2

Bella's heart froze in and out as her gaze met his. His eyes sparkled with an intensity that was far too frightening even for a bold and gutsy lady like her.

And she saw it. That hint of danger that lay beneath the surface. It made her want to buckle, to submit to the force of his power. But she wasn't ready to do that yet. She had to resist this someway. Somehow.

"Did you ever stop for once to wonder if I might even be the alpha?"

"Not once!" She met his gaze now with one of her fiercest look, then scoffed. "So, how should I address you now? Alpha Aiden or whatever his name is? Or you might prefer being addressed as the Lycan king?"

The man frowned in puzzlement like he couldn't understand what Bella had just said. Then slowly, a smile crept onto his face.

"I'm alpha Aiden!"

Bella erupted into a wild laughter. "Oh yeah, you are. Then I'm Alpha Aiden's Luna."

"You are very funny, you know. If you were really the alpha, then you wouldn't be standing here talking to me about it 'cause you'd be dead by now."

"So, I'll just call you Mr cold. You have a cold heart." She added.

Seemingly fascinated and entertained, Mr cold cocked his head. "Mr cold? That sounds nice."

"So if I was the alpha, I'll be dead by now." He prompted.

"I don't know. Bye for now." She began to walk away.

"Stop!" Mr cold said suddenly in a serious voice.

As if by command, Bella froze to a spot, but she didn't turn to look back. What was going to happen now? She wondered.

"I never said you could go!" He said as he walked towards her. The coldness was back in his voice.

He held her by her shoulders and made her face him. He had an undecipherable expression on his face now.

What was he thinking? Bella wondered, as she subconsciously moved a step backwards.

"What is your real intention here?" He asked, his eyes sparkling dangerously.

She lost her voice, thinking of what to say. She couldn't possibly reveal her plans to kill the alpha to a total stranger.

The next thing she knew, cold icy hands grabbed her by the neck and strangled her. She writhed under his hold, struggling to get free.

"Who are you!?" He barked, his breath hot against her skin. It felt like his mouth contained wild fire.

She knew that the only option she had was to fight, but who was she against this man. It was so obvious that he had enormous physical strength. He would only kill if she tried.

No! She couldn't die! Not yet! Not before she took her revenge on Alpha Aiden, the monster that killed her parents.

"I missed my way. I'm telling the truth. Please, I beg you. Let me go!" She pleaded in a strangled voice.

Mr cold didn't even listen to her. Instead, the hands around her neck tightened the more, almost choking her into unconsciousness.

"I'll count to three, and if you don't tell me what you're actually doing here, I'll kill you!"

Again, that glint in Mr cold's eyes that sent another shiver through her. And for some reasons, she knew that he meant what he just said.

But why was he acting this way and questioning her when both if them committed the same crime. He also shouldn't be here.

Maybe he was the alpha's brother or relative. She thought.

Well, let's leave that question for later, she had to get away from this man. She was almost out of breath, so she had to do something real quick.

On impulse, she slammed her fist into his stomach, totally taking him by surprise. He staggered backwards a little, but didn't release his grip in her neck.

"You must really have a death wish!" He said calmly, but didn't fail to induce fear in her.

Bella felt sweat trickling down her face, but she couldn't care less. Death wish or not, she gave him a powerful kick in his guts and without waiting for him to recover, she bolted off in a flash.

She didn't stop running until she was sure that he wasn't following her. She tried breathing in and out to catch her breath and regain her lost energy when she heard someone say;

"Oh! There you are!"

She gasped, feeling herself break out in a cold sweat. How come!? How was that even possible? How could Mr cold even get here so fast? Was he using some kind of magical power or something?

But then, the voice didn't sound that harsh like his. Who could it be?

"Bella?" The person said and she turned now, completely sure it wasn't Mr cold.

"Oh! Mac, it's you!"

"Were you expecting someone else?" Mac asked, looking around.

"Oh, no! I was just surprised to see you here! Why are you here by the way."

Mac frowned in confusion. "Same reason you're here. "Or didn't you come for the selection?" He added.

"Yeah. The selection. Who wouldn't come for that." She replied trying to keep her voice neutral.

"But I must confess I'm surprised to see you here. You were never one to take interest in the selection."

"It's not like I'm excited about it. I just came to see how the whole process goes. And to see the face of the alpha."

"Hmm,.... I smell something fishy. Let's go to the venue, girl!"

"So, what are you going to do when you see the alpha's face?" Max asked her as soon as they got to the selection venue.

"I don't know yet. Kill him maybe" she answered indifferently.

"What!?" Mac exclaimed, pure horror evident in his face.

I was joking." She burst into laughter and Mac joined in.

He was always like that, easy going and ever so innocent and naive. Right from when they were very little. He would never hurt a fly, let to talk of hurting any member of the pack.

He had always been following Bella around since she always fought off the bad wolves that bullied him when they were young. And he is still like that now, so soft hearted.

"Is he attractive?" Bella asked him, trying to picture how the alpha would look like in her mind.

"That doesn't begin to describe him." He replied, making Bella roll her eyes.

"So? What's so special about that? Is that why all these girl are giggling and won't keep shut since?"

Mac tilted one side of his lips and gave her a dirty look. "You know sometimes I wonder if you even like men at all." He said.

Bella smiled. "What I'm trying to say is they are all taking this thing serious. It's just for one night. Just to entertain the lycan king. They are too dressed up for that."

"Seems like you don't even know what it means to entertain alpha Aiden." He paused, shaking his head.

"It means you have him all to yourself. You'll be alone with him, without anybody. Not even his personal body guard."

That caught her interest. "Really? Are you sure?"

"Of course. You think the girls are just------" The rest of what Mac has wanted to say was swallowed into his mouth, as everywhere fell dead silent.

"Here comes the lycan king, alpha Aiden of crystal pack." Someone announced.

Bella squeezed her eyes shut, preparing herself to finally get a look at the face of the monster who murdered her parent brutally.

But when she opened her eyes, what she saw had her frowning and frowning again. Her whole body muscles tensed up.

What is going on here!? She wondered in horror.

Maybe she was seeing things due to the fact that she had exhaust her energy earlier. The face of the alpha only become clearer.

There he was, standing in front of the whole pack in all his glory. His hazel eyes exuding a frightening spark.

She gasped in shock. "What!? Mr cold is really the alpha!!?"