Stop mistaking me for somebody that I am not.

“Alpha Vincent, I’m so glad I managed to find you,” the Council member approached Luciano, a wide smile plastered all over his lips.

One look at the man was enough for the Alpha to understand that something had to be off; otherwise, there was no reason for a Council member to look for him.

They spoke only about business or problems; there was no in-between. Luciano nodded his head and patiently waited till the Council member would speak up, trying to recall if any business-related topics might connect the men.

“Could you follow me to my office, please?”

Without waiting for Luciano’s answer, he turned around and walked towards the staircase, leading the way. This was just another, quite weird way to prove that there was something important to talk about since most conversations could happen in the open.

Private meetings in separate offices were meant only for top-secret topics about critical issues.

Luciano silently followed the elderly Council member, eyeing if anyone else would join them or would this discussion happen only between the two.

Other Alphas didn’t seem to notice their absence, too busy to chat around with a couple of drinks in their hands. Luciano sighed, eager to find out if anything had happened and get the conversation over as soon as possible.

He had planned to visit Seth today, question her about a couple of things and see if she was okay.

As soon as Luciano stepped foot in the office, he closed the door, eyeing the suspicious-looking Council member. “So? What’s so important to bring me here that couldn’t be discussed downstairs?”

As per usual, he didn’t waste any time on polite small talk. If there were an issue, he would do anything to deal with it on the spot.

“Ah, straight to the point, I wouldn’t expect less from you, my boy. Please, sit down so we can talk,” the older he smiled, somehow reminding Luciano of a fatherly figure.

Since he had lost his father - the older men in the Council led him to become a better leader.
And yet, Luciano had to fight the urge to roll his eyes in irritation. Everyone knew how much he hated wasting his and others’ precious time.

“Spill the beans; I’m all ears, Anderson,” Luciano sat in front of him, his eyes searching the office for anything that might look like it isn’t supposed to be there.

Even though he did trust many Council members, he couldn’t be too careful - any hidden cameras or recording devices might be planted around the main building. If anything, he didn’t need private conversations to get leaked.

“It has been brought to my attention that you’ve managed to ignore some sets of rules around here. That doesn’t sound like you, my boy, but I managed to come up with a solution, thankfully. Some of the Council members, I won’t mention any names for both of us know who those might be, wanted to drop you from the competition. It’s an outrageous idea since those rules couldn’t be a reason for disqualification. Anyway, before I get into the details - do you have any idea what I am talking about now?”

The elder leaned over the office table, nearing Luciano a little. It was a way to show that his attention was entirely on the Alpha and any answer he might give.

“I assume we are talking about the woman that visited me during the weekend, right? Well, the rules don’t have anything about the weekends, nor women brought here on those two days. Technically, I haven’t broken any of those silly rules. If other members need to know everything; what they’re trying to do - she came for business. She is one of my partners; even the guards were warned that a business partner of mine would arrive for a couple of hours. Am I the only one that can’t seem to notice the issue about this?” Luciano didn’t enjoy lying to the man, but he promised to stay strictly on the idea about the business-related meeting between them.

“It indeed seems to be an issue in their eyes. Don’t worry, I believe in you, but the problem is that the rest of the members wouldn’t think the same as I do, even if I swore. So, to avoid consequences, I came up with an idea - we will have a trusted person following you at all costs. I know this person, uhh, pretty well, if I may say so. I can promise you that he will keep quiet even if something does happen or someone visits you at times.”

Luciano felt like everyone did everything to betray him. Even though he knew that this was the easiest way out, he couldn’t help himself but feel outraged.

How did the Council expect him to be at his best when an annoying piece of a servant would follow each of his moves? Now, he listens to promises that the person would be trusted, but how trusted may one, sent by the Council, actually be?

“How the fuck are you expecting me to take these news as something damn good? From all the people around here, you had to know how damn much I hate strangers around myself!” Luciano jumped on his feet, ready to storm out of the office, but a hand stopped him.

“You know this person - the Omega servant. You’ve spoken to the boy a couple of times, usually around lunch. Have you forgotten him?” The elder man smiled, recalling how he thought that Luciano had hidden a few bits about his sexuality.

The way he watched Seth running around. The way how his eyes sparkled in joy whenever they fell on her. Yet, it always happened when she was dressed as a man.

“Hah, as if the little weakling could handle me, good fucking luck,” Luciano would lie if he said that the Council member’s words didn’t surprise him.

