I felt the weight of Alpha Xander’s gaze on me like a fire I couldn’t shake. The room was quiet now, the night’s festivities faded. But Xander, calm and intense, studied me as if every word I might say mattered, as if he truly saw me. I shifted on the edge of the couch, every part of me screaming to stand up and run.
But Maya, my wolf, urged me to stay.
“So,” Xander began, his voice soft but unyielding, “tell me more about yourself Alison.”
I blinked, caught off guard. No one had ever asked me that, especially not an Alpha. The leaders I’d known always took from others just like Kendrick, hoarding respect without giving any. Xander was different, looking at me with genuine curiosity and patience. I glanced away, feeling the heat creep into my cheeks.
“I don’t know what you want to hear but I’m no one important,” I murmured, my voice almost a whisper. A part of me didn’t want to tell him anything, fearing he’d see just how broken and small I felt. But there was something in his expression that made it hard to keep up my guard.
“Every story about you is important to me,” he replied, his voice soothing yet firm, like a command wrapped in gentleness. “Fine, let’s start with your family. Your pack?”
I frowned, memories slipping away like shadows. “I… I don’t remember anything” I admitted, the words feeling hollow. “Nothing at all about my pack or my family, I was told I was found near the Silver Moon Pack boundaries as a group of rogue wolf’s had tried to attack me so Alpha Kendrick’s father took me in and provided me with the basic necessities of life.”
Xander’s expression softened, a flicker of sympathy crossing his features, but I saw something else there too, a hint of concern, maybe? Or perhaps sadness, like he was mourning for me. I felt a pang in my chest and immediately regretted opening up.
Before I could ask what he was thinking, his phone buzzed, breaking the quiet tension between us.
“Excuse me,” he muttered, pulling the phone from his pocket and standing as he answered. “Hello?” His voice was low, but I sensed urgency in his tone. Fragments of his conversation drifted over to me, something about finding someone, his voice promising that he wouldn’t rest until they were safe. The determination in his voice stirred my curiosity, though I forced myself to look away.
Who was he searching for with such resolve? A pack member? A loved one? The question simmered in my mind, but I swallowed it, not wanting to pry. My life had been built on secrets, and I wasn’t ready to poke into someone else’s.
The phone call ended, and he turned back to me, his gaze renewed with focus. “Ally,” he said, setting his phone aside and leaning in closer, “I know this may seem sudden, but I’d like you to return with me to my pack. It’s safer for you there.”
My eyes widened. “Wait, What?” The words tumbled out before I could catch them. “No… I only agreed to come see you so you could reject me, so I could finally be free, not bound to any one or any pack. I’m ready to leave on my own tomorrow.”
Xander’s face tightened, his gaze never wavering. “Reject you?” he repeated, his voice barely above a whisper but packed with disbelief. “Of course not, I’ve waited years for my mate. I do not have any intentions of rejecting you.”
I stared at him, struggling to process his words. My heart raced as I saw the honesty, the vulnerability in his eyes. I could feel the sincerity in each syllable, but the thought of being tied to another Alpha again, of losing my freedom, made me uneasy. Yet as I met his gaze, a warmth I hadn’t expected began to blossom within me.
“Why?” I finally asked, my voice soft, almost afraid of the answer. “Why do you want to keep me as your mate? I’m a mere slave”
“Because I’ve spent my life waiting for you, Alison,” he replied without hesitation. “I know it sounds strange, especially with everything you’ve been through, but I’ve always known that my mate would be someone worth waiting for. And I think… I honestly think you were worth waiting for.”
A lump formed in my throat, and I looked down, unsure of how to respond. No one had ever spoken to me like that before. No one had looked at me like that before.
Reluctantly, I nodded. “Okay. I’ll come with you, but… only if you agree to understand that I need time to adjust to your world and the world you are offering me.”
A small smile broke through his stern expression, and he nodded in agreement. “Of course,” he said, his voice filled with quiet reassurance. “Take all the time you need.”
I stood, excusing myself to return back to my room, I may not own much but I had to pack the little shabby clothing’s I own. But the moment I crossed the threshold, my heart sank at the sight waiting for me. Kendrick was lounging in my doorway, arms crossed, his eyes dark with anger.
“Welcome back,” he sneered, stepping further into the room, blocking my exit. “I see you’ve made some sort of night in shining armor tonight. Has Xander already had his way with you already?”
I clenched my jaw, fighting to keep my voice to myself but at this point I had endured enough. “What I do with my body is none of your concern, Kendrick.”
“Ohhh, that’s the feisty Little girl I had always loved to see, just a night with Xander had unleashed that view I had always wanted to surface,” he replied smoothly, stepping closer, his eyes gleaming with a dark possessiveness. “None the less, what you do with your body is my business Especially after what I heard earlier. Is he… your mate?”
“Yes, you heard that correctly” I replied without hesitation. The truth hit me harder than I’d expected, sending a shiver down my spine. The finality of it felt like a brand on my soul, but I didn’t waver.
Kendrick’s face twisted, and for a brief moment, I saw something other than anger in his gaze, a flicker of regret, even pain. But it vanished as quickly as it had appeared, replaced with bitterness and possessiveness. He clenched his fists, his tone hardening. “Reject him, Alison,” he demanded, his voice cold and ruthless. “I command you to stay here. With me.”
I scoffed, crossing my arms defiantly. “And what? Be your Slave for the rest of my life?”
His silence told me everything I needed to know. The very idea of remaining in the Silver Moon Pack as Kendrick’s slave was revolting, a twisted reminder of every trap I’d spent my life escaping.
Kendrick’s expression shifted, his desperation morphing into a twisted plea. “Listen to me, Alison. I can afford to give you every single luxury that you ever want, anything, double all what Xander promised you. I know I can’t make you my Luna, but I would take you to a safe house. You and I could still… ”
“No, Kendrick,” I cut him off, my voice laced with cold resolve. “I’m done being your plaything! For years, you and Priya did nothing but push me around and torture me, now that I’m finally close to gaining my freedom you spew this trash? Hell no!! Tomorrow, I’m leaving with Alpha Xander, and not even you would stop me.”
“You wouldn’t dare! Do you think a pack like Night Fang would take a slave like you as their Luna” he mocked in a cold tone
“I would taie my chances as long as it involves being far away from you!” I retorted, surprised at my newly acquired boldness.
A fire blazed in Kendrick’s eyes as he gritted his teeth. He reached out as if to grab me, but I sidestepped, my voice a low, threatening whisper. “If you don’t leave my room this instance, I’ll tell Alpha Xander you’ve been harassing me.”
The threat was empty, but Kendrick didn’t know that. He recoiled, jaw clenched tight, staring at me with a mix of hatred and desperation. “You haven’t heard the last of this Alison. I won’t let you go with him, even if that’s the last thing I ever do” he spat before storming out and slamming the door behind him.
As his footsteps faded, I released a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. I was free. For the first time in my life, I felt as if I truly belonged somewhere or more likely to someone. And tomorrow, I would walk into a new life with a second chance waiting by my side.