I shift my weight as fear flails through me.
Die? What does he mean? Is he gonna kill me if I fail or is the mission so dangerous that I could just die if I fail? Which is it?
My confusion probably fidgets all over my tight face that turning it into words is needless.
“Mind sitting with me coz the details of your mission are quite long,” Alpha Primo says, jerking his head towards the front bench beside us.
I hesitate, considering that my life is on the line for whatever this mission is, and I’m not ready to die. I’m too young. I have so much more to do and to experience. I wanna tell him that he doesn’t need to make an effort explaining everything to me coz I won’t accept his ultimatum. However, when he takes a seat, an unknown force pushes me to also sit at a few inches beside him. A small voice inside me says to give his ultimatum a chance. So, with sagged shoulders and eyelids, I listen.
“About two months ago, there were humans who managed to get a hold of some pieces of evidence about our existence.”
My eyes widen as my heart momentarily stops beating. That isn’t good! No! ‘Isn’t good’ isn’t even the right term. It’s horrifying! Questions sprout in my head, but I remain silent.
“These humans aren’t ordinary. They are an organized international body of criminals, operating in the entire Southeast Asia and some parts of East Asia. They’re known as The Manila Mafia, the most notorious of all syndicates in our region.”
It sucks the air out of my lungs. The situation is already complicated on its own, but finding out that we’re up against a mafia gang makes it even messier.
The ill sensation in the pit of my stomach augments at the extreme calmness on Alpha Primo’s face, as if what he’s telling me doesn’t bother him one bit. I know it’s alarming to him, but his face not moving, irks me.
Though he hasn’t spit out what my actual mission is yet, I’m already having some thoughts about what it could possibly be, and it is far from desirable. I let him proceed while I’m silently trembling in distress.
“It’s not clear how they obtained the evidence about us, but one thing is for sure, they’re planning to use our race for experiment to gain more influence, fame and money. If more and more humans find out about us, we’re done.”
“Let’s cut to the chase,” I say, dismissing the fact that he’s an Alpha, the Main Alpha. “You want me to destroy those pieces of evidence.”
Alpha Primo stares at me for a moment. I’m uncertain if he’s surprised at how I’m talking to him or if he’s now doubting giving me this mission. He withdraws his gaze from me and shoots it at the empty altar, then speaks.
“Not just that. I need you to kill them… all of them.”
His words ring in my ears so loud that my vision becomes hazy and the more he remains impassive, the more panic slinks through my aggressively pounding heart.
“I have to kill an entire mafia gang that has probably thousands of members and associates. You know what that means? It’s a massacre,” I say.
Alpha Primo gets to his feet with force. And for the first time today, he makes an expression. He glares at me with a clenching jaw and fists, then responds, “It’s better if you massacre them, instead of them massacring us!”
Normally, if his face moves out of displeasure, lower ranking lycans would bow down to avoid looking at him out of fear, but I decline to be like them. I stare directly at his eyes and say with equal harshness in my tone,
“If there’s someone who should be doing this job, it should be you or your Betas or the other high officials from the other packs, who have years of experience in battles, not some random Delta who just graduated from military training. This mission is far from easy and should be taken with great caution and impeccable calculations. This isn’t just about me and your son anymore, our entire race is at stake here!”
The tightness in his jaw loosen and so in his fists. His glare also dulls. Alpha Primo isn't as scary compared to his fellow Main Alphas from the other packs. If he is as uncompromising as them, I’m probably being dragged to jail by now just by simply not respecting him with my word choices and my tone of voice.
“You’re correct,” he says. “I just considered offering the mission to you so you could prove yourself worthy to be our pack’s future Luna. But if you refuse this, then that’s fair. I won’t force it on you, but you know the consequence of it - you’ll lose my son forever.”
What a lame way of telling me that he doesn’t have the balls to do the mission on his own! I’m pretty sure that his Betas and Gammas already knew about this matter too and just like him, they’re all cowards to do the job.
Since his desired agreement with me crashes down, Alpha Primo walks his way out of the garden. No words, no complains, just complete silence. Now alone, I slide my view to my white shoes, then to the bouquet of flowers on the altar’s floor, allowing my stressful thoughts to muddle my head more.