Those words were the most exciting thing he had heard in days, but the Alpha couldn’t show that. If anyone caught even a glimpse of the happiness blooming inside him - they would change Seth to any other guard.

So, instead of calming down, Luciano acted as aggressive and angered as he did before hearing the Council member out.

“Come on; it won’t be as bad. I can’t let them throw you out; this time, you’ll have to trust me blindly. I am doing this for your good, not mine.” The Council member kept trying to reason with the Alpha, missing the hint of amusement in his voice.

“Is that so? In that case, why don’t you make the little maggot move in my fucking house, huh?” Luciano growled, well aware of the consequences to come as soon as the words would be spoken out loud.

“That’s brilliant!” He cheered, letting go of the Alpha. He grabbed the phone, dialed a number, and sent someone to the cabin.

“Tell him to pack his bags; the Alpha will be there within a few hours. Yes, that is correct. No, for a couple of weeks, depending on how long the games will drag out. I don’t know, it’s not that he could say no, but if he does... If he does tell him that I’m doubling the money, okay? Great, thank you.” As soon as the conversation ended, the older he had a smug smile all over his lips.

“Fuck this!” Luciano growled and rushed towards the door.

A little more, and he would burst out in laughter, showing off the true happiness within himself.

“A guard will escort you to the cabin after a couple of hours, don’t forget that!” The Council member yelled before Luciano closed the office door. He rushed downstairs, snarling at anyone that got in his way.

As soon as Luciano reached the main hall, his eyes scanned every face surrounding him, searching for one person. She had been on his mind for a while now; even when another woman was next to him, Luciano still thought of Seth.

For some reason, he couldn’t notice her running around; the happiness he felt was replaced by disappointment way too soon.

“Don’t worry, even if she’s not around now, we will see her within a few hours. She’s moving in to watch over us, remember?” His wolf suddenly spoke up, as eager to spend time around Seth as Luciano felt.

“You’re right; let’s focus on the competition now,” Luciano replied, walking out of the house. He was the first one to reach the training grounds.

Today, the Alphas were supposed to show off their strengths - paired to fight against each other both in wolf and human forms. After today at least half of the men will leave the competition - the ones that lost their rounds and ones who would be severely injured.

Even if the Alpha won his match yet ended up with way too many serious injuries, they couldn’t stay in the competition. The victory wasn’t considered a real one if the winner wouldn’t leave without a scratch on his body.

This was the main reason why many saw the Alpha games as the most vicious game ever.
Alphas, one after another, slowly approached the training grounds. Luciano scanned the crowd, looking for the man who would be his opponent today.

Now, he felt somewhat relieved, knowing that Seth wouldn’t see the things happening out there. If the Alpha knew one thing - it was his temper and the insane drive for blood.

Luciano was the type of man who couldn’t stop until he won; it didn’t matter for what or whom he fought.

Today, his goal was to win the fight, even if the price to pay was the other Alpha’s life.

“Fist up, Alpha Vincent and his opponent Alpha Warren,” a man yelled out, pointing at both men.
Of course, Alpha Warren was the first to step into the area where the fight was supposed to happen. As the cocky bastard he was, he lifted his fists in the air and growled, trying to intimidate everyone around him.

“I will let you both decide which form you take first - human or wolf. Remember, if the winner injures the loser beyond limits, the fight will end instantly, and the loser will be sent back to his territory. Am I clear?” The same man announced, reminding the basic fight rules that everyone knew from the years of watching the games.

Both men nodded their heads; Alpha Warren yelled out some profanities while Luciano slid hands in his pants’ pockets and joined his opponent.

Eyeing his movements, Luciano instantly noticed a few severe mistakes the other Alpha made - one of them was showing off the limp of his leg.

“I take a wolf,” Alpha Warren didn’t waste time to choose.

Everyone knew that he would make his beast fight since he had spoken about the plan from day one.

“Human,” Luciano shrugged his shoulders, smiling at the gasping crowd.

Many Alphas had disagreements about the forms in which they would fight, but none was crazy enough to try and fight a fully grown wolf without shifting themselves. It wasn’t against the rules, just an uncommon thing to do - a type of a stupid suicide.

Warren grinned, shifting into his wolf and running at Luciano before anyone would announce that the fight had begun.

