001 Threat The Alpha

The days following her kiss with the Alpha were like a dream to Evelyn.

The sudden news of a wedding stunned everyone—

The mateless Alpha is getting married?! With a wolfless no less?!

After a long struggle, Evelyn accepted Raymond's proposal--

Even if she wasn't Raymond's true mate, it wouldn't matter because no wolf in the whole world could recognize Sysiphus's as their mate right now. Evelyn's spell made sure of that.

So he has a true mate somewhere, so what? He loved Evelyn!

That's all that mattered...right?

Evelyn didn't ignore the fact that Raymond never mentioned about marking her. She had to admit that she did worry that Raymond's real mate would appear one day.

She was stealing again.

Ever since she was switched at birth, she had been stealing.

She stole a mom from a poor little girl who died without ever knowing who her real mom was; she stole the best family from Ava, who was taken by Evelyn's real mom when they were born.

And now she's stealing Raymond, from his true mate that she knew existed.

Evelyn felt guilty.

But no matter how Evelyn stalled, the wedding arrived.

Everything went according to Raymond's luxury plan, even the glider that was destined to ruin all the wedding cakes landed safely on the meadow before spreading a rain of petals--

That was Raymond's special design --

In me the tiger sniffs the rose. That was what she was to him.

Bit by bit the wedding cast away the last shred of doubt and fear in Evelyn's heart.

"I do." Evelyn heard Raymond say. His drum-like voice hid that shred of nervousness in there. Just like the cute, innocent tiger appreciating the delicate rose.

This is the man I love, Evelyn thought when the minister turned to her. This is the man that would never betray her. She was sure.

"I do--"

"I object!"

Ava's loud shout broke the air and seemed to have frozen everything, "Raymond Reid, I claim you as my true mate!"

Raymond turned to Ava with shocked eyes.

All guests were shocked, all except Evelyn.

She didn't even move. She closed her eyes with a bitter smile before she looked up at the sky when all the noise seemed to have left her. Even with Raymond's hands still in hers she knew -- she knew it was a dream too good to be true, and now it was time to wake up.

When Ava kept on accusing Evelyn of all her crimes, all Evelyn could think of was a footy question--

If she didn't poison Raymond that night three months ago, would everything be different now?

-----

Three months ago.

Swallowing the third shot of the night, Evelyn's fear-gripped nerve finally loosened up.

Though the DJ cut everyone's heart's life ten years short with the loud music, Evelyn knew the sinner for her rushing heartbeat was the man sitting on the center couch on the second floor that watched over the dancing pool--

Raymond Reid.

The youngest billionaire in the city. Rumor has it that he sleeps with a new girl every day, and destroys a hard-build company with a snap of his finger. In short, among the ruthless a-holes, he was the worst.

Yet with the coldest heart, comes the most handsome face. Raymond always wears his brown hair combed back neatly. His chin was clean and tidy, and even his nose bridge shared the tough line just like his manly figure. But it was his pure black eyes that awed people.

Hiding in the shadow cast by his high brow ridge, his eyes have the power to penetrate one's soul.

He controls the bloodline of the city, the lives and deaths of anything and everything, some even say that he has taken lives with those bare hands, and he, was the man Sarah made Evelyn come to, to beg for their lives tonight.

Good plan.

Biting her lips, Evelyn sneaked him another peek from behind her glass. She was standing by the bar on the first floor where people dance and revel, and Raymond was sitting on the second floor, watching them with hollow eyes. She had to look up to search for him.

Sitting in the middle seat of a U-shaped couch, Raymond extended his arms on the back of the seat, exposing his firm chest in an inviting way, and his long legs stretched in front of him.

As if sitting on a throne.

Among the circle of premium couches on the second floor that looked over the dancing floor, Raymond's was the most crowded. A couple of men sat with him, all with women in their arms, drinking and laughing; and there were more men standing around his couch with cold poker faces and their bulky arms folded in front of their chests, shouting "danger" in their postures.

