ALPHA MISS X: THE SCARLET COVENANT

POV: MISS X ( Rhiannon Blackmoor)

The rain splashed on the rooftop and lashed furiously and relentlessly like long whips on the stone walls of the Valhaux Manor. The cliffs on which it stood suddenly glowed crimson as though it was covered in blood.

Raindrops hit my skin like pebbles made of glasses. It didn't matter. I didn't feel it anyway. I never do when I am on a job. My mind is fixated on what I have come to achieve and nothing else matters until it's done.

I sit crouching on the roof top with my black hood wrapped around me soaked, heavy and dripping, my breath fogs in the cold air. I can't afford to shiver. I had been trained that movement makes noise, and noise gets you discovered and killed. .

Below me, the manor sleeps but even as it sleeps its black walls, sharp towers and glimmering golden lights from its windows speak of wealth, power and control. It is the kind of place built by men who think power is eternal and will last forever. They never realize how easy it is to end it.

The Guild’s message has been clear: the Alpha King must die before dawn and it is my duty to get the job done. Asking questions were not allowed. I wasn't allowed to feel anything towards the contract or care if he or she wanted this or not. I had lost that ability. The less I feel, the cleaner the kill. That's the only way I stay alive.

The wind howl fiercely around me, sounding like something angry and ancient. My black glove cladded hands trace the slick stones ledge feeling the vibration beneath. My eyes were focused on the small red lights ahead. I stare at the motion sensors.

With experience and precision of someone who has spent years unseen, I stay quiet. I watch, studying the security lights blink then pause then blink again. I count. It blinks every twenty seconds between every sweep. The rest of the world fades until there’s nothing but the sound of rain and the pulse of light from the monitor sensors.

Blink. Pause . Blink

Then suddenly, thunder roars then it's followed by a wolf’s distant howl. I freeze and my pulse spikes. Not because I am afraid ….no …I freeze from instinct. I know the Alpha King would not sleep without his wolf pack close by.

Most guards will be in rotation, the rest drowsy or drunk. It was a perfect time to do my task. My cue to begin what I had come to do.

Rain splash across my face as I shift position. I flick it away like a speck of dust. My muscles groan from crouching so much but I ignore it. Pain, to me, is a luxury. It reminds me of my conquests and conquers. I pull a small lens from my belt pouch and press it against my right eye. The glass flickers to life, painting red outlines over the world below. I see the guards by the east wing. There were two at the front and none near the rose garden.

The garden. That’s my entry point. I conclude.

I crouch down again, this time just taking in the view of the rose garden from above. It looks beautiful even when drenched.

Lightning flashes again, touching everything in its sight in white. I feel the breeze touch my face, nearly pushing me off the roof. My heart races as if I was running.

I inhale and exhale then whisper to no one " Get a grip, Rhiannon. You have come this far. Get it done and get out."

The name feels strange on my tongue. I never use it anymore. Nobody calls me that, not since the Shadow Guild took me in and transformed me into something sharper, colder and deadlier. Miss X—that’s who I am. I am swift and quick with the dagger. I sl*t throats in dark alleys and don't hesitate if I have to do it in well decorated rooms.

I shift my weight forward, boots at the edge. The rain slaps my cheeks stinging me. The light blinks again. I count. One… two… three…then twenty…Go

I leap.

I jump from the roof gliding like a bird and landing soundless in the rose garden. I feel thorns snag my glove and I hear the leather rip.

Well, there goes another good glove. I think to myself. I would have to get another one then on my way home.

I inhale and exhale again, steadying my racing pulse. I sniff the air and I can smell wet fur and iron. The smell of wolves.

Lightning flashes again, and in its brief light, the manor looms before me looking really dark, intimidating and inviting.

Instincts within tell me to wait or run. But it’s too late to turn back now. I wasn't one to retreat. The Guild had chosen me and it doesn't reward hesitation.

I wipe the rain from my face, adjust my hood, and whisper under my breath, “Time to finish what I started.” Then I move very quietly, certain , and invisible through the roses toward the open balcony. I scale the balcony and slip through an open window. I slid into the manor and voila…I was in.

POV: Miss X ( Rhiannon Blackmoor)

Valhaux Manor smells ancient. It oozes of stale power that's passed from generation to generation, eagerly anticipated by the next in line and the kind of wealth that can not be quantified. Portraits of dead Alphas line the manor’s walls, their oil eyes following me with that same old tone: You don’t belong here. I always hear that when I am on the job. The creaks of staircases, the chandeliers dangling from the ceiling, the antique furnishings sang the same song when I visited with my dagger in my hands. Tonight was no different.

They’re right, of course.

I’m not supposed to be inside these halls. No, not me. Still, my feet do not stop moving forward. My boots make no sound as I move down the corridor toward the study.

My breathing is slow, measured and trained. It's a tool as well, working to make this kill. I’ve walked through worse. I remember walking through back alleys where my daggers hit hard causing cries where laugh