Chapter Three - Andrea

The drive took over five hours and by the end Andrea was sore from sitting in the same position for so long. The car they had sent was comfortable and expensive. The leather hugged her in a soothing way. Her two drivers never spoke to her until they were an hour away from their location.

“Here, it’s your schedule”, the man in the passenger seat shoved a large, thick, white envelope into her lap. She spilled the contents onto the seat beside her and was happy to find a set of keys to her apartment, her school class schedule with a corresponding map of how to get there. She would be teaching three days a week – Monday, Tuesday and Thursday - in a mixture of classes. She found herself surprised at the pack schedule within there, she had mandatory combat lessons on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday mornings. At least this was something she could use as a way to understand their skills and what they were capable of – divide the strong from the weak. She had hoped to work at the university in order to get access to the archived books and plans. There had to be a way to get out of the camp without being hunted down by the patrols that monitored the perimeters. Andrea knew she would have to befriend one of the professors in the university to gain access.

“We are here”. The driving announced and Andrea was happy to notice the car slowed whilst approaching the visitors entrance of the pack – allowing her the opportunity to observe their defence. She looked out the window and noted the eight guards carrying silver loaded guns. The trees behind them shifting every so often indicated they also kept wolves in wolf form protecting this entrance. Absentmindedly, she rubbed the faint red marks around her wrists, from the silver cuffs that had kept her chained to the cell back in the Stark pack.

Andrea watched the mile gauge of the car from the point of which they passed the gate and before they reached civilisation – five miles. There were five miles between the pack border and the town, she would have a long journey to get out of this pack, running in wolf form would not be an option. Unless she wanted to die. She shuddered at the thought of being shot with silver bullets or perhaps it was because the clock read 05:16 and she was wearing nothing but gym pants and a strappy support bra, when the temperature had dropped significantly during the night.

They pulled up in front of a large white mansion, it was a typical style pack house with white pillars, white steps and large bay windows. Andrea felt a pang of sadness looking at the similarity in this pack house to the one back in her pack home. The Crimson pack house had been much larger than this and was surrounded in red and white roses, their Luna had kept blooming. Instead, this one sported ivory towers winding up the side of the building, peaking around windows and spilling into the roof. The house was beautiful however, it was evident it hadn’t been maintained well, in a long time. She assumed this was due to the death of their Alpha and Luna over a decade ago and then the death of their oldest son, who had only been alpha for a short period of less than two years. Andrea had heard the stories before the war took place. Alpha Stevens had taken over the pack after his parents were murdered in a rogue attack. He had stirred up some negative opinions regarding the decisions he sometimes made, however that was nothing unusual for an Alpha. They were always taking risks in order to strengthen their packs. Alpha Damien – the current Alpha – said his brother had lost his mind and wanted to declare war on any pack who disagreed with him and took actions into his own hands.

He killed him in open combat for the title of Alpha and won.

It was no coincidence that one years later they entered the biggest war ever amongst their region and people started to doubt whether Alpha Damien had planned to start a war and needed his brother out of the way first. The Blue blood pack gained tremendously out of the war, gaining land, soldier, wealth and above all a reputation that Alpha Damien was happy to fuel.

He was a monster, not to be reckoned with.

Andrea momentary trip into the past was interrupted by the large front doors of the pack house opening and she had to do everything in her power to stop from attacked the man descending the marble steps.

“Beta Charles”, her driver nodded in his direction before resuming unpacking her luggage from the car.

This was the man who had taken her sister from their home, he was the man who had barely escaped death at her hands and for the one-hundredth time since that night, she hated herself for not killing him quicker. He had reached the car now, standing in front of her, waiting.

“Beta Charles, it’s nice to meet you”, her voice was tense but the smile on her face had him second guessing her tone.

He led her up the steps into the main foyer of the house. Her initial judgement must have been off because the outside of the mansion had nothing on the inside.

It was exquisite.

Decorated in a modern décor with a hint of elegance, in the natural fire places and light fixtures, however nothing could have prepared her for the smell.

Cedar wood and birchwood clung to every inch of the air, igniting her senses. It smelt like the forest on a wet day when the rain heightened its natural smell, it reminded her of home.

She hadn’t realised someone had been speaking to her until they stepped into her line of sight.

“Sorry Betta, I was admiring the building”, she pretended to be ashamed of her ignorance and lowered her head.

“That’s okay.”, he chuckled at her dazed expression. “I was saying, your flat won’t be ready until tomorrow afternoon, therefore you can join Sunday morning training out back, at 8am with everyone else and then we have breakfast in the large hall.”

She nodded along with his words and followed him when he indicated they move upstairs. The corridor was lined with white wooden doors – each of them numbered accordingly. He led her to door 42 and she was surprised to find her luggage already in the centre of the room. Someone must have moved it, whilst she was admiring the down stairs.

“This is your room.”, he closed the door and carried on further down the hall, stopping in front of another door. “These are the bathrooms”

Andrea stopped - before heading back in the direction of her room - at another set of stairs. The smell from before was much stronger here and she could feel herself basking in it. Betta Charles cleared his throat, catching her attention.

“Those are the Third-floor quarters”, She nodded her understanding, following him back the way they had come.

“The Alpha would like to see you”, the betta declared before she could stop at her room door. He led them back down the grand staircase and in front of a large wooden door to the left. The beta turned away, leaving her on her own.

Hesitantly she knocked once.

“Come in!”, his voice carried throughout the walls of the house and Andrea pushed open the thick door into a large office space. Every wall was lined with books, except the one with a large floor to ceiling bay window, in front of that stood a large mahogany desk.

Once Andrea’s eyes fell upon the mountain of a man behind the desk, the room became obsolete.

His piercing green eyes held her in her place – half way in the room, her hand still on the door knob. Andrea felt small in comparison to the deadly creature seated opposite her. She had never seen a pure-blooded wolf before and now she understood why they were more wolf than human. This man was pure power, it leaked from every inch of his perfect body.

Those emerald orbs never broke their gaze and she noticed the stark difference between them and his black hair, stubble and black shirt.

Andrea was momentarily shocked by the beautiful man in front of her and the delicious scent he seemed to express, that when Nyx voiced her opinion, she barely heard her inner commentary. Until she purred one word that would both mend and break her heart simultaneously.

“Mate”