Lana
February 18, 2014
Blondie, or Mason, leads me down a hallway in the west wing of the pack house, opposite of where my mate will be sleeping. I am accustomed to this, however. I have lived in the Omega quarters all my life. The rooms are typically small, adorned with a bed, dresser, and closet. There was nothing else we needed, only clothes on our backs and a bed to sleep in.
However, when Blondie opens the door to the room I believe will be mine, I stare in awe. Instead of white, plain walls, they are decorated with elegant silver wallpaper that is accented with thin golden swirls. The bed is a small twin bed, yet it has plush pillows and a thick blue comforter. The dresser seems brand new, stained white to go with the room. It looked like the closet was a walk-in, I’m not sure… I’ve never even seen a walk-in closet before. Lastly, there is a desk. My heart swells at the sight of a desk. I always find a peaceful escape when the pen touches paper.
I know how lame I sound. The room is mediocre compared to the Alpha suite. But to me, this room is a taste of heaven compared to my old room.
“This will be your room,” Blondie says. I look over at him, wondering who he was. His voice is kind, soft. He has a gentleness in his eyes. I believe that if it were up to him, he’d let me go. I can tell by how uncomfortable he looks. “Alpha wants to know your name.”
Alpha Landon, my mate, he wants to know my name. I’ll give him anything he wants. “Lana Marie Pierce,” I answer. Blondie nods, and we’re silent for a moment. I watch as his eyes slip out of focus as he communicates with his Alpha.
“You are to be up at five. You will be in the kitchen at five fifteen. You will report to Meggy.” With that, Blondie turns and walks away, leaving me standing in the middle of the hall.
Fabulous.
I sling my bag over my shoulder and look around, wondering who the Omegas were for this pack. Were they weaklings? Or maybe criminals…
A door to my right opens, and I see a girl around my age pop her head out. Her fiery red curly hair falls into her eyes as she grins and steps out. “Hello, Lana. I’m Jenny! Welcome to Shadow Pack.” She slips past me and walks into my room. I follow in after her, crossing my arms as she takes a seat on my bed. “Must be scary for you… Being captured and thrown into a new pack.”
I don’t respond. I only stare at her, wondering what she was doing in my room and why.
“Look, it’s a smart idea to make friends quickly. Mason asked me to help you with anything you need,” Jenny says, giving the bed a good bounce before getting to her feet. “So, why were you on the run? Crazy ex-boyfriend? Psychotic serial killer?”
“Abusive Alpha,” I admit. I had nothing to hide from her. If what she says is true, then I will be here for a long time. And it’s best to make friends. Might as well tell the truth. “He wasn’t always so bad, you know. We used to be happy. I was an Omega back then as well, but I was still happy. My brother was a pack warrior. He would always come home at night and tell me about his day. We would then go into our parents’ room. We would play cards, watch movies, or simply just read.” I sit on my bed, noting how comfortable it is beneath me. Why is this room so high class compared to my old one?
“Alpha Castor’s mate went into labor. They were going to have a baby girl. The mom and daughter both died in childbirth, and Castor went off the rails. He began beating all the women, raping them. It was crazed madness. He finally eased up, slipping into a cocoon. He took a special liking to me, however. No, he didn’t enjoy raping me. He enjoyed hitting me.”
“Sick bastard,” I hear Jenny mumble. A small smile plays on my lips at that.
“Anyway, long story short, my parents never tried to stop him, so I took matters into my own hands. When I turned eighteen, I fled and stumbled across the Shadow Pack… Were you here during the—” I cut off, not sure if bringing up the suicide mission would trouble her.
Jenny nods, walking over to take a seat next to me. “I was fourteen. We were placed in the cells below the Pack House. The women and children, that is. Alpha Landon sent his little sister Natalie with Tasha, our female Beta, and her daughter Sarah to a cabin in the woods. Landon was always so good with his sister especially after his mother died. Anyway, when the fight was looking down for us, Landon gave an order for Cole to gather as many men and flee. It is because of Landon that we are a pack again.”
I feel my eyes widen at this. It was told that Cole fled on his own, that it is because of him that this pack was able to reform. I guess the stories were told so that we have the mindset that Landon is a monster.
“How did their mother die?” I ask. I knew the basics. She was taken by the Prowler Pack and murdered. But why?
“The Prowlers asked for a treaty, an alliance. Alpha Caleb refused, and the pack retaliated. They attacked Amy Matthews when she was out in the woods. They murdered her guards and took her back to the Prowler pack. There they raped, beat, and eventually killed her. The worst part is they videotaped it, all of it. And they sent the video along with the body to Caleb’s front door.”
My mouth is wide with horror. All of this because of a refusal of a stupid alliance? It made me sick to think those monsters did that to my mate. He deserves so much better.
I debated on telling Jenny my secret—that the Alpha is my mate and that he doesn’t know. But as I see her watery eyes, I know the only thing I should do is wrap an arm around her shoulder.
***
Landon
As Mason escorts the rogue out of my office, I get a nagging feeling in my heart. I dismiss it, convincing myself that it is only my disgust for outsiders.
She had the audacity to gasp at my face. Doesn’t she know that offending an Alpha can get her killed? And then she spoke without permission. I’m not sure who she thinks she is, but I will not have that in my pack. She will work as an Omega, punishment for her bluntness and intrusion. Mason is soft when it comes to women. If it weren’t for him, she’d be in the cells or, perhaps, killed.
I shake my head and move to walk back to my seat, bumping into the corner of the desk. I let out a loud hiss as the sharp edge breaks skin. “Damn it!” I scream, slamming a fist down on the table. It rumbles under the impact, threatening to break. I let out a growl and plop down in my seat, dropping my head in my hands.
Four long years and there has barely been any progress. I have no sense of where I am. It is hard when my wolf has abandoned me. After the attack and losing my sight, my wolf retreated into the darkest parts of my soul. I haven’t been able to shift since that night. Now, I am weak and clumsy.
I heard the only way to get your wolf back is to find your mate. When you find her, the wolf will resurface for we gain power when we are together.
So, when the rogue said she was my mate, despite the flutter of hope, I knew she was wrong. My wolf would have made an appearance. He would have come back to me, but instead, that is not the case. I am yet again left mateless.
Mason, what is the rogue’s name? I grumble. I need to know, to jot her down in our registry. I grasp the paper to my left, my thumb running over the Braille on the bottom indicating it was the list of pack members. I run my hand down, feeling the indents of all the handwritten names. When they end, I bring my pen up to write, Lana Marie Pierce.
My stomach churns as I write her name, but I ignore the feeling, dropping the pen down.
Why can’t the Moon Goddess grant me some sort of happiness? Haven’t I suffered enough? What more do I need to do until I can have my beautiful mate? A mate I will never be able to see…
I feel tears roll down my cheeks as I cry for my family. I cry for my murdered mother, my mad, deceased father, my struggling sister. I cry for my mate who, if she ever comes, will have to deal with a monster and abomination like me.