"Follow me." Jamison issued the grim order, expecting me to follow. I was not dumb to start mouthing off, well, mouth off more than I already have. I was still working on that particular trait. Yet, now, I was more curious to see where he would take us. It was the only reason I found my feet shadowing his tracks.

It was my first time in the Pack House. It was spacious, airy, and smelt of sandalwood and a faint lingering of smoked charcoal. It was kept clean and the only disarray I found was the crooked bohemian mat sprawled on the lounge floor, with an thick book splayed in front of the empty fireplace.

"Today, I'm the main E.S Enforcer stationed here. What we do is make ourselves obscure. You, even more so. You shadow me and watch closely. Don't speak to the Alpha unless he commences a conversation with you. Better yet, don't even look in his direction Recruit." He raised a solemn brow, hammering in his expectation. His pointed gaze would've made another changeling shrink back on themselves, but I just offered a slow nod.

I was soon going to run out of fingers to count the amount of times someone had warned me not to talk to the Alpha.

Would it be so bad to start a conversation with the man?

"Understood." I replied, taking in the rest of the high ceiling, with low dangling lights. The place was rustic and filled with both modern and antique furniture. Bargain hunters would go crazy if they encroached on this.

There was even a chime noise that tinkled from the hallway that rang when someone entered the premises. Jamison narrowed his eyes at me and mouthed a warning just as Alpha Slater himself made an appearance.

I tensed, wanting to fold into myself at his sudden appearance.

The Alpha himself paused at the threshold. For a split second, a very short second, I gave him a deliberate once-over. You couldn't blame me. Yes, there were rumours said that the man was scary, but I hadn't quite believed the gossip that spoke of his beauty.

Alpha Slater was not just sexy as sin, he was objectively handsome in a way that drew people in without words.

He spotted Jamison first, greeting him with a slight nod. Jamison returned one and headed out. Since I was his shadow, I began to follow him quietly, eyes cast down like an obedient Recruit.

"Stop."

I froze and shifted around so I was facing him as he sat down on a sofa, with the book that had been on the rug laying across his thighs. He wasn't looking at me but flicking through the yellow pages in a languid manner. Jamison paused too, narrowing his gaze as if he couldn't believe I was already in trouble.

"Yes, Alpha?" I asked patiently since he made no indication to continue. He simply turned the page of the book, letting the rustle of the paper fill in the silence.

"The incident last night, have you told anyone?" He asked, not peering up from the black letters sprawled across the single paper.

"No."

He nodded slowly, "Good. Now tell me, how did you really sense that changeling."

"Excuse me?" I asked.

"How did you sense that changeling?" He repeated stoically, placing the book down and staring right at me. The question caught me off-guard, especially with the way his eyes held bold accusation. I could feel his distrust flaring like a red, blaring light.

Was he insinuating that I was lying?

"I told you." I recited slowly, restraining the prickling anger in my chest under a layer of will-power, "It was like sensing a familiar changeling but not quite. If you can't hear or see it, you can feel it and my instincts are never wrong, especially on the imminent death bit. You'd be able to sense it too if you focused enough."

I was aware that Jamison had taken a step back.

"Those changelings cannot be sensed in any way. You can't smell it, see it, or feel it until you're between its infected canines. Rarely people come back alive from those attacks because their saliva is so rich with poison, most just die anyway from its attack. So, my question is, how someone like you was able to sense it without being touched."

"Someone like me?" I questioned, tampering down the rising anger welling in my blood.

He didn't reply but he didn't retract his statement either. I didn't think anyone dared to speak out against him because he was the Alpha.

"Just remember Recruit, if you're hiding something, nothing will fare well for you."

I bit down on my tongue to smother the insult ready to be shot. Like a good girl, I simply turned on me heels and quietly left without firing an asinine response. It took a lot of effort to keep it in, especially the heat of anger that did nothing to soothe the raging fire heaping up inside my chest. He was absolutely infuriating and so causally detached about everything around him, I was tempted to hold him in a chokehold until he spouted an apology.

I found Jamison silently examining the locks on the windows, once again, back to ignoring me. I sucked in one deep breath and shadowed him throughout the day, absorbing everything he did from the way he kept his moves purposeful. He went through his tasks without straying from the strict schedule he kept. He never took a break either. He was always darting from one point of the house to the other to address things. Some Enforcers had come by for advice and he gave it to them, returning to his own schedule without delay once he was done.

When he finished checking off some private documents granting permission for Outsiders to enter the Pack, we took a short break for a half hour. He made it a point to share that he never took a break but because circumstance was different, he granted leeway. I was sure the Alpha told the Enforcers that Recruits were to have breaks. Jamison stated I could go anywhere to eat but return right at the time he gave as time was valuable not to lose. I was relieved to leave. Space away from Jamison was good.

From memory, I knew there was a small eating place nearby. Pen had mentioned it in passing and claimed they made the best roasted chicken. The place was small and slightly unkempt on the outside but inside, it was stunning in an old lumberjack type of way with its bulky chairs, mahogany tables and unique ornaments that were interesting in a disturbing way. Like the eyes encased in glass jars. I only hoped that the eyes weren't of the human variety.

I tried to ignore the floating things and went to the counter. I tapped the bell, letting the tinkering sound emanate. It was empty and quiet except for the whispering T.V noises coming from another room.

A woman with a frilly pink apron appeared. Her auburn hair was fashioned in a plump braid and her blue eyes were bright with warmth. "Hello! I'm Jane, the owner of this establishment!" She rounded the desk and came to stand in front of me with a wide, unfaltering grin.

"Ummm, hi." I suddenly found myself awkward and confused.

I still wasn't used to people aiming big, wide smiles at me unless they were Ma or Marcel. If they were beaming at me, I was more shocked. I think I was more shocked when I realised that I suddenly became a pinch shy- which was uncharacteristic of me. This woman was making me blush like a bumbling idiot.

