The new plan.

Allison's POV

"You don't have a say in this, Allison." Dad said stiffly. "If I have to drag you down there myself, I will."

I stared at my parents in disbelief. I was worthless in their eyes, wasn't I? Only the desperate women took part in the Wolf King's bride selection. Sure he was said to be good-looking and all but he was known for his cruelty and capricious nature.

He throws a bride selection ceremony every year, and ends up, not choosing brides but with a whole lot of women claiming he had slept with them. He was a promiscuous bastard and asking me to participate in that selection was more like sentencing me to death.

My father knew this. He would never admit it, but I was every bit as arrogant and proud as he was. He wanted to break me.

He couldn't be more wrong.

"Fine!" I fumed and walked out the door. The crowd that had been eavesdropping dispersed the minute I threw the door open. I ignored them, running to my room.

I had to get out of here.

The next morning, I set my plan in motion. I hated being submissive. But my parents had guards watching my every move, especially after last night. They were probably afraid I would kill their precious Arya in their sleep.

Forcing my way would not work. Instead, I knelt in front of the door to my parent's suite, ignoring the whispers as pack members and servants moved around the house.

The door opened and my dad cocked his head to the side, glaring down at me.

"What are you doing?"

I swallowed down the retort that bubbled up my throat and bowed my head low. "I'm sorry, Alpha, for my behavior yesterday. It was uncalled for. And I deserve the punishment given to me."

I had never apologized before. Why would I? The only wrong I had done to my parents was existing. Which technically, was their fault.

Dad scoffed. "As long as you know that, then that's good enough."

"Thank you for your mercy, Alpha."

With my head hung low, I rose from my feet and walked down the hallway, repeating the same thing at Arya's and Merlin's door.

I sat through breakfast without saying a word. Not even when Arya and the jerk I thought I wanted to marry kept shoving their tongue down each other's throats.

It had been hard trying to hold back my wolf, but I couldn't ruin my plans. I made sure to be the epitome of a remorseful daughter.

"You leave for the selection in two days. You have to prepare." Mom said, polishing off her toast.

"May I get a night out then?" I asked, earning a surprised look from all four people at the dining table. "I think it would be relaxing for my wolf."

Dad shrugged. "Do whatever you want."

Perfect. I intended to.

When evening came, I drove down to a local pub. I slipped into it, walked out through the back door, and hailed a cab to a notorious bar further downtown. I had been aware of two black cars following me. My father's spies. He liked to remain in control of everything, it was suffocating.

The bar was loud. Smoke from cigars filled my nose as soon as I pushed the door and walked in. Men hollered as they chugged down their beers and whiskey or whatever it was that suited them.

Whiskey sounded perfect. I was about to make the craziest decision I had ever made.

I found a spot in the corner of a bar, ordered a bottle of whiskey, and downed my first glass.

It burned a path down my throat and I groaned, tears burning the corner of my eyes. My defenses slowly melted and they rolled down my cheeks.

Merlin. Merlin had betrayed me.

I poured myself another glass, trying to shake off the thoughts that plagued me. I wasn't crying because of that bastard. It was the alcohol. Merlin was not worth a drop of my tears. Not even a little.

I grabbed the bottle, chugging down the content. The alcohol dulled my sense but somehow I couldn't get over the betrayal. I could still remember the coldness in his eyes. The sight of him and my sister kissing.

Something lurched up in my throat, nauseous and I doubled over, throwing up.

An arm wrapped around my waist steadying me.

"Easy there, love."

Mate!

I froze. A fresh clean woody scent teased my nose. My wolf leaped within, panting with joy.

Mate! She snarled again.

I looked up, blinking rapidly to focus my vision. He was beautiful.

Blonde hair swept back revealing the most piercing set of green eyes I had ever seen. They darkened as he pulled me into his chest, burying me deeper in his scent. His muscles tensed around me as I could sense immediately that he was strong.

Stronger than anyone I knew.

His eyes shifted slowly from green to gold and his chest rumbled.

"Found you," he rasped.

