the front entry. It was large double doors made of solid wood with iron hinges. The man pulled them open, then stepped to the side to allow them to enter.
Once inside, Jane stopped and turned to look about the interior. They were in a large room constructed of stone walls and on the walls hung sconces that provided the only light in the space once the door had been closed behind Dirk and Fritz. There was a staircase on the opposite side of the room that snaked up the walls, leading to a second and third floor. Maybe even a fourth. Jane wasn?t sure.
Fritz took the lead down a passageway and Dirk stayed next to her as they walked behind him.
Jane was surprised to turn a corner and find an elevator. Who would have thought that there?d be an elevator in a place as old as this?
The elevator door chimed open. They stepped inside and went up to the third floor, then exited into another hallway. They turned to the right and down at the end of the hallway, a desk came into view and a beautiful blonde sat behind it. She stood up from her chair as they approached and came around the corner of the desk with her hand outstretched for Jane.
Jane shook her hand and smiled shyly as the woman introduced herself, ?Guten morgen, I am Nadja, Kasimir?s mate.?
?Hello,? Jane replied, ?I?m Jane.? She hated calling herself Jane. It was just another reminder that she was somewhere she didn?t belong. But, since she didn?t have another name to give, people she encountered had to call her something.
?I?m very happy to meet you,? the woman sang, to which Jane nodded and smiled politely.
?Is the Alpha busy?? Fritz interrupted.
?Not with anything important,? Nadja smiled in reply. ?Go on in.?
Jane followed Fritz and Dirk into a door behind the woman?s desk and into the Alpha?s office. Dirk stood in front of her and she couldn?t see the man behind the desk, she could only hear him. ?Guten tag, men. You?ve made it back from the states in one piece.?
Dirk and Fritz each stood with a bowed head, staring down at the man?s desk rather than at him directly. ?Yes sir,? they each answered in unison.
?And you?ve brought a guest with you, I see,? he continued.
?Yes sir,? they each answered again, then stepped to the side, so that the man could see her.
?Hello. May I call you Jane since your given name has not yet been discovered??
Jane stared down at the floor and nodded.
?You may look at me,? he told her and she lifted to eyes to look over him. He was tall and very sturdily built. He had dark brown hair, slicked back to one side and dark eyes to match. He smiled at her and seemed friendly enough, but the man had an intensity that seemed to radiate from him like thunder shuddering the ground. His power was so strong that she couldn?t hold her gaze on him any longer and looked again to the floor.
?Nice to meet you sir,? she mumbled.
?You may call me Kasimir, or Alpha. You do not work for me, therefore, need not address me as sir.?
She nodded in response and then he added, ?However, if you do wish to work for me temporarily, I would be willing to find you a suitable job. You do not need to give me an answer right now.?
?Thank you for the offer, Alpha. I will think about it,? she replied.
?Are you rested?? he asked in a tone that Jane wasn?t able to determine if it was sympathetic, or challenging.
She nodded. ?Yes, I am rested well enough.?
?Good,? he answered. ?I request that all the females in my pack know the basics of self-defense, even those who do not hold a position in my forces. You are a temporary pack member, so I would like to have you tested, only for the sake of determining if you are able to defend yourself. Protecting what is mine is my number one priority,? he explained.
?As you wish.?
She glanced up at him briefly and saw him turn to Dirk as he addressed him, ?Delta, show her to her room, then lead her to the training arena. I would like her to be tested promptly.? He then looked to Fritz and said, ?A word with you Beta.?
Dirk opened the door and she followed him back into the hall, leaving Fritz inside with the Alpha. He stopped at Nadja?s desk and asked which room Jane