Our lips moved in sync, his speed increasing with desperation, demanding entrance that I denied. For some reason, it didn't feel right. Something I had been doing for a while now with this amazing person didn't feel right. Somehow the thought of Chace, constantly penetrated my mind as he kissed me. It almost felt uncomfortable, wrong. Our lips stopped moving and he parted, his connecting with mine and a frown appearing on his face.

"He has you doesn't he?" He commented, placing a hand on his head and taking a step back.

"What do you mean?"

He took a step back and turned around, his hand still placed on his head.

"I'm too late aren't I?" His question instantly clicked making a wave of guilt penetrate me. I walked towards him immediately, turning him around by his arm.

"Drew, I told you, I don't want to be with him. Then why the sudden insinuations?" I questioned, trying my best to mask my true feelings which I didn't quite understand myself at the minute.

"He's you're mate Alyssa. I can never make you feel like he does. Let's face it Al, he might have rejected you, but he will always be your mate, the one you were destined to be with. I might vow to keep you safe and happy for the rest of my life, but what you'll feel for him will never be something you can feel for me. When I first had the thought of you leaving to go back to your old pack, I thought, well, it might just be okay since he rejected you, but now I realise that...I was never meant to be a part of this picture. I can't-" His words had my guilt rising at such a level.

In his eyes I didn't see the happiness I always did. Instead I saw a man who was lost, defeated. I remembered my first days at the Dark Shadows pack, and how despite having my cousin Carter and Evelyn, Drew was the only one who could comfort me in a way no one could. He gave me the courage and hopes to move on. He might not have been able to fix my heart, but then again, a shattered heart can never be fixed. However he did teach me how to live with it. He made me stronger, he made me feel alive, and most importantly, he taught me how to smile again. How was I supposed to turn my back on a person who deserved nothing but good in his life? How could I, when I wasn't even sure if my feelings for Chace were quite there yet?

Before he could continue I walked towards him and stepped up, silencing him by pressing my lips to his once again.

The result of what the future held for me was still unknown, but right there and then, I embraced the moment I had with someone who meant a whole lot more to me.

I busted out of the room, heading straight out into the woods. My wolf was raging and so was I, wanting nothing more than to rip Drew's head apart, but how could I when he meant so much to the only person I wanted now in the world. My heart ached at the way things had ended up, and I was filled an intense amount of regret. I didn't even realise I was crying until I felt the taste of salt arrive my lips. As I stood alone in middle of the woods, I took the time to look around me and realise that everything around my was so beautiful. To understand that my pack was doing so well, and that everything in my pack was currently going great, and as their Alpha, that thought made me happy, yet I felt empty. Empty because I was missing the one thing that could ever complete me, the one thing that I would spend the rest of my life fighting for but at the moment was losing to another strong candidate. I was missing my mate, and it was all truly my fault. By the time I had processed it all, I had broken into sobs, sliding down the bark of the tree and burying my head in the nest of my hands.

*****

"Alpha, are you sure you can handle another one. You've had quite a lot of drinks, even for the capacity a werewolf can stand."

"GIVE ME MY DRINK!" I growled at the poor bartender in front of me. This was the only way to stop feeling, to lose full control of my actions and emotions. I didn't care what it took, the pain was too immense to go through. Which is why I was currently sitting on the platform of a bar, drowning myself in tequila shots. The bartender averted his gaze from mine and quickly poured me another shot, that I gulped down almost instantly.

The night carried on like that before the bar closed down and I attempted to walk back home absolutely wasted.

I entered the woods on my shaky legs and tumbled along, trying to find my way back home. I had mind linked my third in command to come and find me seeing I couldn't really see the sight ahead of me clearly, especially not in the dark. I guess the bartender was right, I had drank a lot, considering the capacity a werewolf, especially Alpha, could handle. I could feel the wood crunch beneath my feet and the sound of the crickets surrounding the open air as I walked, until an unfamiliar scent invaded my nose.

Rogue.

It was my instant thought as I looked around me, squinting my eyes to search for the intruder on my lands.

My eyes landed on a pair of blood red eyes approaching me with speed that I could not match in my state.

One minute the eyes were right in front of me and the next, I felt myself fly backwards, colliding with a tree. Pain fluttered on my inside as I tried to get back up to fight the rogue. I was an Alpha's for god's sake! I focused on the blood red eyes as I picked myself back up, but my actions were cut short when I felt a pair of teeth sinking into my lower ribs. A scream escaped my lips as the pain within increased and suddenly, all I could see was black.