Chapter 4

My first mistake was ever trying to outrun and escape the Imperious pack. My second mistake was looking up and making eye contact with him.

My eyes snapped up to find his as soon as the shock wore off from his words. Mine. His. That's what he said – that's what he declared. That I was his.

Alpha Benji was nothing like the hideous man I had drawn up to appear in my nightmares. He was tall and broad, with sandy hair and hauntingly grey eyes. His chiseled face was framed by just the perfect amount of facial hair.

And he was, without a doubt, my mate.

The suffocating scent of fresh firewood and leather practically oozed from his pores.

"Mine!" He growled again, repeating himself as if to reassure not only himself but the others around him of what he said.

I didn't dare to speak. My body was paralyzed from the sheer shock of the situation, working in overdrive to compensate. He remained only a couple feet in front of me. His posture was stiff - his shoulders tense and his hands curled into alarmingly tight fists. I had always imagined my mate as a little girl. That we would encounter each other and the world would be stopped by our love. That we would embrace each other with love and acceptance the moment our eyes connected.

But that wasn't realistic. My mate wasn't the man of my daydreams, but instead a fragment of my nightmares.

His eyes roamed my body, taking in every inch of my appearance. I was barefoot in three-week-old clothes, with my hair practically glued to my cheeks from grease, sweat, and blood. His eyes, however, zeroed in on my face.

His arm darted out, taking a hold of my chin. With an unnecessary amount of strength, he pulled me towards him. "Your face," He growled, his eyes hardening in anger. In a split second, he released his hold on my chin. His aggression was now turned upon the guards.

"Who marked her for the cleaning?" His tone was sharp, every word coming out through clenched teeth. There was a moment of hesitation as none of the guards answered, "Who?!" He snarled, losing what little hold he had on his temper.

"I did, Alpha."

The guard who had come into my cells earlier took a step forward, separating himself from the heard of guards he was standing with.

Alpha Benji narrowed his heated gaze on the guard. "You marked her for the cleaning. You clawed her fucking face." His voice got louder the more he spoke, anger seeping through every word. The Alpha command was clear through his tone, making it hard to ignore the level of authority he held over everyone here. "How dare you disrespect me." "Alpha, my apologies...I had no idea who she was to you..." The guard's eyes darted quickly away from Alpha Benji to gaze over at my trembling form for a moment before quickly making their way back to his Alpha. "I was just following guidelines. She's a low-level Omega. She can barely shift."

The snarl that ripped through the Alpha's chest was terrifying. He took a threatening step toward the guard, preparing to unleash his anger on him.

A tall, olive skinned man quickly stepped in between the two of them. He held out his hand in a surrender motion, eyeing them both carefully. "I will suggest you be more careful with your words if you'd like to keep your head, Smith." He commented towards the guard before completely disregarding him and turning to face the Alpha. He lowered his voice as he addressed him, "Is it true? She's your mate?"

I watched as Alpha Benji flexed his back muscles, releasing some of the built-up tension. I couldn't see his facial expression from my viewpoint, but he slowly nodded his head in response.

"Okay..." The man nodded, sparing a glance in my direction before redirecting his full attention back on the Alpha. "Smith wouldn't have known. None of us would. Don't punish the pup for things he cannot control."

"I want to kill him."

"Of course, you do." The man commented, a ghost of a smile making its way to his face as if this whole experience was a little joke to him. "This isn't the time or place to deal with this. We need to finish the day."

There was a silent exchange between the two men as they held each other's gaze. They must be mind-linking, not wanting to have any form of a public conversation. After a few fleeting moments, the Alpha nodded his head in satisfaction.

"Fine, I agree. Have the guards take her away – let us continue with cleaning day." Alpha Benji commented coolly, not sparing me a glance as he began to walk back to the center of the clearing.

Almost immediately two guards I had never seen before in the cells approached me, grabbing my arms and dragging me away from the line. I couldn't stop the level of hysteria I was feeling. I just found my mate – who just so happened to be the Alpha of the pack who attacked my own pack and was planning on murdering me! Not to mention, after a single glance, I am being thrown to a few random wolves to be dragged to god knows where.

"Don't touch me!" I cried, thrashing in their grips. The tears had slowed down before but they were back with vengeance. I continued to struggle, but it only made them tighten their hold more as they continued to drag me away from the clearing. "Let me go! Let me go! Please!" I screamed.

No one from the line risked a glance in my direction. Neither did Alpha Benji.

He had confirmed me as his Luna. Our initial mate bond was undeniable. Yet, he threw my away like I was nothing.

I begged the guards to let me go but my pleas only fell on deaf ears. They remained silent forces, dragging me through various trails away from the clearing. My destination was unclear; perhaps back to the cells. At least then I would be back with Gwen.

But my wish was never granted. I watched as the cell house faded in the distance, only putting more space in-between Gwen and I. She's the only person I have here and yet I was quickly losing her.

