Chapter 3

We had been following the supposed Alpha for 15 minutes before he disappeared behind a tree, only to return a moment later in his human form, fully clothed unfortunately.

“Shift” he commanded, as his eyes scoured the sleeping forest, not once falling on me. Nudity was not a big deal in the werewolf world, we shifted and were left without clothes all the time. I, however, had had a completely different experience and so I’d rather scoop my eyes out with a hot spoon instead of bare myself in front of this mountain of a man. Celeste agreed with me on this one, and turned her head defiantly.

“I’m not one for repeating myself, pup.” He growled, as he slowly turned to look at me. Whilst his face was somewhat void of emotion, I could practically feel his anger crackling in the air.

To my surprise, Celeste shifted without warning, leaving me standing there with a dumbfounded look on my face. “What the fuck was that” I hissed, trying to use my hands to cover myself.

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it” Celeste whined. I could feel her natural instinct to obey an Alpha, and whilst she was fighting against it, it seemed this one was too strong even for her.

The Alpha watched on as Celeste and I continued our silent conversation. And whilst I detected the slightest hint of curiosity, his impatience was clearly written across his face. He glanced towards the sky, which had started to glow in the distance as the sun began to rise, and back at me, seemingly having his own internal conflict. In an instant the mask of indifference returned to his face as he turned on his heel and continued walking. Taking one final glance around me, I fell back into step behind him.

“What a fucking weekend” I murmured to myself.

Hours later and we had arrived at a building that I could only assume was the pack house. As we approached the large modern structure, nestled into the forest as though it had grown with the trees that surrounded it, I couldn’t help but marvel at its size. It appeared to be only one level, but it expanded over what must been acres of land so deep in the forest that I wondered how they had actually managed to build it. To anyone that didn’t know what to look for, it probably looked like a modern lodge, but I could see the multitude of cameras scattered around us and men manning the perimeter just out of sight, giving away its true purpose.

The Alpha - who had yet to actually tell me who he was - approached the large double doors and let himself in, not bothering to look behind to make sure I followed. I scurried behind him, just making it through the door before it shut with a soft thud. Before I had time to take in the buildings vast entrance, I was grabbed by the arm by another monstrous looking man, although this one wasn’t as large or menacing as the one that had brought me here.

“Dean, I caught this one trespassing, take her downstairs and follow protocol. I’ll be down shortly.” the Alpha directed the man holding me, and without so much as a glance back in my direction he continued walking down the hall and eventually out of sight.

I could feel Celeste pacing around in my head, she was already thinking of a way out of here. Although I wasn’t sure our odds were looking great. I was directed down multiple flights of stairs, still naked by the way, the air growing cold and damp the further we went. Eventually we reached the bottom and I was led down a sterile hallway, with rows of cells on either side of me. The smell of bleach and rubbing alcohol stung my nose as we walked, making me cringe as I peered into each empty glass cell that passed me by.

“Just putting it out there, if I don’t get some clothes on soon I may just develop hypothermia.”I said with a shiver. The wall of muscle in front of me stopped and turned his head ever so slightly to look at me.

“I had better fucking things to be doing today” he sighed, opening one of the perplex glass doors to a cell. “Get in.”

I shuffled into the cell, suddenly feeling claustrophobic.

Dean left and returned moments later with some plain white underwear and a backless hospital gown which he shoved through the food slot of the cell door. Whilst it certainly wasn’t the best outfit choice, it was far better than the alternative. After I was dressed Dean asked me a few questions - name, date of birth, family background, what I assume was the ‘protocol’. Poor guy was built like a warrior but was out here doing administrative work, no wonder he had a shit attitude.

“Deano, quick question, was that the Alpha that brought me in?” I asked as he turned to leave, trying not to laugh as he winced upon hearing his new nickname.

“Alpha Julius will be back to… ask you a few more questions.” Was all he said, a slight grin forming across his chiseled face, were all these guys fucking sadistic psychos? At least I had confirmation that Alpha Julius was indeed my captor. I listened as Dean’s footsteps faded up the stairwell and looked around my cell. It came complete with a steel platform I would only assume was meant to be used as a bed, and a toilet. I was surrounded on all sides with pristinely clean glass, with the exception of the cement back wall, which gave me a pretty good view of the entrance.

“At least no one can sneak-attack me” I grumbled.

Celeste was radio silent, even when I reached out to her. With a frown I inspected the floor, noticing a metal shining within the concrete.

“Fucking silver” I spat. With my feet bare, it seemed I was coming into contact with just enough of the precious metal to silence my wolf.

Just like that, I was alone again.

Hours went by before I heard footsteps approaching from the stairs. My head snapped up in time for me to spot Alpha Julius stepping through the entrance.

He had changed since I saw him, and was now wearing black slacks with a black button up shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows, accentuating his massive forearms. His dress shoes crunched against the concrete floor as he strolled down the hallway, snapping up a spare chair on his way and dragging it behind him. My face was a mask of indifference, but I inwardly cringed at the sound - all those muscles and the guy couldn’t pick up a chair.

Alpha Julius came to a stop in front of my cell, pulling me from my thoughts. He spun the chair and sat himself down, gripping the back of it with two large hands as he analysed me.

“Take a picture” I snapped, my patience wearing thin with this whole ordeal. Not that I was new to the seriousness of trespassing, but I was certainly not the threat he was treating me as.

