The Alpha Cyrus Rhaziel inhaled sharply after licking the same spot where he had bitten before. He was unable to stop himself from devouring her body but he eventually had to halt and prevent himself from going further. Cyrus was aware by now that he had to limit his touch and intimacy and have to keep a check on their physical relationship. Well, that too if he wanted to develop any such kind of affection. 

Cyrus grinned and got up from the bed, the alpha was aware that now Danielle was his property and nobody could potentially steal her. The alpha stood up from the bed and tied a knot to his nightgown as he dawdled towards the balcony once again. He knew that the beta Curtis would be around to serve his duty as the bodyguard of the alpha. 

"Curtis?"

The Alpha called out to his confidant and inhaled sharply as he placed his both elbows over the marbled railing. The cool breeze of winter brushed past him as if the air was terrified of the alpha too. He was sure that Curtis was around and he needed his help to send Danielle home. 

“Yes, my alpha?”

The beta immediately appeared, since Curtis was a hybrid, half vampire and werewolf. It permitted him to shape shift into particular birds he wished to. He flew down towards the balcony and transformed himself from the bird to his normal self. Curtis landed on the cold marble floor and knelt in front of his master.

Cyrus was still leaning over the marbled railing as he closed his glowing eyes and waited for a few moments. The alpha could not let his confidant know all about his actions and thinking. However it was mildly known to Curtis that something had definitely intrigued his lord. The alpha inhaled deeply once again and snapped open his eyes to look in the direction of his nose.

All he could see was darkness endlessly prevailing in the kingdom due to night. The snowflakes started to slow down as the mountains in his vision were fully covered with snow. The alpha spoke to him with his voice stern and loud, which caught the beta’s attention. 

“When she wakes up, send her back home safely. Ensure that everybody knows your trace.”

Curtis was not sure why the alpha wanted every civilian to know about his coming. But either way the beta had to do what he was instructed. Cyrus Rhaziel saw him nodding and vanishing in the thin air of night once again. He had to wait patiently until the woman, seemingly mate of the alpha would gain some consciousness and energy to go back home.

Meanwhile on the other hand, after an hour or two later Danielle woke up and found the alpha’s bed chamber empty. There was no trace of Cyrus as if everything which had happened was in her dream. Danielle was unsure how to proceed with the new information so she looked haphazardly. The woman panicked and dashed out of the room immediately, even though she had no clue about the way out of Belle Morte. 

Whereas outside the room on the sloppy rooftop of the minaret, the alpha Cyrus could sense her scent fading away. He became assured that Danielle had exited his room and was probably finding her way out. For exactly that purpose he had instructed his beta to aid her in finding the way and send her back home.

The alpha inhaled sharply while he sat on the roof and grinned smugly when his claws revealed themselves in excitement. He knew that now Danielle was at his mercy and he could have her back under his clutches whenever he wished. It was easy fro Cyrus to track her now that he had marked her and she smelled like him.

Danielle was escorted back to her home personally by Curtis and the royal ball ended with happiness. Well, for everyone else but for Danielle it was a nightmare which she did not want to experience again. As soon as she descended from the carriage the woman nearly tripped at first due to the pain in her thigh. 

She was unsure about the certain mysterious pain which had started in her left leg. However, Danielle did not get any time to check her thighs in order to know what was the wound. She became terrified and panicked hard to get out of the caste that Danielle completely ignored everything. 

When she was in Belle Morte nothing concerned the woman more than her own safety. Thus, Danielle dashed to find the exit and as soon as she encountered the beta Curtis the woman was safely sent home. Martha, who was Danielle’s friend, kept her in check after knowing that she caught some unknown scenario upon her way back home.

[Back in the brothel | Danielle and Martha’s room]

The stained glass window was covered in snow which had grown cold and it was hard to see outside. It was a shabby small room which had a wooden floor that had grown a bit wet due to snow and the warmth. The roof which resembled an attic one was also similar to the wooden pattern of the floor.

There were oil lamps in the room which were illuminating the small area with their dim light. The sound of the crickets was audible in the night time and the grim silence of the endless darkness. The only thing which could be heard was Danielle’s terrified beating heart and the excited voice of Martha. 

She was the one who genuinely enjoyed the ball and was sure that she might have found her mate too. The beta count with whom she mated and went to his place was the nicest man Martha had ever seen. Unlike those filthy perverted beasts who had always taken advantage of her body and gorgeous face.

Martha hoped that her friend might have found her mate too if not then some hunk must have gotten her attention. Later on she got to know from the beta Curtis about the whole lord Hawthorne incident when he personally escorted her home. It made Martha think that Danielle was in utter shock upon facing such mishap. 

The night had already fallen deeper into the pits of blackness and every single soul had already dozed off in their lofty beds. It was a perk of living and befriending Martha that Danielle was able to live comfortably unlike the other brothel girls. No doubt their rooms had some heating system along with lifty mattresses having warm quilts which were unavailable to the other brothel workers. Since Martha was the most loved and popular woman among the men and her sweet talks, bold nature and seductive gait earned quite a few gold and rubies. 

She was the kind of woman who believed to seize every opportunity which could uplift her living standards. And in order to do that she rebelled against the owner of the brothel and bought stuff. Since Danielle was dear to her Martha ensured that she stayed close and enjoyed those perks too. Danielle had never been out to parties  or similar events that was why Martha persuaded her for the ball. 

