Alpha Damon, Master Ralph

The first thing that scared Isabella was the fact that she hadn't knocked yet before the invitation to come in. The second was the voice that sent shivers down her spine. 

She took in air that would be sufficient for her stay in the room before slowly pushing the door and stepping in. 

She found herself in another world. 

The room was darker than the corridor, and more spacious.

Everything screamed of masculinity: the dark walls, comfy sofas at all corners of the room, dark-brown curtains that completely kept out light, a king-sized bed by the left, and a scent she couldn't discern.

Somewhere in the pack, a sentry gave out orders, shouting at the top of his voice. It was followed by the faint gallop of horses. All the sounds and voices seemed to be coming from miles away. 

The lack of sufficient illumination did not deter Isabella from glimpsing the silhouette of the figure sitting on the bed with his back against the headboard. 

"Isabella, hope I got that right?" 

The voice again. 

Isabella could not see the face. 

"Yes, sir." 

"And I hope you've been briefed on your duties?" the voice asked, this time, the pitch going a bit higher than before. It was evident that the rumble in his voice wasn't faked. 

"Y—Yes, sir." 

Isabella stole a quick glance at the bed again. Two shiny orbs staring intently at her from the dark made her throw her gaze back to the floor. Were those his eyes?!! They looked so mesmerising. 

Curiosity did not allow Isabella a moment of peace. She wanted a glimpse of his face. Her hands itched to rip off all the curtains to allow light in so she could properly analyse his facial features.

"I detest tardiness," the alpha spoke again from the dark, his eyes blinking at the young lady. "I believe Marguax told you that, right?" 

"Yes, yes, sir. She did," the lady lied smoothly. She didn't blame the elderly woman for failing to mention something of that nature. She had also looked uneasy! "I will try my best to keep to time, sir." 

"I believe you will. There won't be any excuse for lousiness since you will be living within the walls of the pack." 

Isabella looked up, her lips parting in surprise. There were sure a lot of surprises in store for her. "I will be staying here?" 

"You weren't told?" 

"I... I wasn't." From the distance, she saw his glowing eyes blink. One looked like the colour of molten magma, the other seemed a perfect mixture of white and black, seemingly striking a colour akin to ash. 

An exhale escaped the alpha. In the darkness of the room, Isabella saw the silhouette of his hand move to... to his hair to run his fingers through the strands. That single action confirmed her guess that he had long hair. As for hair colour, she wasn't too sure. 

"Margaux tends to be so lousy when tense. Pay that no heed. You will be staying here. This way, I can easily send for you when I need you." 

"Yes... sir." The scent came again. It filled every inch of the room. There was only one comparison Isabella could give the scent: it was very familiar with the cold scent of the earth after a heavy storm. 

Just the thought of it made her crave nature... Heavy downpour, beautiful vegetation stretching for miles, the sun peeking out from behind the clouds after the storm subsided, and the scent the mix left in the earth. 

Isabella unintentionally took a whiff. It was intoxicating. It made her weak, made her knees tremble. She heard a voice, a low rumble.

It was loud enough but she couldn't make out the words. One look at the bed brought her back to earth.

"Human... You are human."

It almost sounded like an accusation. 

"Yes, I am." 

"Hmm. Let's see how long you will last." 

Now, it sounded like a threat. 

There was something about his voice that pulled her closer—just as she had unknowingly taken two steps towards the bed. There was also something about the scent and heat around him that made her boneless. Her ears felt hollow. She looked up when she felt she'd spaced out enough. 

"I said you can leave. I will call for you when I need you." 

"Thank you, sir." Isabella bowed respectfully and raced for the door. His voice pulled her back. 

"Tell Ralph I want to see him. Do that after you've settled down."

Was that her first assignment? 

She knew nobody in the pack except Margaux! 

Isabella ran out as fast as her legs allowed. She was out of the corridor and in the land of light in no time.

Palming her chest, she allowed her heartbeat to return to normal. 

Margaux was in the waiting room before she was done catching her breath. 

"How was it?" the elderly woman demanded in a rush, anxiety clearly written on her face. 

"Better than I expected. He... He briefed me a little and told me to call Ralph." 

"Is that all?" Margaux asked, eager and a little jittery.

Was there supposed to be more? 

"Yes, that is all." Isabella folded her hand in the front to suppress the visible throb from her chest. "Who is... Ralph?" 

"Oh, that is Alpha Damon's beta. You will find him in his room on the second floor." 

"Second floor?" Isabella looked up. "Isn't that the floor I just exited?"

"Nah, that's the third which also happens to be the last. Just go up these stairs—" Marguax pointed to the stairs Isabella was just coming down from. "—Go into the first corridor you see and knock on the third door. I hope Master Ralph is in his room."

