The Rogue Who Stole The Alpha's Heart

Vespera's POV The first rule of stealing from an Alpha was to know exactly how he could kill you. The second was to make sure you weren't there when he decided to do it. I'd broken into six pack estates over the past three years, stolen information from two corrupt council members, and once escaped a locked interrogation room by convincing my captor that his own Beta had ordered my release. The Beta hadn't, of course, but the look on the man's face when he realised he'd been played was almost worth getting caught. Almost. Tonight, I was breaking into Blackthorne Estate, home of the country's most powerful Alpha. Wonderful. At eleven forty-three, I had seventeen minutes before the next security rotation. My client had provided two escape routes, but I preferred three. Still, the payment covered six months of rent and supplies, making the risk worthwhile. Curiosity helped, too, even if it had nearly killed me before. I tied my boots, braided my dark hair, and checked my equipment bag. Two knives, lockpicks, gloves, a flashlight, a burner phone, and a medical kit were accounted for. At twenty-five, I had amber eyes, a scar through my left eyebrow, and a face that discouraged questions. Nobody looking at me in a grocery queue would suspect I could break someone's wrist in three seconds. Their mistake. After brushing my teeth and washing my face, I returned to the kitchen and reread the client's message over my cold coffee. Retrieve the sealed black envelope from the Alpha's private office. Do not open it. Payment on completion. No name, explanation, or details about the contents. My client had offered an absurd amount through an intermediary three days earlier, and the security schedule and estate map had arrived yesterday. The job looked suspiciously easy. I rinsed my mug, grabbed my bag, and checked the time. "Let's try not to die tonight." I muttered. My wolf stirred but offered no advice. She'd been unusually quiet for weeks, though I had bigger problems to worry about. I locked my apartment and crossed the cold car park to my battered blue sedan. Before I could pull out, my phone buzzed. UNKNOWN NUMBER: Are you on schedule? ME: I'm drinking imaginary coffee. What do you think? UNKNOWN NUMBER: Retrieve the package tonight. ME: Hire someone who enjoys being rushed. I put my phone away and drove towards Blackthorne territory, following the forest road to the disused service track marked on my map. After parking, I gathered my equipment and approached the estate on foot, staying in the shadows. The grounds were enormous, guarded by motion sensors, regular patrols, and cameras covering the gates and surrounding property. My client had identified an eleven-minute gap in the western surveillance system, and I reached the fence with two minutes to spare. At midnight, the camera turned away. I slipped through and crouched behind a stone wall as two guards passed. "...Council meeting's been moved to Friday." Someone said inside. "Then Blackthorne will be in a foul mood all week." Another person answered. "He's always in a foul mood." The first said. I smiled faintly. At least the guards were entertaining. Once they'd disappeared, I crossed the lawn and picked the side entrance's lock. The door opened onto a dim hallway without a visible alarm panel. Suspiciously easy. I checked my phone and followed the route towards the private offices, noticing a camera near the staircase that wasn't on my client's map. Its indicator light was off. I photographed it, wondering what else I'd been kept from seeing. The passage ended at locked double doors. Finally, a sensible obstacle. I picked the lock and entered a spacious office lined with dark shelves, framed documents, and cabinets. A broad desk stood beneath the window, and the air carried the unmistakable scent of cedar and wolf. I was definitely in the right place. Thankfully, the Alpha wasn't there, saving me the trouble of explaining why I'd broken into his office. I checked the top desk drawer, but it was empty. After searching the others, I found a hidden compartment containing a black envelope sealed with silver. I slipped it into my jacket. Job done. I was about to leave when I noticed a file beneath a leather folder. The top page listed names, dates, and locations, with several names crossed out in red and marked deceased or missing. I'd seen this pattern before. Young shifters had been disappearing from isolated territories for months, with some reported as runaways and others supposedly killed during border skirmishes. I'd investigated two cases myself, including the disappearance of a teenage wolf, but neither had made sense. The missing teenager's name appeared on the page. Beneath the heading SUBJECT CONNECTIONS: HISTORICAL PACK RECORDS, I found a reference to a name I'd spent years trying to forget. THERON VALE. My father had been dead for years, murdered after his own pack turned against him and branded him a traitor. I'd survived by burying his name along with everything else I'd lost. Now it was staring back at me from a confidential report inside the most powerful Alpha's office. "That's