Aurelia
The lobby of Lycanthra Corporation hummed with morning efficiency, but it was barely a whisper to my ears, their memory still echoing with last night's storm. The elevator beckoned, the steel doors reflecting my smoldering eyes. As the the elevator rose, my body remembered the hunt, the call, the insatiable hunger stirring within, clawing at my control.
Morning sunlight streamed through the glass-walled office, illuminating the Manhattan skyline, bathed in early morning hues. A chorus of greetings met me as I swept in, my heels clicking on marble. "Good morning, Ms. Knox." My analysts and brokers bowed their heads in deference, their voices a buzz of respect. I smiled, though my heart held only the scent of last night.
In my office, I curled my fingers around a coffee cup, staring at the New York skyline, my mind a whirlwind of last night. The scent... the Omega. I needed him, needed to find him. My wolf prowled within me, her tail brushing my soul. A knock at the door, then, "Ms. Knox, attached is today's schedule." My assistant, Luella, placed a document on my desk. Then she glanced up and stopped. "You alright, ma'am?" she asked.
"It's fine" I said, my gaze lingering on the document. "Just a long night. We'll crack on as usual." My words brokered no argument, yet I caught the slight hesitation in Luella's response, her eyes lingering on mine, clearly aware that something more was amiss. "Is there anything specific you need?" she asked, her voice filled with concern. I shook my head, dismissing her with a wave of my hand.
Cellaria's howl echoed in my mind, a clamor against the quiet of my office. "Mine" she snarled, tail lashing. A shiver of need coursed through me as I closed my eyes, feeling her. Our pulse thrummed in unison, the call persistent. The scent of the night replayed in my memory, musky and rich, a potion stirring awakenings within. A knock at the door startled me. "Come in." As Luella entered, I opened my eyes, hiding a smile.
Luella stood at the door, "Penelope is here to see you, Aurelia" her voice steeled with professionalism. But her eyes mirrored the turmoil within me. "Let her in."
Penelope swept in like a storm, her eyes ablaze with urgency. "There's trouble, Aurelia" she growled, pushing the door shut behind her. "He's stirring up the alphas, the scent, it's... it's everywhere."
"Then he's playing a dangerous game that only one of us will win" I argued. Only one scent will rule the streets of the city, and one alpha will take it over." The scent was a drug in my veins, a promise that made my eyes burn like wildfire. "I'll find him, Penelope. Before you do." My voice cracked like a whip, shaking the silent declaration.
"How, Aurelia? How are you going to find him?" Penelope pressed, leaning closer. "When he can disappear into thin air?" I rose from my chair, putting my coffee cup down with a sharp rap. "I am Alpha of New York. I will find him, Penelope. No matter how small, how faint that scent may get, I will track him." I walked towards my desk, grabbing a printed list. "We poured over the city's cameras last night."
I met her gaze, steel in my eyes. "His name's Elian. He's a bartender at Crane's Tavern." I grabbed a jacket, heading towards the door. "I will find him. Mark my words, Penelope." She followed me, her pace quick. "Are you sure this is a good idea, Aurelia? Going into his territory, alone?"
I looked at Penelope, her concern palpable. "It's not without risk. But we all know alphas can track like hounds on the hunt. I've been tracking him since I first scented him. If I can find him in the crowded streets and thundering night, I'll find him in his sanctuary." In the elevator, her hands gripped my shoulders, giving me a look that told me she was nervous. "So be careful, Alpha of New York."
The dimligh of the small tavern made me squint. Smoke ringed the air, the scent of stale ale and cheap gin made Penelope wrinkle her nose. I stepped deeper into the shadowed room, the low hum of the patrons muttering as they studied me. Halfway across the floor, hoods were raised, glasses lowered. "This is a nest of snakes" Penelope hissed. I raised a hand, sensing the pulse of panicked alphas.
I closed my eyes, sniffing the air. One scent stood out, finally. Faint, but mine. My eyes flashed, the alpha rising within me. I shoved my hands into a coat pocket, heading unafraid toward the hooded figure in the back. Penelope patted my arm, a silent voicing of support, her eyes locked on his.
He looked at me as I walked towards him and took off running. "Damn it" I muttered, not bothering to hide my growl. "Follow him!" I ordered Penelope, my heart pounding in pursuit as we charged in pursuit, a symphony of growls and clatters echoing in the night.
Under the fluorescent streetlamp, our chase paused, the game of cat and mouse suddenly flipped. Elian cast a hurried glance over his shoulder, his breath wheezing, eyes-wide with vulnerability. My mouth curving into a smirk, the hunt had become a dance. A game of entrapment. His scent washed over me, intoxicating and raw. "Looks like your night just got interesting" I taunted.
Cellaria, impatient, wrested control from me. My body arched, snarling, as my eyes flashed the silver of my wolf. I tasted his fear, a bitter tang on my tongue, his grip on my ankle weakening. "Got you" I growled. My foot landed on his chest, pushing him flat. "Your scent," I murmured, inhaling him. "I'll have it, and you'll be mine."
He moistened his lips and swallowed hard, uncertain. "T-That's not how this works, alpha" he stuttered. "You're not supposed to chase us." "No?" I cocked my head. "Well, I'm chasing" I growled, my eyes gleaming. Releasing my foot, I"and steadied myself on his captive body, letting him feel every inch of me. His lost breath hitched, eyes widening from inches away.
"Don't move" I commanded, my voice a resonant growl, my body caging him. But Elian was no ordinary omega, his spirit fiery even in that moment of surrender. He bucked me off, twisting sideways in my grip. A swift elbow to my jaw surprised me, sending my head snapping to the side, I tasted the cloying tang of blood. He was on his feet, fingers scrambling for a loose cobblestone.
Elian's lips curled into a sneer, his eyes blazing with defiance. "I'm not anyone's" he spat, "least of all yours, alpha." He bolted, his form darting, weaving, fluent with the night. My body tensed, pursed my lips, rebutted, "You're mine already, Elian. But you're futile if you can't see it."
"Have you no fucking idea" I seethed, my body trembling with Primordial wolf strength. I pictured him in my mind, his scent cloying my nostrils like a rich drug, inciting me forward, propelling my hunt for him. "You're not escaping, Elian" I whispered, voice thunderous even in a low and hoarse. "I will have you, one way on another. " I exhaled, letting my beast within ascend. She had one goal: to possess that omega.