The sun from outside was blinding. I blinked a few times to adjust my sight, but my eyes kept watering up with tears. I had stopped screaming after one of the guards had hit me. My face was numb from the claw mark and slap I had just earned myself – there was no point in adding more fire to the already lit flame.
I shuffled in a single file line behind the woman who I had shared a cell with only a few minutes ago. I was at the end of what seemed like a never-ending line of wolves."Keep walking, don't slow down!" The main guard growled from the front of the line, his voice echoing off the forest trees that surrounded us.They were marching us to our deaths, what great hospitality this pack has truly shown us!There had to be at least fifty of us being led by the group of guards. They told us to be quiet and follow them, or else. I don't necessarily know what the 'or else' could be, considering where we were heading.My thoughts were riddled with anxiety. How were they going to do it? Was it a public execution? Gosh, it couldn't possibly be! There was too many of us and what would be the point of that? The only humane way I could think of getting rid of us would be a silver bullet.But this pack wasn't necessarily known for being humane...We continued to walk for another ten minutes towards our destination. The walk was silent apart from the occasional sniffle and the guards' constant taunts. My bare feet were raw from walking on the forest floor but I gritted my teeth and tried my best to keep up with the rest of the group. Slowly, our pace began to still and eventually came to a stop. We were in a large clearing.I swallowed the lump in my throat. The clearing reminded me so much of the grass fields back at my old pack. I used to take the kids out to the clearing after lunch to run around and knock off some steam. The open area served as the perfect arena for them to play.I tried my best to hold in my tears. Memories of better times swarmed my head causing an ache to form in my chest."Stay in line and turn around to face the forest. Now." The main guard commanded as he walked to the middle of the clearing.Almost immediately we all followed the orders, standing shoulder to shoulder around the edge of the clearing. I hesitated for a moment before turning to face the forest, leaving my back to the guards. I can't decide what is better – being able to face them and know what is going to happen or not.Once everyone had followed orders, he began to talk again. "As I'm sure you all aware, it is cleaning day. I hope you've all enjoyed your time here with the Imperious pack, but we need to make more room for new friends." His voice was taunting and I'm sure if I turned around there would be a shit-eating grin on his face. "Before we continue, however, our Alpha and Beta will be coming for the dismissal. There will be no tolerance for any disrespect to our Alpha – so behave."His last comment came out as a snarl, the threat clear in the air that our fates would be much worse if we reacted badly to their Alpha.At the mention of the Alpha arriving, the tension amongst the line increased. I clenched my fist tightly, keeping my eyes trained at the base of the forest floor. The Alpha of the Imperious pack for known and feared across all wolf lands.Alpha Benji – a ruthless, cold-hearted dictator. A man I thought I would only meet in my nightmares.The air around the clearing got thicker – not just from the tension but the arrival of new people, as well. It was clear that more pack members were arriving. There were a few warning growls from the guards, but it didn't seem like anyone was going to test their luck.I'm suffocating. I'm sure I must borderline having a panic attack at this point. The air in the clearing was so heavy I felt like I was being smothered. The scent of fresh wood fire and leather practically glued itself to my nostrils."Alpha Benji, Beta Alaric – It is a pleasure to see you." The main guard spoke, his voice now suddenly calm and no longer taunting. "We are ready to continue with cleaning whenever you are ready."Tears were streaming down my face at a rapid pace. I tried to swallow my sobs the best I could, but every time I tried to breath, I felt like I was inhaling a cup full of that scent. Fresh wood fire and leather. I was choking on it."Pleasure to see you as well, Josiah. How many do we have?""Thirty-five, Beta Alaric." The guard, now known as Josiah, spoke. He was clearly proud of himself based on his tone.I wish he would come over here in line and made it thirtysix.There was a pause before the Beta spoke again, speaking an unusual amount compared to his apparently silent Alpha. "Any issues we should be made aware of?""No, it was a pretty standard round up. Twenty of the thirtyfive are either injured or sick, so they are automatically chosen. Seven are high-profile prisoners. The rest were luck of the pick, I suppose."That's