The Alpha Behind The Mask-Chapter 13: Not Human

​Aurora’s POV

​The packhouse was busier than usual today, buzzing with activity. After passing through three security checkpoints, a stern-looking Beta led me to the executive wing. My new workspace was a sleek, glass-topped desk situated directly outside the heavy mahogany doors of the Alpha King’s private office.

​I sat down, smoothed my skirt, and tried to stop my hands from shaking. Every time I closed my eyes, I felt the phantom pressure of "the masked Dom’s" lips on mine or the terrifying speed of that drive. I shook my head. I had to stay focused. I was here for James. I was here to work.

​A few minutes later, the elevator at the end of the hall chimed.

​I stood up instinctively as he approached. Today, he wasn’t in the formal suit from the interview. He wore a fitted charcoal sweater that hugged his broad shoulders and dark tailored pants. He looked devastatingly handsome—and dangerously familiar. That walk, that heavy, grounded energy... it made the hair on my arms stand up.

​"Good morning, Your Majesty," I murmured, bowing my head.

​He didn’t stop. He gave a sharp, curt nod, his sea-blue eyes tracking over me for a split second before he disappeared into his office. The scent he left behind—forest rain and whiskey—swirled around me, making my head spin. Why does he smell exactly like that man from the club?

​I sat back down, trying to shake the thought. To distract myself, I began searching his name on the internal pack database and the news.

​Rumored: Alpha King Oliver is said to be in a long-term, private relationship with Cassey, the daughter of Alpha Ronna.

Fact: He has held the throne for two terms—six years of absolute, unchallenged rule. He is known for his ruthless efficiency and a "no-mercy" policy regarding pack traitors.

​I chewed my lip. He was powerful, established, and apparently spoken for. That should have made me feel safer, but it only made my chest tighten.

As I scrolled further, a picture suddenly caught my attention.

My breath hitched.

It was her.

Cassey.

She stood beside the Alpha King in the photo, her arm looped casually through his. She was tall, elegant, and effortlessly beautiful. Long dark hair, flawless skin, and a confident smile.

They looked... right together. Perfect, even.

But something twisted painfully in my chest—something uncomfortably close to jealousy.

​Suddenly, the intercom on my desk let out a sharp buzz. I pressed the button, my heart leaping into my throat.

​"In my office. Now," his voice boomed—deep, resonant, and chillingly similar to the one that had whispered in my ear last night.

​I stood up, grabbed my notepad, and pushed the heavy doors open.

​When I walked in, he was going through a document, acting like I wasn’t standing before him. My eyes drifted to his wrist, but once again, the sleeves of his sweater were long. I frowned to myself... what was I actually looking for? The tattoo? This was ridiculous. The Alpha King couldn’t be the masked Dom. He couldn’t be an assassin. My mind had to be playing cruel tricks on me.

​I stood there, shifting my weight from one foot to the other as the silence stretched. He finally looked up from the documents, those piercing sea-blue eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made me want to shrink and stand taller all at once.

​"Sit," he commanded, gesturing to the chair across from him.

​I obeyed, clutching my notepad to my chest like a shield. He didn’t speak immediately; instead, he leaned back, his nostrils flaring slightly as if he were trying to catch my scent. His expression shifted from cold professional to deep, mounting confusion.

​"I’ve been sitting in this room with you for several minutes now, Aurora," he began, his voice dropping to a low, vibrato hum. "And yet, I can’t feel your wolf. I can’t even catch a hint of her aura. Are you... human?"

​I swallowed hard, the lump in my throat feeling like a stone. This was the question I dreaded most. In a world of shifters, being "empty" was like being a ghost. "No, Your Majesty. I’m a werewolf. I just... I haven’t shifted yet."

​He lifted a dark brow, his gaze sharpening with genuine confusion. "You’re twenty, Aurora. Most of our kind shifts by sixteen. Why?"

​"It’s a long story," I whispered, looking down at my lap.

​"I’m the king," he said, and for a fleeting second, the coldness in his eyes flickered into something that looked almost like worry—or perhaps it was just the intensity of his focus. "I have nothing but time for the stories of my subjects. Speak. I’m all ears."

​I took a shaky breath. I hated telling people this. It made me feel broken, a defective member of the pack. "After the death of my family... I went mute for over a year. I was emotionally absent, trapped in the memory of the scene. The trauma took a toll on both my mind and my body. The doctors and healers said the shock was so deep it suppressed my wolf. Since then, I haven’t been able to find her. I’m... stuck."

​Alpha Oliver blinked. The ruthless king, known for his ’no-mercy’ policy, stayed silent for a long beat. I expected him to scoff or tell me I was useless as an assistant to a king if I couldn’t even shift to defend him. Instead, he leaned forward, his elbows resting on the mahogany desk.

​"Trauma is a powerful cage," he murmured, and for a moment, he sounded exactly like the masked Dom did when he warned me about the dark. "But every cage has a key, Aurora. Perhaps you just haven’t been pushed hard enough to find yours."

​Without another word, he reached for a leather-bound folder on the edge of his desk and slid it toward me. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

​"Read this," he commanded.

​I reached out to take the document, and for a split second, our fingers brushed.

​The reaction was instantaneous. A violent, electric shiver shot up my arm, vibrating through my entire chest. My breath hitched, and for a terrifying moment, I thought I might actually lose my balance.

​I looked up at him, my heart hammering against my ribs, but Alpha Oliver remained perfectly composed. If he felt the lightning between our skin, he didn’t show it. His face was blank and controlled.

​"Go through it," he said, his voice steady. "I need those figures summarized by lunch."

​"Yes... Yes, Your Majesty," I stammered. I stood up quickly, my legs feeling like jelly, and offered a shallow bow. I needed to get out of this room. I needed to breathe air that didn’t smell like him.

​I turned to leave, my hand already reaching for the heavy brass door handle, when his voice stopped me dead in my tracks.

​"One more thing, Aurora."

​I turned back, my heart sinking. He was leaning back in his chair now, his sea-blue eyes tracking me with a predatory stillness.

​"Get prepared. You will be escorting me to a business dinner tonight at 7:00 PM," he stated. It wasn’t a request; it was a decree. "Dress well. A car will pick you up from your flat at six-thirty."

​I stood there, stunned into silence.

​"But, Your Majesty," I started, my mind racing. "I... I don’t think I have anything appropriate for—"

​"I don’t accept excuses," he interrupted. "If you lack attire, there is a credit line at the boutique downstairs under my name. Use it."

​He looked back down at his paperwork, effectively dismissing me. I walked out of the office in a daze, my mind spinning.

​