"Come sit. Joel is just starting the barbecue." She beckoned me to a low table, with a plump colourful cushion beneath. I obeyed her soft prompting and sat down while she dashed back to the counter. She returned quickly, with a notepad and pen in hand, "What would you like?"

"The roast chicken with the garden salad on the side." I requested.

"Would you like to try our honey prawns too? They're really good. It's the special for today. "

"Sounds good."

Once again, she flittered off, leaving a noticeable fruity fragrance behind.

To distract myself from the sudden quietness, I began to mentally plan out my day, with training being my last event for the day.

I just had to figure out a way to sneak out from Jamison's sight, since we were given new sleeping arrangements. He hadn't disclosed our sleeping allocations yet, but I only hoped that the place had thick walls between the bedrooms.

I missed out on a lot of precious training time. It was a mistake leaving out my personal training for this long. I never missed a day and if I wanted this E.S spot, I needed to sharpen and refine my skills.

Being a failure was not in my cards.

It wasn't long before the woman returned with a tray of steaming pots. A big man followed behind her, holding a bowl of colourful salad. He reminded me of a lumberjack, sans the axe. He had a gruff beard, a checkered shirt, and brown khakis enveloped in shiny leather boots and fastened with a chunky belt at his hips.

He placed the salad down, staring intently at me. I has a sense that this man had a way with reading people.

"Please don't take this the wrong way but I've never seen you before." Jane commented, watching as I picked up my cutlery.

"It's because she's one of those Recruits for the E.S." Joel filled in, not sounding particularly nice when he squeezed the word 'Recruits' pass his thin lips.

Jane nodded as understanding dawned, "Of course. You carry yourself differently."

I didn't ask her to expand on what she meant by 'differently', although I was curious. Maybe she thought I walked like a dude. Sometimes Ma castigated me by the way I sometimes 'swaggered' when I walked. Apparently, if I hadn't been wearing a skirt that day, she would've assumed I was a dude, from behind.

"Thank you for the food." I slipped a forkful into my mouth.

One word: SOFREAKINGGOOD.

Surely, I was dead and in food heaven.

"Woah." I swallowed, "This is some good food." I took another mouthful, tasting the sweetness and savory flavours that clashed, then blended into a delicious surprise. I only took a pause to dig into the salad. It was mixed with fresh avocado, shredded bacon, thin shards of cheese, citrus dressing, and croutons.

I slipped another forkful down when Joel abruptly interrupted, "Calm down, or you'll be choking on those croutons."

Jane slapped his arm with a piercing glare. "Joel." She warned.

"What? Fair warning. I don't want to have to ring up the Pack Healer if one of those little things get lodged into her throat. The last time I tried the Heimlich on someone, I broke more than a fair amount of ribs on that little guy. He was in recovery for longer than usual."

"Goodness, you're going to scare off our customer." She groaned.

Huh, so it wasn't the first time he snapped back at a customer.

"You guys are intriguing." I decided to share with the couple, swallowing another mouthful.

"See? Look at how fast she's chowing that down." Joel remarked.

"Let's leave the poor girl alone to eat, shall we?" Jane cast me a small smile, before she dragged away the large man by his ear.

It was almost comical how the slender woman looked small compared to the huge bulking man. I hid my face behind my plate as I watched them argue in harsh whispers. I was sure Joel caught me looking but he just resumed his argument with the woman and allowed himself to be dragged off further away by her dainty hands.

I watched as they both disappeared behind the wooden door, just located to the left of the customer desk. It was obvious that they were mates, despite their differences.

Left with myself, I finished off my meal while thinking about a certain Alpha with blazing silver eyes. There was something luminescent about his gaze, almost mystical in its washed-out hue.

At least I knew that one of the rumours of the Shadow Hunters' Alpha was true.

He was dangerous.

He wasn't just an arrogant Alpha. There was a silent intelligence to him. He was an observer, who viewed everything from the outskirts but still managed to place himself into view, without being too involved. People were right to pin him down as dangerous and to underestimate him would be idiotic.

I didn't miss the way he always scanned a room with a quiet intensity that had people sitting up to attention.

It wouldn't surprise me if he had every Pack member's personal details memorised to the letter, even down to the small detail of what brand of shampoo they used to wash their hair.

Either way, I made a choice.

Stay away from the Alpha.

***

"Please, tell me that what I heard was just a mistake on your behalf and what you really meant was that we were not going to sleep in the Pack House. Together." I clarified.

"Our sleeping arrangements are here in the Pack House."

"Different rooms, right?" I peeked from between my fingers to look at a highly unimpressed Jamison. I think his right eye was twitching with annoyance, but I really needed the confirmation.

"Yes. I'll never last with you as a roommate. It's already unfortunate that I have to see you more than necessary." He sighed dismissively, flicking a glance down at his wrist to read the time.

"Same. Who would want to see your face all day long? They'll probably pry out their eyes having to witness you bore them to death." I thought to myself, well I thought I had kept my sarcastic retort in my head, until I felt his eyes boring down on me.

"Classy." He bit out, striding off.

I just managed to refrain myself from following him down the hallway to show him what classy exactly looked like but Alpha Slater appeared out of nowhere, honing down on me with those eerie, silver orbs. I quickly ducked my head and made a hasty exit into living room, ignoring his presence.

Everyone said to stay away from the Alpha. Seamus said so, Jamison said so and if Ma was here, she'd issue the same warning.

I heard him follow me, but Jamison appeared again and called for his attention.

I sensed the hesitation in his steps before he reluctantly turned towards Jamison.

I sagged in relief. I could've kissed Jamison for his interruption but quickly burnt the idea to ashes because I didn't like Jamison.