The Alpha Assassin novel Chapter 33

The Luna returned that night in a huff and called me to her office. She was annoyed she missed the other parties even though she was bored because of the meetings and blamed me for cutting her time short, claiming she was sent to ‘check on me’. I wasn’t sure if she just wanted someone to vent at, so I listened, nodded, and apologized profusely for my mistake.

If they thought to send someone to watch over me, they chose the worst one. I really doubted she would pay me any interest at all, but they probably thought the idea of a ranked member here would instill fear in me.

She poured a glass of vodka and trailed on about the Alpha Trials, but nothing of note until the lead Omega knocked on the door red-faced and frazzled, and I was dismissed.

The next day, the Alpha and the brothers returned. I kept out of their way, only seeing them at dinner.

Luna Natalie already seemed exhausted by the few decisions she had to make for the menus and guest arrangements, but that was all she had to do - make decisions.

The Alpha and Luna argued a bit about the timing of it, and I surmised it was The Alpha who wanted to go ahead and set a date, even if it was only a week away.

“The boys are ready,” he said, beaming at his sons, “It's been too long since we hosted anything like this here.”

The tone made me a bit confused. There were many reasons why they decided to set a date so last minute, especially with their flawed logic. But I couldn’t tell if there was something deeper besides putting on a strong front.

“Stop doing that,” Luna Natalie chided. I followed her gaze under lowered lashes and saw Dominik scratching at his arm.

“I haven’t been sleeping well,” he said. Now that I looked at him, he did look a bit pale; a light sheen of sweat covered his brow.

Luna Natalie didn’t say anything, just raised a brow and went back to poking at her food.

“Will you be fine for the trials?” Alpha Raymond asked, not even glancing at him.

“Sure, sure,” Dominik replied, looking distant. I wondered for the first time how much of their personalities were coping mechanisms against the obvious lack of affection from their parents.

“If you want to postpone because of a cold,” Hunter drawled, leaning in his chair as casually as possible, “I’m sure we could think of something.”

“I’ll be fine!” Dominik snapped. Nolan stayed out of it, suddenly very interested in his food.

So, the fun was already starting… I only hoped they were so in each other's faces they would forget about mine.

“Guests will arrive this weekend for a preliminary show and festivities.” Alpha Raymond sat back and crossed his hands over his stomach. “The games will begin the following week.” He looked at each of his sons. “I hope by the end of next week to know who my predecessor will be.”

His sons sat up straighter, even poor Nolan, who never had a chance anyway. I felt almost bad for him if he died. He could have been a decent person if he had been born to another family.

“You should make yourself scare, Simone. It will be a lot for you, and we know what happened last time there was an event.” The Alpha turned his gaze to me, and I dropped mine to my hands in my lap.

“Y-yes, Alpha. I remember.”

I could feel Hunter smirking, and it lit my blood. “After next week, you’ll have a new bed,” he said, and I looked away.

“Yes, of course,” Alpha Raymond said. “The next Alpha can also start trying for potential heirs.” They spoke as if I wasn’t in the room, as if I was a trophy, not a person. I leashed the anger and kept staring at my lap.

“I might assign you a guard,” The Alpha mused.

My blood stilled, and I tried not to show the dread. “Of course, Alpha. If you have a warrior to spare, I would be grateful for the protection.” I made myself look at him with wide eyes, and he pursed his lips, looking me over for a moment before turning back to his sons.

A guard would be a problem. I knew it wouldn’t be Ezra; he was Nolan’s trainer.

_____

The Alphas slowly arrived, and it was suggested that I go to my bedroom to rest. Ezra asked if it was because of my show, but I suspected I would have been sequestered to my room either way during these trials.

I had been to dinners and events but always with outside packs. I was unsure of why Alpha Raymond rarely conducted business within his own territory or had them here. I knew he had meetings, but he always seemed to go to them, or maybe he hosted them elsewhere on the packgrounds. It came to my mind that maybe he was nervous of them seeing me. I wasn’t exactly sure the rules of a challenge when it came to hostages.

I asked The Luna if I could retire to the library instead, she agreed, and The Alpha posted a warrior outside to escort me back to my room.

I was nervous and determined to research challenges what their history was. What exactly the rules were. I knew that an Alpha could challenge another Alpha, but if it was in the same territory or bordering, then other rules were put in place recently enough, being in the last century.

I lit the fireplace and walked to the sleeves beyond. A dark shape leaned against the end of a row lit by a window. My heart thudded, but it wasn’t from fear.

“I’ve been waiting for you,” Ezra rumbled. “You’re really off your game.” I felt him smile more than saw it.

Maybe it was my heightened senses, or maybe I was getting sloppy, but I knew he started to crack my composure, and that spilled out when I was alone.

I was overwhelmed; we still didn’t have a full plan. I just knew that I didn’t want to only end their lives; I wanted to take down Miles and expose them all for who they were.

To add to that list, I now wanted to restore my father's name as a true and honest Alpha and not one that would have risked his pack's safety for his vanity of losing a challenge.

I was trying to plant seeds of doubt, but I wasn’t expecting the Alpha Trials to be held so soon. I wished I had more time then I could have staged something at them, but now… I would figure something out. We would figure something out.

“How long do you have?” I asked him; with the trials so soon, I didn’t expect to see him at all.

“I left Nolan doing warm-ups and told him I would be back so, hours?” he replied, and I laughed, which earned me a real smile from him. “He isn’t so bad, really,” Ezra added, his smile fading.

“I thought that too,” I admitted.

“I’ve been trying to talk to him, not pry but become somewhat of a friend, a mentor.” He walked behind me to check another shelf, taking the book I grabbed and piling it in his arms. I was viscerally aware of his presence. “The more we train, when he gets into that zone, you know what I mean. When he gets there, he seems to crumple. I think he might be playing a character here too, trying to live up to something he isn’t.”

“It must be lonely,” I said without thinking.

He swallowed, I could feel his stare on me. “It must be,” he agreed.

Ezra left me after stoking the fire with a pile of books that might have nothing in them. I spent the better part of the day lost in my task, and I did find some useful things, but nothing definite about my situation.

If there is a bordering or in the same territory, if an Alpha wants to challenge another, they need the majority of other Alphas to back them; in some territories, recently, it had to be over seventy percent, which seemed excessive but it would cause inner-territory turmoil.

I briefly wondered if Alpha Raymond had the backing of the other Alphas, but I knew the answer. He wouldn’t have done anything to gain the element of surprise, to let my father knew he was coming. I wondered if he dealt with any backlash for that; I would have to ask Sam. That could be another element if he didn’t follow protocol. I wondered if The Elders would even care enough about it to be bothered.

The other information I knew. It has to be another Alpha or heir to challenge another Alpha to prevent anyone strong and power-hungry from taking over. Once the losing Alpha conceeded or dies, his pack belongs to the other.

Pack members were not forced to stay under the new leader. I wasn’t sure if that really pertained to me because Alpha Raymond didn’t really take over the pack, just slaughter them. There were mentions about leaving pack members who didn’t resist at peace. Other mentions of the pack belonging to the Alpha to do whatever he saw best fit.

I skimmed so many books for barely any information, and my head was throbbing by the end of it.

There was a knock at the door, and I jumped from where I was almost falling asleep curled over a book.