Chapter 2.

Alyssa's POV.

"Mate." I whispered as I inhaled his scent, a faint hint of woodsy and leather clinging to him. 

His eyes narrowed at me, taking in my appearance slowly, his nostrils flared 

ever so slightly with each breath, his gaze lingering on the length of my body before focusing on my face.

"Mate." He finally said the words, yet it felt like it was forced out of his mouth.

My chest felt tight as if my heart wanted to break, my wolf began whining slowly.

"Beta!!" He yelled, making me shake with nervousness.

"Yes Alpha." A man came running through the passage I could sight from where I stood.

"Take this rogue and add among the rogue slaves we've found." He spat.

My heart clenched painfully immediately I heard him, "I'm not a rogue, I was..." I didn't finish my explanation when I felt myself dragged  roughly by the hand into an enclosed room. "You're hurting me!" I yelped, trying hard not to make any noise.

He growled, the noise was low, deep but not menacing. "You better move along."He hissed.

With a whimper of fear, I did as he said and quickly moved with the beta.

After what seemed like hours of walking, he opened up a large iron gate which made me flinch at the sudden change in scenery, my mind reeling with the new environment.

I could see other slaves seated, some extremely injured, some not even conscious.

 A couple of them were tied up too.

"What's happening?" I asked the Beta while still staring at the surroundings wide eyed.

He growled, "You're a rogue slave, and you'll be dealt with as deem fit." He said walking immediately, I shivered when the gates closed with a loud clunk.

My head pounded as my eyes began stinging with unshed tears, I tried my hardest not to cry. 

"I'm not even a rogue slave!" I cried.

My voice sounded pathetic even to me and my heart sank when I remembered how he didn't even give me any second look, even when he admitted I was his mate.

I thought mates were supposed to love each other and be there for each other, but this felt different, my mate wasn't like what I thought a mate would be.

The thought of his behavior and my mom's death hit me and I began crying harder now. 

My vision swam and blurred from the onslaught of emotions I was experiencing.

I had no idea how much time passed since I cried  until someone suddenly spoke, their voice laced with malice.

"Hey, can you stop crying like a baby and let us get a good sleep at least." One slave snapped.

I nodded nervously as I leaned against the wall, closing my eyes and forcing the memories away.

As the last traces of consciousness left my brain, I drifted off to sleep with a heavy heart.

********

I woke up with yelp when a whip landed on my back, causing me to jerk awake. My heart was pounding in my chest, adrenaline coursing through my veins.

I looked around frantically trying to find the source of the whip, my eyes widened when I saw a woman glaring hard at me.

Looking around I could see that the other slaves were awake and I was the only one left, I stood up shakily, trying to find my balance as another whip landed on me.

This time I fell down to my knees, feeling the whip leave a long red line down my back.

The whip landed on me several more times, blood starting to seep through the whip's skin.

I whimpered as I curled up into a ball and covered myself protectively.

"The alpha specifically told me to deal with you, if you aren't up and working like the other slaves." She said

My heart clenched painfully, the thought that he would send her to this to his mate made me so hurt.

"Now get up and move to the fields, the slaves are working there." She hissed.

"You should be grateful the alpha is giving a rogue slave an opportunity." She added.

I had no idea of a way around here, yet I sauntered off shakily, looking for the direction of the field.

My whole body ached as the sun hit my wound making it burn, yet the pain was nothing compared to the grief I was drowning in.

I looked down at my hands, they shook violently. "I don't deserve this, I don't want this, please." I begged silently.

It took an eternity to reach the fields yet I saw other slaves working, I ran to them, joining them immediately.

They all stared at me with surprise as I started working alongside them in silence.

We finished the day in silence, and I followed the other slaves to the place the woman directed us.

We stopped at a big building,  I frowned as she walked in before turning to us with a glare on her face.

"This is the slave quarters and this is where you'll all stay, pick a room and stay there and make do with whatever you see." She instructed.

I nodded, hoping to finally get a good sleep, my heart was still filled with heaviness, a weight I didn't plan to think of.

I wanted my mum, she was my only family and how she's gone, it hurt so much, my eyes became wet with unshed tears once again as I started sorting through rooms with the other slaves.

I walked into one of the empty rooms, I glanced around, it was small. A bed placed near the corner, with a desk beside, a closet next to that. A wooden desk in one corner that held a lamp that cast dim light. And a window that showed the night sky.

I closed the door gently, sighing in relief as I sat on the bed, my mom's death replaying in my head over and over again.

I hugged my knees close to my chest and cried silently for the loss of my mother.

I closed my eyes , drifting off to sleep almost instantaneously despite all the stress that I'd been carrying in my head lately.