Chapter 6 A Gracious Host

“Have I not been a gracious host?” he said.

His voice was almost a whisper, yet it seemed to send a subtle vibration across the room, like the air itself responded to him.

For a moment, I was lost in the sound of it.

A few seconds passed before I was able to pull myself out of that dreamlike state.

“What do you mean?” I asked, then cleared my throat when I realized my voice sounded strained, as if something were stuck in it.

“I asked, have I not been a gracious host?” he repeated.

Of course, I heard him the first time.

“What do you mean, host?” That was the part I was struggling to understand.

“This is my pack. As the Alpha, I am the host to any visitor who comes here,” he replied simply as he stood up and walked toward the window.

The way he carried himself was regal, as if the world itself existed to serve him.

He was just waering a black pants and a plain dark blue shirt well tucked in. His sleeve folded below the elbow, and three buttons were left open at the top, giving me a glimpse of his chest.

Despite dressing so simple, it appear as if he is the king of the whole world.

A goddamn sexy king, if I may add.

I watched his back. It looked strong, unyielding. Yet for some reason, I could not ignore the strange sense of loneliness that seemed to cling to it.

“Wait… what did you just say?” Only then did his words fully register in my mind.

“What did you mean, Alpha?” I asked.

He turned toward me, his face still holding the same emotionless expression it had worn since I first saw him.

“I am Alpha Orion Nightfang, and this is the Blackmoon Sovereign Pack.”

The moment the words left his mouth, my legs gave out beneath me, and I dropped to the floor.

He looked at me, then slowly walked over and helped me to my feet.

“So, have I not been a gracious host?” he asked again.

Would he smile if I said yes? Would he believe that what he did was right if I agreed?

Now that I thought about it, Vincent and Carol had kidnapped me because their Alpha ordered them to.

“You had me kidnapped,” I gritted out.

Despite the overwhelming sense of safety his presence brought me…

Despite the fact that a very annoying thought had been in my head since the moment I laid eyes on him…

A thought I never believed I could have about any man, yet it kept trying to take over my mind…

Despite all of this, I refused to be a girl who left her fate in the hands of others again.

“You changed my clothes without my consent, and now you are here asking me if you are a gracious host?”

I stared at him, and for the first time, an expression flickered across his face.

Sadly, it lasted only a moment.

“I suppose I have not been a gracious host,” he said.

“No, you have not. How can you kidnap someone and still ask if you are gracious? Of course you are not, and I will never accept that you are,” I snapped.

I did not know where this courage was coming from.

He was Alpha Orion. Many feared him.

Yet for some reason, I felt no fear at all.

Even when I tried to force myself to fear him, because that was the logical reaction, I simply could not.

He stared at me calmly.

I waited for him to speak. The silence stretched long enough to make me feel like I might lose my mind.

He stepped closer. For a brief moment, I saw something flash in his eyes. Hunger… and confusion.

But before I could make sense of it, it was gone.

“I suppose I will have to make you stay until you admit that I am a gracious host,” he said, stopping just a few feet away from me.

Sensing the challenge in his words, I stepped closer to him.

Close enough to catch his scent.

It reminded me of the forest. Wild. Untamed.

“I will never say it,” I replied, pouring all my willpower into the glare I fixed on him.

We locked eyes for a few more seconds before he let out a quiet sigh and turned to leave.

The moment he was gone, my body gave out, and I collapsed onto the floor.

“That was intense,” I muttered under my breath.

I had been ready to leave, run till I get to the safety of the forst, but after that confrontation, it felt like all my energy had been drained.

As I remained on the floor, I heard a knock on the door.

For some reason, I knew it was not him.

“Come in,” I said.

The door opened, and Carol walked in.

She looked brighter than before, almost glowing with energy.

Even though she had helped kidnap me, I found it difficult to feel angry at her.

She had only been following her Alpha’s orders.

“Selena, it seems you have met the Alpha,” she said as she took a seat on the bed.

“Yes,” I replied as I stood up.

“So, what do you think?” she asked with a smirk.

“He is obnoxious, rude, sexy and has no sense of boundaries,” I said through clenched teeth.

Carol raised an eyebrow.

“Did you just say sexy?.”

I froze.

Right.

I had no idea that I had added my inner thought to the statement

“No, that is all,” I denied quickly.

Carol smiled and shook her head.

“You are not the only one who thinks that, honey,” she said as she stood up from the bed.

“Well, it is time for breakfast. Come on, let’s go find something to eat.”

My eyes widened slightly.

In most packs, meals were communal. Even if not everyone attended, a large number always gathered, especially for breakfast and dinner.

“Will everyone be there?” I asked cautiously.

“Yes. You will be meeting everyone,” she replied as she grabbed my hand and pulled me along.

My heart began to pound loudly in my chest.

I could not help but wonder what they would think of me when they saw me.

A latent.

Yet beneath that fear, something else stirred within me.

Excitement.

Because I knew I would see him again.

Alpha Orion.