But something was definitely not right with Danielle, she was still wide awake in the room when Martha strode in. She saw her with keen eyes and sat opposite to Danielle’s bed when Martha witnessed her friend completely zoned out. The whole atmosphere of the room was tensed up as Danielle did not notice her presence. Martha had to fake a cough to snag her attention so she could proceed with her questions about the ball. 

"Why are you still awake? Don't tell me you are still thinking about that perverted asshole. I am really glad that his highness sent his beta to serve justice."

Martha teased her as she placed the jug on the rusty table and snuggled into the bed under the comfy quilt. She tried to initiate the conversation upon seeing that Danielle was completely zoned out. And it amazed her that something could even make Danielle quizzical and rethink her actions.

"Or are you perhaps thinking about some handsome gentleman you met there, uh?"

Danielle shifted her eyes towards Martha and without disclosing anything to her friend, she rebuked her and they both talked and Martha drifted to sleep with giggles. She knew something was definitely suspicious and wrong with her friend which made her worried about the whole thing. She wished to ask Danielle about the ball and what happened with her yesterday night but she could not get anything out of her. 

Whereas Danielle laid on the bed with her face looking upwards towards roof as she blankly stared. The woman had no knowledge of what or how her future would be ahead now that the alpha had marked her. She was immersed in the worry about her own safety while being mildly angry at the alpha. Of course, why should she not be!? The man abused his power and took her advantage, now Danielle had no place to go because she smelled like a man. 

Although it was something only one opposite genders could sense upon each other. Danielle assumed that it was easy for other male wolves to sense that she was smiling at some man. And since the scent was indeed powerful because she was marked by the alpha himself, the people would definitely blame her for seducing Cyrus.

It was a situation no less than a dilemma to her that there was possibly no way that Danielle could possibly hide her mark of scent. Everything in her life had turned upside down just because of the mate mark, she was practically hunted, trapped and perhaps soon to be enslaved to her own promise. After a long struggle she somehow managed to sleep right when the sun rays started to peek in through the snow covered window. 

[Next day | Early morning] 

The next day as usual Danielle was on the duty of washing dishes and Martha was getting ready by polishing nails and face to entertain the men at night. Danielle had no clue how she was supposed to share the deed of yesterday with her friend, she was immersed in her own thoughts regarding lying to Martha. She did not wish to say anything about the whole situation but Martha was still suspicious about the night. Danielle was engrossed in washing the dishes while being immersed in the thoughts, hesitation and fright was visible on her face from those creased forehead lines. 

The ladies had different chores and duties but one thing after the ball was common among them_ they both were replaying the night in their minds. Martha was happy that the count had mated with her and they had sex that was why Martha smelled like a guy. Whereas for some reason Danielle smelled nothing special, it appeared that the alpha Cyrus' had some masked scent. Everything was changed for both of the ladies, one was elated with the beta count she found while the other was terrified upon knowing that she had been bitten. 

Whereas everything was cheerful after the royal night and smiles graced the faces of ladies and gentlemen, who had spent their dark nights in adultery and the thirst to find their mates. An unexpected incident was about to happen soon because nobody would have ever thought that in their wildest dreams. Danielle was still unable to comprehend why nobody could pick up the alpha’s scent on her body. It also forced her to contemplate that how would she hide the bite mark done by Cyrus because there was no way she could keep it a secret for long.

The whole bustling town was cackling with happiness, people were discussing the ball and delicacies they had in Belle Morte. Everything was reeking of satisfaction and perhaps every single soul of kingdom Selene was eager to strengthen the strings of impulsive affection. Meanwhile in the midst of such good things happening around, something unusual occurred which was not even once in a blue moon scene either.

The royal carriage strode past the houses at a slow pace, the fancy decorative vehicle was easy to spot. Every civilian knew who it belonged to and the obvious royal crest on the carriage door paved the way. The people subconsciously scattered from the road to give way to the royal carriage. There were four white horses with red saddles and golden chains, while the carriage itself was painted in grim black which made it catchy to the eyes. Both of the doors of the carriage had a golden crest of wolf which displayed the royalty arrival. 

Curiosity was on their faces as they had to ensure that the beta was in the town. After all, nobody would have expected the alpha to step outside his castle to attend something in the town. The only possible guess was Curtis having some business in the town. However, his powers and the status of being the alpha’s confidant, the civilians were subconsciously giving him the way.

The fancy golden royal carriage passed through the streets and every single person had their gazes darted on the unexpected arrival. People pulled their children off the streets so as not to invoke any insolence. The alpha was notoriously known for being a tyrant and his beta was expected to follow the same footsteps. 

Fear and respect was visible from the eyes and actions of the people. It justified the actions of the afraid town folks who immediately shut their windows and dragged the kids inside. Nobody in his sane mind would have wanted to face the gruesome consequences of coming in the way of royal carriage.

The wheels of the carriage progressed forward towards the most notorious and badly reputed lane. The whole street on the both sides consisted of shops and liquor spots. Right on the dead end of that lane was the huge building with the big poles on both sides. There were lights dangling from the roof which made the building appear more emphasised. 

The carriage halted in front of the brothel when the rest of the people around the corner peeked into that lane. As soon as the carriage stopped the beta Curtis stepped out of the and looked around keenly. His long hair and the hairpin was still intact as the beta was clad in black robe. Curtis folded his arms and tucked them above his chest while he keenly listened and analysed the surroundings. 

After all, he could not allow the chances of any assassination attack when the alpha had finally decided to step out of the castle. The people around the corner were confused about the beta not proceeding further. It made them quizzical as to why the beta Curtis was not doing anything and what was he doing there in such a filthy place.