Chapter 1

2 Years later

Zelle’s POV

    Two months until I turn 18. I think once I do I am skipping town. Maybe I’ll head out to California or up to the mountains of Colorado. I need to put distance between the Blackfang Pack and their horrible Alpha. Alpha Fredrick is vile. I haven’t ever met him in person but any man who thinks he can claim and own a woman especially as a play for power has to be vile. Alpha Fredrick became an Alpha when I was three years old when he murdered his father and uncle and cousins and enslaved his own aunt, mother and sister so yeah, there is that too. I always intended to run before he got his hands on me because I was promised to the 20 year old man before I was even 4 years old. He’s 34 now and I heard that he has a fated mate who bore him 5 children and has been enslaved by him for just the purpose of meeting his sexual needs. He intends to marry me and mate and mark me and reject her as soon as I am of age. Then there is the sexy British guy…that damned Hybrid Alpha. He killed my family, or at least my parents and now he leads my old pack. I hate him, but he invades my dreams…every night for the last two years I see his eyes staring at me, every morning I wake up filled with desire, aching for his touch. He haunts me and I need to get away from this craving for him. 

    “Zelle, table 2 is waiting for you!” Mel calls out. As I walk by she whispers, “four hot guys, one is a bit too young, the other three have British accents.”

    I laugh and shake my head. But it occurs to me too late just who it could be as I walk over to the table full of werewolves. I know that smell, pending snowstorms smell like this…they are from my old pack, Wintertail. The pack is run by none other than the Hybrid Alpha. I thank the goddess for my eggplant colored hair dye and brown contacts, because along with some magical makeup tricks such as contouring I use those to disguise myself. My shoulder length shag in that deep blackish purple is a far cry from the long blond hair that I once had. 

    I had called Celeste with the burner a few times in the first months after I ran and she had informed me that they were looking for me all over the coast and keeping an eye on the city for anyone with my description, but that is hard to do with the sheer size of the place and it’s population. My brother’s were alive, but for some reason Silas had chosen to go with a wolf named Ian to the pack near London. Ezekiel had formed a tight bond with the Hybrid Alpha and was often by his side. I don’t hate the man for killing my father, I know the monster my father was, the things he did to women in power and I had guessed at what my father had done to his mate before Celeste told me that the Hybrid had killed my parents as revenge for her death. I don’t know what his game is with my brothers or his search for me, though. I do however trust Ezekiel’s judgment, he  has always been astute and a clever strategist. 

    Lost in thoughts I was not prepared to  find myself looking into the black eyes of the Hybrid Alpha nor the blue ones of my brother, who sat by his side in the booth I was now standing at.

    “Azalea?” Zeke questioned. Astute as ever, that little brother of mine. Naturally he would see through my disguise but I am still going to try to play this off long enough to get away.

    “You must be mistaken! My name is Zelle, I’ll be your server today, what can I get for you gentlemen?” I say with a smile.I am struggling to keep the shock from both my face and voice. I am hoping beyond hope that if zeke does realize that it is indeed me the Hybrid Alpha does not. If he doesn’t want to kill me, I am afraid he wants me to secure his loyalties within the pack,or something…possibly something darker. I just want to find my fated mate. Men, even human men have this tendency to want to use me for sex or power. I am not someone’s barganing chip nor am I their sex doll. I want to find the one whom my soul connects to. 

    “We are celebrating today” rasps a sexy voice with a British accent. I look dead into the eyes of the Hybrid Alpha himself. His dark orbs seem to pull me in momentarily.

   I regain my composure. “Oh! And what may be the occasion?” I ask fully aware that it is my brother’s fourteenth birthday today. 

    “It’s our young friend’s fourteenth birthday today and we thought burgers and shakes were in order. They are his favorite foods.” The alpha smiles. Fuck, that sexy, deep, raspy voice, those dark eyes and now that smile...he is so damned hot! My panties get wet looking at that smile and I shift uncomfortably, trying to hide the scent of my arousal, but he must have caught the scent because I see his eyes flash red and his face lights up with a wicked smirk.

    “Always were” I say absentmindedly as I write up their order and turn to walk away.

A firm hand grips my wrist. “What was that?” he asks with his intense eyes boring into me. 

   “I said they always are. You know kids his age always love their burgers and shakes” I try to cover up the slip up. “I forgot to ask what flavor! Will they all be chocolate or does someone want vanilla or strawberry?”

   He eyes me suspiciously. “Chocolate all around” his raspy voice sends heat right to my core. What is it about this guy?

   I quickly head out to the back and place the order with Vic before stepping into the back alley for air.

I am leaning against the wall when the smell of cigarette smoke invades my space and he is standing in front of me “Zelle is it? I am sure that I have seen you before. You smell like a wintertail wolf but I haven’t seen you at mandatory training or pack runs. You live with humans, not the pack but don’t smell like a rogue.”

He eyes me, sizing me up. “Now, lie don’t lie to me, Azalea. I fucking know it’s you” he rasps with a huge grin. Fuck and double fuck!

