THE ALPHA WHO ONCE LOVED ME

The rain drops falling on me was a perfect disguise for the tears that fell from my face. Nobody could tell that I had been crying for almost an hour now, not that anyone cared. The boxes were already in my car, stacked unevenly and damp from the downpour.

I slammed the trunk shut, soaking through my clothes until I couldn't tell what was water and what was grief.

I definitely couldn't stay in that house any longer. It made me sick as f*ck. Besides, there was nothing left for me here anyway, so why stay any longer?

It's funny how six months ago my life was perfect. I had a family, a job, a boyfriend who I loved very much. But now with everything gone, it makes me feel like I'm a curse. There was nothing left for me here, so I drove.

The rain blurred the road, making it hard for me to see, but it was certainly hard to miss the "Welcome to Greendale"sign. I exhaled for the first time in days.

A small town, quiet and tucked between endless woods, it was supposed to be peace. A clean slate.

I stopped to get some gas and coffee at a small diner. The store looked half dead, it made shivers run down my spine.

"Uhh...anyone there?" I called out. As soon as I turned my back to leave, I saw a man behind me.

I hadn't heard the door open, hadn't seen him come in. He was just there - tall, pale, blonde with green eyes, it looked like he'd been standing there long before I had walked in.

"I'm sorry, miss," he said politely. "Didn't mean to scare you.was out cleaning the pumps"

"It's fine" I muttered.

"I'd like to get some gas please. And maybe some coffee," I added.

His eyes trailed over me, pausing for a second at my cleavage.

"Excuse me?" I asked, folding my arms.

He blinked in realization of what it might have looked like. "Oh no, you've got it wrong," he said quickly. "I wasn't staring. I was just uh-wondering why you're wet." Then he caught his own words and grimaced. "Not that kind of wet, gosh I'm so silly."

Despite myself, a small laugh escaped.

"Great, now I sound like a creep. For the record, I'm gay. So, no offense, but you're totally safe from whatever's running through your head right now."

"Good to know," I said as a smirk formed on my face.

The guy, said his name was Eli, had poured me a cup of coffee while he went out to fill my car with gas while humming a Billie Eilish song. He seemed nice I guess. Maybe Greendale won't be so bad after all, I told myself.

I went out to pay for the coffe and gas, getting ready to leave.

"Uhh... the coffee is on the house. The diner's way of saying Welcome to Greendale" he gave me back some money and kept the remaining in his pocket. Great! I needed the extra money anyway.

"Welcome to Greendale Tessa, careful driving out there." he said, then I slid into the driver's seat getting ready to go.

My headlights cut through the mist as I turned back onto the road. But then - movement. Something shimmered at the edge of the woods. I slowed , squinting my eyes through the fog. At first, i thought it was an animal, maybe a deer.

But then I saw them- eyes glowing faintly golden, fixed directly on me. They didn't blink, they just watched.

I watched for a minute longer, until the eyes moved, and my instinct screamed to get the hell out of there. I drove faster than I had ever driven until I got to the small cottage I had rented. It wasn't as big as my house in the city, but it was now my home.

I stepped out of my car, still tembling slightly, and glanced toward the forest, checking to see if I was being followed. But there was nothing, everywhere was quiet, too quiet.

Nobody was there, but yet I couldn't shake the feeling that something or someone was still watching.

I just had to assure myself that nothing was wrong. The house looked really old school but nothing a little decorating couldn't fix. My mom, my sister and I used to do it all the time whenever we moved.God, I missed them so much.

They were my only family. My dad left not long after I was born, he didn't want another burden. So my mom became both our mother and father then. And now, the universe has taken them away for me.

Six months ago my sister and mom were involved in a car accident, a drunk truck driver smashed them on the highway. They both didn't make it.

The walls of the cottage suddenly felt smaller. Quieter. Too quiet.

I needed a distraction- a job. Something to stop me from spiraling.

So, I opened my laptop and searched for jobs nearby. The internet was slow as hell, but after a minutes, something popped up- Wolfe Enterprises. The name alone screamed and power. They handled exports, logistics, some weird forestry projects.