That mission could’ve been a great way to prove my worth. It’s a Luna’s job to protect her pack. If I’m to become a Luna, then I must start protecting my pack now even if it costs me my… my… I stop myself from finishing my thoughts. It stresses me just to think about sacrificing my life for my fellow lycans who can’t even treat me kindly. This only means that I’m a trying hard wanna-be Luna, exactly how they label me as. Perhaps the Moon Goddess also wants this wedding not to happen coz she also thinks that I’m not prepared to take the responsibilities of a leader. Be that as it may, I also have a point when I told Alpha Primo that the ones who should be taking this mission are the lycans who have years of experince in battles under their belts. If I take this risk, aware that I’m incapable of fighting, let alone killing, thousands of criminals who are well-trained with guns, then I may just have to bury myself alive.
Before my thoughts fully consume me, Alpha Allen’s musky scent suddenly swirls behind me. Still and hushed, I dare not to look back. The bench I’m sitting on screeches as it feels the weight of Alpha Allen. The unchanging, savage silence spreads between us, making it seem that we’ve grown miles apart from one another. For a good amount of time, nobody dares to break that silence. When I detach my back from the bench’s backrest in an attempt to leave, Alpha Allen quickly clutches my wrist, forcing me back to my seat. Tears sting my eyes again, only this time, I successfully fight them back.
“I don't know where to start, really,” he says. His voice is low and filled with sadness.
“Then don’t even start. I also don’t wanna listen to your excuses.”
My response is a lie. Of course, I wanna hear him say that he loves me. I want him to comfort me. I want him to hug me, to kiss me. But whenever my memory trips me back to the earlier events - to the humiliation he caused me, my anger towards him looms from a short distance.
He breathes loudly, releasing whatever tension gagging him. “I wanna marry you. I wanna be with you. But at the same time, I couldn’t shy away from what’s necessary.”
“Necessary?” I murmur, smirking and raising an eyebrow. “Which means… I’m unnecessary?”
“Mackenzie, I’m the future Main Alpha. I have to weigh things for the sake of our pack.”
His insensitivity unleashes my anger once again. My hand flies to his face, creating a sharp thud and a reddish tinge on his cheek.
“I’ll be able to accept that you won’t marry me if you only tell me that before today!” The rumbling in my voice thwack my throat that it hurts. “How will I face the others? How much worse will they treat me now? You’re so selfish! You only think about you and never me!”
Alpha Allen imprisons my face with his hands and, in one swift move, he plunges his lips to mine. The warmth he’s giving me irritatingly dilutes my anger.
Is this how weak I have become? With just a kiss and I’m dismissing that he’s a jerk?
My inner self refuses to kiss him back, but before I know it, my lips compete against his dominance. Alpha Allen’s hands travel down my waist, until his arms wrap my back. He pulls me up, giving me no choice, but to enfold my legs around his hips. I could feel both my n.ipples and his c.ock hardening at this point. If this keeps going, we’ll end up n.aked while banging each other here. While passion devours us, the sudden thought of being left alone and pregnant comes to me. That ushers me back to my senses. I push Alpha Allen away while sliding down from his grip. He steps back with an upset face.
“I’m sorry. I know I already rejected you and don’t have the right to do this to you anymore, but I couldn’t help it.”
He rejected me, but our bond is still as intact as ever. I feel it, and I know he does too. As long as there’s love between us, his rejection means nothing. Still and all, before I surrender myself to him again, I wanna make sure that he’s mine.
I fix my wrinkled skirt and my almost-rip off neckline as I stride closer to him. He licks his lips while his eyes fall to my exposed c.leavage. He stares at it long enough that his Adam's apple relentlessly bobs up and down his neck.
“Do you love me?”
That’s a stupid question, but still, I wanna hear him say 'yes'. Hearing that one word will remove any last tiny doubts I have in him.
Alpha Allen places his hand to my cheek. His thumb caresses my bottom lip as he answers with genuineness, “Not a second has gone by that I haven't loved you. If you agree, tonight, at midnight, let’s elope. I don’t care about being a rogue and I hope you don’t either.”
