Leah

I'm woken from my less than peaceful slumber by the sounds of shouting and feet hitting the concrete floor as they take off running.

"We're under attack!"

"Shit, where are they coming from?"

"Everywhere."

"What pack is it?"

"Who cares! Just shift and get out there!" The guards all yell at each other. I shimmy up from the mat on the floor that is my bed and amble over to the bars, reaching up to hold onto them as I look out of my cell.

"How do the bars not burn you?" The new lady in the cell next to me asks me as her eyes flit around the chaotic scene.

"I'm human." I murmur distractedly, watching the guards run through the open door. If only I had the freaking key, this would be my chance at freedom.

"Seriously? Why would these wolves have a human in the cells? A female at that?" The rogue continues to question me. I shrug and keep my eyes on the scene in front of me.

"Long story." I say, seeing flames lick the houses in the distance. The woman scoffs and rolls her eyes.

"We have all kinds of time." She says and my gaze flits to her.

"Aren't you worried about what's happening?" I ask and she chuckles darkly.

"No. If anything I'm relieved. This pack is not kind to rogues. I have a better chance of surviving with whoever is attacking right now. You on the other hand..." She trails off. I wait for the panic to grip me, but after months of beatings and captivity it's not really death I fear anymore.

In fact, at one point I welcomed it.

No, I don't want to die. But I also don't want to live like an animal. Ha, animal. How ironic considering I'm surrounded by fucking werewolves. The day I was plucked from my life and shown the truth will give me nightmares for however long I manage to exist. At first, I was amazed. Enthralled even. But then it all went completely sideways.

"Hey, human!" The chick next to me shouts and I turn to give her a piece of my mind when a sharp, stabbing pain splits my chest in two.

I cry out in agony and reach out to rub my sternum, trying to get the pain to dissipate. That doesn't do shit. As the pain grows, I feel like my chest is burning from the inside out. I scream again as I sink to my knees on the floor, my eyes clenched shut so tight tears are pushed out of them. My hand closes over my chest, begging the pain to simmer down. It grows until it hurts to even breathe. The shallow breaths I'm able to take aren't enough to keep my brain properly oxygenated and black begins to spot my vision.

'This is it.' I think to myself. 'This is how I die. Goodbye cruel world...' I think dramatically. Even in my last moments, I can't help but try to find the humor.

'Not like I'm gonna miss this shithole.' Is my last thought before I drift into nothingness.

I wake up, not sure how much later, and am laying on something incredibly soft. My eyes blink open and adjust to the soft light in the room which I realize is from a small lamp on the table by the bed I'm on. My eyes flit around the room, taking in the warm cream colors and honey toned woods throughout, giving it a soft, welcoming vibe. Then my gaze notices movement in the corner. My eyes lock on a man with long wavy dark hair, bright blue eyes, and pink pouty lips pulled into a frown that does nothing to accentuate his strong jaw. Even sitting I can tell he is a large man, one leg propped over his other knee as his large fingers curve around his shin. I gasp at the sight of him and push myself against the headboard, my heart pounding fearfully in my chest. He lifts his hands up, palms facing me as the universal signal for 'I mean you no harm'.

"I won't hurt you." His deep, gravely voice calls out. I can't help but scoff and roll my eyes.

"My experience with your people gives me absolutely no confidence in that statement." I say cheekily and I swear the corner of his lip almost quirks up.

"Understandable. I just want to understand why you, a human, were locked in a cell on wolf pack lands." He says evenly and I cross my arms over my chest, averting my gaze.

"Because Alpha Asshole was supposedly my mate." I say quietly and his brow quirks in surprise.

"I was not expecting that." He murmurs more to himself and I can't help but bark out a laugh.

"Yeah. Me either." I say and the corner of his mouth definitely does a little half smile this time.

"I'm guessing he didn't treat you very well." The man says gently, and I shrug.

"What gave it away? The fact that I was in a cell, the fact that I weigh about twenty pounds less than I should or the fact that I refer to him as Alpha Asshole?" I ask and the guy chuckles a little, a warm sound that makes me feel a little at ease. Then a realization washes over me.

"He's dead, isn't he? The pain I felt was him dying?" I ask and the man nods.

"Oh thank God." I breathe out and the man quirks a brow at me again.

"You're relieved by this?" He asks and I nod.

"All he ever did was beat me. Why wouldn't I be?" I ask, my voice a little harsher than I intended. He growls at my insolence and for the first time I feel his aura, his alpha dominance washes over me. I immediately bare my neck to him. If there was one thing Alpha Asshole taught me, it's that you submit to an alpha.

Before he makes you.

"Apologies, Alpha." I murmur quietly, diverting my gaze to the floor. He sighs heavily and I see him run his fingers through his hair in my peripheral vision.

"I'm sorry. Don't call me that. Call me Alex." He says, his voice much softer than I thought possible. My eyes meet his again and they seem apologetic. "I was upset at the way your mate treated you, not your tone. You deserve to be upset." He says kindly and I feel my shaking hands begin to settle.

"Thank you." I say quietly and he nods.

"Did he mark you?" Alex asks and I shake my head no. "Well, that explains why he went bat shit crazy." Alex murmurs under his breath and I look at him questioningly.

"How long were you held captive?" He asks and I look at the clock on the table that also shows the date.

"Just over three months." I say and he nods.

"Being in limbo like that with a mate will make any wolf unstable, worse for an alpha. We either mark our mate or reject them. It's not good to live in between." He explains and I listen to him intently.

"I don't know why he didn't just reject me. He said he didn't want me. He said that being a human made me weak and not good enough for him. Personally, I didn't really care. I would have been fine to go back to my life." I say shrugging.

"I'm sure he did care about you. That's why he couldn't just let you go. His wolf would have pushed him to accept you. But a lot of older packs still hold bias against human mates. It likely created a kind of dissonance in his mind, causing it to fracture over time. That explains why he started attacking packs he had no chance of conquering. We had to form an alliance to take him out, to protect our packs. It now makes sense why." He says looking over at me.

"I'm sorry to have caused such trouble." I say bitterly and he chuckles again.

"It's not your fault, little one. The fault was Silas' alone." He says and the name makes me shudder with fear. I think Alex notices as he looks at me apologetically.

"You're different." I muse. "Different from any other male wolves I've met." I say and he grins a little.

"How so?" He asks and I clear my throat.

"Less... psychotic." I answer and he barrels out a loud laugh at my statement, throwing his head back. The sight even makes me smile a little.

"You will come to learn that the way I act is the norm, not what you have experienced so far. How about you shower, I had a female pack member brings some clothes and leave them in the bathroom." He points to a door across the room. "And I'll have someone bring up some food. You're right, you're much too skinny." He says with a frown. "Then get some sleep. We can discuss things in the morning." He says and I look up at him.

"Things?" I ask and he shrugs.

"Your future, what you want to do now." He says and I can't help but smile a little. How nice it is to have a future.

"Thank you, Alpha." I say and he narrows his eyes at me.

"Sorry. Alex." I say and his face softens.

"It's the least I can do...." It's then I realize he doesn't know my name.

"Leah." I answer and he smiles.

"Leah. Pretty name." He says before exiting the room quietly.

I take a deep breath, basking in my solitude. It had been months since I had privacy.