This wasn't my line of work but I needed to survive.

The next morning, I dressed up in a crimson fitted dress that felt too tight and too serious. I was more of a baggy tee kind of girl. My hair was tied up in a bun. I looked like a corporate version of my worst nightmare. I hated it.

"Good morning, I'm here for the Marketing assistant post." I said to the receptionist

"Did you make an appointment?' she said bluntly.

"Hmmm, no ma'am. I was wondering if I could speak to the manager or something"

"No, you have to book an appointment"

"Please I really need this-"

"Who dares come to my company without an appointment?"

I turned back to see what seems to be the CEO of the company. An extremely handsome man, which looked like sin carved in a suit. Dark brown hair and light brown eyes that could pierce through me. He looked extremely gorgeous, I didn't know when my jaw dropped.

He looked.....familiar.

"Ohh, I'm sorry sir, my name is Tessa Morgan. I'm here on a job hunt sir. I can do anything sir, anything. But I work well in the marketing department." I said quickly before he orders to have me kicked out.

"Tessa?" he said with a look of familiarity. The way he said it made something in my stomach twist.

The next words he said shocked me. "You'll be my new PA"

My mouth fell open "Are you serious?"

"You want the job or not?"

"Yes!Yes I do!"

"Good, then don't be late tomorrow." he left with only the scent of his cologne as proof of his presence.

The receptionist and I looked shocked, because it's not everyday the CEO of a freaking company offers you a job without any qualifications. That's so unbelievable.

I headed to my car and went to the grocery store to get a few things. I met Eli there, speaking to an extremely hot guy.

"Hi Eli" I walked up to him a nice catch look.

"Ohh,Tessa, look at you all dried up today" He turned, smiling. "This is my friend Jonah, Jonah...., Tessa" he said as he introduced us before the guy left.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to ruin your flirting session" I said sarcastically.

"Oh, I wish! He's way out of my league"

"Have you seen yourself?"

" Forget about me, where are you coming from looking all snatched?

"Actually..." I smirked. "You're looking at the new PA to the CEO of Wolfe Enterprises."

Eli's eyes widened. "You're lying."

"I wish I was. He practically hired me on the spot."

He blinked, stunned. "Wait-you mean Lucian Vale? The Lucian Vale?"

I shrugged. "I don't know his first name, but yeah, tall, rich, and looks like he'd ruin your life in a really expensive way."

Eli let out a low whistle. "Girl, that man's aura alone could make stock prices rise. You sure you didn't accidentally cast a spell on him?"

I chuckled. "Please. If I had powers, I'd magic myself a yacht by now."

But his words stuck with me for a second.

That aura thing... it was true. The moment Lucian walked into the room, it was like the air thickened-commanding, heavy, like gravity itself leaned toward him. He didn't need to raise his voice to make people obey. He just existed, and the world listened.

"You're quiet," Eli said, snapping me back to reality.

"I was just thinking. He's got this... presence. Like a-"

"-like an Alpha?" Eli finished for me, too quickly.

I frowned. "Yeah, exactly. How'd you know?"

He smiled, a little too easily. "Wild guess."

Something in his tone made me pause. But before I could ask, he grinned and clapped his hands. "Anyway! You just scored a job at Wolfe freaking enterprises. We have to celebrate."

"Celebrate?"

"Yeah. Drinks, music, bad decisions-the holy trinity of fun. There's a club down on Main that opens late. Don't even think about saying no."

"I don't really do parties anymore," I muttered.

Eli gasped dramatically. "Then tonight, you start again. Come on, Tessa, what's the worst that could happen?"

If only I knew.

We stopped at the mall to grab a sexy, badass dress - Eli practically dragged me in.

I liked him. He was so easy to talk to - bright, radiant, and full of life. He could easily pass as the gay best friend I never had, and the thought made me smile. My last best friend? Yeah, I caught her screwing my boyfriend. And instead of apologizing, she spread a stupid rumor about me.

