The Alpha's Mistress ??

Word Count: 2032

~Sienna

The sun is rising, rich orange hues strolling across the bedroom walls, eating away at the shadows.

I haven't slept. My body is fatigued, yet my mind is wired.

All night I've sat, staring at the door. I've been anticipating Kayn bursting in, enraged with a terrible welt on his head, ready to hurt me for what I did to him.

And yet, the night waned on and now it is morning, and there has been no sign of Kayn.

Eventually, the sounds of the household staff going about their morning chores forces me out of bed. I dress numbly, my lids heavy.

Staff watch me with wary gazes as I make my way downstairs. They swerve around me, avoiding making any contact with me at all. I suspect they have been warned against communication with me by Christian.

As I approach the dining room, I hold my breath.

I half suspect to see Kayn at table, laughing with Christian. I expect to see him bruised and nursing a violent headache, but still present and glad to be trusted by the new leader of this household.

Instead, only Christian and Zion sit at the table, a breakfast of eggs and toast put in front of them.

I pause in the doorway, looking them over.

Zion isn't tied down now, and there is no gag in his mouth. He sits proudly in his chair, eyes flickering to the guards that pay him no mind. His compliance is based only on his inability to garner the support he needs to free himself from this mess.

"Morning," I greet softly.

My new strategy is to be calm and friendly to my brother. I'm hoping to convince him out of forcing me to marry Kayn. I need him to see that there is another way.

He doesn't respond, his jaw tight, eyes focused on his plate as he slowly chews.

I look at Zion, then back to him. "Hello?"

"I would say good morning back, sister, but this morning is hardly good," Christian mutters, shaking his head.

He's angry. Does he know that I beat Kayn over the head and he's mad about it? Or has something else gone wrong enough to put him in this foul mood.

"Didn't sleep well?" I ask tightly, glancing at Zion, who is staring at me in a way he hasn't before.

Something is seriously wrong.

Christian sets his fork down slowly, leaning back in his chair. I resist the urge to shudder under the violent intensity at which he stares at me.

"I was woken early to one of the guards pounding on my door," he exclaims slowly, his tone dark and cold. "Apparently a dead body was found in the kitchen."

Surprise flutters across my face, but I quickly smother it.

"What? Did you say in the kitchen?" I ask shakily.

He nods. "Yes, indeed."

I killed him. I was almost certain I had just knocked him unconscious, but he's dead.

"Are you certain they are dead?" I shift my hands under the table, which are beginning to shake so violently they are incriminating me.

I killed someone
 
"Considering their skull was half caved in by what we presume was a frying pan, yes, it's safe to say this person is dead," Christian snaps, his voice ringing out so loudly it makes me wince.

I roll my shoulders, feeling nauseous suddenly. "That's...unfortunate."

While the fact that I just killed someone is still settling over me, I can't find it in myself to be remorseful. If it were anyone else, I would be. Unfortunately, Kayn deserved what has happened to him...in fact, it should have happened much earlier.

Christian reads my expression, a muscle in his jaw ticking. "Oh yes. Very much so."

"Who was it?" I swallow.

His eyes narrow. "Who do you think?"
 
"Uh..."

"Shall we skip this nonsense and get to the point?" He rubs his face tiredly. "You killed Kayn."

I crack my knuckles under the table, unable to fathom how my hands were capable of taking someone's life. At least at the time I didn't intend to, but in retrospect, I should have.

"I did no such thing. I was in my room all night," I declare, squaring my shoulders.

I'm not sure why I bother lying. I was trying to be nice with Christian, to gain his trust, but it's clear that plan has gone out the window.

"A servant reported seeing you slinking about the shadows two nights in a row. They assumed you were getting food, but it's become clear you were looking for the escape route." He drums his fingertips against the table as he surveys my reaction.

I shrug. "I was looking for food. That is all. I retrieved an apple and headed back up to bed."

"Considering you're the only one here with motive to kill Kayn, I'm going to settle for the conclusion that you did it." Christian shoves his plate away, having lost his appetite.

He's not the only one. Living here again makes me feel perpetually ill.

"And if I did?"

"I'm not going to punish you, so wipe that petrified look off your face." Christian sighs raggedly. "I'm just upset, that is all. I have to find you another husband, which won't be easy."

My body relaxes, but only a touch. I've swayed my way out getting punished for Kayn's death, but not out of having a husband.

I look down at my ring finger, which is painfully bare. "I'm already married."

"Naturally, that can't stand," Christian states.

"I agree," Zion adds, looking mildly satisfied that my brother has aligned with him on this one issue.

"Shut up, Zion," I growl. He is the last person who gets a say in this. He isn't even an ally of Christian's.