"Will you come with me?" Isabella asked, a little jittery. 

"Sorry, I have to do something now. Just follow my directions." She skipped to the front door and then suddenly turned back. "Lest I forget, it's 'Master Ralph'. Make sure he is addressed with respect. When you are done, come to the kitchen. I will show you where you will be staying." 

Isabella stood rooted to a spot. Things were happening too fast, she was having a hard time catching up. She had no idea who Ralph —Master Ralph— was or where the kitchen was situated. 

Holding onto the benefits as a source of solace, she went up the stairs to the second floor. The directions Margaux gave came in handy when she saw the corridor and traced her way to the third door. She knocked. 

SILENCE. 

She knocked again. This time, she heard a little shuffle inside. The lock clicked twice before a sleepy face peered from within. 

"Who are you?" 

There was something about Alpha Damon and the males in his pack having disrespectful tones and hard voices. 

"Master Ralph," Isabella said politely, avoiding eye contact. "The alpha requested to see you in his chamber."

She heard him clear his throat before his voice came again, low and intentionally polished. 

"Ooh, you must be the new maid, right?" 

"Yes, sir." 

"Oh, stop that. Call me Ralph." 

No, Isabella didn't want that. The last time something of such nature happened, it didn't end well. "I will prefer to call you in this manner, Master Ralph." There wasn't a trace of disrespect in her voice. 

Ralph's chuckle filled the corridor like a drum roll. "It's okay. You can call me whatever you want." An invisible force pushed Isabella's face up and he smiled, "What is your name?" 

"Isabella... sir." She shouldn't have made eye contact. Ralph was on only an underwear, exposing his chest and thighs and a clear outline of something—

And Isabella's eyes went there. She threw her face to the floor immediately. 

"You may leave. I will see you around, Isabella." 

Like a gust of wind, the lady whirled and bolted for the stairs. She did not stop until she was safely out of the house. 

She palmed her chest, her breath coming out in gasps. 

Her last job was to find the kitchen, follow Madam Marguax to wherever it was she was supposed to stay, settle down, and reach out to Iora.

"Are you okay?"

"Huh?" Isabella looked back. She did not even notice that a sentry was at the door when she ran out. "Oh yes, I am fine. I am looking for the kitchen." 

"Which of the kitchens? There is one within this mansion and there is another within the pack."

Once again, Isabela became confused. "I... I don't know which one it is. I... Madam Marguax told me to meet her in the kitchen." 

"Then it should be the kitchen within the pack." He rattled off directions to her and nodded in acknowledgement of her appreciation. 

Finally, a distinguished gentleman within the pack! 

Isabella followed the directions the sentry gave with her heart in her mouth. Why was everyone treating her like she had stayed an eternity in the pack? 

One thing was sure: she had gotten the job. Now, it was just for her to endure whatever came her way until the first mouth-watering pay got into her grip. Maybe she would quit after that. The amount was enough for her and Iora to start something profitable far away from the pack and its provinces.

The sun wasn't friendly at all. Isabella felt like she was being boiled alive. 

Before she got to the kitchen, most parts of her gown had traces of sweat. The kitchen—if she could call it that—was so large that it could be described as exactly seventeen of her little shack put together.

She stood at the doorway for a while, watching the busy cooks opening lids of pots, peering in, and tasting the contents. 

Finding Madam Marguax wasn't difficult. The woman was perched directly beside a stove, her fingers flicking directions to a female cook. 

"Madam Marguax." Isabella said loud enough for her to hear. When she saw that she had gotten Margaux's attention, she smiled, "Sorry to disturb you. You told me to come here after—" 

"Yes, I did. Where are your bags?" 

There was none. And that wasn't Isabella's fault. She did not expect to be interviewed, employed, and informed to resume duties in less than three hours. 

"I did not bring anything. I had no idea I would resume today." 

"That won't be an issue. You can always go home for your things. A sentry will go with you and bring you back safely." 

"Is... that necessary? 

Marguax walked out of the kitchen, her heels clicking rapidly. Isabella ran to keep up. "Soon as news goes round that you work for the alpha as a maid, eyes would be on you. We don't want people kidnapping you and trying to draw out information—and ransom. You've seen enough of the alpha's mansion." 

"But..." But she had only stayed less than a day! "I didn't think of it that way. Is my life in danger?" she asked, her heartbeat accelerating in expectation of a positive answer.

Marguax stopped walking. With a confused frown, she turned to Isabella. It was evident that she wasn't putting on an act. "Of course, you are in danger. Wait, wasn't that part clear the very moment you got the job?"