Taken By The Alpha

OLIVIAIn the middle of rubble, under a bridge that barely stood, with cracks in the foundation, dust rising around the entrance, which added to the ambiance, a few of my friends had founded a club. That might’ve been a stretch— it was a shack with boarded-up windows and a craggy speaker blasting sounds in the corner. But it was ours.Charity threw her hand up, a Woo rippling across the floor of the club when we pushed our way through the crowd of clinging bodies. If there was only one place for people to find escape, you bet everyone’s there all hours of the day.”My best friend is turning eighteen today, so a round of shots for everybody!” Her strawberry blonde hair swayed across her lower back. The shorts rode up when she bent over the chair, shaking her ass to a Latin song we had on repeat, while everyone cheered as two girls came out from the back in their short dresses and poured shots. Some just took it straight from the bottle, tilting their heads back- sticking their tongues

OLIVIABeing a Red Sparrow did come with many perks. You were treated as royalty. Black, sleek cars drove up the border of our pack. Gathering outside the shriveled-down church, men dressed in all black stepped out, threw nasty glances around the state of our village, to which their leaders were responsible, before opening the doors. We stood in a crescent moon, dressed in glorious gowns, hand-woven gold stitching around the chest, where in the middle, a brooch held our capes together.Masks on.Hair done.Heels high enough to accentuate our figures, but comfortable enough to dance in.The girls all had their pick of what to wear. I went with an olive-colored fabric that the seamstress weaved in against the corset underneath. Laced sleeves that covered my arms, leaving only my collarbone and shoulders exposed.”Olivia,” my mother spoke under her breath when she grabbed my hand just as I was about to follow the others.A sea of emotions bathed the surface of her blue eyes.”Don’t let t

OLIVIAA loud gasp echoed over my shoulder. Widened eyes stared at me when I turned, and the older gentleman was looking around as though to catch someone he could snitch to as he clutched his damn pearls. What a child.Nathaniel shot his hand out, resting it on the man’s chest.”Just a joke,” he turned to me. ”Isn’t that right, Olivia?”If I were killed here tonight for offending the man-child Alpha, my mother would stand no chance. She would be next, pay the price for my thoughtless actions.”Of course,” I said, quite believably, if I may say so.The older man hurried away with his date, but not before drilling a hole into my head with his piercing gaze.Looking around the room, I caught Charity’s glance, wary as she tried to make conversation with the man in front of her. Fuck…”Natha-””You hate me,” Nathaniel turned, leaning over me as the tabletop pressed into my back. ”Why?”Huh?Did he seriously ask that?It was clear that the Lockhearts had no remorse or any shred of humanity

OLIVIACars drove as though they were being chased. Men in black uniforms with red threads across the linings barged into my house. Trunks opened, bags tossed in, doors shut as though nothing had value. With fixed gazes, they made it a point not to look at the worn-down houses around mine.Most likely wondering how people could live like this. When it was they who had caused it.The sight of my mother stepping out on the porch, clutching her hands to her chest as she watched the backs of the men emptying her daughter’s room. Tears welling in her eyes, a cloud forming in the air as she let out a breath.”Olivia,” she breathed, hurrying down to the sidewalk where I watched from a distance as my life was being ripped away. From her…from me…from everyone and everything I had ever known.”Why didn’t you say no?” Her fingers dug into my shoulders, shaking me like she was trying to wake me up.”I did,” I nodded. “But because it was him, they wouldn’t accept it.”Her lips parted in silent bre

The next morning, Nathaniel had left before I woke up. It was a pleasant surprise to awaken in solitude, though a thick, growing lump of anxiety joined me instead.Last night, he told me about the bloodline forged for the purpose of ridding the world of the Lockhearts. He never told me the family's name, not that he had to; I’d heard it many times before.After my shower, I got dressed and headed out, bypassing everyone who followed me with their gazes. Down in the town square, there were boutiques and smaller shops, and streets stretched for multiple blocks with everything a person could need. There was life here. A busy buzzing I hadn’t heard in years. Dressed as though the world wasn’t burning around them— humans torched in their cities at the reaping of werewolves— they strutted about their day in blissful ignorance.Forgetting to look where I was walking, I accidentally bumped into someone on the sidewalk. She turned her head, calm at first until she saw me, after which her eyes