The Blood Alpha

o n e

WARNING - Mature content ahead.

Shyla gazed absently at the man above her.

She watched as the muscles in his arms swelled, harshly gripping the sheets they laid in. His chest heaved and shuddered with every movement, moans of pleasure slipping out of his lips.

His head bobbed down as he reached to brush his lips against hers, but she sharply turned, twisting her head out of reach. She opted to gently place her hand on the man's lips and offering him a shy smile to hide her underlying grimance. She guided the man's lips to her neck instead, tilting her chin upwards to expose the juncture of her neck.

She could barely stand to kiss another man. The action seemed too intimate... too innocent for a person like her.

She of all people could barely claim to have an innocent bone in her body. She could practically laugh at the idocy of hardly asking for the man's name before allowing him to drag her into his bed.

She barely flinched as the man roughly grabbed her hips, thrusting in an increased tempo as he began to reach his climax.

She melted into his grasp as she whispered out a small moan. The rush of oxytocin overtook her and her back arched off the bed as she closed her eyes to devour the moment of bliss.

But the relief was gone as soon as it arrived.

Visions of the nightmares that plagued her sleep overtook her thoughts and her jaw clenched at the thought of having to face them. Her late night 'routine' could barely spare her a few moments of blissful ignorance before she was submerged into them again. She sighed in annoyance as the man crumbled on top of her before pushing off to lay on the bed. Shyla patiently waited for the man's breathing to slow into a deeper state of his slumber before making her escape.

XXXXX

Shyla quietly made her way through the winding route towards her home. The shabby apartment was located in the heart of the city's slums, a place no sane person would ever enter. It had been dubbed the "penny point" of the Kruthian territory; a place for beggars and theives. It was almost laughable at how the bright lights of the Inner City mockingly glared into the slums, the iluminated castle creating a stark contrast to the obsidian sky.

It was all just a blantant reminder of what those who lived here would never have.

Shyla scoffed as images of the flithy rich royals entered her mind. She could imagine them drinking to their heart's content, practically spilling with ridiculing cackles. They would fill their stomachs until they were as plump as the roasted pigs they devoured. Their kingdoms's most extravagant finery and gold would adorn their bodies, revealing their status and wealth. However, their riches spoke volumes about their lack of generosity, always turning up their noses when their people asked for a living wage. Yet, somehow they deign to wonder why more and more people are resorting to finding housing in the slums. Such typical human thinking. Shyla sighed in annoyance, it wasn't like the Alpha's were much better either. Lord only knows what happens within the sheltered borders of their packs. Shifter hierarchy was law and disobeying your Alpha would result in being thrown out of your home and being branded a rogue. Unless some other pack was willing to take you in, you basically had a bounty on your head.

Truthfully, Shyla didn't really mind living in such impoverished human territory, practically anything was better than living under an Alpha. Word had began to spread about The Wraith, a title some locals bestowed upon her when no sliver of her identity had was left for anyone to access. It was a fitting name, with words of her assasinations and thefts spreading across the streets. She had smirked as whispers of some vigilante-type who was exposing hidden secrets and leaving murders in their wake.

However, the newfound popularity had become quite irksome in the way that Shyla had to be extremely careful when considering her identity. That also lead to having to ponder where she choses to live. This inconspicuous place in the slums seemed to be the most suitable option for her.

Shyla picked up her pace as she approached the apartment she called home. A grimance brushed her face as she observed the musty yellow paint peeling from the outer walls, the gated metal door cracked open. Noting that most of the lights inside the flat were off, she slid the key into the lock slowly turning until she heard the silent click of release. She sagged in relief as she noticed no movement in the halls, hopefully she could sneak in unnoticed. She snuck into her room, shutting the door before turning on the lights.

"Do I even want to know where you've been?"

Shyla jumped in shock, turning to see her brother, Mikhail, sitting on her bed, arms crossed in front of his chest. Hailing from a mixed family, the both of them barely looked alike, most people they meet not even noticing their relation. Mikhail had adopted more of their father's Rekkarian looks, having blue eyes, straight black hair, and a light tan skin, while Shyla had her mother's tribal Kavsalyan features, a mess of curly locks and brown eyes so deep, they could pass off as black. The only semblance she and her brother shared were their similar dark hair and skintone.

"Oh my god Mikhail you scared me."

"Where did you go tonight?"

Shyla huffed, throwing up her hands, "I went to the bar," It technically wasn't a lie, she had gone to the bar, only after that had she followed that man to his house.

Mikhail frowned, looking back at Shyla expectantly.

Shyla simply raised her brows in response, "I'm 24 years old, I don't need to explain myself to you."

Mikhail sighed, rubbing his forehead tiredly, "Fine, don't tell me. But Shy, I know that you've been sneaking out for the past two weeks. I thought that you would stop, but you didn't. I need to know what's going on."

Shyla looked down in reluctance, "I don't feel like talking about it."

"Okay that's fair, but you will let me know before you leave the house from now on. I know that you're more than capable of protecting yourself, but we literally live in a slum. It make me nervous when my sister suddenly disappears," Mikhail got up from the bed, making his way out of the room, "I got a lead on the Novrios Alpha, get ready to check out their pack tomorrow."

Shyla hummed in response, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Author's section

AHHHHH!!!! I'm so excited for this book. I've put in so much work with the world building and character development for you guys, and I really hope you enjoy this book!

Also, to all the people who read the old version of this book, "The Blood Alpha," what do you think of Avira, now named Shyla so far? I promise we'll get into her background more soon!

P.S. Throughout this chapter I was writing while eating 'Death by Chocolate' ice cream an honestly, I can't imagine anything better. What's your favorite food or thing to snack on when you're bored?

Thanks for reading,

Meena Krishna