Sadly, the man was too blind to see that everything he did was a part of the plan his opponent had. As soon as he jumped up and tried to bite into Luciano’s throat, he stepped aside, grabbed the injured leg, and twisted it, breaking it before the wolf fell on the ground.

The beast whimpered in pain, unable to get back on his paws, attempting to crawl away while Luciano strode towards him.

“Warren, you jackass,” he growled, grabbing onto the wolf’s throat, slowly extending his claw. “You would do anything for power, wouldn’t you? Even sacrifice the only good part that ever lived in you. Dumbass.” Barely holding back, Luciano stepped away from the frightened beast.

Luciano would gladly beat up the human form until his own mother wouldn’t recognize him, but the wolf wasn’t to blame. If anyone, the wolf was stuck with an asshole of a human, and it was punishment enough.

“Alpha Vincent won, next up - Alpha Loid and Alpha Valentin,” the next fighters were announced as guards dragged the injured beast away.

Warren didn’t bother to shift back to his human form, forcing his wolf to live through the humiliation of defeat.

“Disappointing, I expected a little more of the show. I picked Warren as your opponent myself,” a Council member stood by Luciano, trying to have a conversation.

The Alpha had enough of the Council for today - choosing to ignore the somewhat powerful man, he walked back into the building.

At some point, Luciano was eager to see the fights; some of the Alphas had outstanding training, yet standing next to the Council was the last thing he needed today.

He sat in the living room, patiently waiting till the day’s competition was over, and he would go to Seth’s place to pick her up. Luciano had to fight every instinct and idea to stay put on the spot.

If he went to the cabin alone, everyone around the territory would know that he knew Seth. Seth, as the woman, who is living in that particular cabin. By the call that he overheard earlier - Luciano figured that she needed money, so he wouldn’t make rushed decisions, risking her job.

He could offer her the money, no matter how much she needed, but even the little time they had spent together was enough for Luciano to notice a few things about his kitten. She was a very prideful woman. If anything, she wouldn’t accept money she didn’t earn.

Minutes felt like punishment, but finally, painfully slowly, they turned into hours. A guard approached Luciano, bowing and offering the Alpha to show where the Omega boy was supposed to live.

Still attempting to hide the excitement, Luciano followed the man. Thankfully, he pointed at the cabin and suggested that the Alpha should get his car and go there alone since the guard had many other responsibilities.

Words could not express how happy Luciano felt for the sudden change of plans. The Alpha nodded his head, appearing to be the same ignorant asshole he was daily, and sent the guard off.

Luciano walked to the parking lot, got into his car, and drove to her cabin. To make things more interesting for himself, he came up with a plan. He parked next to her cabin and got out of the car, leaving the door open.

Slowly, he approached the cabin and knocked on her door, which flew open before his fist would land on the surface for the third time. He didn’t say a word, just nodded towards the car and turned around.

Luciano sat back in his seat and looked at his wristwatch, pretending that he was way too busy to acknowledge her existence. Seth tried to hide the confusion, yet she, unlike Luciano, wasn’t the best actress.

She grabbed her bag, locked the door, and approached the expensive looking car. At this point, she was thankful for the decision that less was more, avoiding packing a full suitcase.

She sat in the car and whispered, “hi to you too.”

Even though Seth attempted to avoid him, she felt deeply annoyed by Luciano’s attitude - mostly him ignoring her. The drive to his house was silent and uncomfortable; unlike other times, he didn’t spare a glance at her, yet another thing that annoyed her.

When the Alpha parked in his house’s driveway, he got out of the vehicle and walked straight to the building. Seth tried to run next to him but failed and ran after the Alpha like a dog.

“Hey! Stop for a second; where the hell am I supposed to sleep? You shouldn’t act like an asshole just because I was forced to stay here. You wouldn’t end up in this situation if you didn’t break the fucking rules!” Seth yelled from the hall as Luciano tried to head upstairs.

He stopped in mid-way and let out a deep breath, once again avoiding to look at her.

“First of all, you’re here because they offered good money; nobody forced you to stay at my place. Get that in that pretty little head of yours and stop using fake arguments. You can stay in the guest bedroom upstairs or sleep on the sofa in the living room, whatever suits you.” His voice was low, somewhat gentle, no anger or irritation, another reason for Seth to assume that something was wrong with the Alpha.

“Fucking ignorant asshole,” she whispered under her breath.

“Stop mistaking me for somebody that I am not.”