I gasp in surprise, prompting him to continue.
“I can’t think of any other way. It’s our only option. Father is getting older and he’s preparing me to take over his position. If we don’t elope soon, I’ll be forced to find a Luna that everyone thinks is deserving of that title.”
My heart melts at his plea. If we elope, he’ll have more to lose than I do. This goes to show that he really loves me.
“I can’t just marry anyone. I want you,” he adds. “Mackenzie, I love you!”
Exuberance quilts my chest and I authorize it to control me. I jump forward, drape my arms around Alpha Allen’s broad shoulders and back, while he swaddles his arms around my waist to support my weight. With more passion than before, I ram my lips to his. He doesn’t object. Instead, he reciprocates it. Heat joggles through my loosening nerves, filling me with hopes.
Alpha Allen is right, we gotta decide and make a move before regret comes to us. I can’t let anyone or anything take this chance away from me.
After a few moments, I break our kiss and through my jagged breath, I say,
“Right here, let’s meet at midnight. And let's elope.”
My clothes and other needed things are packed and ready. I swing my bag to my back, sidle my way through the hallway, then stop at my parents’ bedroom door. I wanna see their faces before I go, but my hand twitches before it can even nudge the doorknob. If I enter their room, they will question why I’m wearing a coat and a pair of boots with a bag on my back in the middle of the night. And if they’re asleep, I may wake them up. I don’t have the heart to tell them what Alpha Allen and I are planning to do. It’ll hurt them and I don’t wanna witness that pain. I’m sure they’ll understand why. And I’m sure they’ll forgive me. They’ll support me, like they always do. My desire to see my parents for probably the last time surrenders against my wimpiness. I move away from their shut bedroom door and head down the stairs. Then, I tread out of our house with both the guilt of not saying goodbye to my parents and the determination to start a better life with Alpha Allen hovering all over me.
Sleepless hours pass and I’m still wearing the same coat, the same boots and the same bag. Though my eyes don't depart from the sky through my bedroom’s window, they fail to quickly notice the transition of the sinking moon to the rising sun. I’m only able to realize it when the roaring silence is soon grazed off by knocks on my bedroom door. Can I do it? Can I survive this deadly mission? I lift myself out of the chair without coming up with a clear answer. As soon as I thrust my legs forward, the heaviness I feel inside hampers me from moving any faster. Not only that, when I’m already standing next to the door, I stare at it while mustering all of my courage to take another move. It takes several seconds, a minute or two maybe, before my hand reluctantly reaches and twists the doorknob. Mama, whose eyes are probably more swollen than mine, forces a fake smile. I try to do the same, but fail. Her voice quavers as she whispers, “They’re here.” The majority of my strength ha
My brow knits as confusion pelts me. Entertainer? What kind of entertainment does this guy want? For a few seconds, he’s quiet. He's only giving me nothing but his widening cocky smirk. “We’re not on the same boat here. I don’t have any talent to entertain you. I’m here to apply as Mr. Alessandro Ocampo’s maid.” “Dad isn’t here. I am. He wouldn’t mind if I’ll hire you in his stead.” My knitted brow deepens and I don’t make any effort to conceal my bafflement. It works. This time, he doesn’t give silence a chance to unfurl. He says, “You look great. You’re my type.” My eyes widen and my chest thuds when bafflement is shoved aside by panic. Now I get it. An ‘entertainer’ to him is a s.ex slave. “Mr. Davide,” I say, trying my best to lull my growing undesirable emotion. “I don’t want the job you’re offering me. If your father isn’t available to speak with, I’ll come back some other day.” “I don’t think you understand our family culture here,” he says. “We can turn our employe
