Chapter 8 - Mates

Elijah POV

Panting, I wiped the sweat from my forehead.

I had been in the packhouse garden the whole afternoon, raking leaves.

My wolf was bugging me the whole time, wanting to go for a run. I promised him that we could shift later in the evening when we were finished with today's chores.

To my parents dismay, I was an Omega in the Midnight Pack. My father was the pack's Gamma, the third in command to Alpha Richard. I was supposed to inherit that title once I got my wolf at 18, but when my wolf turned out to be weaker than the average Gamma wolf, I was demoted to Omega and became a servant in the packhouse.

Alpha Richard kept my father as Gamma and seemed really happy about it.

Why?

Because having a weak wolf wasn't the only embarrassment in my life.

I had a bright red birthmark across my face.

Up until I graduated high school last year, I was the constant laughingstock. They called me Ampel, because I looked like a red traffic light.

The name stuck with me and most people just called me that because they didn't know my name.

My father trained me hard and brutally during my childhood to make me the best Gamma in the whole country. He thought if I learned to show no mercy to my enemies and kill without hesitation I would gain respect with the pack despite my birthmark.

That plan went down the drain in more ways than one.

It wasn't just my runt of a wolf, it was my inability to be a merciless, cold-blooded killer that made me a huge disappointment to my family. The Midnight pack needed ruthless leadership and there was not a single part of my being that could be described as ruthless.

I was weak.

"Ampel!"

Ruth, the head Omega, called and woke me from my thoughts of self-loathing.

"Finish up here and get your ass down to the kitchen. They're short-staffed!"

"Yes, head Omega."

I scrambled to pick up the last pile of leaves on the ground and went to change my clothes. If I showed up in the kitchen wearing clothes covered in dirt I would probably get a beating again.

Efter I turned 18 last year and my rank was demoted I was forced to move to the west wing of the packhouse where the unmated male servants lived on the first floor. I shared a room with Lucas, a guy in his late twenties that every year tried to join the warriors and get a Delta rank. Every time, he failed.

But he never gave up, and that was something I admired about him.

I quickly changed into clean clothes and hurried to the kitchen.

For the next two hours I was hard at word cutting vegetables, scrubbing pots and cleaning bench-tops.

I hadn't eaten anything since morning, and I started to feel light-headed.

Once the ranked members had their dinner and the kitchen was cleaned, the Omegas were given a small loaf of bread, a few pieces of chicken and an apple each.

When I got back to my room I quickly ate the bread and chicken, but decided to save the apple for later.

I looked at the time, it was 8 PM.

I started to feel my wolf getting excited. I hadn't let him out for a run in a week and he was restless.

Once I checked that the coast was clear I said goodbye to Lucas, opened the window and jumped out. I snuck along the far side of the packhouse.

Since I was trained to be a Gamma I knew every guard route by heart and I knew exactly how to avoid running into anyone.

When I passed outside the cell block, this amazing scent of roses and summer rain hit me. I inhaled sharply, feeling my wolf tense up.

I tried to follow the scent and realized that it came from one of the cells. I crouched down outside one of the windows and peeked in to see who was there.

I saw a girl in the cell, her slender figure lying curled up in a ball on the ground, her shoulders shaking.

The window was barred and had no glass, so I couldn't tell if she was shaking because she was cold or if she was crying.

She had dark brown, almost black, hair and was dressed in a gray t-shirt and black jeans. The back of the t-shirt was stained with blood and I could smell her blood. She was hurt.

My wolf snarled in my head at the thought of anyone hurting her.

Her head suddenly jerked up and she looked at me.

I didn't know if I should be hiding or make myself known to her. I decided on the latter and stayed by the window so she could see me.

She slowly got up, wincing in pain and came closer to the window. Vibrant green eyes were staring at me and she gasped.

"Mate." She whispered.

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Sally POV

I couldn't stop my teeth from clattering. Once the sun went down it became really cold in the cell. Wind blew through the window into the cell and since I lost my jacket, all I could do was hug my knees to stay warm.

Everytime I tried to move, the wounds on my back and thighs hurt and I bit the inside of my cheeks to stop myself from crying again.

Then this rich scent of chocolate hit me and I frowned. Who would be eating chocolate here?

My wolf started to stir and I lifted my head, only to spot a guy crouching down by my cell window.

When our eyes met, my breath caught in my throat.

