Alpha Edison

[Claire’s Point-of-View]

“Get out of the way! ”

A loud, angry yell almost made me throw the basket I was holding.

“Get out of the way! King Alpha is coming! ”

Marie rolled her eyes in exasperation and stuck her tongue out as if mocking the one who was yelling. She mimicked him with a silly voice.

“Stop it; they might see you,” I warned her. I patted her hand when she attempted to pick one more apple to buy. “No, Marie. We already have enough supply for a week.”

“I’m sorry, I get hungry when I hear that irritating horn sound every time the King Alpha takes this path towards the House of Sacrifice.” Marie winced when I spanked her shoulder, a warning to keep her voice down, but she kept talking. “Many people are famished in this part of his territory, and yet he sat on his expensive chair. Poor men are forced to bring their finest lamb to the House of Sacrifice just to burn to a crisp.”

“Shhh, shut your mouth, silly girl. Do you want your tongue to be cut? That lamb is required as a sacrifice for a successful hunt this season!”

My best friend Marie grimaced, disagreeing with me, and continued looking at the succulent fruits displayed. It was a typical day in the market, and we were in charge of buying the supplies needed in preparation for the coming Bloody Moon and the event we called ‘The Choosing’.

The head maidservant, Marina Foller, was a strict but loving mother-like figure to me. She adopted me. She worked under the care of the Rutherford family, the Royal Blooded Werewolf Race.

After the War of the Claw and Fang Pack, a gang of rogue werewolves attacked villages ten years ago. Both of my parents were slain in front of me, and I was lucky enough to hide under the floor, inside a secret small bunker that my stepfather made as storage for our winter supplies. 

When he found out the gang attacked our small village, he quickly hid me under it and sat on top of the bunker just so the assailants wouldn’t notice the space between the floors. I could still remember how my parents' blood flowed down the bunker, bathing me with it. The memory was still fresh in my head, like it just happened yesterday. And every time it emerged in my mind, my body couldn’t stop trembling with fear. 

We were both working as maidservants in the household of the great landlord of this part of the pack's territory. My landlord’s name was Ralph Rutherford, the very handsome, kind, and sweet Beta and ally of the Alpha King, Edison Tyrell. Although Alpha King Edison was known as a barbaric, heartless, and cold Alpha, Ralph was his total opposite. 

Master Ralph was loved by his people and was respected by many. He was intelligent and had never failed his people, even in this poorest part of the pack. He visits the elders and the orphans and supports their needs. He was a generous, kind-hearted official, ready to serve his people. Thinking about him made me smile already.

I didn’t know how to explain this, but I assumed Master Ralph had feelings for me. Especially every time he looked me in the eyes. I saw how his eyes grew bright when we met in the corridors, and he was kind enough to help me whenever there was something for me to carry. Tonight, we’ll see each other again in the center of the maze in his garden. He told me there was something he wanted to say to me about something. Whatever it was, I believed it was something important, and I couldn’t wait to see him.

“You’re smiling like an idiot, Claire. You’re scaring me.” Marie narrowed her eyes on me as if thinking hard about what made me smile from ear to ear. She took a large bite of the apple she was holding.

“It’s nothing. I just remembered something important,” I said to her, taking the apple from her hand. She gave me a sharp look when I took a huge bite too.

The day was busy as usual: attending to the needs of the higher members of the household, cleaning, helping in the kitchen, and tending to and feeding the horses, pigs, and goats. Helping with the laundry and keeping Lord Ralph’s bedroom clean. I had to make sure that the pillowcases and bed sheets were spotless and fresh. I always put yellow chrysanthemum flowers on his bedside table.

I gaze at the king-sized bed in front of me, imagining myself on top of it with Lord Ralph’s arms around me. The idea suddenly made me feel nervous and fuzzy, and I felt that strange tickling sensation between my thighs. It was inappropriate that I couldn't help imagining myself as his. His face was the first thing I would see when I opened my eyes in the morning.

Blushing and embarrassed, I sat at the side of the bed, smoothing it with my small hands. I daydreamed about him a lot, and I couldn’t hide the fact that I had been in love with him since we were just kids. I was seven when his father bought me from slave traders and trained me to do the housework in the mansion. I remembered the first time we met—the way he smiled at me while he offered me his favorite toys. 

It was a small wooden horse that I still kept in the drawer of my room. It was the only treasure I possessed from the person I loved. He was such a good kid back then. He never treated me differently and always asked me to play with him. I was always scolded by Miss Marina not to get too close to him, though. She used to remind me I was a servant and not a playmate to the young master, but Lord Ralph always defended me, saying I was his favorite playmate.

There was a loud creak on the door that was opened in haste. I almost jumped when I saw Marina, her forehead full of creases as she frowned when she found me sitting on the Lord’s bed.

“What are you doing, you fool? Go and help in the kitchen!” She scolded me and waved her hand toward the outside of the door furiously, wanting me to go out.

“I'm sorry, I am just having a short rest,” I explained, intimidated by her upset look. I scurried across the room and quickly went outside to run again, heading to the kitchen.

I thought about looking back if old maid Marina was still glaring at me, and I was startled when I bumped into someone, squeezing myself against the impact.

Raising my head to someone I accidentally ran into, my eyes widened with terror as I stared at the last person I ever wanted to meet.

“What are you looking at? ”The King Alpha’s brows were in a deep frown, looking down at me as if I were just a rat in his eyes.

"Goddess, I am so dead." I gasped in a whisper.

The night was cold. The winter was soon to come, and everyone was getting ready for the long nights that would soon overwhelm the place. I breathed through my mouth; the warmth of it condensed through the chill air, creating smoke as I sighed. 

To ward off the freezing weather, I wore extra clothing and walked silently on the rocky ground of the mansion, hoping someone wouldn't see me sneaking behind the evergreens. Good thing I was small and that no one would even notice I was not inside the hall anymore, partying with everyone. There was someone I needed to see tonight. And I couldn't wait to meet him in the center of the garden maze.

I grabbed my skirt and pulled it up as I crouched, trying to quicken my pace through the tall walls of evergreens. My heart was pounding fast with excitement, and my lips stretched in a joyful grin as I evaded the dried, thin branches on my way toward the middle of the maze, careful not to create a sound that might distrac