Eventually we arrived here.

I was too distressed to get a good look of the house we entered. The sheer size alone was alarming. Most likely their pack house, if I had to assume. The guards left me in a small room with hardwood floors and a inviting bed. It seems too good to be true.

It doesn't make sense. How could I go from living in a dingy cell room shared with three other people to this complete upgrade? There wasn't any grand décor, but it was more than I ever would have expected. The room was functional and clean, barren of any personal artifacts besides the pack crest engraved on the wall.

Would he come for me? I couldn't tame my anxious mind as it ran wild with possible scenarios involving the Alpha. I'm not sure what would be better; him coming or not.

I found a spot in the corner of the room, opting to sit on the floor instead of dirtying the bed. I tucked my knees into my chest, wrapping my arms tightly around myself. There was nothing else for me to do. All I can do is wait.

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Despite my uncomfortable position, I managed to drift to sleep. A mixture of my poor sleeping schedule and leftover anxiety from the day had led me drained. I suppose I could have slept through the whole day if I wasn't startled awake.

Knock, Knock, Knock

Three, quick rasps at the door gave me a moment to prepare before it slid open with a click. My body tensed on it's own accord, preparing for the worst. I anticipated anger and violence, but instead was greeted by the smiling face of a petite older woman.

"Hello, Miss. I've brought you your dinner."

My lips parted in surprise. I noticed the small tray she had tucked under the crook of her arm. Sat on the tray was a glass of water and a bowl that was emitting the most mouth-watering smell. As if on cue, my stomach grumbled embarrassingly loud. I couldn't recall the last time I had a proper meal. I was beginning to get too skinny for my own liking.

A perplexed expression found its way to my face. "I'm sorry - my what?"

"Your dinner, Miss. It's chicken noodle soup. I hope that is alright." She gave me a tight-lipped smile, holding the tray out a bit more for me to get a better view. "May I come inside?"

The juxtaposition of this woman offering me food compared to the lethal cell guards was unsettling. I had gotten used to the idea of fighting for my food in this pack.

I hesitantly nodded my head. The woman didn't look like a threat, so I tried my best not to react as she walked more into the room. She placed the tray on the side table next to the bed, taking a step away from me with her hands clasped in front of her.

"When you're done with your meal, you can leave your tray by your door. Someone from the staff will come by to collect it soon." She seemed satisfied by her service, quickly turning to leave after ridding herself of the tray.

Without registering my movements, I scrambled to stand on my feet. I must have resembled a baby doe as I leaned on the wall for support. "Wait!" I panicked, wanting to catch her attention before she left.

The old women froze, her hand already wrapped around the door handle. She turned her body to peer at me with a wearily expression. "Yes, Miss?"

I licked my dry lips, "Please, I..." I halted, not knowing how to word the overwhelming amount of anxiety I had built up in my chest. The constant feeling of not knowing what was going on was driving me insane. I tried to blink away the tears that I knew were welling up in my eyes. "Do you know what's going to happen to me? What am I doing here?"

The old women stared at me, her face not betraying an ounce of what she was thinking. She kept her expression stoic, sighing softly. "I'm sorry, Miss. Please enjoy your dinner."

She was quick this time to turn on her heel and leave the room. A click of the door lock let me know she was gone for good.

I silently sobbed over my bowl of chicken noddle soup on the floor. It was deliciously warm and reminded me of home. This was the fullest my stomach has been in the past three weeks, yet I still felt an overwhelming sense of emptiness.

I would rather be splitting a piece of soggy bread with Gwen then eating this soup alone.

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No one else came. Hours passed by as I was left to wallow in my self-pity. After inhaling the chicken noodle soup and washing it down with a glass of water, I took another good look around the room. The side dresser drawer was empty, not that I was really expecting anything of value to be in there. The most disappointing discovery I made, though, was the lack of a window.

I didn't realize there was no window until I was getting sick of the fluorescent bulbs that illuminated the room. I had been living in almost complete darkness in the cells for the past three weeks, so the light bulbs were alarmingly bright. I just wanted some natural light and fresh air.

But, of course, there was no window. And with no window, meant I had no escape.

I had no way to tell what time it was, but it had to be close to nighttime. I collected everything from my meal onto the tray and dropped it on the floor by the door. Momentarily, I had a swell of hope but it quickly deflated once I realized the door was still firmly locked.

Hesitantly I flipped the switch off, letting darkness swallow the room up. I was more familiar with the comfort of the dark by now. My body drifted towards the bed before freezing. I was disgusting. My body was covered in dried up blood and dirt. If I got into this bed, I would surely ruin the sheets.

Would the Alpha be mad? I shivered at the thought of angering him. I feared the consequences of his temper. With that thought in mind, I pulled the top blanket off the bed, dragging it to my original spot on the floor. I know sleep with find me soon. I just pray good things will follow when I wake up.