Dark Alpha

Two mysterious figures, dressed in long black cloaks, moved down a narrow, winding staircase with such grace that not even the creaking of the old wooden stairs could betray their presence. The stairs led to a dimly lit room, illuminated by flickering candles that cast long shadows across the walls and floor. The air around them seemed to thicken with an aura of secrecy as if they were guarding some well-kept secret. Their movements were so silent that the only sound to be heard was the distant hooting of an owl outside, as they descended deeper into the darkness.

As they moved down the stairs, the darkness seemed to deepen, and the silence became as eerie as the dense forest that lay hidden in the darkness of the night. The figures moved with a fluidity that suggested they were well-versed in the art of stealth and deception.

Eclipse, the leader of a group of warriors, took a seat on a rickety wooden chair in the center of the room, the old wood creaking under his weight. His men stood silently by his side, their expressions impassive as they watched the scene unfold. They were a formidable group of warriors, each one trained to be a master in the art of combat.

Suddenly, two beautiful young women appeared, dressed in seductive outfits, and attempted to seduce Eclipse. But he was no ordinary man, and his piercing emerald eyes scanned the concealed figures that surrounded him, as he let out a low chuckle. He was not one to be easily fooled by such theatrics.

"The mighty Dark Alpha Prince of the Lycans and Weres," he replied, his voice laced with a hint of feigned arrogance.

The second figure let out a soft sigh, her voice dripping with flattery. "The most powerful and feared Alpha, yet to find his mate," she said in a voice that was almost a whisper.

Eclipse's men knew that the topic of finding a mate was a sensitive one for their leader. They watched him closely, ready to intervene if necessary.

The two figures finally revealed their faces, and two beautiful young women now stood in front of Eclipse. With a snap of their fingers, their cloaks morphed into trousers and crop tops.

If it were any other man, they may have succeeded in seducing him, but Eclipse was no ordinary man. He had once severed the fingers of a woman for touching him, so he had a well-deserved reputation for being dangerous.

"But you can choose one of us for a soulmate, after all, we are very breathtaking," the second woman said with a seductive smile at the corner of her lips.

"I must say, beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, but it doesn't work that way if there's an ugliness hidden beneath it," Eclipse stated with a sick grin.

His statement successfully angered the two dark witches. If you want to anger a witch into acting unreasonably, then call her ugly. They hate that word because it reminds them of their reality.

The first witch's fingertips broke with an electric spark, while the other generated a fireball; a powerful breeze blew through the living room, but their display of threat failed to impress the five men.

Before the men could notice it, the living room was engulfed in smoke; fortunately for them, they were resistant to smoke, thus they were alright. The two witches made good use of their abilities, beating Eclipse severely, only his groans could be heard by his men.

After a while, the smoke cleared, and the men stared at the scene in front of them in bewilderment, failing to grasp the concept of what their eyes were witnessing, their leader's shirt was soaked with blood and he appeared tattered.

When did a witch start having an advantage against their Prince? That was the question resounding in the walls of their minds. Witches were powerful, yes, but no witch has ever had the upper hand in a fight against their first Alpha Prince. Why do they suddenly have a feeling that their Alpha was faking it?

"Now that your leader is in no condition to back you up I suggest you retreat quietly, but...he will stay with us for an experiment," the first witch said, running her fingers through Eclipse's thick hair.

"I suggest you watch your back before talking nonsense, ma'am," Godfrey said, speaking for the first time since he was informed about the mission.

Just as the words left her mouth, a cry of agony tore through the quiet night, and the sound of bones cracking could be heard. Eclipse always lived up to his reputation, Gabriel stifled a laugh seeing the scene before him, at times he wondered how Eclipse could be so careless with his life.

Eclipse has claws embedded in the second witch's chest, a wide smirk sinisterly playing at the corner of his thin lips while the first witch's eyes widened in pure terror. "How interesting," Godfrey thought, trying not to laugh.

"Do not dare do that," the first witch warned in a shaky voice, but it only made Eclipse's smile widen in pure bliss, his eyes reflecting a devilish light as he slowly ripped the second witch's still beating heart out, her corpse collapsing on the floor as it morphed into an old woman who, by the way, was extremely ugly.

"See? "I warned you there was ugliness beneath the beauty," Eclipse muttered, squeezing the heart in his fist and smashing it to bits. "Now, let us begin the real show," Eclipse murmured, crossing his knees, and looking at the angered witch, her darkness began to loom over her like dark clouds.

"You will regret ever doing this," the witch mumbled as she hurried toward Eclipse. As if on cue, four witches flew into the home on their brooms. The struggle became so furious that smoke was everywhere, but Eclipse and his men saw through it flawlessly. The struggle damaged walls and old ornaments.

This was hardly their first time fighting witches, but something about these witches bothered them. Their abilities were nearly flawless, but that only fueled their determination. Eclipse would not let these creatures see daylight; take mercy on them, and they will walk all over you with the belief that you are scared of their existence.

