Sleeping with My Best Friend's Alpha Father

I didn't belong at that party.

I knew it the moment I stepped through the gate.

My shoes were too cheap.

My dress was borrowed.

My smile felt fake.

Everything about me screamed mistakes.

Music drifted from inside. Laughter. Glasses clinking. Expensive perfume. Voices smooth and confident.

People like them never stuttered. Never count coins before buying food. Never worry about tomorrow.

People like me did.

I tightened my grip on the tray in my hand.

"Don't shake," I whispered to myself. "It's just one night. Work. Smile. Leave."

That was the plan.

Simple.

Safe.

But my chest still felt tight.

Like I had walked into the wrong life.

"Why do you look like you're going to a funeral?"

I turned.

Sienna stood behind me, bright and glowing like she always did. Gold dress. Perfect hair. Perfect smile. She looked like she belonged on a magazine cover.

She always did.

She grabbed my arm and laughed softly. "Relax. It's just a party."

I forced a smile. "For you."

She frowned. "For you too. You're my guest."

"No," I said quietly. "I'm your help."

Her smile faltered for a second.

I hated myself for saying it out loud.

But it was the truth.

Guests wore diamonds.

I wore a uniform.

Guests drank wine.

I carried it.

Guests danced.

I cleaned after them.

She squeezed my hand. "Don't say that. You know you're more than that to me."

Do I?

The question burned in my throat, but I swallowed it.

Sienna had helped me before. Lent me money. Covered my school fees once. Introduced me to people who spoke English like silk.

She called me her best friend.

But sometimes kindness feels like charity.

And charity always comes with a price.

"I'm fine," I said. "Just tell me where to serve."

She studied me like she wanted to argue. Then she sighed. "Okay. But if anyone bothers you, you come straight to me. This is my house. No one messes with what's mine."

What's mine?

The words sounded warm.

But they also sounded like ownership.

Before I could think too much, she kissed my cheek and left.

And just like that, I was alone.

I started walking through the crowd.

Smile. Nod. Pour drinks.

"Champagne?"

"Red or white?"

"Thank you, sir."

My voice sounded small even to me.

People barely looked at my face. Their eyes went past me. Through me.

Like I wasn't a person.

Like I was furniture.

A moving table.

A pair of hands.

Nothing else.

I'd felt this before.

At restaurants.

At hotels.

At every job I ever had.

But tonight it felt worse.

Heavier.

Like the air itself was watching me.

Two women brushed past me.

"She's human, right?" one whispered.

"I think so. Why would they hire humans tonight?"

"Cheap labor, probably."

They laughed.

Soft. Mean. Casual.

Like I wasn't standing right there.

My fingers tightened around the tray.

Don't cry.

Not here.

Not again.

I lowered my head and kept walking.

Because that's what I always did.

Keep walking.

Keep quiet.

Survive.

Near the bar, two men were talking in low voices.

I wasn't trying to listen.

But their words slipped through anyway.

"...tonight might get ugly."

"...rival packs are already in the city."

"...security doubled. The King doesn't trust anyone."

King?

I blinked.

They weren't joking.

No one laughed.

They sounded serious.

One of them noticed me listening and stopped talking.

His eyes changed.

Sharp.

Cold.

Not human.

A chill slid down my spine.

"Drink," he said shortly.

I poured with shaking hands.

Why did that feel like an order?

Something wasn't right.

The guards weren't relaxed like normal parties.

They were stiff. Watching exits. Whispering into earpieces.

People laughed too loud.

Smiled too wide.

Like everyone was pretending.

Like this wasn't a party.

Like this was war dressed in silk.

My heart started beating faster.

What kind of place is this?

What kind of world did Sienna really belong to?

And what was I doing here?

I moved toward another group.

A man suddenly grabbed my wrist.

Hard.

Too hard.

"Hey," he said. "Refill."

His grip hurt.

I tried to pull away. "Please let go, sir."

He didn't.

He stared at me like I was meat.

"You're new," he said. "Pretty too."

My stomach twisted.

"I'm working," I said.

He leaned closer. I smelled alcohol. Something sour.

"Work later. Sit with me first."

"No."

The word came out small.

But it was still not.

His smile disappeared.

Before things could get worse, another voice cut in.

"Let her go."

Calm.

Deep.

Dangerous.

The man's hand dropped instantly.

He stepped back like he'd been burned.

I turned

But the person had already walked away.

I only saw a tall back.

Broad shoulders.

Black suit.

Commanding.

Everyone around him moved aside without being told.

Like he didn't need permission to exist.

Like the air belonged to him.

"Who was that?" I whispered.

The man who grabbed me looked pale.

"That's none of your business," he muttered.

But there was fear in his eyes.

Real fear.

My skin prickled.

Who is he?

For the next hour, I couldn't focus.

I kept feeling it.

That strange sensation.

Like eyes on me.

Not the hungry stares.

Not the rude ones.

Something else.

Something heavier.

Something intense.

Like a predator choosing prey.

Stop being dramatic, Elena.

It's just nerves.

But my body didn't listen.

My heart wouldn't slow down.

My hands kept trembling.

And every time I turned

I felt like someone had just looked away.

I went to the service hallway to breathe.

Just one minute.

Just quiet.

My chest rose and fell fast.

"This is stupid," I muttered. "You're imagining things."

But deep down...

I knew I wasn't.

Something was wrong tonight.

Something big.

And somehow

I felt connected to it.

Like a thread tying me to something dangerous.

Something I couldn't see yet.

Something that hadn't noticed me before...

But had noticed me now.

Back in the main hall, I lifted my tray again.

Smile. Walk. Serve.

Smile. Walk. Serve.

Then

It hit me.

Hard.

Like electricity.

My body froze mid-step.

My skin burned.

My heart slammed.

I didn't know why.

I didn't understand how.

But suddenly

I felt watched.

Not casually.

Not accidentally.

Watched like a target.

Slowly, I looked up.

Across the room.

Past the crowd.

Past the lights.

And then I saw him.

The same man from before.

Tall.

Still.

Silent.

Everyone else moved.

He didn't.

His eyes were on me.

Only me.

Not my tray.

Not my uniform.

Me.

And the way he looked at me

It wasn't interesting.

It wasn't a curiosity.

It wasn't a desire.

It was recognition.

Like he knew me.

Like he'd been looking for me.

My throat went dry.

Why is he staring like that?

We've never met.

Have we?

My chest tightened.

My legs felt weak.

For one strange second

I wanted to walk to him.

Like something inside me was pulling.

Calling.

Don't be stupid.

I forced my gaze away.

But even after I looked down

I could still feel him.

Like heat against my skin.

Like his eyes were touching me.

Across the hall, the man didn't move.

Didn't blink.

Didn't breathe.

His jaw tightened.

His fingers curled slowly at his side.

Something inside him stirred.

Something violent.

Something ancient.

And without breaking his gaze, he spoke quietly to the man beside him.

"Find out who that girl is," he said.

His voice was calm.

Too calm.

The kind of calm that came before a storm.

"Now."