I got up, trying to ignore the pain in my body and went closer to the window.

"Mate." I whispered.

I didn't know if I wanted to laugh or cry.

Of all the places in the world where I could have met my mate, this is it?

I came closer, taking in his features. He had warm, brown eyes and short, light-brown hair and the surprised smile on his face made my heart flutter.

On his face there was some sort of large scar, starting at the top of his forehead, running across his eye and down to his cheek. I squinted my eyes trying to get a better view in the dim light.

I smiled up at him.

"Hey."

He smiled back at me.

"Hey beautiful." He murmured quietly.

I looked back towards the cell door to see if there was anyone listening. The rest of the dungeon was empty, so I figured the coast was clear.

"What's your name?" He asked.

"Sally. You?"

"Elijah. What are you doing in the dungeon, Sally?"

I looked down in shame. If I told him, would he reject me?

He probably sensed my uneasiness.

"It's okay. You can tell me."

I glanced at him and sighed.

"I'm a Rogue. I accidently crossed the border and was captured."

He froze.

"Oh."

I closed my eyes and a tear slipped down my cheek. Once again, I cursed what my life had become. I mean, who would want a rogue as a mate. This guy could probably have any girl he wanted.

"Please don't cry." He whispered. "What can I do to help you?"

I looked at him in confusion.

"I don't understand. You want to help me?"

He nodded with a sad expression on his face.

"Of course. You're not used to people helping you?"

"It's been a while." I shrugged. "Could you tell me where I am? Which pack is this?"

"You're in the Midnight Pack."

My heart sank. That's what I was afraid of.

"Can you get me out of here? Please?" I pleaded.

He looked conflicted.

"You being my mate won't hold much weight with the Alpha, I'm afraid." He said quietly.

I let out a breath of frustration and sat down on the cell floor, burying my head in my hands.

"Hey." Elijah grabbed the bars and I looked at him.

"If I help you escape, can I go with you?"

I frowned.

"You know that if you leave with me you'll become a rogue too?"

He nodded.

"It doesn't matter as long as we're together, and this hellhole is not for you. You deserve better."

"But you don’t even know me." I protested.

Elijah shrugged.

"I guess I have a lot of faith in the Moon Goddess. We’re mates for a reason."

I smiled.

"Do you have a plan?"

"Tomorrow night is the full moon. The pack usually parties and then goes for a run. Everyone will be busy, so it'll be easier to sneak past the guards."

"The Beta said that the Alpha will interrogate me before then. I don't know if I'll live that long." I started to get worried that there might be no way out of here.

Elijah started to look worried too.

"Why would the Alpha interrogate you?"

I looked down.

"I refused to tell him why I became a rogue."

"Why didn't you? Your rogue scent is weak, so you had to have been a pack member up until recently."

I still couldn't look at him.

"I'm blacklisted." I said quietly.

He didn't reply and I braced myself for the rejection.

"I understand if you don't want to help me anymore." I added.

My wolf whimpered in my head at the thought of being rejected.

"What did you do?"

The question surprised me.

Should I tell him the truth?

He's my mate. If there was anyone who should know the truth, it was him.

"My alpha's cousin was killed and I took the blame to protect someone I love. I got blacklisted when they banished me from the pack. That was three months ago."

I gathered the courage to look at him. He looked to be deep in thought.

"That's probably the only reason they're keeping you alive right now. This pack isn't exactly welcoming to rogues, but they are no fools. Some rogues are wanted in their old packs and they often try to bargain with those packs to return the rogues if they would benefit from it. Once they know you are blacklisted they will kill you. They won't benefit from keeping you here."

I took a deep breath, trying not to let the fear get the better of me.

"It's gonna be okay, Sally. I have a plan to get you out. But under no circumstances can you tell them that you're blacklisted or which pack you're from. It will take them a few days to check the blacklist to see if you're registered, so we have time. If the Alpha comes tomorrow, promise me that you won't tell him anything, no matter what."

I nodded.

"I can do that, as long as you promise you'll come back for me."

He smiled.

"Always."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out an apple.

"Hungry?"

I held out my hands and caught the apple.

"I don't know how to thank you."

"Thank me once we're out of here." Elijah smiled at me and my heart fluttered again.

"I'll be back, I promise."

I nodded and reached my hand as high as I could. Elijah reached down and took my hand. Sparks erupted on my skin and for the first time in months it felt like things might just work out after all.