The first rule of being an Alpha's maid was simple.
Do not look him in the eyes.
I broke that rule the moment I met him.
The Ironfang Pack estate loomed over me like a beast crouched and waiting to strike. Black stone walls climbed toward the sky, carved with ancient runes that whispered power and blood. This place wasn't just a home. It was a warning.
I tightened my grip around the worn leather strap of my small bag as I stood at the iron gates. My heart pounded so loudly I was sure the guards could hear it.
"Name?" one of them barked.
"Aria," I answered quietly. "Aria Vale."
The guard's eyes flicked over me, lingering on my plain dress, my tied-back hair, the faint scar at my wrist I always tried to hide. His lip curled slightly, but he stepped aside.
"You're late. The Alpha doesn't like delays."
Neither do I, I wanted to say. But I swallowed the words and walked in.
I had nowhere else to go.
Inside, the estate was colder than I expected. The marble floors bit into my thin shoes. Servants moved quickly, eyes lowered, bodies tense, as though the walls themselves were listening.
A sharp-faced woman in a gray uniform stopped me. "New maid?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"I'm Mara. Housekeeper." Her gaze was calculating. "You'll serve on the upper floor."
My stomach dropped.
Upper floor meant one thing.
The Alpha.
I thought new maids started in the kitchens."
Mara's lips thinned. "Not you. Orders came directly."
Orders.
From him.
She handed me a folded uniform. "Change quickly. And remember, speak only when spoken to. Breathe quietly. And whatever you do"
She leaned closer, her voice a whisper. "Do not attract his attention."
Too late, I thought.
Because fate had already wrapped its claws around me the moment I stepped onto pack land.
I was dusting the massive bookshelf outside the Alpha's private study when it happened.
The air changed.
Every hair on my body stood on end. My wolf, weak, quiet, but still alive, curled deep inside me, trembling.
Power rolled down the hallway like a storm.
I froze.
Slow, heavy footsteps echoed against the marble floor. Each step carried authority. Command. Danger.
I kept my head down. I remembered the rule.
Do not look.
But instincts are cruel things.
The scent hit me first,pine, smoke, and something darkly intoxicating. My fingers tightened around the cloth as my breath hitched.
He stopped in front of me.
Silence stretched.
I could feel his gaze like a blade against my skin.
"Look at me."
His voice was deep. Rough. Unyielding.
My body reacted before my mind could stop it.
I lifted my head.
And everything shattered.
His eyes were not the blue I expected, or even gold like most Alphas. They were silver. Molten. Inhuman. They burned straight through me, stripping me bare.
Alpha Kael Ironfang.
He was taller than any man I had ever seen, broad-shouldered, dressed in black like the night itself bowed to him. Power clung to him effortlessly, as natural as breathing.
And when our eyes locked,
Pain sliced through my chest.
Sharp. Sudden. Devastating.
I gasped, stumbling back as my heart thundered wildly. My wolf howled inside me, a sound of recognition and terror.
Mate.
No.
No, no, no.
This couldn't be happening.
His eyes narrowed, nostrils flaring as his gaze dropped to my face, my neck, my wrists.
"You," he said slowly.
Just one word. But it carried weight.
The hallway seemed to empty. Servants vanished like shadows, leaving us alone.
"What is your name?"
"Aria," I whispered.
The moment the word left my lips, something dark flashed across his face.
Shock.
Anger.
Hunger.
Impossible.
He took a step closer. I felt it in my bones.
"Where are you from?"
"I serve the pack now, my lord."
My voice shook. I couldn't stop it.
He tilted his head slightly, studying me like prey that had wandered willingly into a trap.
"You're unmarked," he murmured. "And yet"
His fingers brushed my wrist.
Fire exploded through me.
I cried out, jerking away, dropping the cloth. My knees nearly gave out.
The bond screamed awake.
Kael's jaw clenched. For the first time, uncertainty cracked his cold composure.
"This is impossible," he muttered.
I shook my head, tears burning my eyes. "Please, Alpha. I don't know what's happening."
His eyes darkened.
"You know exactly what's happening."
Before I could respond, his hand shot out, gripping my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze again.
The connection snapped tight.
Mate.
The word echoed violently between us.
But instead of relief. his face hardened into something dangerous.
"Get out," he said suddenly.
I blinked. "What?"
"Leave. Now." His voice was sharp, final. "You are forbidden from the upper floor."
Confusion and humiliation washed over me. I bowed clumsily and turned to flee.
"Wait."
My heart lurched.
He stepped closer, towering over me.
"If you speak of this to anyone," he said quietly, "I will personally see you exiled from every pack in the territory."
Fear rooted me to the spot.
"Yes, Alpha."
I fled down the corridor, my heart breaking with every step.
I did not see the way his hands shook once I was gone.
That night, sleep never came.
My body burned. My wolf paced endlessly. The bond tugged, relentless and aching, like a wound that refused to close.
I was his mate.
And he didn't want me.
Or worse.
He did.
A sharp knock came at my door.
I jolted upright. "Yes?"
The door creaked open.
Mara stepped inside, her face pale.
"The Alpha has summoned you."
My blood turned to ice.
"Now?"
She nodded grimly. "And Aria…"
She hesitated. "No maid has ever been summoned to his chambers at night."
My chest tightened.
I stood on trembling legs, my fate unfolding whether I was ready or not.
As I followed her down the dark corridor toward the Alpha's private rooms, one terrifying thought echoed in my mind,
Was he calling me to reject me…
Or to claim me?
The door opened.
And Alpha Kael Ironfang stood waiting in the shadows.
His eyes glowed silver.
"Lock the door," he said.