Then it is time." Mabel said with a calm I didn't feel. I wasn't ready to meet the Alpha. What if he decides to kill us? After all this people are nice to us because we were spared or maybe kept strictly for the Alpha to slaughter us instead.
Mabel held my hands, looking deeply into my eyes. "Noah whatever happens, do not fear. He can smell it. You have done well here and you'll be missed."
"Also don't look into his eyes for too long. Wolves don't like to be challenged and he is not like every other wolf." Aesria added with a soft giggle. "Good luck you'll need it."
I was dressed and ready to meet the Alpha. A carriage stopped in front of the house with a guard standing before it. I took deep breaths before entering, just trusting on my instincts and wits to make this meeting a success.
The hall wasn't built, it was grown. The ceiling arched with twisted roots that glowed faintly under the moonlight and the walls pulsed with warmth like a living thing. Elders stood to the sides, all five of them, their silver hair gleaming under the light. Their eyes followed every step I took, measuring and judging. At the far end of the room sat him.
I didn't need anyone to tell me. His presence filled the room, calm, cold and impossible to look away from. I stood before him and bowed regally, my face to the ground. I avoided eye contact as I was told but I felt this pull to him that overwhelmed me so much. Was my chest resonating?
"She smells different. Not like a human smell but something I have never encountered before."
One of the elders spoke. "Present yourself young lady."
I took a bow, "I am Noah Varyn, the daughter of Elder Varyn. I am a soldier and my friend and I were caught in the crossfire during the ambush." I said, my voice soft and calm.
"Humans have shed our blood for generations. She should be sent back in pieces as a warning. Why spare her?" One of the elders spat.
"She and her people planned to attack us and our offspring. We should stone her to death." One of the elders yelled.
The entire court was in chaos. Everybody yelled and demanded for my head but in all, the Alpha stayed quiet, observing the room and when I mean the room, I mean me. I stole a glance at him. He was utterly beautiful and his tall, muscled frame occupied the throne giving him this intense, domineering aura.
"She crossed during battle. I shall decide what to do about her" He spoke calmly. The whole court fell silent at his words. It was as if they sensed him wanting to speak and they kept shut all at once. "When the man awakes, he'll face my wrath."
My heart dropped. Not Marcus anyone but him. I knelt down, my head to the ground, tears flowing from my eyes. "Please don't hurt him. I'll do anything or better still, end me instead. If you must take a life take mine. I beg you."
He stood circling me like a prey, observing me. He took a sword from one of his guards, his hand circling the handle, holding it firmly. "And why should I spare your kind and take you instead?"
"Please, He's not a threat," My voice cracked. "He was badly injured so he won't know the way to your land but I do. I was awake and I led him here."
"I should tear his throat open where he lies and we can erase the fact that he was here. It is bad enough for our image to let you into our territory and you want me to set him free?"
"No!" The word tore out from me, desperate, trembling. I pressed my forehead to his boots, my fingers digging into the cold stone. "Please spare his life."
The Alpha stopped in his tracks. His silence was deafening, thick and suffocating. When he finally spoke, his voice dropped to a dangerous murmur. "What will you give me in return for the human's life?"
"Mine... my loyalty. I will serve you as a dog. I will be anything you wish me to be." I rushed out. A low chuckle rumbled from his chest, dark and amused. "Anything?"
"Yes." My voice was barely a whisper. "Anything you desire, My Alpha." He crouched before me lifting my chin up with his index finger until she met his gaze. Those molten lava eyes glowed brighter, scanning her face as if searching for something. A look she barely read appeared on his face and it seemed to soften a bit. "You have a knack for helping people at the expense of your life."My throat tightened and I couldn't answer.
His fingers brushed the edge of my jaw, almost gently.
"So I'll make you a deal." My heart pounded anticipating the worst already. "You will stay and you will serve. You will prove that this human's life is worth the mercy I offer. If you fail..." His gaze turned cold. "Then mercy dies with him."
My heart hammered in my chest and relief flooded into me. I forced myself to look into his burning gaze. "I will do it. Thank you for this." The Alpha tilted his head, studying her like a puzzle he couldn't quite solve. "Your loyalty to this human is strange. Most of your kind would have left a wounded soldier to die." He paused. "But you risked your life to bring him here."
"Because he is my friend and he once saved mine," I said swallowing hard at the overwhelming attention. Something flickered in his gaze like a thought but it vanished as quickly as it came. "Your friend lives for now."
"Thank you," I said trembling, sagging with relief. He turned away pacing slowly. "Don't thank me just yet. You bought him time not freedom"
My throat tightened. "Yes, Alpha."
The words slipped out before I even realised it. It wasn't obedience but instinct like something pulled out from her. He sat on his throne. His gaze lingered on my face. "What did you say your name was?"
"Noah Varyn." I said.
"I have never had a human maid before. A maid in my quarters will be befitting for you, Noah."
He said my name like a prayer sending shivers into my body. I shouldn't be feeling like this. He is my boss. He waved his fingers and the guards took me away not giving me an opportunity to speak.
Why would he want me in his private quarters and why am I feeling these weird feelings?