43

Word Count: 2390

~Sienna

I take my time in the bath, making the most of all the luxurious bath salts and soaps I've been provided.

The rooms here are magnificent. The ceilings are high and the windows are tall and wide, showing off the sun setting over the view of the winding river that cuts through three Packs.

Stepping from the bath, I wrap a fluffy white towel around me before sifting through a basket of lotions and oils.

Had I known staying here would include this kind of treatment, I would have volunteered my presence much earlier.

Although, the prying eyes of people extraordinarily powerful is pretty horrifying.

Once I've slathered my skin in everything I can get my hands on, I slide into a dress I made for the dinner tonight.

I took my own liberties making it akin to something a mistress would commonly wear to an event like this. It's scarlet red and hugs my body down to my thighs before it flows out gently around my feet. The fabric is satiny to the touch and shifts in the light.

I'm here to sell my position as mistress. It needs to look real, so I remain safe.

I pin my hair off my face, revealing my neck before I dot the slightest amount of gloss onto my lips. Once I'm pleased with what I find looking back at me in the mirror, I head out into the hallway.

I barely make it a few steps before some grabs my arm, spinning me until my back is flat against the wall.

"Ah!"

It's Alpha Alston, a mischievous smirk playing on his lips as he looks down at me.

My heart thunders against my ribs, thankful at the very least that my heeled shoes didn't snap from the sudden movement. Or my ankles, for that matter.

"Quiet down Miss Dramatic, it's only me," he states in that thick, drawling accent that is common in his Pack.

"I'm sorry but is that supposed to make me feel better?"

I attempt to shove him off me but he only pins me harder against the wall. He has one hand above my head, another on my hip. His thigh is between my legs, and he looks far too pleased to see me in such a position.

"You look absolutely ravishing this evening." His eyes, a stunning glassy blue, shift down my person. The smile curving at his mouth is pure sex. "Be my date?"

"I'm afraid not." I yank against him but it's no use.

Alston is what many probably find pretty. His eyes sparkle and his smile is wide and charming, with dimples to complete the entire package.

He doesn't impress me. I'm spoilt being in love with a man who has a once in a life time kind of beauty. Someone who has the bone structure and statute to lower the inhibitions of a saint, but the soul to defrost even the coldest of hearts.

"I hope Onyx takes his time with you," Alston murmurs, his tone thick and sultry. "It would take me a lifetime to explore that body."

"If you've dragged me in here to harass me, Alpha, I must leave," I insist.

I know these kinds of games. Maren plays the seductive card too. It's to disarm, to distract. Alston's only interest is to fuck me until I'm pliable enough to hand over any information he demands while in the throes of passion.

"I'm sorry, I can't help myself. I'm terrible, I know." He grins, thankfully letting me go. "I just wanted to have a chat."

I stumble away, smoothing my hands down my dress. He's lucky this fabric doesn't wrinkle. That last thing I need is to appear at this dinner looking like I've been, well...pressed up against a wall.

"Why?"

"You're Onyx's first ever mistress. We've all had em' for years, and he's actively opposed the notion. Until now."

He truly has no problem looking over me like I'm dessert, and he's a man starved. I would slap him if he weren't the commander of a Pack and sporting more strength than even the strongest commoner.

"It's not that interesting. We were friends now we are lovers," I respond simply, using my arms folded over my chest as a protective barrier against his hungry gaze.

"Hmm," he steps forward, but I match it back. "You look awfully familiar, you know."

"I'm sure you've seen my face."

"Not in connection with Onyx, though." He taps his chin thoughtfully. "You remind me of Zion's dead daughter."

My body temperature plummets to something close to arctic. Despite schooling my expression into vague disinterest quickly, I fear he may have seen the flicker of absolute terror beforehand.

"Well, obviously I'm very much alive, so it's merely a resemblance," I force out, trying not to stumble over my words to no avail.

Alston begins to circle me. He's gone from a lazy, erotic assessment of me to a precise, focused examination.

He can't possible know me. My father never publicised my existence, and those who did know thought I died long ago with my mother.

"I suppose," he muses distractedly. "Zion killed them, I bet. The claim it was an accident is crap."

"What makes you say that?" I ask cautiously.

So, Alston has confided with Zion, or at least, someone close to him has. The claim was, to the wider public, that my mother died in a horrifying fire. To his close circle, his hidden daughter went along with her.

I never questioned being hidden away. I thought he was protecting me, like any doting daughter would think...

"He's cold-blooded, we all know it. So be careful tonight," he warns. A shiver dances across my skin at his tone. His amusement has faded and his warning sounds cold but firm.

What does this man know?

"It seems I only have you to worry about," I respond uneasily.

Just like that, the lazy, sultry smile returns. He leans his shoulder against the wall, examining me like I'm prey.

"Clever girl," he murmurs. "Are you attracted to me?"

I roll my eyes, whirling around on my feet. "I don't have time for this. We are both already late."

He follows me as I stalk purposefully down the hallway. His long strides make it impossible for me to lose him.

"Come on. Humour me."

"I am not attracted to you in the slightest," I snap, stopping so I can turn and jab him in the chest with my finger. "Believe it or not, I like Onyx very much."

"I have a thing for what belongs to others." He prowls closer. "And fuck, Onyx has laid such a claim to you. You're the prized jewel."

There's no escaping the surge of anger that overcomes me. "I'm not an object, you fucking-"

Before I can finish my sentence he grabs me, slamming up against the wall. He resumes the exact position he had me in before, except this time his hand is planted over my mouth.

