Picture of Alec, Evangeline's brother on top.

The sun was setting and the sky turned to dusk, colors of pinks, oranges, and yellows, mixed in the once blue sky. We were resting against a tree after running for what it seems like hours. We left the Moonlight Pack territory a long time ago, not stopping once. We looked around at our surroundings and fears that we might not be on neutral grounds and actually trespassing another pack's territory. We closed my eyes, too exhausted to care anymore, and rested as much as possible before having to run about. Abruptly, we felt this burning sensation in our heart. It felt as if someone lit a match and had put our heart on fire. We screamed, our beast and human voice mixing together, the pain gradually became unbearable."What's going on Winter? What is happening?" I asked her frantically, screaming louder as the pain increased. "It is mate Evangeline...mate is having sex with another girl. How could he do this to us?" Winter whimpered and lets out a long mournful cry. The pain in our chest slowly died down as we curled up into a little ball and cried ourselves to sleep.

Someone was poking our tail. We moved in away and tried to fall back into a deep state on sleep. The person or thing continued to relentlessly poke at our tail. We gave up on sleep and slowly opened our eyes. In our vision, a tall guy with light brown touseled hair and bright hazel eyes peered down at us. I knew instantly that he is an Alpha because he was radiating off Alpha power. "Shift back, rogue." He commanded, his voice strong and commanding. We bowed my head instinctively and shifted immediately.

My face turned a bright cherry red and I immediately covered up, realizing that I was naked. The Alpha threw me a shirt and that I instantly slipped it on."Rogue, what are you doing on my territory?" He questioned me, his voice full of authority, but not menacing, at least not yet. "I ran away from my old pack, please forgive me for trespassing your territory Alpha." I bowed my head out of respect as I spoke. "Why did you run away?" he asked, his tone cautious but, curious. I decided to be honest and tell him the real reason. "I was abused and treated like a slave by my pack for many years. I finally ran away because after finding my mate, who happens to also be the Alpha of the pack, he rejected me..." I replied, trailing off at the end.

He looked at me, his expression softening in an instant, his eyes showing genuine sympathy and sadness. "I'm sorry little one, no one deserves to be treated that way...what is your name and your wolf's name?" I was taken aback by his sudden friendly tone. "My name is Evangeline and my wolf's name is Winter." I smiled genuinely for the first time since my parents died as I introduced us. I could tell that this Alpha meant us no harm and he had a kind aura. "It is very nice to meet you guys, my name is Blake and my wolf's name is Shadow. If you'd like, I can take you back to the packhouse for you to wash up and eat. It seems like you've had quite the journey little one, it would do you lots of good to sleep in a proper bed and rest." Blake offered kindly. My eyes widened at his generously. "That would be wonderful! I don't know what to say. Thank you so much, Alpha Blake, thank you so much." I answered with a smile, it has been a long time since anyone has shown me this much kindness.

Blake smiled back and beckoned me to follow him. He started walking, purpose making his strides smaller for me to easily follow close behind. Blake seems to know the forest well, we got out of the thick forestry in no time at all. The views of evergreen trees disappeared and in place was a charming little town, with rows of houses and shops lined up along the street. We walked down the main street, dodging pack members here and there until Blake stopped at the very end of the main street, in front of a huge and majestic mansion. I gasped when I saw their packhouse, it was way bigger than the Moonlight Pack's house. Blake chuckled at my reaction, "Come on in Evangeline, I will be honored to give you the grand tour." he said with a wink. I could not contain my excitement. "Yay!" I squealed out. Blake shook his head in amusement and lead me to the double doors. He opened them both in one swift gesture, and immediately my jaws dropped to the floor. "Close your mouth Evangeline or else you are going to catch flies," Blake said while sniggering at my starstruck expression. I blushed and instantly closed my mouth. The interior of the packhouse was more beautiful than I had ever imagined. There were two grand staircases lead up to the next floor and a huge crystal chandelier hung right above us. I gazed up at it in fascination. The lights reflecting off of it, causing the floor to also seem to sparkle just as brightly as the chandelier's jewels.

