Chapter 2

Drea was the only daughter of her parents, her father a Beta, and her mother an Omega. They had belonged to one of the weakest packs in the city. Every pack picked on them, raided them, and maltreated them.

    Drea always hated how weak her people were – hated how weak she was. And so, on her eighteenth birthday, she had decided to do something very brave, to steal the moon beam from the Khalifa pack. It had been the biggest mistake of her life.

    The Khalifa pack, led by Alpha Ramirez was the most powerful pack in the whole country, and it was rumored that they got their strength and several victories from the moonbeam they had, a device that allowed them to talk directly with the moon goddess.

   The night Drea had planned to steal from Alpha Ramirez’s pack was also the night another pack had sent betas over to steal the same moon beam. They had all gotten caught, and Drea decided not to tell anyone she was from a different pack than the rest of the males. There was no need bringing more trouble down on her pack.

    And now, here she was, captured. As a precautionary measure, she had faked her own death before she left her pack because she didn’t want her pack risking themselves to come after her if anything happened to her.

    She walked on behind the Alpha till they got to a narrow but exquisitely furnished corridor, them he finally got to a door and pushed it open. Drea drew in a breath as he stepped in and motioned for her to follow behind him.

    She had to muster strength to step into the room. Was this his bed room? Was this where the Alpha was going to force himself on her. She whimpered. Was this where she would finally experience love making for the first time, only this would be far from love making. Getting captured, beating, put in a cage, and then offered up to the Alpha like a sacrificial lamb could hardly qualify for love making, and yet, in spite of herself, Drea found she was filled with a strange kind of anticipation of what it would be like to be held in the powerful arms of the Alpha, to be kissed by him, to make love with him. She took a deep breath and stepped into the room. It was a library.

   Alpha Ramirez lifted a brow at the surprise that was registered on her face. “What? You thought I was bringing you here to fuck you?” He chuckled. “Sweetheart, I don’t know what you take me for, but I have a type, and it’s definitely not raggedly female prisoners with more wit than sense.”

    Drea stared at the floor. Of course, he was right. She was being stupid. No male in his right senses – the Patrick fellow was obviously not in his right senses, would feel attracted to me. “What do you want with me then?” she asked, daring to look again into those mesmerizing grey eyes of his.

   The Alpha stepped closer, and I found myself stepping backwards. “You can read can’t you?” He asked, and all Drea could do was nod her reply.

    “Good. I have some files here that needs sorting. Just separate everything, and put each file together with like ones.”

   Drea nodded, and he was about to go when he saw it. Her pack tattoo. Drea knew the instant his eyes went there, then he paused for a second.

   It was mandatory that in Drea’s pack, once females came of age, they got a tattoo marking them as members of the pack. Drea had chosen to have her own on top of her left breast – it had seemed like a good idea then while she had been faced with her rebellious faze, a faze when she had thought the pack tattoo was nothing but a branding, so she had hidden it away in a place eyes would not see – only, her dress was torn at the top now, exposing her tattoo, and her well rounded flesh to the grey eyes of the Alpha.

    He moved closer to her, and one of his large hands cradled her exposed flesh, brushing softly at the tattoo, making her shiver. His eyes were cold and calculating when she looked into them. “What are you not telling me, my filthy little love?” 

     Drea struggled to hold his gaze. “I don’t know what you mean.”

     “Don’t test my patience.”

     She shook her head. “I still don’t know what you mean “

     The Alpha nodded. And from the expression on his face, Drea thought he was about to punish her, but instead, he tried another approach to his question.

     “Why have you been arrested by my betas? What were you caught doing?”

       She squared her shoulders. “Trying to steal the moon beam.”

       “And yet you belong to the Vintage pack, why were you captured alongside members of the Mahogany pack?”

       Her eyes searched his as she thought of the best way to answer the question. Should she let him know she was all alone, defenseless and her pack didn’t know of her whereabouts? That would make her seem more vulnerable than the rest of the Mahogany males.    

    Her eyes met his, fiercely. “I have been sent on a secret mission. You must know that you are keeping me here at your own risk.”

    The Alpha gave a short bark of  laughter, seeming genuinely amused. He stepped closer to her, and one long finger traced her delicate cheek bones, covered in dirt. “I almost like you – almost. Shall we see if you’d keep the same passion in bed?”

    Drea stumbled backwards. He didn’t mean to . . . did he. The jolt of fear she felt was mirrored in her large blue eyes. “I . . . I d. don’t –”

    The Alpha laughed again. “I talked about a type didn’t I? But you’d better tell me everything about this your ‘secret mission,' or I’d give you real reasons to fear me.”

    Against her better judgement, Drea asked, “such as?”

    The Alpha smiled then. It was a cold calculated smile that did not reach his eyes. When he stepped closer to her, Drea stepped back. His legs were longer, and he was faster. He caught up to her in no time, and Drea braced herself as one hand hooked behind her waist to keep her from moving backwards, and at the same time, pulling her against his rock hard Alpha body. She whimpered, wondering what had made her antagonize and Alpha so ruthless, she had heard countless stories about him, and each of the stories sent a shiver down her spine.

   “Ah! Ah! No. Don’t start trembling now. I was just getting used to you spitting fire,” he scolded and before Drea’s mind could even form a reply, his lips sealed hers with a kiss.    

   His mouth was hot, searing against hers, demanding things she did not know how to give, and then taking them anyway. His lips bruised hers, and yet brought her a strange kind of pleasure that was so much like pain. 

   Drea moaned as he deepened the kiss, and when his hand brushed against the tips of her breast, exposed by the torn gown, she could only push against his hand, arching her back to fill his hand with her luscious curve.

    She was drowning!  Why hadn’t anyone told her kissing was this – this painfully exciting.

    She was still moaning, her head tilted up, eyes closed when the Alpha pulled away from her. The cold wind kissed her already sore lips, showing her that the Alpha had withdrawn.

    When she opened her eyes, he was watching her, an amused smile in his eyes, but his lips were solemn.

    Because she felt hurt that what had meant so much to her only amused him, Drea latched on to the other feeling she had, the safer one – anger. In a minute, she was on him, slashing and scratching, her claws bared until he caught her claws in his hand and threatened to snap them off, all ten of them if she did not calm down. Drea stilled instantly once a Werewolf lost their claws, they could not grow any back.

    The Alpha twisted against them for good measure, and Drea bit down at her lower lip till she tasted blood, trying not to cry out.

   He drew her to himself so that she had to angle her head to look into those formidable grey eyes of his. “Playtime’s up little one. Now you answer all my questions truthfully, leaving nothing out, or I promise to make you regret the day you were born.”

   There was something about his expression that made Drea know this was no idle threat. The Alpha meant every one word of it. She stumbled backwards when he stepped away from her. Drea drew in a breath and forced her eyes up to meet his.

   The Alpha’s eyes were cold. “We’d do this the easy way, and if that doesn’t work on you, then we’d do it the hard way. What were you sent to do in my pack?”