Alpha Julius cocked a perfectly sculpted eyebrow, silently shaking his head to himself.

“A dainty little thing like you should think twice before talking like that to an Alpha like me.” The corners of his lips twitched, as if he found this amusing, like I was nothing more than prey to him. And whilst I took great offence to being called “dainty”, I decided now was not the time to air my grievances.

Alpha Julius took my silence as an opportunity to continue.

“Why were you trespassing on Blood Moon Pack land?” He questioned, his voice low and intimidating.

“I had no idea this was pack territory. I was out hunting for food, that’s all.”

“So you just stumbled across the largest pack this side of the hemisphere by accident? You can’t expect me to believe that.” He probed, the amused look lingering on his face. I had the feeling he wanted me to make this difficult, like he enjoyed the chase far more than the kill. Too bad for him, this was going to be a boring interrogation.

“The last time I belonged to a pack, I was fourteen. Even then, I was an outsider. My wolf and I rely on our nose to tell us if we’re approaching a perimeter, but sometimes we make mistakes. Hate to disappoint, but that’s all that happened last night.” I stated matter-of-factly.

“So you’re a rogue?” Surprisingly, his voice was void of any judgement. Most werewolves, especially those who belong to a pack, think of rogues as beneath them. The stigma isn’t entirely unfounded, rogues are generally selfish, doing anything for their own gain and at times giving themselves completely over to their wolf, losing all sense of humanity. But like anything, there are always exceptions to the rule.

“I guess you could call me that.” I shrugged.

Alpha Julius folded his arms across his chest, his eyes scanning my face for any signs of deceit. I hadn’t noticed it in the forest, but his eyes weren’t entirely blue. They were the colour of a savage sea, dark and untamed before melting into a copper crown surrounding his pupil. For a moment, I was completely mesmerised.

Alpha Julius seemingly came to the conclusion that I was telling the truth and relaxed his posture ever so slightly.

“Have you come by any other rogues in the area?” He questioned.

“No. I’ve only been in this area for the last six months or so, I mainly lived in a human town nearby but came into the forest every now and then so my wolf could stretch her legs. Other than that, I keep to myself.” I answered honestly.

“You lived in the human town?” Now that surprised him, werewolves living amongst humans is definitely not the norm.

“Yeah, I did. It’s no big deal. Look, I came here by accident, I’m very sorry for the inconvenience. How about we call it a day and you let me out of here?” This was becoming tedious, Alpha or not, this guy was seriously wasting my fucking time and the gown they had me in was getting itchy.

He sighed and ran his large hands through his thick hair, his disappointment evident as he also realised that this was a waste of his time. He stood slowly, his enormous frame gradually filling the doorway as his gaze rested on me once more. I’m sure to most, Alpha Julius was fucking terrifying, and not to say he wasn’t - but I’d never really had an Alpha, and without Celeste in my head to submit to him, I was able to hold his stare without faltering. The only indication that this pissed him off was the way he tensed his jaw as the seconds ticked by, until he finally reached forward and unlocked my cell door with a fingerprint scan.

Very fancy, consider me impressed.

He stepped aside slightly, leaving me just enough room to exit the door without touching him, and cocked his head towards the end of the room. I began walking towards a cleaning station, complete with a large stainless steal sink, cabinetry, bench space and inbuilt hoses. I shuddered at the thought of why such facilities would be needed inside the pack dungeon.

I could feel Alpha Julius’ eyes on my back as he stalked behind me. I knew what he was looking at, clusters of raised scars littering my skin from the nape of my neck to the base of my spine. Werewolves were quick healers, the only time we were left with scars was if the wound was made using silver or if it was life threatening. It was rare to see a wolf with any kind of mark on their body, unless perhaps they were a warrior. Regardless if my scars piqued his interest or not, he didn’t say anything, maintaining his stern and emotionless exterior.

I reached the sink, turning to face Alpha Julius. I was caught off guard as he entered my personal space, leaning over me to retrieve something from one of the cupboards above my head. One second I was drowning in his scent, earthy and mouth-wateringly masculine, the next I was cursing him for having the audacity to stand over me like I was nothing more than an object in his way.

“ He’s an Alpha, he can stand over you any time he wants” Celeste muttered.

“Aha! Welcome back, the silver must only be in the cells. Let me know when you’re all caught up.” I replied, knowing she’d feel groggy for a while.

The glint of something shiny caught my eye. Alpha Julius was flicking the edge of a long steel knife, holding it loosely by its wooden handle as if it was nothing but a toy. I felt my heart rate rise exponentially, but before I had the opportunity to run Alpha Julius reached out and gripped my wrist, not forcefully enough to leave a bruise but enough to know there was no escaping his grasp.

“What the f-“ I began to shout angrily, before my words were cut off as Alpha Julius carved a small gash in my left palm. Warm blood trickled down my wrist, but I was too preoccupied to notice. My eyes were blown wide as I watched Alpha Julius release his hold of my wrist to swiftly make his own incision. It was then that he pressed our bleeding palms together, and I was officially made a member of the Blood Moon Pack.

“Sorry little wolf, trespassers don’t get off that easily” he said, his face inches from my own as he continued to hold my palm in his. “You’ll stay here on my land until I’m sure you’re as innocent as you claim.”