5

~Alaya

I'm not sure why my mind decided the man in front of me should have been Alpha Asher. It works in a strange way like that. So when it saw that the man is not in fact Asher, I was oddly disappointed.

Instead, the man doesn't have the magnificent golden eyes I had expected. They are the same hazel to dark brown colour that most Desire Pack members sport. He has rather bland features too, however, he is still attractive. He can be as attractive as he wants, it doesn't make me any less creeped out.

"You left this?" I question, holding the invitation.

He must have just come from the party considering he is wearing a flashy suit and his hair is styled aptly. As he glances down at the invitation, I notice the way his eyes cloud with confusion, a slight frown crossing his forehead before he nodded, almost warily.

"I have many questions," I say, pulling the invitation back. His look has made me slightly suspicious. Is he lying?

He holds his gloved hand out, however, I don't shake it. "I'm Myles."

"How did I get here?" I question, remembering the strange corridor I came into from the bathroom. Right now I'm on the edge of believing I'm drugged up, or there is something else going on here. What that may be, I have no idea, since my reality doesn't include shifting hallways and broom closets.

"You walked here," he says cockily. At his words, I turn back to the door that would lead me nowhere, just to prove a point. He grabs my arm, however, pulling me back to face him.

I rip away instantly.

"You want to know the real reason why I'm here?" he questions, looking slightly angered by me. "Why you're here?"

"I guess..."

Myles looked over his shoulder, as if someone was behind him listening in. All I see is a blank wall. Grabbing my arm, he drags me over to the door, swinging it open. The broom closet isn't there no more, instead replaced by another hallway, different from the other. No more painting on the wall, and the carpet that covers the entire expanse seems almost cashmere.

"Where are you taking me?" I demand, as he roughly pulls me after him. On whatever drink this is, I stumble clumsily behind him, wishing he would slow down for at least a second.

"Upstairs."

My blood runs cold. Upstairs? That's where the special invites go. I'm surely not allowed up there unless I want to be kicked out of this entire thing. The people that are up there are probably wealthy and highly ranked within this pack's society. I can't imagine anywhere where I would look more out of place.

"You didn't answer my question. Why were you there?" I demand. He keeps walking, the length of the corridor expanding to the point where I struggle to imagine making it that far.

"I've been hired," Myles replies shortly. "And don't ask by who, or why, because I have no idea."

I keep my mouth shut, but only for a moment.

"Am I drugged?" I decided to test.

Myles stops at a door that almost seemed to appear out of nowhere. When he opens the door, he reveals a staircase. It's dressed in a black runner trimmed with golden. Where it leads, I'm curious to find out. This confidence that I have must be from what I drunk, and suddenly I'm tempted to find some more to down.

"If that's going to help you get through the next few hours, then sure," he mutters, and my heart flutters. I have no other way to explain what could be happening right now, so I'm going to listen to Myles words.

At the top of the stairs is another door, which Myles opens with ease. On the other side, is a horrific scene to someone as antisocial as me.

The room spread out for miles. A slice of carpet that matched the runner we had just been standing on leads to the climax of the room. A raised dais held a table that four people sat at, tipping back the same liquid I had been drinking by the looks of it, although it was tinted slightly pink. The moment one of them cast a glance down to me - a pretty girl with hair the colour of fire - I looked down.

The music here is faster paced, the rhythm making me feel slightly nauseous. There are other people mulling around, whether is be near tables or in groups near the bar. No one touched the middle of the floor though, as if blocking the way between the door and the four terrifying people at what is probably known as the main table.

At least that's what it is in my head.

"Don't look at any of them," Myles whispers in my ear, his arm tight around my waist all of a sudden. We keep to the wall, where the shadows lurk. My gaze is locked to my ridiculous shoes, trying not to be tempted to look up from the hems of what people wore.

We make it to an empty table, where Myles pulls me into a chair, sitting next to me on the cushioned surface. He drapes his arm over my shoulders, which I try to resist uncomfortable.

"I need to get back to my sister-"

"Your sister is being looked after."

I continue to pull against Myle's grip in a subtle protest. As much as it seems right to want to get away from him and this strange scene, my heart just isn't in it. For whatever reason, I want to stay put and drink some more of what has been placed in front of us by a waiter dressed in gold, and watch everyone around us.

"Why don't I want to leave?" I question, finally pausing my movements.