DAVIDE’S POV: The taste of Mackenzie’s skin dries my throat, provoking me to quaff her more. Her soft moans fill my senses, urging me to bang her right here, right now. I lay the upper half of her body down on my desk while dangle her lower half on my hips. Then, I start unbuttoning her coat. She doesn’t protest - exactly how every woman reacts under my touch. Once her coat is tossed to the carpet, I take off her tight-fit shirt, almost ripping it off her body. And when she has nothing, but her u.derwear, my c.ock throbs in excitement. I smirk at her astonishingly provocative sight. My triumphant eyes wander around her well-carved figure, then at her beautiful face. I really am great at choosing my entertainer. This new one will surely satisfy me. My fingers start working on her bra. In just a second, her rosy, swollen n.ipples got exposed, making my c.ock grow even harder. My skillful hands savagely massage her b.reasts, earning pleasure-filled moans from her. I tease her n.ipples
MACKENZIE’S POV: The hairs on my arms and on the nape of my neck erect while cold, pearls of sweat smear my skin. I could feel my body tensing up as agitation squirms through me. The dangerous reality of my mission starts now. It penetrates through and scrapes all the tiny bravery I’ve struggled collecting before coming here. I swallow when one of the men in a suit walks forward and stands in front of the screen projector. “Let me introduce myself to our visitor, Ms. Mackenzie. My name is Errol Martinez and I’m the family adviser.” It’s funny how they all concealed the word ‘gang’ with the word ‘family’. According to the papers given to me by Bato and Conrad, Errol Martinez isn’t a relative to Mr. Alessandro, but he’s one of his most trusted men. He’s The Manila Mafia’s consiglieres - The Boss’ advisor who resolves disputes within the gang. If I find the word ‘family’ funny, I find the word ‘visitor’ eerie. Why do I have the feeling that they’re expecting my arrival? Why
A satisfied grin stretches Mr. Alessandro’s lips, deepening the creases on his face. He then gently bobs his head and says, “Well then, expect your contract days from now.” Before I could react to that, Mr. Davide gets up to his feet with force, creating a screeching noise in between his chair and the floor. Without looking at anyone in particular, he says, “I assume this meeting is now over.” He clutches my wrist, forcing me to raise an eyebrow at him. He then continues, “If there are any additional pieces of information about this meeting, send me a copy through my email. Mackenzie and I have to go.” Without more ado, he pulls me out of my chair. Surprisingly, even if he’s obviously mad, his pull doesn’t hurt me. In fact, he even wraps his arm around my waist while I’m standing up so I won’t lose my balance. Everyone is hushed at his action. They all stare at him with blank faces, as if his rudeness is already an expectation to them. Mr. Davide and I ride back in the elev
Mr. Davide smirks, then he ironically laughs. “What? Don’t tell me you’ve changed your mind?” he teases. Why would I believe what he said? Well, even if what he said is true, if that’s one of the ways I could get a hold of the pieces of their so-called evidence about my race, then why not? I fix my posture as I try my best to ease my nerves, then I say in the most tantalizing tone I can pull off, “Fine. Do what you gotta do, but make sure you’ll help me do what I gotta do.” The sexiness in his stare doesn’t diffuse, but his smirk does. Not long after, his expression turns serious, he responds, “If you’re that desperate to earn millions, so be it. Focus on your research. I won’t force you to entertain me tonight,” he says as he takes the first bite of his steak. Now he is quite nice again. He’s confusing me! And I hate it! It’s either he has a dual personality disorder or I’m just misreading his personality at all. “I can’t believe that you can be that considerate,” I say.
Dr. Gustavo presses his outstretched right palm at the center of the steel door’s steel wheel. A loud click echoes, which is followed by the same robotic male voice I heard from earlier that says. “Identity verified!” The dull screeching of the door as it automatically opens incongruously chimes with my rapid heartbeats. The instant the door clouts its secret to me, my composure is disturbed. My heart races a millions times faster while my knees uncontrollably tremble, causing me to almost fall. The scene also demandingly makes my eyes wide and my jaw drops. An unconscious or probably dead gray wolf is submerged in a crystal clear greenish water and is confined in a life-size glass tube. Thick criss-crossed wires are attached to its body and the apparatuses near it. “What on earth…?” I murmur. “Welcome! Welcome!” Dr. Gustavo enthusiastically exclaims while skimming his feet against the floor and towards the glass tube. I stagger when I attempt to step forward. Luckily, Mr.