Just as promised, Blake gave me the grand tour of the packhouse, and let's just say that I was amazed by absolutely everything. Even the toilets were beautiful to look at, they were all adorned with reflecting gold paint and just shine under the many lights. We finished up the tour in the kitchen. "Well, that was the complete tour of the packhouse! Now it's time to get some food in that tummy of yours, little one." I smiled at the nickname and nodded my head eagerly, "That would be wonderful, thank you so much, Alpha Blake. We are very grateful for everything." Blake smiled and patted my head affectionately, "It is my pleasure little one. Part of an Alpha's duty is to always lend a hand to anyone who needs it, even to those who are not in their pack."

Blake made Mac and Cheese, my all-time favorite childhood food and placed a steaming bowl of it in front of me. It has been so long since I got to just sit down and enjoy a hearty freshly cooked meal without any fear or worry about being caught. I could not help be let out a moan as the cheesy noodles hit my taste buds. Blake watched as I ate, "It looks like you haven't eaten for a while little one." He observed, his tone tinted with sadness. I quickly gulped down the noodles before I talking, "I...If I was lucky I could eat the scraps and leftovers of the pack but, there were days, more often than not, where I ate close to nothing." I admitted, looking down, suddenly not feeling so hungry anymore. I could not believe that I survived for that long under those circumstances. I struggled to hold back my tears. Blake hastily came over to where I sat and pulled me into a hug. I couldn't help it and flinch at the sudden contact. No one has hugged me for so long, I was only used to being hurt when someone touched me. Eventually, I felt my body relax into the embrace, one hand unconsciously clinging onto his shirt, caving to the warmth and comfort it brought to me, finally letting my tears fall freely.

"I am so sorry Evangeline..." He whispered hugging me tighter, not seeming to mind me tightly clutching his shirt or my tears that was staining his shirt. "Don't be sorry Alpha Blake, it is not your fault." My words coming out muffled as my face was buried into his chest. Blake slowly pulled away from the hug and held me gently by the shoulders, "Evangeline, do you want to join my pack?" I was taken aback his offer, "What? Really?" I asked, my voice wavering but also full of hope. Blake chuckled, "Yes really, little one. Do you want to become a member of the Crescent Moon Pack?" I wiped away my tears and exclaimed gleefully, "Yes, yes! A million times yes!" Blake grinned and gave me another bear hug which I gladly returned. Winter was yapping and howling with happiness. We finally found a place we could call home.

"Little one, the rest of the pack members that live here should be coming home from training anytime now. I would love for you to meet them." Blake announced as I finished up my Mac and Cheese. I nodded my head, but I suddenly felt scared and uneasy."Winter, what if they treat us like the members from our old pack did? What if they do not like us?" I asked her, nervously fidgeting with my fingers."Relax Evangeline, they will love us. I already talked to Shadow and he told me that everyone in this pack was kind, caring, and just like a huge family. Respect exists here." She replied, reassuring me completely. The doors busted open suddenly, making me jump comically. Three guys and three girls entered the packhouse, chatting and laughing among themselves, not noticing my presence yet.

"Welcome back guys," Blake said with a big smile stretched out on his face. The pack members greeted him back and that was when they finally noticed me. I stood close to Blake's side as the pack members peered at me with curious and friendly looks. No traces of malice was in their expressions. "Who is this Alpha Blake?" asked one of the guys. "This our new pack member, Evangeline, and her wolf, Winter. Please make her feel welcome and at home." He introduced us. The same guy that first spoke stepped forward and introduced himself, "Hi there Evangeline! My name is Jake. I am the beta of this pack and my wolf's name is Bounce. The blonde behind me, Jamie, is my mate and her wolf's name is Charm." Another guy stepped forward, "Welcome to the pack Evangeline! My name is Maxwell and I am the Delta of this pack. My wolf's Baxter and my mate is the gorgeous woman with black hair. Her name is Charlotte and her wolf's name is Violet." The last guy introduced himself, "Hey, I'm the pack's chief warrior, my name is Tae and my wolf's name is Kookie. My mate is the cute brunette one, her name Sydney and her wolf's name is Aura."

