The lights were off, and there weren't any sounds, but I felt that having the door open was a little strange.
'Is it normal for werewolves to sleep with the doors wide open?'
The only other balcony I could see had its door closed, so there wasn't much to go on.
I remained hidden behind the wall as I listened for any signs of movement inside. Five minutes passed and there was still only silence.
'Maybe there's no one inside.'
I couldn't be sure the room belonged to the Alpha, but judging by the magnificent open door, whoever lived here was important. I took a deep breath and stepped inside, watching for any movement. The cloud that was blocking most of the moonlight finally moved, causing the dark room to brighten slightly.
'What–?'
The room was magnificent, but a disaster. It looked like a fight had broken out here, with shards of broken glass and pottery all over the floor.
Thankfully, the moon was bright enough to illuminate the shards, making it easy to avoid stepping on them. But I only managed to take another step forward before I stopped.
My eyes locked on the bed, where I saw the silhouette of someone sleeping. The blanket only covered his lower half, giving me a full view of his chiseled upper body.
I wasn't a werewolf, but there was no doubt— this was the Alpha.
My pulse quickened as I drew my silver dagger. This was it, my once-in-a-lifetime chance to kill the Alpha and give humanity a fighting chance to reclaim their lost lands.
I narrowed my eyes and mapped the exact route to the bed. It would take only a second to finish him.
'Just one second, and humanity's biggest obstacle would be gone.'
I replayed the moves a dozen times, giving myself time to ease my breathing. There wasn't much time before the scent-concealing spray would wear off, but I couldn't rush this. I needed to be as calm as possible.
Closing my eyes, I let out a final exhale. The moment my eyes opened again, I sprang forward, flying towards the bed like a bullet. The silver dagger sliced the air in front of me, ready to pierce his neck.
My eyes widened in excitement as I landed directly on top of the sleeping werewolf. Victory was in my grasp.
But just as the dagger descended toward his neck, he shot out a hand, seized me by the throat, and flipped me beneath him on the bed.
In the blink of an eye, he was straddling me, pinning me down with his hands and body. I lifted my head, meeting his glowing amber eyes.
"What a surprise," he said, voice low enough to send a shiver down my spine. "The emissary of peace crawled into my bed in the middle of the night."
Everything about him screamed raw power. I fought down the instinctive terror as he looked at me like I was a rabbit.
The pressure from his grip caused me to drop my dagger. I did my best to wriggle out of his grasp, try and regain control, but it was impossible.
'I failed.'
Regret welled up as I resigned myself to fate. There was no way I'd survive having been caught trying to assassinate the Alpha.
"What are you waiting for? Kill me already. I know you want to, I can see it in your eyes!" I spat.
Behind the mesmerizing glowing eyes, I could feel the intense bloodlust. There was so much of it that I was surprised that he hadn't ripped me apart already.
Instead of replying, he simply watched me. Every moment of silence felt like a year. I couldn't understand why he was frozen in place, but I couldn't help but feel like there was a slight hesitation.
I shifted my focus away from his eyes to the rest of his face. He had a strong, square jaw and a straight nose. His eyebrows were thick, and his eyelashes were long and black. Strands of his tousled black hair hung above me. If he leaned over any closer, I would feel them across my forehead.
My eyes traveled down to the spot on his neck where the dagger's tip had grazed. 'I was so close.'
They continued downwards, taking in the sight of his broad, muscular shoulders. They weren't overly massive, like Mr. Stone Giant's, but undeniably powerful.
In fact, there wasn't a spot on his body that didn't give off a powerful aura. Even his scent was deep and musky, with an unshakable presence. It was unlike any of the wolves I had encountered before. Compared to him, the others were runts.
His eyes stayed fixed on my face. He remained silent, studying me just as I was studying him.
I tried breaking free once more, but his grip around my wrists only tightened. With my hands pinned above my head and his muscular body pressing me down into the mattress, there was no escape.
The door to his room burst open. I tried to turn my head to see who had come in, but the pillows kept my view blocked.
"Alpha! I sensed that something was off. Is everything okay?"
The Alpha didn't bother turning to look at the visitor; instead, he continued to look at me as his lips turned up into a sarcastic smile. "Look who decided to pay me a nightly visit. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't rip her apart right now."
From the newcomer's voice, I realized that it was Beta Ronan as he stepped over into view. His face remained expressionless, but I could still sense the anger directed at me.
"Alpha... the Elders..."
His grip around my wrists tightened instantly.
"Ah!" I cried out. It felt like all of the bones in my hand were slowly getting crushed.
Without saying another word, he stood up and hauled me out of the room. His grip around my wrist was like iron and excruciatingly painful.
I could sense his anger growing as he dragged me down the hall, making his way down several flights of stairs. He didn't stop once we made it to the bottom, and pulled me through another door and down yet another staircase.
The warm wooden interior changed into a dark stone hall. A heavy, damp smell hung in the air as rows upon rows of jail cells came into view.
He pulled me all the way down the dungeon hall before tossing me into the very last cell. My head crashed against the stone wall from the force of his throw, causing my vision to blur.
The iron cell door rattled as he slammed it shut.
"Filthy humans. You are all exactly the same!"
His words echoed in my mind as darkness closed in. Every bone in my body felt like it had shattered into a thousand pieces. I struggled to keep my eyes open, but eventually my body gave out.