what I am. A luck of the pick. Just my luck, amiright?!There was an uncomfortable pause after the guard spoke. I bit down on my lip hard to try and silence my sobs. I couldn't stand to keep looking at the forest floor anymore, so I squeezed my eyes closed instead."Is everything alright, Alpha Benji?""No."His voice wasn't what I expected. After hearing, and experiencing, so many horror stories about him, I had painted a very ugly appearance to match the vile actions of Alpha Benji. His voice, however, didn't align with what I pictured. It was deep and alluring – like he had permanent morning voice.The clearing was silent except for the slow, almost excruciating, sound of footsteps getting closer to the line. The crunching of the leaves was haunting – I suddenly wish we didn't have our backs turned to them. The mixture of the suffocating scent and the eerie silence was going to send me over the edge.The crunching of the leaves suddenly stopped. And, for the love of the Moon goddess, I don't know why – but they stopped right by me. I didn't have to open my eyes to know that my whole body was trembling from fear. I prayed that his overwhelming presence would leave me alone, but I knew he wasn't going to."Turn around, pup."I couldn't swallow the sob that escaped my lips. I wanted to say no. I wanted to just make a beeline for the woods and try to runway. But there was something about his voice. He was an Alpha, so naturally it was commanding and controlling. But it wasn't just that – not it was worse. It was alluring. I felt like he was calling me to him, to listen to him.My body reacted on its own accord. I shakily turned to face him but kept my eyes cast downward, not wanting to make eye contact with him incase he found it disrespectful. I gasped softly as the invisible wall of that scent hit me once again.A snarl ripped through his chest, "Mine!"My first mistake was ever trying to outrun and escape the Imperious pack. My second mistake was looking up and making eye contact with him. My eyes snapped up to find his as soon as the shock wore off from his words. Mine. His. That's what he said – that's what he declared. That I was his. Alpha Benji was nothing like the hideous man I had drawn up to appear in my nightmares. He was tall and broad, with sandy hair and hauntingly grey eyes. His chiseled face was framed by just the perfect amount of facial hair. And he was, without a doubt, my mate. The suffocating scent of fresh firewood and leather practically oozed from his pores. "Mine!" He growled again, repeating himself as if to reassure not only himself but the others around him of what he said. I didn't dare to speak. My body was paralyzed from the sheer shock of the situation, working in overdrive to compensate. He remained only a couple feet in front of me. His posture was stiff - his shoulders tense and his hands curle
I jolted awake. Initially, I hoped for a fleeting moment that the events of yesterday were all a dream. Or more accurately, a nightmare. But, of course, they weren't. I pulled myself upright from the floor, letting the blanket drape over my lower half. I had slept surprisingly well on the hardwood floor, already accustom to sleeping on uncomfortable surfaces. I spared a glance at the door. My heartbeat sped up, immediately noticing my dinner tray missing from where I had left it last night.Someone had come in here while I was sleeping.A quick scan over my body confirmed that nothing noticeable had changed during my slumber. There wasn't any new scratches or marks on my body that I didn't already have. It must have just been a member of the staff doing their job, but yet it still left an unsettling feeling in my tummy.I don't know what to do. I am trapped in a locked room with no way out and no way to entertain myself. I sat with my back pressed against the wall for most of t
I stumbled over my footing, managing with some luck to remain upright. The door behind me swung shut with a thud of finality. As soon as the door was closed, my senses were overwhelmed. His scent was everywhere. Burnt firewood and fresh leather. His presence was strong enough that I could sense him without looking up. My breathing was shaky and uneven, catching in my throat in anticipation. I went through the calming motion of clenching and unclenching my fists. It was a habit I picked up as a child to help deal with my trauma. After I lost both my parents, I felt like I was spiraling. But the motion, while small, helped ground me and bring me back to reality. "Ah, hello, glad you could make it." A humored voice spoke up amongst the silence.I swam through my memories to help put a face to the vaguely familiar voice. I remembered the voice from Cleaning Day. He had calmed down the Alpha and broke up the earlier altercation. He must be the Beta Belinda was referring to earlier. B
