Alpha's Bargain

The night is darker than usual. Amelia keep to the edge of the clearing, deliberately blending with the shadows. Its been years since she mastered the art of hiding her presence-though an Alpha, she lives in the shadow of herself being forced to admit the place of an Omega by the rejection of her pack.

She has been blamed for being the cause of her Father's death, the Alpha of their pack, and she has lived with the guilt and pain of losing her father at a tender age. The pain of being rejected and the pain of being treated as a shadow in her pack. As she moves, a sharp pain suddenly hits her in the head. She grips the nearest tree, gasping as her vision blurred.

For a moment, she is not in the forest. She stands in a clearing, her father's figure faintly visible ahead, calling her name. "Amelia..." His voice echoes, full of urgency, but before she can move toward him, everything vanish. The cold reality of the night settles back on her. Just then, she hears the approaching sounds of battle. Her father's image feeling too real, too vivid-its like a warning.

A cold shivers down her spine. The night attack, the vision, her father's voice... Could they all be a sign that his death is tied to the unfolding event tonight? She does not know what to make out of it.

Amelia steady herself and presses on, ignoring the pounding in her head.

A sharp gust of wind flows through the trees, carrying with it a scent mixed with fear, blood and danger. This attack feels different. Rogues are known for striking in disarray. This night, the pattern of movement seem patterned and deliberately staged. She scans the tree line, her heart thudding.

The sound of wolves tears through the air. Her brother, Darius, she knows him too well that he has not the guts to lead although he's the current Alpha who is suppose to be preparing the Pack for defense and holding his territory.

A loud howl runs through the night-its a rogue's signal and it growing louder.

Amelia run! Her subconscious yells. Amelia see her legs dashing in the direction of the snarls. She has been used to hiding. This night is different and she wonders what changed about her. As an Omega in her pack, she does not exist and she is used to it. As she runs, she finds the path familiar. It's one that leads to her territory and it dawns on her that the snarling sound is leading to her territory. Her heart race faster.

The pack is at risk. Yet, no one has the stamina to guard it from rogues. Since the death of her Father, the rogues have been on the rampage satisfying their insatiable blood lust and tearing down every pack in their path. Recently, there has been merciless killings of various packs and the fatal destruction of territories that shared borders with Amelia's territory.

Amelia just in time arrives her territory to see that her territory has not been infiltrated by rogues but spots Darius where he's frozen with fear by reason of the snarling sounds of rogues now closer to their territory.

Coward! "You're are the Alpha!" she shouts at him with fury in her. He looks at her, eyes wide, but could say nothing. Amelia clench her fists.

The forest by now is alive with the snarling sound of wolves running from both sides as if rejoicing to go for a massacre.

Her pulse is pounding.

Just then, a rogue wolf dash towards them aiming directly at Darius. Amelia's body swings into action before her mind could catch up. She leaps forward, shape-shifting in mid-air, her smaller Omega form standing between Darius and the rogue. A brutal clash occurs. For a moment, she fills the rogue's teeth sink into her shoulder. Amelia shoves the wolf back and prepares for another attack, the rogue suddenly freeze, -its eyes opens wide in recognition. "You're... not suppose to be alive." All other rogues stop in their tracks.

She could clearly see confusion mixed with fear in their eyes. Amelia's breath pauses. The words haunted her-what does it know about her past? All her life, she has been used to being an Omega who does not exist to her pack and here she is raising her voice to challenge her brother, standing to confront rogues and shape-shifting, all happening so fast. She needed explanations for what was happening to her. The rogue wolf fled into the woods before she could ask what it meant.

Suddenly, a tall, broad-shouldered man with glowing and piercing eyes in the moonlight stands out in the dark. His appearance sends the wolves into retreat- His presence alone silence the fight. As if he commanded the chaos itself.

Amelia's breath caught in her throat. Killian.

She had heard rumors about him-its the rogue Alpha who had united several pack of outlaws and outcast wolves while destroying many others. He is ruthless, deadly, and had one goal- Power. He curls his lips to give a smirk.

"I believe I am expected." Killian said. Why? What do you want? Amelia replies.

Killian looks around, resting his gaze on Darius. "An Alpha, but a weakling." His tone is full of mockery and disdain. Leave us alone. Amelia fights back.

Darius tries to stand tall, but the fear is palpable on his face. "We-we'll fight you off, rogue. You have no right here." "Fight me off?" Killian chuckles. "You can barely hold your own border from crumbling, yet you will fight me?"

Amelia's eyes moves to Killian, at the same time his gaze meets hers and it sends fear into her. His eyes held something far more dangerous than any rogue she had encountered.

"I'm not here to destroy your pack," Killian said. "I'm here for you Amelia." Darius replies, stepping between Amelia and Killian. "You'll do no... "

Killian moves so fast that he covers a distance in seconds closing up the gap between himself and Darius before Amelia does anything. He grabs Darius by his throat with a single hand, lifting him off the ground before tossing him to the side as a piece of paper. "You are no match for me Alpha, you're nothing but a boy playing a leader. Stay out of my way." Killian says.