I smiled and shyly waved, "Nice to meet you all." They all seemed so nice just like Winter had told me. "I made dinner so let's go to the dining room. We can talk more there." Blake announced with a grin. "Food!" Maxwell yelled, leaving the foyer and running instantly to the direction of the dining room. Everyone laughed at his antics and followed him. I was about to follow them when Blake placed a gentle hand on my shoulder, stopping me, "Since you already ate, let me show you your new room so that you can get cleaned up and rest. You must be exhausted from such a long journey." I nodded my head, finally realizing in horror how dirty and sweaty I must be after all that running. I must have looked like a mess in front of the pack members. "That would be great Alpha Blake, thank you." I followed Blake up one of the staircases and down the long unending hallway until we stopped in front of a plain white door.

Blake opened the door and entered first, I followed close behind. My jaws dropped to the floor for the second time that day. The room was simple yet breathtaking. My eyes scanned the room as I took in the queen size bed, the fuzzy white carpet, the light sky blue colored walls, the white pieces of furniture placed around the room, and the balcony that led to the outdoors. Even in my dreams, I could not have imagined one day staying in such a room. "Do you like it little one?" Blake asked me teasingly, already knowing that I loved it. I turned to face him, unable to keep the grin off of my face, "I love it! Thank you so much, Alpha Blake, for giving me a home and a new family. I am so grateful for everything." Blake grinned, "Please just call me Blake little one. This will be your room from now on. There is a bathroom connected to your room and it's that way." he said as he pointed towards its direction. "I will have one of the girls lend you some of her clothes for tonight. We can go shopping tomorrow for your own clothes if you'd like. Also tomorrow, there will be an official ceremony to integrate you into the pack so rest well until then little one." he finished

I beamed, "Thank you again, Blake. Goodnight!" I answered back. Blake gave me a smile that caused my heart to stop beating for a few seconds. He bid me goodnight before walking out of my new room, closing the door softly behind him. I fell back onto the bed and let out a sigh, feeling content, and happy for the first time in a long time. I could not believe that my new life would be this amazing and that I would be surrounded by such kind people. A knock suddenly sounded on my door. I got up opened it and came face to face with the black hair girl I met earlier, I believe her name was Charlotte. "Hi Evangeline, I just wanted to come and welcome personally to the pack. I already know that we are going to have so much fun together! Oh yeah, and before I forget, Blake also wanted me to give you this." Charlotte exclaimed in a bubbly voice. She handed me a stack of neatly folded clothes. I smiled shyly at her and gratefully took the clothes, "Thank you Charlotte and we definitely are! Thank you for welcoming me into the pack." Charlotte grinned, "Of course! I am sure you will absolutely love it here! Good night Evangeline, see you tomorrow new friend!" I smiled back, "I already love it here. Goodnight new friend, see you tomorrow."

After Charlotte left, I went into the bathroom to wash up. I glanced in the shower and saw that there was everything I would need to clean myself already there. I picked up the bottle of strawberry and apple-scented shampoo and smiled at it. I wonder how they knew that I loved fruity scents. After my shower, I put on the comfy sweats and the plain white tee that Charlotte gave me. I dried my hair and brushed my teeth before going to the comfy bed and flopping down. I snuggled into one of the many soft pillows, sleepiness falling over me."Goodnight my human. I love you." Winter said. "Goodnight my wolf. I love you more." I whispered, my voice trailing off as sleep overtook my being. Soon my eyes closed completely and I fell into a blissful sleep.

I was finally safe and home.