Chapter 1
Thunder roars through the darkened clouds, vibrating through the soil beneath my bloody paws. The forest lights up for a second as lightning flashes through the sky, giving me a glimpse of the world around me. Rain pours from up above, soaking my fur until it clings to my body, showing the loss of weight I have experienced since I was shunned by my pack. My ears twitch, listening to the sounds of the forest surrounding me before I continue my way towards the rushing river. I stand on its banks for a moment, debating on allowing myself to fall into its angry waters, washing my body away until my lungs fill with more water than oxygen. I would be dragged against the rocks underneath, possibly slamming my head into the smaller boulders until I lose consciousness. I would most likely die, falling into the sweet abyss of no pain.
I would be free.
Yet, I sneer at the idea and carefully navigate across the river until I’m stepping into the mud on the opposite side. I glance behind myself, ensuring no one is following and dive into the thick trees of the forest, blending in with the shadows.
I hold no knowledge of where I’m heading or what territory I’m trespassing, I stopped caring the second my connection to my pack broke. I often find myself wondering if this is why most rogues go feral, if losing those bonds, those deep connections sewn into us since birth, drive our minds to their breaking points. I see a firefly zip by me, its golden light reminding me of the disaster that threw me into this new life. Its cruel heat licking at my flesh as I try finding him, screaming out his name even though he wouldn’t do the same for me.
No one would’ve tried saving me.
I hear the snap of a stick before a wolf is barreling towards me, teeth bared and ears flat against their head. I get into a defensive pose, the idea of submitting causing my stomach to churn, even if I am a rogue on pack territory. I’m an Alpha before a rogue, never backing down to a fight and definitely, never submitting to someone lower.
I dodge their claws and spin, grabbing onto their back leg with my teeth and throwing their body into a nearby tree. The trunk groans, splintering from impact as the wolf crumbles to the ground with a yelp. I can barely move in time when someone is latching onto my shoulder, ripping through flesh, their claws slicing through my side. I snarl and turn, easily escaping their grip before snatching them by their throat, giving a warning bite before throwing them alongside their friend.
I stare at them, tilting my head when I notice how small they were. These aren’t full fledged warriors, these are still pups, new to their patrols. I lick my lips and whine, moving slowly towards them to inspect their injuries. Enemy or not, they are young, they do not deserve to die.
They bare their teeth, but I can tell the first one has a broken leg while the other seems to have an injured shoulder. I hear a low growl from behind me and spin, taking a protective stance in front of the unknown wolves, pressing my ears against my head once more. I bare my teeth, catching their scent on the wind, noticing they wreaked of rogue. Unlike the warriors behind me, who smell of a familiar pack that I cannot remember the name of.
The rogue lunges first, his teeth ripping open my chest before I managed to get him off. He looks at me then at the other two and I can see it in his expression that he figured out they’re far weaker. Before he can even reach them, I’m standing slightly over them, but mostly in front as I get down low, readying myself to attack. The attack never comes though, one second he’s front of me and the next his neck is being ripped open as a large wolf tosses their body aside. They stare at it for a moment before facing me, their gaze intense.
He shifts and tosses shorts at the two behind me, who soon follow his lead, crying out as their bones move. I wince, hearing their bones snapping multiple times. I can imagine the pain they’re in, my stomach dropping with shame. He then looks at me and tilts his head, the shadows only revealing his silhouette.
“Shift,” he commands, voice dripping authority.
I bared my teeth slightly, but obey, knowing when I’m not going to win a fight. I try my best to hide my breasts and privates, my cheeks warm when I hear the young warriors behind shriek.
“You’re in college, both of you hush,” he orders with a sigh.
“Sorry, sir, I thought she was a he by the size of her wolf,” one stammers.
“With all due respect, Alpha, but are you really going to let the woman stand there? She’s naked and in the rain for crying out loud,” the second states. “My mom would slap you, Alpha or not.”
Their Alpha raises a brow and points his finger at the warriors behind me, but doesn’t say anything. Instead, he grumbles under his breath before taking off his shirt and tossing it at me. I swiftly catch it, avoiding it hitting the puddle in front of me. Throwing it on, I feel slightly less humiliated and more annoyed than anything.
“Name?” He asks, leaning against a tree.
I study him, trying to remember who he is. I have met this pack before, I have met him before and his deep voice was familiar. He stood tall, easily towering over my brother, with muscles that showed why it was easy for him to break someone’s neck moments ago. His eyes were the color of leaves in spring, two pools of green, reminding me of the soft whistling as wind races through trees, caressing its branches. His hair was wet and beginning to curl, but I could tell he often pushes it back with his hand, the strands shining a raven color under the flashing of lightning.
“Hyacinth Rosewood,” I respond, standing straight as my false confidence pours into my voice.
“Your mom must really like flowers,” one of the warriors whisper behind me.
I roll my eyes and slightly turn my head. “Hyacinths were her birth flower.”
“Were? Is she…?” he trails off.
“Yes.”
The other one sucks in a breath. “Damn, I’m sorry.”
“Thank you,” I respond softly.