But no woman was near Raymond.

It was like there was an invisible bubble around him that no one could enter, and he just sat there, drinking with his eyes falling on the dancing floor unfocused, allowing nothing to get close.

Dipped his head back, the man empties his drink with those luring eyes reddened at their corners, and the perfect curve of his neck gets a few excited gasps and giggles from the girls that were hanging around.

He was getting drunk.

Evelyn's heartbeat also surged when it looked like his eyes glanced over her, but unlike the girls around him, she wished she didn't have to talk to him.

Everyone knew he was worths an astronomical number, and everyone knew he never lacks gorgeous women warming his bed, but Evelyn knew a few things about him that none of his fake fans did --

He's not just the billionaire CEO of Element, top ten on the Fortune 500, he's also the 34th Alpha of Pack Millennial, the most powerful werewolf pack in the country, one that has been a secret among the human society for almost a thousand years.

In short? Those bare hands DID take lives.

And that's exactly what brought Evelyn to him tonight, and why she has to talk to him against her better judgment--

To beg him to take her family into his pack.

Her family came to his city half a year ago, and her father already made his way to the top tier of the rich among humans -- after all, her father was an Alpha before their pack broke.

And now they are in grave danger, and in desperate need of Raymond's protection.

That being said, Raymond himself was enough of a reason for anyone to be frightened --

He rules the city ruthlessly, and no one dares cross him because if he can't take care of you with money, he has many other methods that will bring you to his knees. And on top of that, being the leader of the species that values one-mate-one-life the most, Raymond never has a fixed mate himself.

It was a known fact that Alpha Raymond doesn't have a mate. 

The mateless Alpha -- that was how he was known within their secret community. People fear him for that, but few knew he was also in pain -- not having a mate takes a toll on everyone, even the most powerful Alpha.

That was why he was getting drunk -- He wanted to.

He needed to.

Evelyn has NO idea how Sarah imagined it would go to beg a man who obviously lacks a heart for mercy, but Sarah seemed to think that simply by taking the ruthless Alpha a contract that he already agreed to sign would do the trick.

Evelyn didn't have a choice.

Sarah White -- well, her biological mother -- hates her as it is, even without Evelyn disobeying her from time to time. 

After all, Evelyn was the unwanted daughter. She was switched at birth, and only came to her wealthy parents when their pack broke, but by that time they had loved the wrong daughter for 18 years, not to mention her now "beloved sister's" none-stopping endeavor of making Evelyn look bad in front of them.

Gripping the contract in her handbag tightly for a second, Evelyn stood up and headed toward Raymond's couch.

Her obvious destination instantly got a lot of curious and hostile eyes pasted on her--

A new girl coming after the king? Uh uhh, not gonna happen!

Looking mean in the most typical way, a girl stood up from Raymond's exclusive group to meet Evelyn halfway, and now the rest all put on smirks of anticipating a show.

Raymond leaned backward leisurely with his arms behind the back of the couch, watching Evelyn approaching with lazy eyes, apparently not intending to intervene when he too, looked like he wanted a good show.

Evelyn glanced at the girl waiting for her, but just as the girl opened her mouth, Evelyn raised a finger and stopped her--

Evelyn's phone rang and she stopped to take a look.

Raymond cocked an eyebrow before he laughed at the sudden change, and then the whole box burst out in laughter as Evelyn picked up the call and turned away to talk. The mean girl who was about to curse Evelyn blushed with humiliation, and it now looked like she was ready to punch Evelyn right in the face.

"Yes, mother," Evelyn answered the phone in a low, polite voice, glancing at Raymon half-heartedly as she played her hair with a finger, "...not yet, I was just about to."

The mean girl couldn't stand the humiliation and marched at Evelyn, up to no good. Evelyn sighed and murmured fast to her phone: "I know. I'll get the contract done at least, no problem."