The sound of bones snapping could be heard, followed by the excruciating cry of the prey. Eclipse's troops suffered numerous injuries after defeating their opponents. Eclipse was still fighting the stubborn witch with dark clouds looming over her; she was so enraged that Eclipse could almost see the ugliness hidden beneath her beauty; tired of acting weak, Eclipse severed the witch's head from her body; his companions' heads shook in disbelief; they still could not get used to the way he killed his enemies.

"Nice," Godfrey said with a thumbs up, and the others laughed as they saw their leader smirk in victory.

"There is someone here," Gabriel stated abruptly, his eyes roving over the antique portrait Eclipse attempted to touch when they approached. Eclipse approached the image with strained brows.

A voice murmured in his thoughts, "Help, please." "Everyone stay on alert," Eclipse warned his men, biting his finger and dropping blood on the image. As the blood dissolved into the portrait, a hand appeared, which Eliah gripped and dragged the figure out. She appeared to be about twenty-four years old.

"Mate," Gabriel hissed, stunning the others to quiet; what the hell? They thought. Gabriel approached the young woman, took off his long overcoat, and threw it around her, pulling her long hair into a ponytail as she looked up at him, while Eclipse let go of the young lady's hand as reality dawned on him: he would never have a mate.

"So you are the hybrid who fed from my sister-in-law," Eclipse said with raised brows causing the young lady's eyes to widen in terror.

"Is she alright? I didn't want to but I had to do it to keep her alive, I'm so sorry," she said, her tone full of sincerity and regret. Eclipse's brow raised looking at the girl, he was surprised that this girl seemed more compassionate than other hybrids he had encountered in the past.

"She is fine but I don't think my brother will forgive you easily," Eclipse said with a sigh. The lady released a defeated sigh, understanding why the man might decide not to forgive her. Gabriel knew what Eclipse's words meant but he would do anything to protect his beloved.

"Let's head back, order from the above," Godfrey said with a sheepish smile causing his companions to groan in annoyance. Whenever he mentions "Order from the above" it means his mate is looking for him.

As they headed back, Eclipse's eyes reflected complicated emotions, he asked himself why he couldn't have a mate, what his offense was that he wasn't allowed to have a lifetime companion.

Sometimes he had not born, then he wouldn't be in pain living a life of solitary, he wouldn't be in pain and certainly not going to battles, and seeing so much blood every time. He wishes for a mate too, just anyone, he would accept wholeheartedly.

                Next **[ 0 ]** Day

Eclipse stood on the balcony of his bedroom, watching his men and friends with their mates in their arms but here he stood, alone, feeling so empty, he was three hundred years old but had never had any serious relationship with any woman or even a fling before, to talk of even having a soulmate. A knock on the door interrupted his train of thought.

"It's open," Eclipse mumbled with a sigh of helplessness. The door opened and in walked in his beta.

"We're going to have lunch in town, come join us and stop sulking," Godfrey said suggestively.

"Are you bringing your mates along?" Eclipse questioned with furrowed brows.

"Of course but that's not an excuse to not join us. I'm not taking no for an answer so get dressed and meet us downstairs," Godfrey said walking out of his room even before he could reply. "Let's get it done and over with," Eclipse mumbled under his breath, walking into his closet.

After getting dressed, he exited his room, he spotted a pair of black khaki joggers, a white dress shirt, and a pair of black combat boots. He felt like going casual today, he was tired of being formal every day, as he is the crown prince, a lot of responsibility fell on his shoulders.

As Eclipse exited the living room, "You look good, bro," Godfrey said with a whistle, complimenting his Alpha Prince. Eclipse snorted mockingly as he thought, "Looking good without a mate". Everyone hopped into the black can that was parked in front of the house excitedly except for Eclipse who wished to be anywhere but among his mated friends.

Five minutes later, the car parked in front of a restaurant, and everyone got down with their mates in their arms, this scene left Eclipse feeling very jealous. At this point, he would have appreciated it if his friends hadn't gone overboard with their mates in his presence.

"Heels & Sneakers?" Zane asked with raised brows, reading the name of the restaurant. Eclipse's and the others looked up in surprise, wondering when a new restaurant was opened here.

"Yes, it opened this morning, but I couldn't get to talk to the owner this morning," Godfrey said walking towards the entrance of the restaurant with a smile. The others followed him with a shrug. After sitting down, they called a waitress, the waitress was quick to attend to them.

"Agnes, I'm back, Troy told me that you were looking for me," a serene voice sounded behind Eclipse's while his companions looked up, their jaws dropping in awe, their expressions prompted Eclipse to look behind him, his pupils dilated as he stared at the figure walking towards their table.

"Uhh yes, let's talk after I'm done serving our new customers," Agnes, the waitress with blonde hair replied in a respectful tone.

"Okay, just go and have your lunch while I serve them myself," the young woman replied with a warm smile.

"No, I can just have my lunch after serving them," Agnes responded with a smile.

"Well, I don't need you collapsing here so it's an order ma'am," she replied Agnes, leaving no room for further argument, gently pushing Agnes away before turning to face the customers sitting behind the table. Eclipse gulped looking at the young woman, her honey-brown hair was in a high ponytail with some strands framing her sharp features. "Mate," a growl said in his head.

"Hello everyone, what would you like to order?" She asked with a smile, her eyes cringing to crescents.