We instantly silence ourselves when their Alpha clears his throat, making us turn our heads back to him. Pushing himself off of the tree, he makes his way over to me, his stare never breaking as we quietly challenge each other. Soon, he’s standing right before me, our faces inches from each other as I peer into his green stare.
“You’re Alpha Rosewood’s daughter,” he says.
It’s not a question, it’s a statement with the question lingering behind, wanting to know why an Alpha’s daughter was in another territory. I keep my jaw clenched and nod, refusing to break eye contact, not wanting to let my guard down near him. He narrows his eyes and scoffs before taking a step back and focusing on the two behind me.
“I sent a warrior for your fathers to come and grab you. Your bones need to be set before they heal incorrectly, granted, you may need a few to be broken again to set them. Your healing most likely started,” he explains.
Focusing back on me, his eyes trail up and down, taking me in before focusing on my face once more. “Now, what to do with you?” he muses, his finger under my chin and forcing my face up.
I lick my dry lips, hoping he can’t hear the rise in my heart rate, knowing it’s most likely wishful thinking. He tilts his head, once again studying me, his eyes staying on the fading mark showing on my collarbone before moving on.
“You have a mate,” he says as warriors suddenly surround us.
I clear my throat, yanking my head away. “I had a mate.”
“Where is he?” He inquires, circling me as he looks at each of his warriors.
I felt like a prey caught in a trap with the hunter teasing me, waiting for me to make a bold enough move that will cause him to strike. Swallowing, I try evening out my breathing, my hands turning into fists. “He died in a fire.”
“I heard of that fire, such a shame. The Rosewood’s pack-house had burned down, killing their Alpha and Luna. Rumor has it that you were the culprit,” he hums.
“I didn’t do it.”
He smirks, eyes glinting. “Oh? Well, your brother and his mate seem convinced. Seems like your mate had perished in the same tragedy after abusing you for years. You sure you didn’t try killing him and accidentally killed your parents too?”
I watch his every step, anger bubbling within as he looks at me, the glee in his expression making me want to claw his eyes out. Taking a deep breath, I soothe my rising blood pressure and keep my chin up high. “I had nothing to do with the fire. I tried saving my mate, resulting in my back being burned. I’m not sure how the fire started, but it had nothing to do with me.”
“Interesting. Don’t you agree, Lucien?” He asks.
Another man of a similar height is sitting on a boulder, observing me. “It is interesting, but I don’t see any hint of a lie in her. Besides, Carrick is known for being a sneaky bastard. I wouldn’t be surprised if he planned all of this to happen.”
The Alpha pauses in his circling and turns to face me again, any sign of amusement wiped off his face. “Do you think your brother did it?”
“I wouldn’t put it past him,” I admit.
Even though he’s not smart enough to pull it off and neither is his mate.
He nods slowly. “Take her to the holding cells for now, I’ll decide if I’m in the killing mood tomorrow morning.”
Two warriors grab me and I let them, lacking the energy to fight back as blood from my wounds dry on my skin.
The morning comes fast, too fast for me to feel that I rested enough. Although, with the stiffness of the mattress, if one can even call it that, I wouldn’t rest no matter how slow the night crawls by. I’m yanked from their holding cell and thrown into a conference type room, toppling onto a chair as their Alpha sits comfortably in front of me. His button-up blouse has its sleeves rolled up, revealing his forearms, the tips of tattoos peeking out from the sleeves. He’s leaning back against his chair, feet resting up on the table as he leans his head back, his face looking up towards the ceiling but his eyes are closed.
“Alpha,” a warrior speaks, earning his attention.
He glances at me, watching me for a second before dismissing the warrior. Taking his feet off the table, he stands and stretches, muscles flexing under the shirt. I bite the inside of my cheek, fighting the urge to give him some smart remark, not ready to die just yet.
“Sleep well?” He asks, arms folded across his chest.
I raise a brow. “Does it look like I did?”
“No, you look like shit.”
“Thank you for the lovely compliment,” I retort.
He smirks. “So, I’ve been sitting here, wondering what to do with a pest like you. You see, I don’t like having problems running into my territory and you’re a fucking problem.”
“Then exterminate me, it’s not rocket science,” I say flatly.
This earns a chuckle from him, but it was void of amusement. I didn’t have time to blink before he’s behind me, hand on my jaw and making me look up at him. He leans down, his minty breath stinging my nostrils.
“I’m not in a pleasant mood, Hyacinth. I suggest you play nice,” he snarls, canines slightly lengthened as he bares them.
I roll my eyes. “You really think I care if you kill me? I’m a rogue, I was shunned by my pack, my parents are dead and so is my mate. Everything a werewolf lives for was taken from me. What else would make me want to stay?”
He’s silent before letting go and walking back around to take the seat in front of me again. Leaning back, he folds his arms against his chest and settles his gaze on me. “Nothing, I suppose.”
Two warriors suddenly burst into the room and grab me by the arms as their Alpha watches. They don’t drag me out like I expect, instead, we wait for their precious Alpha to say something. He sighs dramatically before standing and cracking his knuckles.
“Bring her to the field, I’ll give her the same treatment as her parents and mate. She can burn to death.”