"Much better," he purrs, tilting his head. "Stay away from Zion tonight, alright? He's no fun. I, on the other hand, am. So, if you tire of the dull conversation tonight, find me."

I narrow my eyes into a seething glare, unable to fight against his strength.

He's an ally of Zion's and now he's warning me away from him? What's this guys deal?

His laugh is borderline cruel. "You're less sexy like this. I think I like hearing you cuss me out."

He releases my mouth, taking a smudge of lipgloss with him.

"I'll happily continue," I growl.

The sound of a throat being cleared has Alston turning his head. I manage to catch a glimpse of Onyx, standing in the centre of the corridor with his arms folded over his chest.

Fuck. He looks mouthwatering. He must have dressed while I was bathing, putting on a black suit that tempts me to drop to my knees before him right now.

While Alston is light, playful seduction, Onyx is something else entirely. Something dark, erotic and utterly forbidden.

"Alpha."

Alston greets Onyx like he's unfazed, but he releases me nonetheless. I remain standing against the wall, wanting to watch this exchange unfold before me.

"Did I not warn you, Alston?" Onyx asks softly, his voice a lethal caress across my skin.

I've never felt more like an Alpha's mistress than right in this moment. I feel protected, possessed. Not in a way that strips me of my freedom, but in a way that makes me feel safe.

"I don't do well with instructions. I'm an Alpha, after all. I make them." Alston stretches his arms out, like this is all a fun game.

Onyx slowly draws his hands from his pockets. "Sienna may not feel it's appropriate to harm you, but I'm not so inclined."

Before I can react Onyx is grabbing Alston. One hand on the collar of his shirt, the other on the man's head which he slams into the wall.

The wall cracks, a hole caving in the size of Alston's head.

I yelp, stepping away as Onyx lets Alston's unconscious body slump onto the floor.

Ouch.

"Onyx! Shit!" Did he just start a war doing that? He seemed the picture of control, but was he simply hiding the anger that got the best of him?

He rolls his shoulders, tilting his head from one shoulder to the other. "He's fine. He'll wake eventually."

I gape at him, then at Alston. Admittedly, it's quite satisfying to see Alston lying limp on the ground, unable to make leering comments at my expense.

I look at my friend. "Possessive much?"

"Oh absolutely." Onyx's smirk has heat shooting straight to my core. "He's the only one here who won't make a fuss. He knows he deserves it."

Onyx takes my hand as we step over Alston's body. His chest is moving up and down, so at least he's alive.

"So you didn't just start a war?" I ask him.

"He may be insufferable, but he knows when he's crossed a line. He won't hold a grudge over some minor physical violence."

"That was minor?" I shudder. I already know how far Onyx will go to protect me or my dignity. Kayn is a perfect representation of that. So is suppose Alston is lucky he's only been left with a headache.

Onyx only shrugs. "Relatively."

"What are you doing up here anyway?" I ask, my skin tingling as he presses his hand against my lower back, guiding me down the hallway.

"You're late. I was coming to retrieve you." He lowers his head close to my ear. "You look utterly beautiful, by the way. I'm going to be thinking about ripping that dress off you later."

My heart flutters as his hand caresses my back, where the fabric plunges and pools near the top curve of my backside.

"I made it myself, so no ripping," I scold, looking ahead of me so the heat of his stare doesn't tempt me to drag him back to the room. "And we are supposed to be platonic, remember?"

"Tonight you're my mistress," he reminds me, winking before we start down the stairs.

The dining room is a room as stunning as the rest of the house. A massive oak table cuts through the centre towards the door, seating all the Alpha's in attendance.

Except for Alston, of course, although I doubt anyone will notice is absence.

All eyes find us as we sweep into the room. I keep close to Onyx's side, letting everyone assess us. I'm the Alpha's mistress, protecting.

And yet, they all are looking at me like they want to eat me alive.

Onyx pulls out a chair for me to sit near the centre of the table. Maren sits opposite me, her smile wicked behind the blooming floral arrangement.

"Good to see you again, Sienna," she greets, taking a sip from her wine flute.

Servants immediately glide into the room, filling our glasses before placing plates of food in front of us. My stomach is in knots, so I hesitate in reaching for my cutlery.

"Is it?" I give her a flat look. "You drugged me."

"It was just a little fun. It was a ball after all."

The glimmer in her eye teases a feral part of me that wants to launch over the table, aiming for her throat. She would kill me in less than a second, so I opt for tapping my foot against the floor instead.

"I could have been seriously assaulted," I growl.

"I knew Onyx wouldn't allow that to happen." She shrugs casually, smoothing a hand over her already perfectly pinned back hair. "I was merely giving you both a fun night."

Thankfully Onyx is deep in conversation with Lennon, who sits opposite him. I don't need him inspiring whispers of war, just as Maren desires.

"Onyx and I don't need any help with fucking. We manage just fine in that department." I grab my fork, gripping it tightly until my knuckles turn white.

Imogen, who is seated next to Maren raises her brows, shaking her head a little as she continues eating.

Maren's smile almost suggests she admires me. "I bet you do."

My jaw tightens as her eyes sweep to Onyx. She blatantly assesses him, biting down on her red painted lower lip.

"Now stay away— "

I'm cut off as everyone looks to the door suddenly. I half expect to see Alston stumbling in, but instead, my blood turns cold as Zion comes into view.

The tension in the room seems to pull taut as he saunters in with all the confidence in the world.

No one here knows he's my father, and I need to keep it that way.

"Sorry for my late arrival," he announces, clasping his hands together. "Let the party begin."

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