Desired by the Alpha

I walk toward the center of the village where my mother lives.It is loud and bustling.My mother's house is small and slightly removed from the others.It has a small vegetable patch and a wooden fence that surrounds it.I am feeling a little nervous.But Dean is right.I have to do this.I knock on the door.She opens it."Marla!" she says. "What a nice surprise!"She gestures for me to come in."Hi, Mom," I tell her. "I was wondering if I could have a word with you.""Of course, sweetie," she says.She smiles and lets me inside.My mother wants me to marry Dean.She believes we are the perfect coupling.Before my father died, he was besotted with my mother.Theirs was an arranged coupling, just like everyone in the pack.They grew to love one another, fiercely.It was beautiful to see growing up.Mother things I will grow to love Dean.But I know I will not.We reach the sitting room.I lower myself to the couch.Mom sits beside me."Is something wrong?" she

I wake the next morning to his warmth.I do not want to get up.I want to stay here forever.I don't want to leave this cabin.I don't want anything to change.But somehow, I know it will.I sit up and peer down at him.I run my fingers through his hair.He looks so peaceful.I bring my knees to my chest and stare out the window.Lucas rolls onto his side.He opens his eyes and smiles at me.I force a smile.He sits up and wraps his arms around me.I watch Lucas.I don't say anything.I am so angry with Christine.I know it is not her fault. But still.I know that Lucas is not mine. And I wouldn't know that if it wasn't for her. And if I didn't know that, I could still pretend that it wasn't true.I don't want to lose what we have. I love him.I hear a knock on the door.I look up."Who's that?" I ask.Lucas hears it too.He goes to answer it.I hear him speaking.I can't make out the words.Then there is another voice.I hear Christine's voice again."What

I take a step back, stunned, and a branch crunches underneath my feet.I curse myself and my clumsiness. I want to run away before they see me here, but I'm afraid it's too late. The noise has given me away.I'm right. They both stop and turn to face my direction immediately. "Marla!" Julie exclaims. "You're up!"She sounds surprised, but also relieved.Lucas says nothing. He just looks at me. I try to return his gaze, but there's too much hurt inside me.My eyes start to fill with tears.And my legs begin to tremble.I start to feel dizzy, and my head begins to spin.Lucas walks over to me and reaches out his hand."It's ok," he says softly. "Come here."He leads me to the blanket and helps me sit down. I don't want to see Julie or Lucas, but I have nowhere to look but at them."I don't know how she got out of bed," Julie says, "but I'm glad she did. I was worried.""You should be resting," Lucas says.He seems genuinely concerned, and I find myself wondering if I've be

The outpost is a decrepit huddle of tents. They're brown and worn and they look out of place, surrounded by the lush green of the forest. A chain link fence keeps the outpost locked in, and just beyond that, there are several wooden huts.As I walk towards the fence, I keep my mind focused on my goal. I can't let myself get distracted. I need to be disciplined and focused. I need to stay in control.I keep my bow and my quiver firmly in my hands, and I try to look as confident as I can.I know the guards usually do a head count every few hours. But it's late at night and they're distracted by their dinner. I just have to hope they don't do it today.I can hear them talking and laughing, and I can smell the food from their dinner. They're gathered around a fire and they're passing around a bottle.The guard on duty is sitting with his back to me. I slowly walk around the outpost, looking for a way in. There's a hole in the fence made by an animal. I crawl through it and I keep my

"What are you doing here?" Dean growls at me."It's nice to see you too," I say."I asked you a question," he growls. "You walked away from your pack," he says, "leaving everyone you know behind. And now you think you can just walk back in?"I try to keep my cool."I've brought someone back." I gesture towards Matthew. I can see people in the distance looking over at us."Who is that?" someone calls out."I don't know," Dean calls back.Dean walks over to stand next to me. I can feel his hot breath on my face. "How did he get back here?" Dean asks. There is something about the way he asks the question that makes me nervous. I can't tell if he's suspicious or if he's just curious. I can't tell if I'm in danger or if the tide is changing."I rescued him" I say. "To prove myself and my loyalty to the pack. To you.Dean doesn't respond. He stares at me for a few moments, but I'm not sure what he's thinking."I don't want to hear it," Dean says, turning away from me. His back is