Although, I suppose at any moment that could change.

I need to switch tactics. Christian doesn't respond well to my irritation. He's looking for my compliance, so he can build the family he's dreamed about. I won't get what I want unless I play into that weakness.

"Why don't we give the marriage matter a break for a while? We should connect as a family first, before we add anymore members," I say tentatively.

Zion, thankfully, stays silently. He leans back in his chair, watching our conversation curiously.

"I suppose that's a good idea," Christian relents thoughtfully.

I pick up a couple pieces of toast going cold in the middle of the table, popping them onto my plate. While I have no appetite for the food he is serving, I want him to think my guard is done, that I'm being honest.

"We should look for ways to bond, shouldn't we? This won't work otherwise."

The frustration melts from his face, and he grins. "I agree completely. I have some ideas—"

"A dinner party, might be nice," I cut in abruptly, plastering a smile on my face that I hope is somewhat convincing.

I've been considering this idea for a few days now. It's not ideal, and I'm not sure he will agree to it, but it's a way to get Onyx into this house. Once that is the case, we can start building a proper plan.

"I love a dinner party." Christian rubs his hands together.

"We need guests, of course. Do you have any friends you could invite?" I butter my toast, ignoring the grating sound of the knife scrabbing against the overcooked bread.

I would shove this knife into Christian's throat right now if it weren't for his overzealous guards.
 
Christian looks contemplative for a moment, before his face falls. "Well...no."

"Zion likely has some friends, and so do I," I state merrily. "Before you say no, understand that I'm missing my friends dearly, and would love to celebrate with them in the safety of these walls, with all your guards around."

I'm blurting words out at this point and hoping they stick.

"That is too dangerous, for obvious reasons," Christian grumbles, watching me eat. I try not to grimace as my stomach protests.

I sigh, summoning my most dejected look. "You won't even think about it?"

"I'm unsure...who would it include?" He levels a look. "Don't say Alex."

"Alex would be nice, but she's visiting family. It wouldn't be fair to drag her all the way here." And I don't want her unnecessarily wrapped up in this mess. "But having Onyx and Lucia here would be nice, after all."

I hold my breath as I await his fervent disapproval.

"I—"

"Please, Christian. You would control everything," I jump in to add. "It would make me so happy."

He silent for a painfully long time. He would be a fool to agree to this, but he wants to make this work. He can't guarantee I'll try to make our family work if he doesn't give me what he wants. Plus, he's delusional and completely out of his mind.

"Alright, I'll consider it," he concedes.

I shove down my elation. I can't get excited yet. Especially when it's not set in stone.

I do my best to smile earnestly. "Thank you..."

After breakfast, I excuse myself to my room. Christian still isn't letting me go outside for walks, even with guards present, so I'm forced to stare quietly out the window, trying to summon a fail proof plan.

As I stride down the narrow hallway toward my bedroom, I spot a servant with their head down, a pile of laundry in their arms. I almost look away, but there's something familiar about the way they walk.

And when they raise their head, I see why.

"Diane?"

She startles, almost dropping the laundry. She looks over my shoulder, then grabs for me.

"Shh, keep it down silly girl," he scolds. "Come with me."

She guides me down the hallway, pressing into a storage room that the staff here clearly use to fold laundry. I swallow my surprise, not wanting to make too much noise before she closes the door.

Once she does, she turns to me, her cheeks flushed and eyes wide. Most of her long black hair has been cut. It's now short, fanning around her ears and forehead. It's why I almost didn't recognise her on first glance.

"Why are you here?" I question, grabbing her shoulders, wanting to shake her. "What happened to your hair?"

"I needed to make sure Christian didn't recognise me when I started working here," she tells me, her voice hushed. "A very old friend got me the job."

This is bad...Diane is an innocent person who has strolled into Christian's vengeful path. If he knew she was here, he would kill her immediately.

"Why?"

"To save you, of course." She grabs my hand, squeezing it tightly. "The guards who weren't paid off by Christian alerted me that you, Lucia and Onyx had been taken by him. The moment I knew, I pulled some strings to get placed here as a servant."

"It's dangerous here, you need to leave," I tell her. "If he knows anyone I'm connected to is here, he'll have them killed, just like he did to my mother."

Diane's already lucky that she avoided his wrath. She did raise me after my mother died, after all.

"He won't know, alright? I've served him myself many times and he hasn't recognised me," she exclaims. "We can't be caught talking to each other, though."

I shift from foot to foot. "I don't like this."

"And I don't like having you here, in danger. I'm here to help in any way that I can," she assures me.

"Very well. If you're in it, then we'll do it." I take a deep breath. "I have some ideas."

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