Amelia shivers.

Killian leaned closer, his breath hot against her ear. "You and I have unfinished business, Amelia. Your father's death wasn't an accident." "Keep! my father's name out of your mouth rogue!" Amelia fires back at the mention of her father. But deep down in her, she is in need of answers to many questions- so badly.

"I can help you uncover the truth. If you agree to my terms. Truth about your Father's death, about yourself. For instance, you're confused about what is happening to you tonight as a weak Omega that your pack have reduced you to."

"How dare you! You lead a rogue attack on us tonight and you claim to help? Amelia wonders how he knows so much. Almost everything about her life.

Her heart races as he steps back. The pack falls into an uneasy silence. There have been a lot of questions about her father's death and she has been blamed for her father's death over the years. How his death was an unbalanced exchange of an Alpha for a weak Omega. Standing before Killian, she realized more than she ever thought that the burden of guilt is crushing her.

Amelia swallowed hard, her mind racing. This is a dangerous game, but she's already caught in it. Apart from this, from the first time she set her eyes on him, its as if something in her, lit up, like a strong pull towards Killian and another part of her can tell that he feels the same way. Amelia's emotions were running riot that night. "What do you want?"

A smile spreads across Killian's face. "A bargain, Amelia. I'll help you reclaim what's rightfully yours-if you help me take down my enemies." An Alpha rogue asking help from an Omega. She is all the more confused. Amelia suspects a foul play. It is her pack that should bargaining to get help. How's it the other way?

She gets all the more scared the more she thinks about it.

Before she could respond, a howl echoed through the forest-more rogues were coming. They must be the rogues Killian regarded as his enemies. They could feel the impact their match is having on the ground such that the ground is shaking under the weight of the advancing wolves.

They are your enemies, not ours. Why should I help you? Killian's smirk appears on his face again and in an instant rushes towards Amelia.

"Don't play games with me. You think your weak pack stands a chance against the rogues? You are not doing me a favour if you accept my bargain.

You can choose to turn down my bargain and waste away or accept the bargain and we together bring down the rogues. Or I single handedly take down the rogues and come back against your territory. You decide."

Amelia knows he's right but Killian cannot be trusted. There's a dark side to him, an evil she's not seeing yet and it makes her feel she's about to be used. Another part of her wants to accept the bargain if not for anything, to uphold her Father's legacy and preserve her pack.

Amelia is torn between two while time is running out. She has to decide-strike a deal with the devil, or face the wrath of the rogues on her own with a weak pack and a weak Alpha or risk the destruction of her territory by an Alpha rogue.

"You should be dead, just like your father," Killian said, his voice low. "I know he was betrayed by those closest to him. Just like you will be." He paused, looking toward the tree line. "But if you want to learn the truth, you'll need to make a choice tonight."

Amelia's heart pounds as the echoes of wolves grow louder, their snarls approaching. She locked eyes with Killian, the weight of the moment crashing on her. The truth about her father's death, her future, her pack, the feelings of a deep connection, the truth about herself-they all rest on a single choice.

Amelia's pulse races as her mind piece together his words. Betrayed by those closest to him? Did Killian mean Darius? Or was it someone else in the pack? She didn't know who to trust anymore.

Killian reaches out, his fingers brushing her cheek. She flinched but didn't back down. "There's more at stake here than just your pack, Amelia. Your father wasn't the only one hiding secrets."

Behind her, Darius's voice suddenly cut through. "Amelia! Don't listen to him. He's lying. He's wants to turn you against us!"

But something in Darius's tone betrays him. The crack in his voice isn't just fear-its guilt. Amelia looks in the direction of her brother. She sees the flash of desperation.

In that moment, something clicked. All the time Darius had avoided speaking about their father's death, the way he had rushed to claim the Alpha position with no proper challenge... was he involved in her Father's death?

Killian speaks, his voice soft but firm. "Join me. Together, we can uncover the truth about your father's death-and take down those responsible."

Darius's voice cracks again. "Don't listen to him!" Amelia can feel the eyes of the pack warriors on her, waiting for her next move.

Amelia is at a crossroad. The pack that had ignored and belittled her, needs her now. And Killian, the rogue Alpha, who is ruthless and manipulative, but knows more about her father's murder than anyone else, offers her a way to uncover the truth.

The howls of the approaching rogues grows louder, and the warriors surrounding them grows restless. She has seconds to decide.

Amelia took a deep breath, meeting Killian's gaze.

"I accept your bargain but on my terms." She says with firmness.

Killian's smiles and says. "It is my deal and we do it my way, Amelia." "Killian, it has always been about you and you careless if anyone." She says. How she find the courage to talk back at him or where the words are coming from, she does not know. "I accept your bargain but if it is discovered that you're connected to my father's death in anyway, it's the end of the deal."

As the echoes of the rogue pack close in, Amelia feels the weight of her decision settle on her. She has chosen the path of danger, and no going back. There is no turning back.

Amelia can only think of the dangers and uncertainties that lies ahead and braces up to confront them.