For the next week, my life followed the same mundane routine.Wakeup. Stare at the wall. Eat breakfast. Stare at the wall. Pace around the room. Eat dinner. Stare at the wall. Go to bed. Repeat.It was a form of torture to be in this room. Maybe that was my mate's plan this whole time? Drive me mad before rejecting me? Anything is plausible at this point.I curled my fingernails into the baseboard of the wall, scratching a pattern into the weathered wood. The bed in my room has remained unused, instead opting to sleeping on the floor. It started out as fear, not wanting to ruin the sheets when I was dirty. But, by now, it's just what I'm more accustom to.Plus, I feel guilty knowing that somewhere underground Gwen is still sleeping in a moldy, concrete cell eating soggy bread. I can't bare to snuggle up in a bed thinking of her conditions.There's no clock in the room but if I must guess it's some wee hour into the night. I never had a regular sleeping schedule to begin with, but
♕ The Imperious Pack ♕I was sitting on my bed, braiding the loose threads from the throw blanket to keep myself busy. No matter how hard I tried, sleep wouldn't find me last night. I was once again a ball full of neurotic energy that couldn't be calmed down.I woke up early this morning before Belinda had even come to drop off my breakfast. The door was still locked, so I couldn't freshen up but I opted to change out of my sleepwear to get a head start to my day.I didn't wait much longer until I heard the familiar three knocks, signaling her arrival. Belinda came into frame, her salt and pepper hair pulled away from her aging face. Unlike most days, she didn't have a tray in her hands."You're up early." She noted, an eyebrow quirking upwards. "Would you like to go for a walk?"My lips parted in surprise at her question. I hadn't been allowed to leave the room all week except for using the bathroom. I didn't know what randomly made them want to let me have some freedom, but I wasn't
♕ Dotty ♕I'm not sure what I realistically was expecting when I walked through those doors.Maybe Alpha Benji would be waiting for me with a pitchfork, ready to run me out of the pack after rejecting me. Perhaps he would be sitting at the table, devouring a breakfast of raw meat from his enemies – which, to be fair, is a rumor that they whisper down in the cells.What I wasn't expecting, however, was to walk into a small room where three wolves already sat around a dining table, peacefully chatting like any normal morning."Ah, finally, you came. I'm starving and he's making us wait until we all got here to start." Alaric noticed me first, jabbing his fork toward Benji to signal who he was talking about.I followed his line of direction, making eye contact with the Alpha. I could feel my cheeks heating up from embarrassment. Memories from last night came rushing into my mind at once. The spark of electricity when he touched my skin. The sound of the door locking behind us. The way hi
His words sobered me up, erasing whatever tension that remained in the room. He gestured his hand out towards the set of plush chairs tucked in the corner of his office. I apprehensively took a seat on the chair closest to the door, tucking my feet underneath me as I settled in the chair.Benji lowered himself in the chair adjacent from me, linking his hands together and leaning his elbows on his knees to stare at me. He didn't waste any time beating around the bush – he was direct as he got straight to the point of the conversation."Belinda is moving your belongings from the guest pack house. You will no longer be staying there."I tried my best not to react to his words. I mean, I wasn't that surprised. Afterall, I knew my situation was just too good to be true. Why would he keep me locked up in his guest pack house when it should be occupied by real guests? I was just a stranger in this pack."And where will I be staying, then?" I thread my fingers together in my lap, picking at m
"Interesting...I wonder why he did that..." He hummed, furrowing his eyebrows before physically shaking whatever was troubling him from his head. "We can move on. What former pack did you belong to?"I thought about voicing the real reason on why I was pulled from the lineup. I was the Alpha's mate, after all – the rightful Luna to this pack. But I didn't. Alpha Benji clearly didn't want people to know who I was to this pack and I wasn't going to fight him on it.It'll only lead to more embarrassment when I am eventually rejected."The Sandstone Pack." I spoke softly, fondly thinking back to spending my time at my old pack chasing the children through the land after nap time. My time there wasn't perfect, but it was better than here."Beautiful pack grounds there," He hummed, nodding his head. "I see here on your file that you are an Omega. When was the last time you shifted?""Um...I don't know – maybe a year or two?"His dark eyebrows furrowed, looking up from his file with a look o