Alpha Malik

Aria

I scratch at the lining of the car seat, irritating Elaine, the woman who has been paired with me.

Apparently, it is her job to make me win this thing, which basically means she’ll get a hefty paycheck.

Little did she know that I wasn't going to be in the competition for long. At least I don't plan to be.

“This car is expensive,” she whispers harshly. The camera was off—the man behind it wiping the lens with the corner of his shirt—so we’re not expected to keep up the facade at the moment.

So I take it upon myself to relax, propping my leg up under me, despite the fact that I am wearing a dress. The blue fabric bunches under my breasts and flows nearly down to my knees.

This is the first time I've had the chance to wear something that pretty, despite the snow falling gently outside.

Elaine had my faux fur coat on her lap, ready to wrap it around my shoulders when needed.

“Good to know Malik put his money into something,” I whisper back, and she scolds me with a sharp gaze but no words.

Honestly, I am bored mindless and wanting to get out of the car I have been trapped in for over two hours now. The outside is covered in snow.

Every inch of land was covered in it, making the landscape look bland, which I have got used to over the years. So I rest my head against the window and wish silently that time would go by faster.

We’re not going straight to Malik's.

I am going to meet the other girl who had been selected from the Love Pack since we are all expected to get along, which I guess they think this is a good place to start.

As a Love Pack member, I think I live up to our name, trying to love anyone and everyone possible.

Including my mate.

I may not know where he is right now, but I wish I did, then he could sweep me away, straight out of this competition, but Grey....he haunts my mind every second it starts to wander.

This is something I can't escape from, and just the idea of that makes my heart sink. I'm like a puppet on a string.

It was too bad this Love Pack girl, Macie North, lives far from where I did.

Our pack is one of the largest, spiraling into the endless countryside that is usually coated with this thick layer of snow. And to think, despite this drive, Macie and I are meeting in the middle.

The moment we get there, Elaine turns to me.

“Listen, you need to look as if you care for at least one second; can you do that?” she asks, tossing the coat onto my lap.

The camera people start to get out and getting ready to film the first interaction. “And try to look friendly. Important people will be seeing this.”

I know who she means. Malik and his family. Instead of arguing, which would have caused more hassle than there already is, I nod and try to imagine Macie.

Who knows what she is like....or what she looks like. She is bound to have features like mine, considering we grew up in the same pack.

She might despise the idea of love, although that's hard to believe. Maybe she will be like me.

Elaine gets out of the car, the door blowing shut by itself.

The instant she is out of the car, a smile is on her face. From what I have noted thus far, she is very good at maintaining a constant facade that even I would believe at first glance.

She looks like she was born and bred for this kind of thing; her hair is always neat, even when she walks into the beginnings of a snowstorm, and her outfit seems perfect for what a Luna would be expected to wear.

Quickly, I put on my coat, glad for the instant warm grasp it provides. This is it!

I'm kind of a shy person. Whenever Alexa and I meet someone, she always shines, while I wait to see whether the person is worth talking to.

Now it's primarily me making the decision, having to bear the full brunt of someone’s personality, no matter how different it may be from mine.

It makes my heart flutter nervously, my stomach tying itself up in knots at what is to come.

I was told earlier to stay in the car until they had fully set up.

Already the entire camera thing is getting on my nerves, and I hope I don't end up being one of those people who lash out when a camera gets too close.

I'm wary of what everyone will think about me when the cameras come closer...

Honestly, I've realized I couldn't care less if Malik sees what I am like, since I'm not going into this as someone I'm not. If I do, he’ll probably toss me aside without a second thought.

I'm a terrible actor.

Deep in thought, I flinch dramatically when Elaine finally knocks on the car door. Her cheeks are reddened from the cold, and she is wearing a winter coat that suits the creamy color of her outfit.

She almost blends into the snow-dusted trees in the background.

When I step out, I am immediately hit square in the face with the bite of winter wind, which threatens to blow the skirt of my dress up.

Pressing the skirt down with frigid fingers, I sidle a little closer to Elaine, hoping some of her warmth spreads onto me, because, with a lack of covering on my legs, I might just collapse into the mounds of ice beneath my feet.

“Remember, act happy,” Elaine hisses in my ear. “You meet, we film it, and we head straight to Alpha Malik's afterwards.”

She says it as if seeing him straight afterward would somehow quell all my nervousness, or irritability, from the cold.

In fact, it makes things a bit worse, knowing I’m not going home to my books and comfortable bed. And meeting an Alpha....and all those girls.

I get even more nervous as I watch the other girl step out of the other car.

Her hair is dark, whipping around her face in a way that makes me glad I tied mine back. Her assistant is a male version of Elaine.

He is dressed in a beautifully tailored suit, but my eyes only barely glanced at him.

They are focused on the girl, who stumbles through the snow, probably looking at me, but I could hardly see her face because of the distance between us.