    “Just leave me alone! If you can assure me that Zeke and Silas are safe and happy I will gladly go far away from the territory and be out of your way” I grit.

    “Now, beautiful, why would I do that? You are the rightful fucking heir. You should lead your people” he smirks.

   “I don’t know what game you are at but I am no man’s pawn!” I spit. “You won’t step down and I will never stand at your side! Somewhere I have a fated mate and I intend to find them!”

    “oh,Kitten ! So  feisty! I can smell your delicious arousal. You do want me” He cocks an eyebrow and smirks as he tosses his cigarette aside and his lips crash on mine as he pushes me against the wall in a passionate kiss. My panties are soaked now as desire for him floods me. “You’ll come to me sooner or later, princess” he purrs against my ear before walking back down the alley.

    I don’t look at him as I deliver their order, keeping my eyes downcast. He acts like he didn’t just slam me against a wall assaulting my mouth with his back in the alley. Like it’s just a normal fucking day celebrating my brother’s birthday.

    As I leave the bill for them I slide my thumb ring off. Celeste had made it for me and had given it to me as an early birthday present before I left. I place it in front of Zeke. “Happy birthday, kid” I smile softly and his eyes meet mine.

   “ Can I hug you?” he asks shyly. “You remind me of my sister.” I nod holding back tears and when he hugs me I wipe away the one that escapes before swiftly walking to the back where I let them fall as I enter the employees bathroom. 

     I need to get away from here a lot sooner than I planned, but that hug…I really miss my brothers.

*************

   Walking back to my apartment I keep thinking back to the kiss. His scent still lingers on me…distinctly masculine and a little sweet, a blend of tobacco, musk and cloves. I can still feel his lips on mine, the taste of his mouth lingering…The vampires usually leave me alone, this city has plenty, but right now I am getting some strange looks from the ones that live on my street.

   I head up the stairs towards my apartment, when my neighbor, Mr. Troy peers out of his door. “You smell like danger,” he whispers.

   He’s an older vampire and has been known to smell emotions , but danger is not something I would think of as an emotion that I had today, caution, sadness,fear, anger…those I felt plenty of.

    I cock my head “Good evening, Mr.Troy. I don’t know about danger, unless hot wing sauce counts.”

   “You can call  me Darius, no need for formalities between us. Or would you rather I call you Alpha? Sadness and danger. Did you meet your mate today?” He is acting strangely even for the odd, old vampire that he is. He looks like a 20 something year old tech geek or gamer, but is in fact over a century old.

   “No, mr..er..Darius, I’m still too young to meet my mate” I chime. I wonder why he is so curious today. 

    “Is that why you live with humans?”

“It’s complicated” I say just as the door to my apartment opens and Toni steps out. His eyes narrow`at us and I say my goodbyes to Mr.Troy and follow Toni inside.

     “What was that with the creep? Why did he ask if that was why you live with humans? As if you were not human and humans were a bad thing?” Toni spins on me and cages me against the door.

     “Just because your name is on the lease, doesn’t mean you own me, Toni. I pay rent and I am my own person! I can talk to Darius Troy whenever I want. He’s kind of sweet and was worried about me is all” I am livid that yet again, I am stuck between a rock and a hard place, or at the moment a door and a muscular human. Sure I could use my wolf strength and over power him, even use my aura to intimidate him, but that would give me away.

   A knock on the door interrupts our little discussion, or to be precise my visions of ripping Toni’s arms off and fleeing the territory. I slip past Toni and grab the door knob, he glares at me, but steps back from the door. I pull it open to see our dear Mr Troy. “I forgot to give you this” he holds out a package. “ It was delivered for you just a short while ago and was left with me for safe keeping. I am told that it is for your eyes only.” He eyes Toni letting out a little aura “Tony, I would watch your tone with our precious miss Zelle.”

   “Is that a threat? I could take you on” Toni’s machismo makes me wonder what I ever saw in him, but when we first met nearly two years ago, I was a runaway, on my own and he had been kind. It wasn’t until I split up with him that he really started acting this bad, I mean the jealousy was there when we were dating, but I could reassure him. Really he is just an insecure human.

   I take the package gingerly and look at Darius Troy, he is perhaps the only person I see daily who knows my truth. “Thank you, Darius. I don’t know who knows where I live, but…”

   Mr Troy interrupts “If you need a private space to open it, you could go to my apartment and use my office.” The tall vampire bows his head to me in much the manner we werewolves bow in submission to the alpha. He then looks up into my eyes and whispers lowly,”You smell like him, like danger.”  He winks at me and nods.Toni couldn’t hear with his human hearing and that was exactly the point.

   “Darius, that is quite kind but I can manage. If I need your assistance I do know where you are” I nod at him, giving a slight bow and he blushes. I didn’t know vampires could blush.

    I close the door and look at the package. The beautiful scrolling script says “To Azalea ‘Zelle’” and nothing else. The writing is beautiful, elegantly written by a skilled hand. I take the box to the bathroom and lock the door.

    Toni bangs the door “Zelle, What the fuck?!”