Chapter 4 Could this be Fate

Eloise did her best to avoid making eye contact but she failed.

Her gaze flickered toward him, helplessly, involuntarily. The moment their eyes met, regret surged through her chest like a punch.

His golden eyes locked onto hers like a predator snaring prey. He didn't blink. Didn't smile. He just stared, too amused, too aware. His lips curled into a slow, knowing smirk. Then, still staring straight at her, he kissed the woman in his arms, deeper this time. Hungrier. Wetter. It wasn't a kiss; it was a spectacle.

It was deliberate.

The woman moaned softly against his mouth, her long fingers tangling in his dark hair. She arched into him, loving the attention. Eloise knew her name Amelia Javis. One of the Scarlet Heart's top escorts. Tall, statuesque, with legs that went on forever, and a face so sculpted it looked unreal. She oozed sex and poison in equal measure. Her beauty was the sharp, cold kind, the kind that didn't warm when she smiled. Because she never smiled. She smirked. She owned every room she entered.

Eloise dropped her gaze, her face burning. Shame crawled up her spine. She turned quickly and pressed the elevator button like her life depended on it.

Get out, get upstairs, forget this. The thoughts ran through her mind and then.... The mans voice rang

"Stop."

With just one quiet, firm and lethal voice Eloise froze. Her finger hovered over the button panel. Her pulse stuttered. That voice held the weight of command, of someone who wasn't used to being ignored.

"I.... I wasn't watching," she said quickly. "I was just going to the fifth floor. I didn't see anything."

"You stared," he said, tone unreadable. "And you froze when I said stop."

"I'm sorry," she murmured. "I didn't mean to......"

"What's your name?" the man asked playfully, she flinched. "I'm not supposed to give my name to guests."

"Which floor?"

"Fifth."

"I'll ride with you."

She turned her head slightly, panicked. "You really don't have to......"

"I wasn't offering. Get in." He commanded. The elevator doors opened with a ding that sounded far too loud. She stepped in, her pulse thundering. He followed, filling the small space with heat and menace.

Amelia's voice floated after him, coy and amused. "Alpha Astra, don't keep me waiting long."

Eloise felt her blood run cold.

Alpha Lucian Astra!.

The name hit her like a blade. One of the most dangerous Alphas in the North. Known for his unpredictability, his brutality, and his complete disregard for consequences.

Lucian didn't answer Amelia. He just pulled a sleek black card from his coat and tossed it toward her.

"Sign my name," he said flatly. "Buy yourself something that sparkles."

Amelia laughed softly, the sound like broken glass wrapped in velvet. "Don't be too long, darling."

The doors slid closed. Silence followed.

Eloise pressed herself against the corner, her heart racing. The scent of him overwhelmed the tiny space, woodsmoke, cold steel, pine. He smelled like power. Like the wilderness. Like danger.

"You always that shy?" he asked, voice low and edged.

"I just clean," she said quietly. "That's it."

He stepped closer. Not touching, but near enough she could feel the heat coming off him.

"You're not just a cleaner," he said. "You move too quiet. You watch too closely. What are you really doing here?"

She stiffened. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Liar." He said

Her fists clenched at her sides. "I said, I clean. That's all."

Lucian studied her, golden eyes narrowing slightly. "You flinched when I touched her. But you didn't run. You didn't look away fast enough."

"I wasn't watching you," she snapped. "I was trying to mind my own business."

A flicker of amusement crossed his face.

"You don't scare easy. I like that."

"I don't care what you like," she bit out.

The elevator chimed. Fifth floor.

He stepped toward her, close enough that their bodies almost brushed. "You're hiding something, cleaner girl. I'll find out what."

"You don't scream. You don't beg. That makes you very interesting."

Eloise turned, her eyes blazing. "I'd rather be invisible."

Lucian chuckled. "You were. Until now."

"Mm," he hummed. "Or maybe you're hiding something."

She didn't answer.

He pushed off the wall, stepping more closer. "You don't belong here. Not really. You're too... contained."

"I told you I'm just here to clean," she replied with a flat voice. "That's all."

He chuckled, low and deep. "Everyone at Scarlet Heart is running from something. What's yours?"

"Please," she said, her jaw clenching. "Let me do my job."

He moved behind her, close. Too close.

"You think I'm dangerous?" he murmured near her ear. "Because you don't smell afraid."

Eloise bit down on her tongue. Don't show him. Don't react.

"I'm not convinced. You didn't flinch," he added. "Not when I touched her. Not when I said I'd ride with you. That's rare."

"Maybe I've seen worse, and why do you keep saying that over at over again?" she muttered.

That earned a sharp laugh. "I don't doubt that."

The elevator shuddered to a halt. Neither moved. Then, without warning, his hand slid along her hip. Casual. Possessive.

She jerked away like he'd burned her. "Don't touch me."

He raised both hands slowly, smiling. "Sensitive."

"I'm not one of your girls," she snapped.

"Oh, I know," he said, and there was something dark in his voice now. "But maybe you should be."

"I'd rather die."

"Careful," he murmured. "That can be arranged."

Silence pulsed between them.

Then, more softly, like he was speaking to her wolf, "You've got something under there. Not just pretty curves. Something old. Wild."

She backed away, breathing hard. Her pulse was screaming.

He tilted his head, eyes narrowing.

"What are you, little cleaner?"

Eloise said nothing, she just shook her head.

The doors finally opened, Lucian stepped out, slow and smooth. But he turned back before the doors closed.

"I'll find out," he said.

Eloise met his gaze for half a second, and saw the promise in it.

His lips curled again. "You don't scream. You don't beg. I like that."

Then he was gone.Eloise's knees buckled as soon as the doors slid shut.

Her life, once hidden in shadows and silence had just been cracked open.

And she had no idea how to seal it again.