The Alpha’s Contract

"Are you stupid? There's still dust here," a man's voice said.

Slap. The sound of a hand hitting skin echoed. Elara's head snapped to the side, a fiery sting blooming on her cheek.

"I'm sorry, Marcus," she whispered.

"Sorry?" Beta Marcus mimicked her, raising his hand again. "The important guest is about to arrive, and you've screwed things up."

Elara didn't flinch. She knew that avoiding the blow would only earn her a worse one.

Marcus's hand paused mid-air. He seemed to remember something more important. "Alpha Adrian will be here any moment. If this alliance fails, Kael will kill you. Get to his office, stay there, and don't embarrass us."

Elara’s body stiffened at the name "Alpha Adrian." He was the Alpha of the Crimson Shadow Pack, a leader known for his power and ruthlessness. Her brother, Alpha Kael, had been preparing for months to form an alliance with his pack.

"Get lost," Marcus said, shoving her.

Elara stumbled towards the office at the end of the hall. The fear of being locked in the cellar and starved kept her from resisting. Hunger was a punishment far more terrifying than a beating.

She pushed open the office door. It was empty. A sigh of relief escaped her. She moved to the wall and curled up in the shadows, like a frightened animal.

Just then, a deep male voice came from another corner.

"Aren't you going to turn on the lights?"

Elara's heart stopped. She shot her head up, her eyes searching for the source of the voice. In the darkest corner of the office, a man was sitting in an armchair. He had black hair and sat with his legs crossed, his posture relaxed, but the aura of power radiating from him was suffocating.

He looked up, and his deep red eyes glowed in the darkness like burning coals.

It was Alpha Adrian. He was already here.

"Why couldn't you smell me?" Adrian's voice held a note of curiosity. He stood up and walked towards her, step by step.

Elara backed away until her back hit the cold wall. "I… I don't know."

"Every werewolf can sense an Alpha by their scent, especially a strange one," Adrian said, stopping in front of her. His shadow completely enveloped her. "But you smell… odd. Like a human."

His proximity was suffocating. She wanted to run, but her legs felt nailed to the floor.

"Tell me why," he commanded, his Alpha authority impossible to resist.

Elara's lips trembled. Finally, she uttered the secret she had hidden for twelve years. "My wolf… is bound."

"Bound?" Adrian's brow furrowed.

"Yes," Elara lowered her head, her voice barely a whisper. "It's a punishment."

At that moment, the office door was thrown open. Alpha Kael and Beta Marcus burst in.

"Elara! What are you doing in here?" Kael's face turned livid when he saw her with Adrian. He roared, raising his hand to strike her.

Elara closed her eyes, bracing for the familiar pain.

But the slap never came.

A more powerful hand had caught Kael's wrist. It was Adrian. His movement was almost too fast to see.

"Is this how you treat your guests, Kael?" Adrian's voice was calm, but Kael's face went pale.

"Adrian… Alpha Adrian, she's just a servant, I…" Kael tried to pull his hand back but found it caught in an iron grip.

"Oh?" Adrian released him with a smile. "I thought she was here to greet me. I asked her to show me to the office."

He was lying for her.

Elara looked at him in shock. Kael and Marcus were stunned.

"My apologies," Adrian continued. "I arrived unannounced. I wanted to surprise you." He clapped Kael on the shoulder, subtly pushing him away from Elara. "Now, shall we discuss the alliance?"

Kael's expression shifted, and he finally managed a stiff smile. "Of course, please, have a seat."

He gestured for Elara to get out. She fled the office.

After what felt like an eternity, she was summoned back, carrying a bottle of champagne and three glasses.

Kael and Adrian seemed to be getting along.

"Pour for our new ally," Kael ordered.

Elara's hands trembled as she poured the drinks. She could feel Adrian's eyes on her, a gaze that left her with nowhere to hide.

When she handed the glass to Adrian, he didn't take it. Instead, he looked at Kael and asked, "Why do you treat your sister this way?"

Kael's smile froze. "She is not my sister. She's the disgrace of our family."

"Is that so?" Adrian's voice grew cold. "From what I know, she is the only one with a pure Alpha bloodline after your parents' death."

The words were like a needle, puncturing Kael's feigned composure. His face twisted in rage. "She is also the one responsible for their deaths!"

The air in the office crackled.

Adrian's gaze sharpened. "What did you say?"

"I said," Kael snarled, pointing a finger at Elara, "she is responsible for our parents' deaths!"

As if that wasn't enough, he added the final, most damning accusation.

"She gave them wolfsbane."