Autumn's POV
The moment I saw that man appear, my heart raced, pounding in my chest.
Chocolate skin, tousled hair, and that don't touch me expression, he was the epitome of everything I wanted in a man. When he stared at me, my heart skipped a beat. Then another.
But before I could even introduce myself, he had already walked away.
My father leaned into my ear, his tone serious. "That's Alpha Caesar Valemont, the Alpha of the North. He's a greedy thing. Be wary of him."
The only thing that stayed in my mind was his name and title. Everything else flew into one ear and right out the other.
My heart raced with excitement.
A powerful, hot man. He ruled the North. Who hadn't heard of him? But it was rare to actually see him.
All this while, my father had painted him as someone dark, a devil who enjoyed destruction. Someone horrible. Sometimes, I'd even imagined him with horns.
But in reality, he was such a cool-looking guy, handsome appearance, tall, powerful and broad-shouldered..
He could be the King in the North, and I would be the Queen in the South.
I felt heat rush to my cheeks at the mere thought.
I planned on finding him after we were done with the guests. I had to befriend him. Then we could slowly take it to the next level.
At some point, while still standing at the edge of the crowd, the hottie's Beta came over to speak with my father.
I watched my father's eyes widen. He went silent for a moment, and then he glanced at me.
"Have the maids clear a room for Alpha Caesar," he said aloud. Meanwhile, through our mindlink, he told me to watch Caesar closely in case he tried anything.
Well, I was more than happy to accept that role.
So I did.
There were several rooms in our mansion specifically cleared for the festival, in case some Alphas wanted to spend the night.
I waited for him by the door, my heart beating faster with each passing second.
Then he appeared.
With someone in his arms.
The woman's head was buried against his chest, the only visible part of her being the white dress she wore. Dressed in a black coat, carrying a woman in white... The image resembled a groom holding his bride.
I shook my head instantly.
No, that's not possible.
I'd heard he was mateless. And when he arrived at our pack, he brought no woman with him. Whoever this person was, she couldn't be his mate. Impossible.
Consoling myself, I took a deep breath and smiled at him, curtsying. "Alpha Caesar, my dad asked me to attend to you. Is there anything you would like me to do?"
I couldn't help wondering who the person was...
He stared at me for three long seconds. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach in that short moment, and my wolf growled in disappointment when he averted his gaze.
"Come with me."
My wolf cried out happily, and I couldn't hold in my smile as I followed him.
I watched him gently place the woman on the bed, his broad shoulders preventing me from seeing who she was.
But something about the dress seemed... familiar. Like... like Krystal's?
I shook the thought away, scolding myself. "Impossible."
No way it could be her.
But my face paled when I remembered she had disappeared earlier while my father and I were greeting guests.
Where did she go?
Could it really be her on the bed?
Panic gripped my heart like a locked vice.
I stood frozen, fists clenched at my sides as jealousy stabbed into my chest like a blade dipped in acid. I could barely breathe, barely think, as I watched Alpha Caesar gently pull the blanket over her sleeping form, as if she were something precious.
He hadn't even looked at me like that. Not even once.
Then he suddenly turned around. "Who is she?"
My gaze flew from his handsome face to the woman on the bed. My fear was confirmed.
It was her.
It was Krystal.
Why did she get all the good things in the world?!
Why were all the men I was attracted to always interested in her first?!
Why?!
The same thing happened with Darren. And now with this Alpha.
Was it because she was pretty?
We were fraternal twins, but I could swear I'd gotten more compliments on my looks than she ever had.
I really couldn't understand why everything came so easily to her when she was so useless and weak.
"I asked a question," his cold voice snapped, pulling me from my daze. I stared into his viper-like eyes, demanding an answer.
Even though I didn't want to speak, under that terrifying gaze, my mouth opened on its own.
"My sister. Krystal Mirovich."
"Krystal?" he repeated, his voice low and deep.
I clenched my fists. I had never heard my name spoken so gently by anyone, let alone someone like him, yet, my good-for-nothing sister was able to.
"She fainted…" he said, "Call the doctor here to check on her."
Now he was even ordering me around because of someone as useless as her.
I couldn't hold it in. "She's an Omega," I blurted, watching his expression closely. I saw a flash of confusion pass across his face, but only briefly.
"So?" he replied.
My heart dropped. "You're allowing her to sleep on a bed meant for you? Isn't that disrespectful?"
He chuckled, his deep voice stirring something in my heart once again.
What did he find funny?
"You might not know," he said, "but where I come from, we worship Omegas."
My eyes widened in shock.
Worship Omegas?
What the hell was he talking about?
I had never heard of that before. It should be the other way around, Omegas should be tossed around like objects. But this man was telling me they worshipped them in the North?
That had to be a lie.
But he continued, his voice soft yet firm. "Omegas give life. Without them reproducing, the werewolf race would've gone extinct. So we treat them well, because they're even more important than Alphas."
"B-but... it's not supposed to be like that," I stammered. "Omegas are weak and useless. They're like humans. They can't fight, and they can't do hard work either. Why do you place so much importance on them?"
He looked me directly in the eyes. "We judge people by what they can provide. Omegas give life. Alphas protect them. Tell me, who is more important? Without Omega, would you have been born?"
The words stuck in my throat. Before I could respond, he waved his hand dismissively. "Call the doctor."
I clenched my fists tighter, nodded, and left the room.
He's crazy.
His people are crazy.
My gaze burned with determination. We can't let him grow more powerful and take the South from us. Because if he does... what if he makes Omegas more important, above Alphas? That can't be allowed to happen.
And just like that, the admiration I had for him twisted into something else.
Something darker.
Something I couldn't name.
I wanted him to know that Omegas weren't as important as he thought. I wanted him to look at things from my perspective. I wanted him to value me, an Alpha who could stand by his side.
I want him to understand what true value is.