The guy on top is Daniel.

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(Alexandra's POV)

Mr. Tall Dark, and Sexy and his lackeys brought me into a very impressive office. I took this time to really look at him. I thought that he was the alpha when I first saw him. He was certainly as powerful as an alpha. Yet, he seemed closed off and humble. Like a fierce warrior but a gentle giant. I noticed that he was staring at me too. I wondered what he was seeing when he looked at me? Was he seeing my dirty unkempt hair? The dirt that was smeared across my face? I did find myself wondering about him. Why was I so curious about him? Why did he seem so familiar to me?

The sound of the door opening brought me out of my trance and back into the present moment. Here comes the alpha. When he finally walked in, he made quite the impression. He was tall, muscular, and broad. He had a very dark aura about him, and I wasn't quite sure how to process it. His slight stubble and brown eyes made him look older than he actually was. As he came around me to sit down I saw that he looked to be roughly twenty years old. He looked young to be an alpha. He also looked horribly exhausted. Just from looking around the office I could tell that he was a busy man. He had papers scattered around his desk, and a cold cup of tea sitting there too.

"Hello, welcome to Shadow Woods pack," he said stiffly. This was just a formality. Normally rouges were either killed on sight, or they were sent straight to the pack dungeons. I wondered why I was in a different case. What made me so special anyway?

"Hello," I said quietly. I didn't know this alpha but I had heard of this pack. They were formidable against their enemies. They were also very exclusive and very rarely opened up to outsiders. "

"What business do you have inside our borders?" He said roughly.

"I'm just trying to get away from my old pack." I murmured.

"Why?" he said.

"When I was five my mother and I were walking in the woods, we were just walking and talking." My heart clenched as I recalled the memory, I told everything, I even showed him the scar on my back,

"We were attacked in the woods by a rouge. My mom did everything she could to protect me, but in the end she couldn't save herself. The alpha and beta found me and my mom. The warriors went to chase off the rouge but they never caught up with him. I'm not entirely sure why they blamed me. I think it's because I was the reason we were in the woods. They took me into custody and interrogated me for what felt like hours. When they weren't able to get much out of me, they branded me as a way to show the rest of the pack that I wasn't to be trusted. As a way to identify me as vermin. There were certain rules that they placed on me. I wasn't allowed to eat with the pack or the other omegas. I wasn't allowed to go to my mom's funeral. After that I was treated as a slave. I did everything they asked of me and still got punished. Some of them just wanted to use me as a punching bag. Others wanted to use me as a plaything, " I stopped suddenly. I took a moment to compose myself before I started again. I didn't want to look in their eyes. I didn't want to see the look of pity.

"Two days ago, it was my birthday. I was supposed to meet my mate and shift for the first time. However, when I met my mate he didn't even blink an eye when he rejected me." I heard a growl echo throughout the room causing me to look up sharply. There was a stray tear, but there was a hard look in my eyes.

"I apologize for my men, as pups we are taught that having a mate is a sacred thing to treasure. It is sacrilegious as you say to reject the one that the Moon Goddess chose for you."

"Yes, he rejected me, and then he walked away, and that night while I was making food, I could feel him fucking his girlfriend."

"I'm very sorry for all the pain that you have endured." I looked into his eyes and saw the look of pity I had been avoiding.

"I don't want your pity," I growled out, causing the other men to growl out in response. I felt myself go on edge preparing for the worst. All the alpha did was chuckle in response.

"Well, I can offer you some sort of protection, we'll put you under a different trace."

"Why are you helping me?" I was wary to let down my guard after years of abuse.

He gave a thoughtful look at his beta. It seemed like they were having a significant moment. After a while, he turned back to me and said, "We have a few members who have not been fortunate enough to meet their mates and that has caused them a lot of pain. I can only imagine what being rejected does to a soul."

I just gave a silent nod, trying to process the new information.

"We can offer you some protection against your old pack if they are still looking for you. We will place you under a temporary trace until you can recover from your wounds." Said the alpha.

"Who's trace?" Curiosity was getting the best of me by this point.

"Ours. but you have to learn French and go to the school in town, once you are fluent we will bring you into the pack and give you a rank. We will also train you to defend yourself. do you agree to these terms?"

"Yes," I said with conviction. I had a new chance to change the cards that had been laid out for me. Who was I to turn this down?

"Good, my name is Daniel."

"My name is Alexandra but call me Alex."

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-Ashlynn Knight