Middlemarch Estate

Elijah leaned against the stone wall and watched the American Alpha pacing the length of the patio. He shook his head and rolled his eyes. It's no use checking your watch. That's not going to make her appear any faster.

The American Alpha had appeared unannounced and demanded to meet with Elise. They had led him to an outdoor area and posted five armed guards. Now he could wait. Alpha Lauzon would take her time just to show him who had the upper hand.

He returned to playing with his knife, while still keeping vigil over the alpha.

When he detected footsteps approaching, Elijah jumped up and thrust his knife into its scabbard in the back of his waistband.

The American Alpha flinched. He clearly feared Alpha Elise, and rightly so.

Elise's tone was clipped and hard as she strode through the French doors opening to the patio. "Someone better be dying in some new and exquisite way, or every half-breed has suddenly dropped dead, and you just had to rush to tell me about it. Well, which one is it?"

The American Alpha marched over to her. "What are you playing at? Not only have the sales of Wildfire gone down the toilet, but I've been informed that you're no longer manufacturing it in pill format. What the hell does that mean?"

Elijah reached for his knife, and three enforcers stepped between the intruder and their alpha, halting his path and creating a barrier. They were ready to strike if need be.

From her tailored Chanel suit and matching pumps, to the minimalistic jewelry that adorned her neck and the Cartier tank watch on her wrist, Elise could have easily passed as an old money socialite or perhaps even European royalty. The outward appearance she presented to the world belied the true nature of the creature within.

Elise smiled, a smile that did not reach her eyes, and looked down her haughty nose at the American Alpha. "I have no idea what you are referring to."

She took a step closer to the American Alpha and pierced him with an unwavering stare. Her dark brown eyes bore into the other alpha's, and he took a half step back. His gaze darted to the nearest escape route. "You know damn well what I am talking about. I have left you messages for the last four weeks, and you haven't returned one of my calls."

Elijah held back a smirk. Alpha Lauzon matched the American Alpha in height, but had a larger set of balls, he'd wager. Maybe if they were lucky she'd get pissed off enough with the alpha to rip him apart while the rest of them watched.

Elise motioned for Elijah and the enforcers to stand down, moved across the patio, and gracefully sat on the nearest chair. She crossed her ankles, her back straight, and rested her hands on the high armrests. Her dark hair, set in a perfect chignon, was in direct contrast to the white Jacquard fabric of the chair. "Just for argument's sake, let's say I didn't receive them. Why, exactly, have you disturbed my solitude?"

The American Alpha took a step closer to Elise, but before he could complete the move, Elijah let out a menacing growl and stopped him in his tracks. He frowned at Elijah but remained where he was. "You promised me that Wildfire would have taken off by now. The demand has vanished, and my people are telling me that each time they try and re-list it, within moments it has disappeared. And now I hear the supply is no longer available—I want to know what you are going to do about it."

Elise inspected her nails. "You seem to be under the misconception that I answer to you." All pretense of civility was dropped. "I'm sure that this is a momentary lapse in judgment."

The whites of the American Alpha's eyes were like beacons as he realized his error and panic set in. Elijah played with his blade, hoping the American would step out of line so he could have some fun.

He was disappointed when the American Alpha held up the palms of his hands and said, "Please forgive me, I meant no disrespect." He bowed his head, his body contorting into a submissive posture.

Elise uncrossed her legs and tapped her blood red nails on the armrest. "First of all, I promised no such thing. You are here because I allow you to be here. Now, as to your petty matter, that method of distribution was never going to give us the results we required. I only used it to give us a targeted range of test subjects. It was too limiting and restrictive, and it will not solve our real problem."

Confusion clouded the American alpha's face. "What are you talking about? I sunk five million dollars into your project. This was supposed get rid of them."

Elijah zoned out of the American Alpha's rants. He had spent the past twenty years listening to it from Elise and the rest of the pack. They had decided that for too long, they had allowed half-breeds into their community, even letting them hold positions of power. Some packs even extended this impurity up to an alpha. It needed to stop. They needed to bring back order to their race to ensure its survival. Wildfire was supposed to do that for them.

To be honest he did not give a rat's ass. A body was a body. He did not care who he cut or defiled. They all bled red and gave him the same satisfaction, no matter whether they were pure, impure, or even Human. Under Elise's leadership, he had as many playthings as he could ask for, and without having to worry about the stupid alliance or Murphy O'Neill. And for this supply, all he needed to do was whatever she needed.

A cold, short laugh erupted from Elise's lips, dragging him back to the conversation. "You always did think too small."

As Elise outlined her plan for Wildfire, the American Alpha's face grew pale. "This isn't what we agreed on. Even if we win, we won't come out of this unscathed."

Elijah wasn't surprised when the American Alpha made a hasty departure. As he scuttled off, he wondered why Alpha Lauzon had bothered with him in the first place. He was weak and a discredit to their race.

When Elise sighed, he froze. This was never a good sign. She wasn't in a good mood. In fact, if the American Alpha had asked his opinion, he would've advised against speaking to her or approaching her. Keeping as much distance as physically possible, preferably a state or two away, was a good idea right now.

Barely controlling her growing fury, she turned to him. "Contact Matheo. Get him to find out what that imbecile was going on about with the sites coming down—we need to ensure the Alliance is still in the dark. We don't want to show our hand before we're ready."

He nodded and hurried to carry out her orders, but flinched away from a sudden noise. The omega clearing the table was kneeling on the ground, attempting to retrieve scattered pieces of a broken carafe.

"You!" Elise hissed through gritted teeth. "Come here."

The girl looked up and froze. She scrambled to her feet and rushed to stand in front of Elise. She stood still, hands at her side, looking down at the burnt orange tiles at her feet, her face devoid of any color.

The other omegas eyed her with pity, and Elijah's pulse quickened. His body quivered at what was about to happen.

"Look at me when you are addressed," Elise said.

The young girl lifted her head, but was unable to look directly into Elise's eyes. Instead, she focused on the lower half of Elise's face. Her body involuntarily shook from head to foot.

"You do appreciate that was a two-hundred-year-old Waterford crystal carafe you just destroyed?"

"I'm sorry, alpha. It was an accident. I didn't mean to—"

The omega's apology was cut short when Elise reached out with lightning-fast reflexes and dug her talons into the unsuspecting girl's neck, brutally ripping out cartilage and organs, leaving the spine intact.

Elise stared at the part of the woman's body she held in her bloodied hand, and then released her grip. Cartilage, bronchi, esophagus, larynx, and a section of the jugular vein, along with the woman's tongue, now lay in a growing pool of blood as the severed artery on the still standing body spurted in all directions.

Elijah licked his lips and heat flooded through his veins. He looked on with longing while the omega drowned in her blood, and the life evaporated from her as she collapsed on the floor, eyes still open and staring into the abyss. He inhaled the sweet metallic scent that encompassed the immediate area in a spray of red mist, and lovingly fingered his knife, wishing he had been the one to deliver the death blow.

A sense of calm now descended on Elise, and her mood brightened. "Clean up this mess." She flicked her hand in the air dismissively and disappeared into the house. "And replace the carafe. Ridel, this time. I've always disliked Waterford."