CHAPTER 21: CHAPTER 21

There are three things I’ve learned about the psycho Alpha so far:

1. He enjoys killing people as much as normal people enjoy eating cake.

2. His inner voice is scarier than his real one.

3. The more scared you are, the more interested he becomes.

Which is why today, I decided to do the unthinkable. I was going to act normal. No more trembling, no more flinching, no more eyes darting to the nearest exit. If he thought I was calm, maybe he’d stop staring at me like I was a rabbit he couldn’t wait to skin.

At least, that was the plan.

I woke up early, washed my face, and practiced in front of the mirror.

"Good morning, Alpha," I said to my reflection, forcing a smile. It looked less like a smile and more like I had stomach cramps.

I tried again. "Good morning, Alpha."

Better. My voice only cracked once. I even practiced walking without clutching my hands or shuffling like a prisoner on her way to the gallows.

By the time I left my room, I was feeling semi-confident.

I lasted exactly three minutes before everything fell apart.

The Alpha was already in the corridor, speaking to one of his Beta officers. His eyes flicked toward me as I approached.

"Good morning, Alpha," I said brightly, just like I practiced.

"She’s smiling. Why is she smiling? Did she hear something? Did someone tell her something about me? He said in his inner voice.

My smile faltered instantly. "Uh—I—uh..."

He narrowed his eyes. "What’s wrong with your face?"

"My—my face?" My hands flew up defensively. "Nothing’s wrong with my face!"

"She’s hiding something. I should pin her to the wall and make her talk. He said in his inner voice

I laughed nervously. "Nope, nothing, totally fine, just... face stuff. You know. Normal."

He stared at me for another long, tense second before dismissing the Beta and walking past me. "Follow me."

I swallowed hard. "Yes, Alpha."

We ended up in the dining hall for breakfast. Omegas moved quietly between tables, placing plates of steaming food. The Alpha took his seat at the head, and I sat two chairs down close enough to hear him, far enough to avoid any accidental stabbing. The silence was unbearable. I had to say something normal.

So, I blurted, "Nice weather we’re having!"

He paused mid-bite and slowly turned his head toward me. "Weather?"

"Yes! Sun’s out, sky’s blue. Perfect for... uh... hunting?"

"She’s trying to make small talk. Maybe she thinks if she talks like a friend, I won’t kill her. Interesting. He said flatly in his inner voice.

I forced a laugh. "Not that you would kill me, of course, haha..."

His gaze sharpened. "Why would you say that?"

Panic. Pure panic. "I—I meant—uh—kill game! Like hunting game! Deer! Rabbits! Not me! Definitely not me—"

"Rabbits? she really does look like one. I wonder how she’d taste roasted. He said in his inner voice.

I nearly choked on my own saliva. My hands flew to my mouth, and I coughed violently. Omegas passing by gave me strange looks. The Alpha simply watched, sipping his drink, like he was enjoying the show.

When breakfast ended, he stood.

"Walk with me."

Not again.

But I followed. We passed through the courtyard, and I made a conscious effort not to trip, flinch, or breathe too loudly. Halfway through, I decided to keep the "acting normal" thing going. "So, Alpha," I said, "do you... uh... have any hobbies?"

He stopped walking. "Hobbies?"

"Yes! You know—things you like to do for fun?"

Inner Voice (dark humor): Fun? I like killing. Breaking bones. Watching fear spread in someone’s eyes like ink in water.

I froze, every nerve screaming abort mission. "Oh. That’s... nice."

He raised a brow. "Nice?"

I nodded quickly. "Everyone needs a hobby."

We resumed walking, but I could feel him looking at me. Not in the "you’re cute" way more in the "I’m deciding if I should peel your skin" way.

"You will stay with me the whole day.

"Oh God, please save me. "Yes Alpha" I answered

By midday, I thought maybe I was doing okay. I hadn’t fainted, screamed, or accidentally insulted him. That changed when we entered the west corridor and ran into a young omega carrying a basket of laundry.

The omega bowed low, but her hands shook, and one of the shirts slipped out of the basket. The Alpha’s gaze locked on her instantly.

Careless. Weak. I should strangle her with that shirt. He snarled in his inner voice.

Before I could stop myself, I blurted, "It’s fine! She’s fine! Everyone makes mistakes!"

The omega’s eyes widened. She clearly had no idea why I was defending her so aggressively. The Alpha looked from her to me, expression unreadable.

"You seem very invested in her survival," he said.

"I’m invested in everyone’s survival!" I said quickly. "Big fan of people staying alive. Huge fan."

"Would she still defend someone if I killed them right in front of her? He asked in his inner voice he was now curious.