interesting." I said. I spun around, reaching for the knife beneath my jacket. A man stood beside the door, watching me with cold grey eyes. He was tall and broad-shouldered, with black hair, cold grey eyes, and a faint scar along his jaw. He had the kind of presence that made people obey without needing to be told twice. His gaze shifted from me to the open file, then settled on the envelope in my jacket. "You're either very brave or spectacularly stupid." He said. "Funny. I was thinking the same thing about whoever leaves confidential documents lying around." I said. "You're in my office." He said. "I noticed the expensive furniture." I said. "You're stealing from me." He said. "I prefer to call it an involuntary transfer of property." I said. "Do you have any idea who I am?" He asked as his mouth curved into a humourless smile. "You're either the Alpha or an exceptionally arrogant interior decorator." I said. His eyebrows rose, but before I could congratulate myself, he crossed the room and caught my wrist as I reached for my knife. A strange jolt shot through me. My wolf surged awake, every instinct suddenly focused on the man holding me. His eyes widened slightly before his expression hardened. I twisted free, driving my knee towards his thigh. He released my wrist and stepped back, looking faintly amused. "You're certainly not a professional thief." He said. "Because I dislike being grabbed?" I asked. "Because professionals know when to leave." He said. "Perhaps your security needs improvement." I said. "Perhaps you need to learn when to shut up." He said. "Perhaps you should stop giving me reasons to talk." I said. "Name." He demanded as his gaze settled on my face. "No." I said. "That's not a request." He said. "Then phrase it better." I said. "You've broken into my office, stolen confidential property, and accessed documents you had no right to see. Tell me who sent you and how you bypassed my security." He asked as his jaw tightened. "Do you have a clipboard for all those questions?" I asked. "You're enjoying this." He said as he exhaled sharply. "Your hospitality is unforgettable." I said. He stepped closer, and my wolf stirred at the scent of cedar and something darker, awakening with a restlessness I hadn't felt in years. I ignored my wolf's reaction, refusing to let it distract me. "Last chance." The Alpha warned. "Or what?" I asked. "I stop being polite." He said as his eyes darkened. "That was polite? I'd hate to see you at a dinner party." I said. A disbelieving laugh escaped him before his expression hardened again. Then the alarm sounded. Red lights flashed beyond the windows, and gunshots shattered the silence. The Alpha's amusement vanished, replaced by cold focus. "Alpha Blackthorne, multiple armed intruders have breached the western perimeter. Several guards are down. We need assistance." A voice crackled through the speaker beside his desk. "Lock down the estate. Get the wounded inside, and nobody approaches the western grounds without my authorisation." He ordered as he grabbed the radio. He turned towards the door. I should have run. The hallway was clear, and the service entrance offered an easy escape into the forest. I had the package, and whatever happened to his pack wasn't my problem. A metallic crack sounded outside, followed by breaking glass. I turned towards the grounds, where armed figures in dark tactical clothing advanced between the trees. One carried a compact crossbow fitted with a silver-tipped bolt. My blood ran cold. I recognised the equipment from an investigation into a missing young shifter. I'd found matching markings on a transport case near an abandoned hunting cabin, along with blood and restraints designed to suppress shifting. The Grey Division. I'd spent months chasing rumours about hunters who abducted young shifters and erased every trace of their existence, but I'd never found enough evidence to prove they existed. Now they were attacking Blackthorne Estate. One attacker turned towards the office window, and I recognised his weapon's silver markings and the insignia stamped onto his equipment. My wolf stirred, afraid for me rather than herself. "What do you know about them?" The Alpha demanded. I glanced at the envelope in my jacket, then at the report bearing my father's name. I'd come to steal a package, only to uncover evidence connecting the murders to my past and discover that the hunters I'd been tracking were real. Worse, the Alpha's presence had awakened something inside me that I'd believed was broken. An explosion shook the windows. "Stay behind me." The Alpha yelled as he grabbed a weapon from his desk and headed for the door. "You're joking." I said. "That wasn't a suggestion." He said. "Work on your delivery." I said. Another explosion rattled the estate, and the lights flickered. I drew my knife and moved past him, but he caught my arm. I looked pointedly at his hand before meeting his eyes. "Touch me again, and the hunters won't be the only ones bleeding tonight." I said. His mouth curved into a dangerous smile. "You're going to be a problem, aren't you?" He asked. "You have no idea." I said as gunfire erupted again.