"You look gorg, Tessa!" Eli said, eyes running down my dress but not in a creepy way. "Girl, you could pull a man or two if you tried."

I laughed, dry and sarcastic. "Haha. Sure."

We got to the club around 8 p.m. - probably not my smartest move, considering I had work tomorrow. But I told myself, YOLO. I needed this. I just wasn't going to drink... no matter how tempting. No fun there, but hey - we've got a job to keep.

The disco lights flashed, bass thumped through the floor, and the air reeked of smoke, sweat, and expensive perfume. It was wild. Loud. Alive.

Pretty impressive for a small-town club.

The crowd was wild - bodies moving to the beat, laughter blending with bass. I was just starting to relax when Eli froze beside me, his glass halfway to his lips.

"What?" I asked, leaning closer.

He didn't answer at first. His eyes were fixed on the entrance. Then he leaned toward me, voice almost a whisper.

"That's him. He never comes out-especially not here."

I followed his gaze.

The moment our eyes met, everything around me seemed to fade. The music dulled, the crowd blurred, and for a brief second, it felt like the air between us shifted - heavy, electric, familiar.

His gaze locked on mine for a second-long enough for my breath to hitch. Then he looked away, speaking to someone at his side, and the spell broke.

"Relax," Eli said, "you're fine. He's not even looking at-"

"Miss Morgan," a deep voice cut through the music.

Eli's mouth dropped. "Oh my God, he is."

I froze.

That voice.

Low. Commanding. Impossible to ignore.

I turned around slowly-and there he was. Lucian Vale. The man I was supposed to work for tomorrow. Standing inches away from me, his dark eyes unreadable under the flickering club lights.

"Mr... Mr. Vale," I stammered.

His expression didn't change. "Interesting place for my new PA to be spending the night before her first day."

"I-uh-I was just-"

"Celebrating? You think Wolfe Enterprises hires assistants to party before work?"

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.

Eli cleared his throat awkwardly. "She wasn't even drinking-"

"I didn't ask for your contribution, Eli." Lucian's gaze shifted to him for barely a second, and that was enough to make Eli stop talking.

"Get some rest, Miss Morgan," Lucian said finally. "You'll need it."

He leaned closer-not to flirt, but to make sure I heard him over the bass. His breath brushed my ear, calm but cold.

"Tomorrow, I expect you on time. And dressed like someone who works for me, not someone I found in a nightclub."

Lucian turned to leave, and just like that, the air shifted again - lighter, colder. He disappeared into the crowd before I could even blink, swallowed by the sea of bodies and flashing lights.

"What the actual hell was that?" Eli hissed, grabbing my arm. "Do you realize you just got caught clubbing by your boss?"

"I didn't plan this!" I said defensively, still staring at where Lucian had vanished. My heart was racing so fast it hurt. "He wasn't even supposed to be here!"

Eli shook his head, muttering something about bad luck and hot men with authority issues.

I tried to laugh it off, but I couldn't. Because even as I danced halfheartedly to the next song, even as Eli pulled me toward the bar for one last drink, I could still feel him.

His eyes.

His voice.

That calm authority that made my pulse do things it shouldn't.

By the time I got home, my heels in one hand and regret in the other, I couldn't stop replaying it in my head. The way he said Miss Morgan-like it meant something.

I kicked off my shoes and fell onto the couch, staring at the ceiling.

I should've felt embarrassed. Terrified even.

But what I felt was... something else.

A pull.

Unexplainable. Dangerous.

Like the moment our eyes met, something deep inside me woke up.

"Get a grip, Tessa," I whispered to myself.

I'd met him twice. Twice.

So why the hell couldn't I stop thinking about him? His voice echoed in my head, deep and calm, every word cutting through the music.

"Dressed like someone who works for me." I mimicked him. Arrogant bastard. And yet...my chest tightened just at the thought of seeing him again tomorrow.

The wind outside howled against the window, almost like a warning.

But in the woods beyond the cottage, something moved.

And if I'd looked outside just then, I might've seen them - those same golden eyes watching from the dark.