorry, Miss Allen," I stammered, feigning confusion and fear. “I don't know what you're talking about… I didn't do anything! You tripped on your own. But it's late, and I really need to get back to my dorm." With that, I turned and ran away, the sound of Jane's angry roar echoing behind me. “You can act weak and innocent all you want, but you can't trick me!" she screamed, “You'll regret this, Mira Forest! Once the Alpha is back, I swear he'll punish you and make you beg like a b***h for mercy!"