Chapter 2

Tiana's POV

My feet was fixated on the ground as I tried to comprehend what my father just said. 

I examined his face properly, looking for a hint of joke or something but I found none, he had his usual stoic and cold expression on.

"What did you just say?" I asked, along with a dry chuckle. I was not amused at all.

My dad looked away and returned to the living room to sit on one of the couches, and crossed his legs over each other, leaving me looking stupid on the staircase.

"The ripper has blatantly shown us that we are his next target. He killed Camilla and then attacked you in your bedroom, on your first day back in town, which means he has been monitoring you. Although you haven't been in town in almost a decade, everybody in Willow Heights knows that any pack the ripper warns, he makes sure to wipe them out in the next full moon. This all boils down to one thing, we are in desperate need of protection because I will not sit back and watch that bloody animal touch any of my pack members again." 

When my dad finished his speech, I waited for a minute before I asked him, "Okay... But what in all of this talk explains what I think I just heard you say?" 

"Urghh!" Aya suddenly groans in annoyance, "Are you that dumb or you're being oblivious on purpose?! This is why one shouldn't stray away from their heritage for too long. The Rover Pack is one of the strongest and most feared pack in Willow Heights, so you getting married to their Alpha will extend the protection cover and the pack strength they have to our pack, aka, you're getting married to protect our pack from being wiped off by the ripper."

I looked around our large but homely pack house, scrutinizing the entire living room with my eyes.

"What are you... searching for?" Aya asked.

I glanced at her, "hidden cameras... Where are the hidden cameras? This is a prank, right? It's sick and mean but it has to be a prank." 

It has to be. There is no fucking way they are being serious right now.

"Stop it, Tiana. I have talked to Mason Griffin and your marriage to him has been finalized, he was generous enough to agree to help us." Dad said, with a bored tone in his voice.

I dropped my gaze on him in utter disbelief. "Are you serious about this?! Why should I get married to---" I paused and scoffed bitterly. I couldn't believe I was actually talking about this with my father. "Do you even understand what you're telling me?! You're telling me that I'm going to spend the rest of my life with a total stranger because of the pack!" 

"Yes!" My mom interrupted. "Because of the pack! For once in your life, Tiana, do something for your pack! All you have done is run away from who you are, from your root. Although this wouldn't be enough to repay us for how you abandoned us, but it should do for now. You're getting married to Mason Griffin and that is final. Get over it." She said and left the living room for her room, giving me a disgusted look on her way. Dad followed suit immediately, not even bothering to meet my face at all.

Get over it? 

I felt the tears escape from my eyes and roll down my face. Then I heard a snicker, I looked up and saw Aya covering her mouth, trying not to laugh out loud.

"Aww, poor Tiana." She mocked me. "This is you paying for your wrongdoings. That day, seven years ago when you turned your back against the pack, you denied us and dissociated yourself from us, now you are being dragged into a marriage with a stranger. And that idea might have come from me." 

I raised my brows at her last words.

"What? Why do you think you're the one getting married and not me? It's my little way of getting rid of a damn thorn in my flesh." Aya said lowly.

This crazy bitch.

I clenched my fists and raised it to hit her face but she grabbed my hand before I could move it any further and pushed me, causing me to crash hard on the floor across the room.

I groaned loudly, and held my back in pain.

"You have never even seen your wolf, literally. How dare you raise your hands on me, you weak little bitch?" Aya scoffed. She walked towards where I sat on the floor and stepped hard on my fingers against the floor, making me to scream out in pain.

"Let this be the last time you ever try that, Tiana Thompson. I would want to break your limbs before your wedding day. That's Melanie's job. Melanie, Mason's younger sister, you know her right?" 

I didn't bother to reply because my fingers were still very much in pain.

"She is known to have lots of screws loose. She once burned her servant alive for bringing in the wrong colour of dress. She's more of a lunatic than a beta." Aya started cackling, "God, why am I so excited and I'm not the one getting married?!" 

She walked away, still laughing mockingly at me.

I knew it. The time I had with Alex was too good to be true. Of course, the goddamn universe would remind me that I'm not allowed to happy and when I try to be, my own family never fails to do the reminder.

I only came into town to bury my cousin, now I'm getting married to a total stranger. I'm fucking ruined.

I was on my way back from the cafe where I went to, to cool my head off because I couldn't stay in the same room with my family without losing it. They were selling me off and I hate them for it. I was few minutes from our pack house when I noticed that I was being followed.

I paused and looked behind me, and that was when I saw the shadow of a tall figure. I could feel my heart beating faster by the second.

Is this the ripper again? 

What the hell does he want from me? I've not even been in town for years, I can barely identify as a member of the freaking pack!

I started walking faster, increasing my pace as fast as I could but whoever the stalker was, was obviously faster than I was because before I could take my decision of taking to my heels, I felt him grab my hair and then hit my head hard against the wall.

