Five.

Willow

Large black gates sit in front of us. They are easily twenty feet tall, and looked like they were trying to keep people in as much as keep something out. Two black wolves sat either side of the gates. 

I had never been to a pack where they would guard in their wolf form. It was off putting. Their sense of smell would be stronger. They would be faster too.

From the corner of my eye, I see the Alpha watching me. A smug smile on his face. He already knew I was planning on running. And he knew I had just encountered another problem.

The black wolves move to the car, sniffing all around. They pause by the door on my side and one stands on its hind legs to look in through the window at me. It’s brown eyes studying me for a moment.

“She’s mine.” Alpha Zane mutters as he winds down my window

“Mine? Who the hell do you think you are?!” I snap.

He grins as the wolves move back to their original position and the gates begin to open. Stevens restarts the car, creeping it through the opening gates. 

Ahead, there are more wolves. Stationed either side of the road. They sit like statues, staring straight ahead.

“What’s the matter, little wolf?” I could hear the amusement in Alpha Zanes' tone.

I don’t answer because internally, I’m screaming. My odds were getting smaller and smaller by the second.

The road to the packhouse was long. Showing just how large his land was. We travel at least ten miles after the gates. The trees begin to fade and houses appear and then shops.

Most packs have their own forest, maybe a river passing through. Yet, shops, schools and anything else would often be shared. There would be neutral zones where people from different packs could hang out. But here, it was its own town. I guess they needed it with this many people.

“Anything you need can be found here.” Alpha Zane is telling me. “Clothes, food, jewellery, books. Whatever you like, we will have it here.”

I glare at him. Why would he think that would make me stay? I could get those things anywhere.

“What kind of things do you like?” His tone was much softer than it had been before. It makes me uneasy. 

“None of your business.”

“If Stevens asked, would you answer him?”

I stare directly into his dark eyes. I knew my answer would piss him off. 

“Yes.” It rolls off of my tongue with so much spite. I don’t turn away. I wanted him to see that I wasn’t afraid of him. That I wasn’t going to back down just because he was some Alpha.

“Stevens!” He mutters through gritted teeth.

Stevens dazzling blue eyes settle on me in the rearview mirror. “Willow,” He smiles. “Do you have any hobbies?”

I smile back at him. Purposely ignoring the Alpha next to me, even as his grip on my leg tightens. “I like to draw.”

“Was that really so hard?” Alpha Zane demands

“He didn’t demand the answer from me!”

“Is this what you were like, growing up? Always so short tempered. Always disrespecting those in charge?”

“Does a bear shit in the woods!?”

“What the fuck does that mean?” He snaps

“It’s her way of saying yes.” Stevens answers

I was expecting a slap. No one liked a smart ass. But if it means he changes his mind about owning me, then I was all for being a smart ass.

We come to a stop in front of a beautiful manor. Marble pillars sit at the entrance, framing the massive oak doors. Ivy creeps up the side, towards the roof and frames some of the upper floor windows.

For an unclaimed Alpha, it was not the type of house I expected him to live in.

Stevens opens the door for me. He winks at me as I reluctantly get out.

There are wolves stationed here too. They are almost frozen in place. The only thing that gave them away, is the blinking. I was yet to see anyone in human form.

“This way.” the Alpha calls out

As I move in front of the car. I see the grin on Alpha Zane’s face. 

“Welcome to Night Watch.”

He holds his elbow out to me. I take it as I expand my lungs and walk up the stone steps with him.

The foyer is huge, with a staircase that splits in two only to meet again at the top. The cool marble floor was comforting on my bare feet. He doesn’t give me much of a chance to take it in. Instead he leads me to a room off to the left.

“Sit!” He points to the single chair that is sat in front of the desk. I assume it is the office.

Taking a seat behind the desk, he watches me. “This will be your home.”

“This is not my home!”

“This will be your new home.”

“This is not my home!” I state again. It didn’t matter how many times he said it, this would never be my home.

Looking over my shoulder, I expected to see Stevens, but the Alpha and I are alone.

“Thinking about running?” He muses

“Not right now.”

He cocks a brow at me, “You are making this a lot harder than it has to be.”

“Good.” I smile at him. “What’s the point in life if everything is easy?”

I expected him to respond, but again, he stares at me in silence and starts unbuttoning his shirt. Black ink appears in the shape of a dragon. As he removes his shirt, I see how it takes up his entire chest, wrapping around to his back. He hangs his shirt on the back of his chair and moves around to me.

“Don’t touch me!” I growl. Though I needed him to move a few inches closer and then I would be able to give him a swift kick in the balls.

He keeps the distance, almost as if knows what I will do. He leans back against the table. “Was it your fathers death that made you so angry?”

I feel a twitch in my upper lip. “You don’t get to ask me questions about him.”

His eyes narrowed at me, he had figured out something about me.

“Was it that he was a disgraced Alpha or the fact he put the rest of your family in danger?

“Shut up!”

He rubs through the stubble of his chin. “You lost your pack.” He presses

I jump to my feet, my fists balled at my side. “Shut the fuck up.”

“You lost the chance at becoming an Alpha because of your father’s bad habits.”

Tears burn my retinas. I wanted it to stop, but he keeps pushing.

“He put you, your mother and your little brother in the line of fire.”

I couldn’t look at him. I had spent months pushing it all deep down inside of me.

“Because of him, you ended up in an auction house, being paraded around by fucking humans.”

“STOP TALKING!” I charge at him, slamming my fists against his chest. He stands there, letting me hit him, letting me burn through my anger.

As I break, his arms lock around me. “Everything will be different now, little wolf.”