There is no script. We are meant to meet, make it somehow enjoyable for people to watch, and then move forward to the actual competition.

Elaine presses my back, staying behind me as I take a tentative step forward.

What the girl is wearing instantly made me envious. Not because it’s lavish; it simply looks warm, and right now, I could beg for something warmer.

The closer we get, I notice how the dark gray of her outfit matches her eyes almost perfectly. It’s not every day you see a Love Pack member with gray eyes, but it’s not impossible.

She must be just one of those unique cases.

The girl smiled at me warmly, tilting her head in a way I could only describe as coy. She looks a little younger than me – with a youthful exuberance dancing in her eyes that I fail to mirror.

She is wearing golden high heels, which sink deep into the snow.

How she is managing to pull that off, I have no idea. If it was me, I would be lying face first in the snow.

“Macie North,” the girl says, sticking her hand out. Her hand is covered in a black glove, whereas my hand is bare to the elements and numb with cold.

The tip of her nose is bright red, and I'm sure she notices that mine is the same.

I shake her hand, trying to ignore the cameras. “Aria Quade.”

“I love it!” she exclaims brightly, as if my name is winning lottery numbers. Or maybe even the key to Alpha Malik's heart...

She grabs my shoulders, taking me by surprise, and pulls me towards her for a hug. At first I'm stiff, unsure of what she is doing.

At least she is warm, sealing the gap between myself and the wind, but I can't say I am used to people being so forward, especially with me. She whispers in my ear. “It looks good for the camera.”

Glancing at the camera lens, incredibly close to us, I see what she means.

When we pull away, she is smiling broadly, and I try my best to replicate it. She seems to find this part of the entire thing a breeze, while I am more awkward than I have ever been.

Surely whoever is tuning in, or will tune in, will instantly see some Luna-type qualities about her, especially since she is from the Love Pack, and with a charismatic, outgoing attitude, she will be a favorite.

“Nice to meet you,” she says. “I can't wait to see what these next few months will bring.”

Clearly, she believes she is going to last that long, but something about her is likable, and despite me not knowing her fully yet, I have the feeling she might be one of the better girls to hang around with during this competition when I'm not stealing from the Alpha of Love.

“You too,” I say, wishing I wasn't as shy as I am. There is a break in my voice, but I hope people will excuse it as the cold.

So, it takes me at least five minutes to realize that Macie enjoyed being able to take control of a situation.

The moment she begins demanding that she and I arrive at Malik's estate in a car together, she reminds me of Alexa.

It seemed as though she had decided that there was no way we would be separated; her arm was linked with mine so Elaine couldn't tug me away.

“We’re friends,” she announces after the cameraman started filming again. “And we are going together.”

Why she had decided to do this, I don't know. It is slightly intimidating, so I just stand next to her, letting her point to the car we would be going in like there was no other choice.

She wants us to go in the car I had arrived in. At least I could be assured I would be entertained on the drive there.

Much to Elaine and Macie’s own assistant’s disgust, Macie gets her way, and soon we are being bundled back into the car, with her in the middle, and Elaine and I on either side of her.

“So, are you excited?” Macie asks, as soon as we settle into our seats.

I shrug. If I am going to at least try to be her friend during this ordeal, I might as well be honest.

And anyway, maybe she’ll see me as less of a threat if I tell her what little interest I actually have in Malik.

“Not really,” I tell her, and her smile falters slightly. “My friend pressured me to enter, and I guess I just happened to get picked.”

If Macie doesn’t appreciate my nonchalant attitude, she doesn’t show it. In fact, her eyes gleam at every word that I say.

At least I’m being honest when I say I was pressured into signing up for this...by Alexa. (And also by an unknown rogue organization I’m still not sure about.)

“You have no idea how glad I am to hear you say that,” she says, grabbing my hands. The sincerity in her eyes makes me feel a bit taken aback.

I wasn’t about to admit that this girl seems a little overconfident. Maybe I am too used to being friends with someone who is exactly like her. Am I naturally drawn to people like that?

“This is probably going to seem weird...”

Oh great.

“But I think Malik and I are meant to be together,” she whispers, like it would be a sin if anyone else would hear. “Like...the fact that I got picked proves that he and I are in love.”

I stare at her, trying to make sense of her words. She seems so serious that I had to hold back my giggles.

As far as I am aware, Macie has not yet met Malik, and yet she thinks they are totally in love? Okay, maybe she and I won’t be so close if she thinks this way about the situation.

“And the other girls?” I ask warily.

Not once does Macie’s smile fade. Not even for a second. “They don’t matter. I’m going to win, and I am glad to know that you agree with me.”

I turn and look out the window, trying to regain my composure. If Malik is like her, then they’ll be perfect for each other, but something tells me that he might be as surprised at this girl as I am.

Seemingly beautiful on the outside, but terrifying when she opens her mouth.

What have I gotten myself into?