Myle's points to a bench near the corner of the room. It is shrouded in a dark glimmering cloth, however, I still see what it is. An incense of some sort. A faded pink steam pours out the top, dissolving into the air. That's what's giving the room that berry smell.

"We are all being drugged?" I breathe, wishing silently that I could successfully refuse the need for oxygen. No one else in her looks bothered by it.

"Not all of us. Actually I lied. It's not what is keeping here, you just don't feel like leaving. That is making its way into your system slowly, ready to steal your memories when myself and my employer see fit."

"You told me you didn't know who your employer is."

Myles smiles slightly. "I lie about many things."

"So you do know?"

"I never said that," he says breezily, looking across the room casually.

My jaw clenches. How is he so infuriating?

"Do you know who your employer is, or not?" I question, wondering what he would do if I struck him in the face with my fist. "Actually, I don't care. I want to know why he hired you, and what I have to do with it."

"I told you, I don't know who hired me, however, I can make assumptions. I was told to bring you here and keep you here," Myles explains.

There is a moment where I have to let everything set in. Clearly, I'm drunk or something, because my mind is grasping at straws when it comes to his explanations. I don't even feel a fear or need to find Sky again. It's almost as if Myle's telling me she is okay is enough to keep me sane.

Without a word, I grab the glass in front of me, and throw it back. It soothes the itch in my throat. Myle's watches me silently.

"What's your assumptions?" I decide to ask.

He shrugs.

"Fine," I mutter, standing abruptly. My plan was to head to the bar and fill my glass, however, Myle's grabs my arm, pulling me back down.

"Don't," he growls, hiding his face behind my hair. His breath is unnerving against my neck. They will see you."

I frown. "They?"

"The people at the front of the room."

Glancing up, I catch the gaze of another one of the four. This time it's a man with eyes so neon green, they look like coloured contacts. A shiver runs up my spine, the look he is giving me behind a fringe of mossy brown hair almost frightening. It takes a lot, but I manage to tear my eyes away, looking down at my ring dressed fingers.

"I just want to know why I'm here."

"Me too."

I look at Myle's for awhile. He told me he lies, which now has me teetering on a nonexistent edge. What if Myle's isn't actually his name? What if everything I have talked to him has been the opposite of what he means.

I was raking through our past conversations when Myle's spoke again.

"I have a feeling he is watching too," he whispers.

Looking up again, I see the green eyed man. This time, he is looking at his crystal whisky glance, swirling the liquid around inside. When I look back at Myle's, he is shaking his head at me.

"Not him," he says carefully. "The Alpha."

Instantly I'm breaking all the rules and looking around. No one even hints at someone worthy of the Alpha. All their faces blend into one giant, wealthy mass. Their outfits create a multitude of colours in front of my gaze. If the Alpha was here, I would be sure I would see him first. By the looks of it, he isn't sitting at the 'main table' either.

"Where?" I ask curiously.

Sky would freak if she found out I had seen the Alpha. Actually, she's going to plain freak out when she hears about what I have done.

"Not here. But he is watching you, I'm sure of it," he tells me.

For some reason, his revelation takes a toll on me. The feeling of being watched is like shivers in every inch of my body. The crawl from my back, down my arms and across my torso, digging in savagely with no want to let go.

"Why?" I question, holding tight to Myle's arm as if it would induce some sort of reaction.

"I assume he hired me. Don't ask me why, as I have no idea," he says urgently, a whole new persona coming through from under the calmer one. "All I know, is certain people are supposed to see us together, to believe we are together. That were my instructions."

I shake my head slightly. "You're telling me this now?"

"Because any moment, I'm going to lose you," he says quickly.

As if his words were my trigger, I vinette started shrouding my vision. Clinging to Myle's, I feel myself wanting to fall asleep, however, I fight it, wanting more questions out of him.

"What's going to happen to me?" I demand, even though it doesn't have much fight behind it.

"You'll be fine. You will forget everything in the morning."

"No! What about Sky?"

Myle's seems indifferent now, looking cool as I feel my body slump against the couch with little control.

"She will be fine. Everything will be explained later."

My fingers clench the sleeve of his shirt. "Why not now? Please..."

Then I was hit in the back of the head with unconsciousness. Myle's caught me before my face planted into the table. His eyes were the last thing I saw.

"He will come for you."