I swallowed so hard it hurt. "A-Alpha Let’s... keep walking?" I said almost running. The rest of the day was a blur of me overcompensating holding doors open for him, complimenting his coat ("Wow, Alpha, you always look so sharp!"), laughing at things he didn’t even say, and pretending I wasn’t listening to every murderous thought in his head. By the time the sun set, I was exhausted. My jaw hurt from fake smiling, and my hands hurt from clenching them every time his inner voice got too dark. We returned to the main hall. He stopped and turned to me, his gaze like ice.

"You were... different today," he said slowly.

"Oh?" I tried to sound casual. "Different good or different bad?"

"She’s hiding something. Tomorrow, I’ll find out what. Stupid toad. He said in his inner voice

"Different," he repeated, then walked away without another word. I stood frozen in place, every hair on my neck standing on end. So much for acting normal.

I have a new nightly ritual now. It’s called Not Sleeping At All Because The Psycho Alpha Exists.

But tonight, my body betrayed me. One moment I was lying in bed staring at the ceiling, the next I was somewhere else entirely. The dream started normal enough. I was standing in a sunny meadow, holding a basket of bread rolls. Birds chirped, the grass swayed gently idyllic, peaceful. I almost forgot I lived in constant terror. Then, I heard it.

His Inner Voice (soft, far away): There you are, little rabbit.

I froze. My heart gave a violent thud. The birds stopped singing. The meadow went silent, the sky dimming to a sickly gray.

"You can run, but I’ll find you. He said in his inner voice but closer now.

My legs moved on their own. The basket of bread hit the ground as I bolted, feet pounding over the grass that was quickly turning to something wet sticky red. I didn’t look down. I didn’t want to know if it was blood.

"Faster I want to hear you breathe harder. He said in his inner voice almost playful now.

My lungs was burning and My vision tunneled. The meadow melted into the pack’s courtyard, except everything was wrong the walls leaned in, the air smelled like copper, and bodies hung from the training poles like decorations. I rounded a corner and there he was.

Not the real him, but dream him. His smile was too wide, his claws too long.

Inner Voice (whispered): Caught you.

He lunged. I screamed. I sat up with a jolt, gasping, drenched in cold sweat. My heart was pounding like I’d actually been running. I looked around my room, reassuring myself it was just a nightmare. The faint moonlight through the window, the familiar worn desk, the chair in the corner

Wait. The chair in the corner wasn’t empty. He was there.

The psycho Alpha was Sitting like he owned the place, one leg crossed over the other, elbows resting on the armrests. Watching me.

"Awake at last. He said in his inner voice calmly

I clutched my blanket to my chest. "Why are you here?!"

"Checking on you," he said simply. Making sure you are not planning to escape

"At—" I glanced at the clock, "—three in the morning?!"

"Hehehe Time is irrelevant when I want something. He said in his inner voice laughing.

I forced a laugh that sounded more like a dying bird. "You—you could have knocked."

"I did. You didn’t answer."

"You could have left!"

His eyebrow twitched. "Is that what you want?"

"If she says yes, I’ll stay longer. He said in his inner voice growling.

My lips moved faster than my brain. "No! No, stay! Please!"

Great. Now I sounded desperate for his company. Which I wasn’t. At all. He studied me for a long moment. "You were making noise in your sleep."

I swallowed. "Noise?"

"You were... whimpering." His head tilted slightly. "Afraid of something?"

I laughed weakly. "Whimpering? That’s... funny. Maybe I was dreaming about... uh... being chased by a... squirrel."

His eyes narrowed. "A squirrel?"

"Yes. Very aggressive. Big teeth." I mimed squirrel teeth with my hands, because apparently my survival instincts had abandoned me.

He stood, moving toward the bed. Every step felt like it pressed the air out of the room. I gripped the blanket tighter, trying to pretend I wasn’t silently screaming inside. He stopped by the bed, looking down at me. "You’re pale."

"I’m always pale. A-Alpha

"If I pressed my hand to her chest, I could feel her heart pounding. He said in his inner voice.

My eyes widened. "No need to check!" I blurted before he could even think about it.

He smirked slightly, which was somehow worse than when he was expressionless. "You’re jumpy."

"No, I’m—" I stopped myself. Lying wasn’t going to work. "Okay, fine, yes, I’m jumpy. But that’s just my resting state. Very... jumpy person."

He glanced toward my window, then back at me. "Lock your door tonight."

"Okay..." I said slowly.

"Locks don’t matter. He said in his inner voice amused.

I blinked. "Actually... I think I’ll just... sleep in the kitchen."

His brow rose. "The kitchen?"

"Yes. Lots of knives. Feels safe."

"I can easily skin her alive there.

I swallowed hard. "Or maybe... I’ll just... uh... stay here. Yep. Good plan."

He turned to leave, pausing at the door. "I’ll see you at dawn."

My shoulders sagged with relief until he added:

"And I will be watching before that. He added in his inner voice coldly.

The door shut behind him.

I stared at it for a long time, blanket clutched like a shield, wondering if I should even bother trying to sleep again.

Probably not. Because with my luck... the next time I woke up, he’d be sitting even closer.