Evelyn cut the call just in time to slip her phone back into her jeans before she dodged the girl's punch with a calm smile: "A weird way to greet your new trainer, don't you think?"

A human might slid that word off, but to werewolves who are trying to hide among the humans -- Raymond shut Evelyn a glance when she said "trainer" with a deep frown.

"What new trainer?!" The girl hissed, but hesitation crawled onto her face.

To be a trainer in a pack, one would need to be the best warrior.

Evelyn let go of the mean girl's wrist with a light nod at Raymond, and the mean girl glances back at the man in confusion, who keeps his silence as he lays backward in a comfortable posture and watches with an amused look.

"I'm sure Mr. Reid would explain to you if you NEED to know," Evelyn put on a polite smile at the girl with only patience in her tone, but somehow that didn't diminish the insult the girl took at all.

The girl rose her fist as she gripped Evelyn's collar, but Evelyn just tilted her head a little and let her eyes fall on Raymond. After a long, silent hesitation, the girl's fist didn't land on Evelyn after all.

Raymond curved his lips.

"Mr. Reid, can I talk to you in private?" Evelyn stood in front of their table, leaving the mean girl behind with only confusion in that poor little brain.

"And why would I do that?" Raymond shrugged as he sipped his drink with a teasing smile, a smile that didn't reach those dark eyes.

Swayed the contract in her hand lightly, Evelyn curved her lips: "I just thought maybe you'd want to keep it a secret that you are hiring me as a trainer for your new school."

Now even the fake smile faded from Raymond's face as his eyes landed on the contract -- no one was supposed to know about his plan for a school! This girl not only knows about it, but also got one of his contracts?!

Whatever she has to say, he knew he had to hear it.

"Raymond is not in the school business, you stupid bitch! Do your research better next time you scam, scammer!" The mean girl, who obviously doesn't know how to read Raymond's look, burst into sarcastic laughter. 

She grabbed Evelyn's arm and pulled her to the side, but this time Evelyn suddenly rose her leg and landed her foot on the mean girl's elbow before she jumped into the air and landed behind the mean girl, giving the mean girl a very standard back suplex.

"You bitch!" The mean girl crawled back to her feet, but seeing Evelyn slaps her hands to clean the inexistent dust leisurely, the mean girl hesitated on attacking again.

Evelyn shrugged before she turned back to Raymond, mimicking his teasing smile.

"Are you threatening me, little girl?" With a low, rough voice, Raymond drawled with his eyes narrowed dangerously, finally sitting up straight like a woken dragon.

"Not at all! Call it an audition for the trainer position..." Answered Evelyn cheerfully with a naughty tilt of her head, "...boss."

Raymond snorted and lay back, checking Evelyn out as if seeing her for the first time. 

The whole crowd fell in silence as they all stared at Raymond nervously -- it's not like every day they get to see someone challenging the ruthless billionaire who was used to be on top.

But to the horror of his exclusive group, Raymond smiled.

"Leave me with this miss--" Waved his hand, Raymond landed his eyes on Evelyn.

"Evelyn," Evelyn grinned at him as she watched his group leave reluctantly with hostile eyes scanning her, which she couldn't care less, "Evelyn Stone."

Evelyn sat down by Raymond's side as he took the contract from her, but soon he furrowed his eyebrows--

"Miss Stone," Raymond put down the contract, his eyes nailed on Evelyn as Alpha Aura emanated from him and the air around him chilled instantly, "This is NOT a contract for any school business."

An alpha's domination is absolute. No one could keep calm in the face of Alpha Aura because that's the same as challenging an alpha.

"I know," Not seeming to be under duress at all, Evelyn put on a perfectly innocent smile, "I never said it was."

It was just the investment deal Raymond agreed with her father, the one Sarah asked Evelyn to deliver for a signature.

Evelyn never trusted Sarah's plan, and that was why she used the contract only as an excuse to talk to Raymond when she came with her own plan --

A mate for the mateless Alpha, in exchange for her one and only wish to be granted.