The last thing I saw before I passed out into unconsciousness was the fangs and the unique tattoo of a snake on his arm.

He had the scent of a rogue werewolf.

My eyes fluttered open, I took in my environment and realized that I was in a room. It did not only look familiar, the musky citrus scent also smelled very familiar. 

It was when I opened my eyes fully that I saw the brown haired man who was sitting right beside me, on the chair next to the king sized bed.

Alex?

Immediately my brain comprehended what was going on, I jumped and sat on the bed, with my eyes wide open.

"Oh my god. What the hell?" I cussed.

"Wow. That definitely wasn't the reaction I was expecting." His voice was deep and boomed throughout the large bedroom which I had now recognized as Alex's bedroom.

I rubbed my eyes to clear my almost blurry vision, "What's going on? Why am I in your bedroom?" 

The last thing I remembered was getting hit on the head by someone. The "someone" had fangs and a weird scent which if I'm being accurate, are the physical characteristics of a rogue werewolf. 

Holy fuck...

I was attacked by a---

"Tiana?" 

I glanced up at Alex, realizing that he had been talking to me, "Huh?"

"I see that you're still out of it. I was explaining how I was driving home and I saw you on the shoulder of a random guy in the alley." Alex said, and moved closer to sit on the bed, his musky scent hitting my nostrils even harder that I almost closed my eyes in ecstasy.

"Right. I was on my way home and I was attacked out of nowhere. This is the second time I've been attacked since I came back to town." I said and chuckled dryly. "First, a lycan wolf, now a rogue werewolf with a weird tattoo. I thought Willow Heights is called werewolves town. I thought werewolves are supposed to be safe. Where the hell did the rogue come from and why did he attack me? Or does the ripper work with rogues?" 

I had so many questions.

"Well, I don't think we'd ever get to know because we'll never see the rogue dude again." Alex said nonchalantly and adjusted the duvet on my body.

I raised my brows slightly, "What do you mean?"

"I killed him. Removed his head from his neck." 

What?! 

My eyes widened in shock while he looked at me like I was the weird one for being shocked that he just told me that he cut off someone's head.

"What? He attacked you, of course he deserved it. If I didn't kill him, he would have definitely come back for you. There's no way in hell I'm sparing a damn rogue." 

I blinked twice, still shaken that Alex just told me that he killed someone, like he was telling me he had a bath.

"Was it really necessary to kill him? You could have handed him over to the police or something..." I said in a small voice.

"You want the police to handle a case of a rogue attacking a werewolf? Please tell me you're joking." 

He's right. 

I hate to admit but he's right.

Alex stood up and started heading out of the room,"Now that you're awake, let me prepare your breakfast, you will need the strength to face Caeser who has been rummaging the town looking for you like crazy."

"What?!" I exclaimed but Alex was gone before I said anything more. 

What's with this guy and dropping bombshells nonchalantly?

Dad is going to kill me. How the fuck do I explain that I passed the night in a man's house? A man I have met only once by the way.

I ran my hand through my hair and groaned loudly in frustration. 

The man probably thinks I had run away because I didn't want to marry the Alpha of Rover Pack.

Urghh!

"Help us..." 

Huh??

"Is anybody there?" 

What the f---

"Anybody there??" 

I heard the voice again. It was faint but I heard it coming from below the floor.

Was I hit that bad on my head that I now hear voices?

I climbed down the bed and traced the direction of the voice, which led me to the center of the room. I bent down and hit the floor with my knuckles, straining my ears. I had to be hearing things.

"Hello? Can you hear me??" 

Hearing the voice again, I gasped and covered my mouth. I glanced around, contemplating on calling Alex's attention but I immediately shut down the thought and raised up the beige coloured rug, which revealed the brown hardwood floor that had a small opening.

I put my fingers in the opening and opened the wood, revealing a stairwell. 

What the fuck...

I don't know what I was thinking but I climbed down the stairs anyways and the next thing I saw made me gasp loudly. Under the ground of Alex's bedroom, there were several people tied up with chains.

What. the. actual. fuck....

My heart was beating fast and my feet was stuck to the ground at the same time.

"Please help us...." One of them muttered weakly. I noticed that they all had the snake tattoo on their arms.

"Who... What...." Words were totally failing me because of the shock. 

Of course the man I met, who is hot as hell, gives great sex and makes me feel safe, is a psychopath who has a secret underground room where he tortures people.

I'm "lucky" like that.

What if he brought me here to make suffer the same fate as these people?

Oh my god... I'm totally going to die. What if---

"What are you doing here?" 

Alex's deep voice which had a hint of anger, jolted me out of my train of dark thoughts and I felt a sweat break out on my forehead.

Oh god…