Ezra
I stood in the middle of the garden and didn't move.
My mind felt stuck. I knew something serious was happening right in front of me, but my body refused to react. My eyes stayed fixed on the two alphas.
Alpha Allen's green eyes burned with a kind of anger I had never seen before. They almost looked like they were glowing.
The atmosphere became even more hostile.
I looked up.
Dark clouds were forming in the sky.
They weren't there a minute ago.
My chest tightened.
Allen didn't look up at the sky. His eyes stayed locked on Xenon like nothing else existed.
"I told you to get out of here, Ezra," Allen said.
His voice was low, but something about it deeply unsettled me.
I still didn't move.
I wanted to. I really did. But my feet felt glued to the ground.
Allen finally glanced at me, and the look on his face made my stomach twist.
"Fine then," Allen said.
Before I could ask what he meant, the world suddenly shifted.
One second I was standing in the garden.
The next second I was falling.
The feeling lasted less than a heartbeat.
Then I landed on something soft.
I gasped and pushed myself up quickly.
I was on a bed.
"What the hell?" I muttered.
My head spun as I looked around the room.
The sheets were dark blue. The light was barely entering the room and the scent of cedar and mint was very strong and familiar. It was that of…
My eyes widened.
"Oh no."
I knew this room.
This wasn't my room.
This was Alpha Allen's room.
"Shit," I whispered.
I jumped off the bed immediately and ran to the door.
The handle didn't move.
I twisted it harder.
Still nothing.
"It's locked?" I said, panic rising in my chest.
I grabbed the handle with both hands and yanked.
Nothing happened.
"Are you serious right now?" I groaned.
I started banging on the door.
"Hey! Open this door!"
My fist hit the wood again and again.
"Someone open this right now!"
My voice echoed in the hallway outside, but no one answered.
I pressed my ear against the door.
Nothing.
Not even footsteps.
My heart started racing faster.
It wasn't like I had some deep connection with the alpha brothers. I barely knew them. They had threatened me more times than anyone had, back in my world.
But something inside me felt very tense.
If someone didn't step in soon, one of them might actually die.
I had a bad feeling about who that would be.
And it would definitely not be Alpha Allen.
"Damn it!" I shouted, hitting the door again.
I kept banging.
And banging.
And banging.
My knuckles started to hurt, but I didn't stop.
"Somebody open this door!"
My voice cracked from yelling.
Still nothing.
Minutes passed.
Eventually I slid down the door and sat on the floor.
"Why do I even care to begin with?" I muttered.
My lips felt swollen from where Alpha Xenon kissed me. I lifted my fingers and touched them carefully.
I could still feel the warmth of it.
My chest rose and fell quickly as I tried to calm myself.
"Okay… okay…" I muttered. "Just listen. You might hear something."
I closed my eyes and focused.
If the fight was still happening outside, I should hear something. A crash. A shout. Anything.
But the hallway stayed silent.
Too silent.
I stood up again and paced the room.
"This is bad," I said under my breath. "This is really bad."
Just as I felt like I might actually lose my mind, the door suddenly clicked.
I spun around.
The door opened.
Three elf ladies walked in.
Relief rushed through my chest.
"Finally," I said, rushing toward them. "Thank god you're here."
I tried to walk past them.
They blocked me.
All three stepped forward at the same time.
I blinked.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
The tallest one stepped forward. She looked older than the others. Her hair was tied neatly behind her head.
"Alpha Allen gave us instructions," she said calmly.
"Instructions?" I repeated.
"Yes," she said. "We are to prepare you."
I frowned.
"Prepare me for what?"
She didn't answer my question.
"Only the alpha knows what he wants," she said. "Our job is to follow his orders."
My patience snapped.
"No," I said firmly. "Your job right now is to let me out of this room."
The maids didn't move.
I tried to push past them again.
Two of them grabbed my arms immediately. How the hell were they so strong?
"Hey!" I snapped. "Let go of me!"
They didn't.
The head maid spoke again.
"Remove his clothes."
My eyes widened.
"What? No, wait!"
They didn't wait.
My shirt was pulled off first.
"Stop!" I said, struggling. "I need to go outside!"
My pants were next.
They worked quickly and without hesitation, like this was the most normal thing in the world.
"Are you even listening to me?" I shouted. "Allen and Xenon are out there fighting!"
They ignored me completely.
Within seconds I was dragged toward the bath.
Steam filled the room from a large bath already waiting.
"Get him in," the head maid said.
The two younger maids pushed me forward.
I stumbled into the water.
"Cold!" I started, then realized it was actually warm.
They grabbed sponges and began scrubbing my skin.
Hard. Like they were trying to remove my skin.
"Hey!" I protested. "What are you doing?!"
"Clean him properly," the head maid instructed.
They scrubbed my arms, shoulders, chest, and back.
Then the head maid leaned closer and looked directly at my face.
"Focus on his lips," she said.
I froze.
"What?"
The maid continued speaking calmly.
"Alpha Allen made it clear there should be no trace of Alpha Xenon's fluid on his lips."
My face burned instantly.
"You can't be serious…."
They scrubbed my mouth.
"Hey! Stop!" I spoke, muffling.
They ignored me.
The cloth moved across my lips again and again until the skin felt sensitive.
When they finished washing me, they pulled me out of the bath and dried me quickly with soft towels.
Then came the oils.
The scent was sweet and it was making me dazed.
They rubbed it across my arms, neck, chest, and legs and into my... into my ass?
What the hell was going on?
I tried to wiggle out of their grip but they held me down with so much force, it was hard to believe that they were ladies—no offense intended.
"Why are you doing this?" I demanded.
No one answered. I felt invaded in more ways than I could ever imagine.
One brought out my clothes.
I stared at them in disbelief.
"No fucking way!"
The fabric looked soft and expensive, but there wasn't much of it.
The top was thin and loose and transparent.
The pants were light and clung to my hips.
"This is barely clothing," I said.
They dressed me anyway.
Then they brushed my hair and adjusted the collar.
I stood there breathing hard.
"Listen to me," I said, trying one more time. "They're going to kill each other."
The maids stepped back.
The head maid gave me one final look.
"He's ready," she said.
Just then, the door opened and Alpha Allen stepped into the room looking normal and unscathed.
Fuck.
If he looks like that then...it must mean that Alpha Xenon is dead. Shit!
"Everybody leave."
The maids obeyed like they were robots.
"Take off your clothes, Ezra and get on the bed."
No.
This was not happening.
It simply wasn't happening.