He carried me in his arms out of the bar, into a sleek vehicle. I blacked out for a while, relishing his addicting scent. My thighs clenched and I found myself growing ravenous for him.

"Say ah, little mate," he ordered. I blinked, realizing we were in a room. I had no idea how we'd gotten there, but I sat on a bathroom counter and he stood between my legs, holding a bottle of mouthwash.

I parted my lips, holding his gaze as he poured a bit of wash into my mouth.

I sloshed it around for a while before spitting it into the sink. My head felt a bit clearer. He cupped my face, his thumb rough, grazing against my cheek. He cleaned my lips with a towel, and I watched mesmerized as his muscles bunched, struggling to breathe through his shirt.

Without thinking, I reached for his buttons, popping them slowly. He stopped cleaning and stared at me, eyes darkening with lust.

"I can smell your arousal." He said in a thick voice. "Are you sure about this?"

"Are you going to talk?" I whispered, leaning close until his lips hovered mere millimeters above mine. "Or are you going to kiss me?"

He let out a deep tortured sound low in his throat before pressing his lips against mine.

Goddess, he could kiss.

I moaned helplessly, as he kissed me, teasing my lips apart so I could let him in. I ran my hands over his chest, up his neck, bringing him impossibly closer.

He broke the kiss, panting heavily. His grip tightened around my waist. He was restraining himself.

No restraints, my wolf growled. I didn't want him holding back. I wanted all he could give. I wanted to lose myself tonight.

"Touch me," I murmured, leaning forward to place a kiss on his neck. "I won't break."

Large hands lifted me off the counter, carting me out of the bathroom counter, to a bedroom. He took my mouth with his for another kiss, getting rid of my dress as he lowered me to the bed.

I gasped when his kisses trailed down my mouth, over my neck where he sucked and licked at the groove of my neck. My bra clasp came undone, freeing my breasts.

He groaned, pulling away to stare at them as if they were rare gems. A flush worked up my cheeks and my wolf howled in satisfaction.

"Mine," he whispered in wonder. "Mine!"

His mouth closed around my nipples. I moaned, throwing my head back as I melted under his touch, under his tongue.

"Yes.”

"You taste so good," he groaned, leaving open-mouthed kisses all over my breasts. "I have dreamed of nothing else for years. For years."

His fingers roamed my body nonstop and found the spot between my thighs. I gasped, arching deeper into his touch as he stroked me through my panties. His mouth trailed down my belly, over my navel, dipping his tongue in a swirl around it, before slowly licking his way between my thighs.

Everything else afterward was a blur of delicious, nerve-wracking passion.

When the first light of dawn streamed through the curtains, my eyes opened. A heavy arm wrapped around my waist while the most gorgeous man I had ever seen, snored gently beside me.

Realization sunk in then. I had a mate. I should be thrilled.

I rolled out of his arms, clamping a hand over my mouth so I wouldn't moan at how sore I was. We had gone at it like rabbits through the night.

I wanted to jump back into his arms. To believe that now that I had found him, everything would be different.

But there was nothing left for me in our world aside from disdain and hate. My kind would always hate me. And as my mate, they would hate him too.

Or worse, much worse, he would hate me.

He must have been drunk last night, or we had both been too horny to make good decisions. I didn't want to stick around to find out what he thought about me when the alcohol cleared from his system.

I scanned around for my dress and shrugged into it very quickly. I was probably too far away from my pack as I had no idea where I was. Using my father's credit card that I had stolen would only lead him to find me.

My eyes fell on a wallet next to a discarded shirt and pants. It had to belong to him. I picked it up without hesitation, took one last look at him, and dashed out of the room.

It turned out he had brought me to a hotel. I tried to maintain a stoic expression as I snuck quietly out of the building.

The streets were dimly lit. The sun rose, far away and the city was quiet. Holding the wallet between my teeth, I shifted, listening to my bones bend and crack as my wolf took over.

With my paws digging in the dirt, I raced out of the city I had known all my life and headed straight for the society of humans.