Chapter 2

ARIA.

“Your mate will be here at 9:00 A.M. sharp. You should go pack.”

He smirked as he picked up the contract and walked away, whistling a jolly fucking tune. All it did was mock my situation.

My tears fell as I walked upstairs, making my way to Piper’s room. She was asleep in the middle of her princess bed, hands underneath her cheek. She looked happy, peaceful. Something that I wished would always remain. My sister deserved a good life, one that allowed her to follow her dreams.

I hoped that she would forgive me for leaving. This situation wasn’t like Mom walking out. How did I explain things to someone this young so that she could understand that I didn’t want to go. I didn’t want to leave her but was left without a choice.

I kissed her forehead and left her to a peaceful slumber.

Then I headed to my room so that I could decide what I wanted to bring with me into my new life and what I was fine with leaving behind. My eyes scanned the place that had been a sanctuary of sorts. It was the place where I could go and temporarily hide away from the day-to-day bullshit.

On the far wall was the bookshelf that Jory had built one summer when he was considering a career as a carpenter instead of going into business. He decided that he wasn’t suited for a career of manual labor. The bookshelf was filled with my collection of books.

There were family photos on the wall. A time before things went to shit that was frozen, memorialized. A time when the Morgans were still whole.  

I wept until there was nothing left in me, then I pushed those emotions aside, locking them away. They wouldn’t help me.

I looked through my clothes, unsure about what all I should bring with me. I opted to grab a variety. I had money saved up, which could be used to get anything that I might need once I made it to Shadow Vale.

It took a couple of hours for me to sort through everything and pack what I wanted to take with me. I made certain to grab what I felt were the most important things. I wouldn’t be surprised if the rest was torched.

Then I sat down and wrote my sister a letter. It told her how much I loved her and how much she meant to me. I mentioned that I didn’t want to leave her but had to. There was no telling if I’d even be allowed to keep in contact with her while in that pack.

Tomorrow will bring with it a brand-new beginning. To what end, I wasn’t certain. 

-

Morning came all too soon. 

I spent the night tossing and turning, plagued with nightmares of what was awaiting me. Each one was worse than the last. It still baffled me why Alpha Dane wanted anything to do with me. It wasn’t like he didn’t have a plethora of she-wolves who would kill to be chosen by him. So, why did he choose me of all people?

The unknowns piled up high, leaving me with a mountain of anxiety.

I dragged myself out of bed when my alarm clock went off at 7:00 A.M. Then I grabbed a quick shower before dressing in a pair of jeans and a plain black blouse. Nothing fancy. Nothing for him.

I wasn’t attempting to impress anyone because I was being forced into this whole arrangement.

A quick pancake breakfast was served with bacon, scrambled eggs, and toast from the homemade loaf of bread that I baked yesterday. The coffee had just finished brewing when I felt eyes burning a hole in my back. I poured two cups of it before I turned around.

There he stood in a button-down shirt and slacks. It had to be custom-made because something off of the rack wouldn’t fit him like that. Not a single hair out of place. An expensive watch on his wrist. He looked every bit the businessman that many people knew him to be.

Well, at least one of us was dressed to impress. Without commenting on his obvious attempt at being a kiss-ass, I brought the coffee over to him.

Silence hung in the air. It felt like the flash of lightning before the inevitable thunder that followed. It was heavy and charged with all of the things that I wished that I could say to him. All of the things that I kept inside, never to see the light of day.

The padding of feet caught my attention.

Piper.

I crouched down so that I was closer to her four-foot body. She wrapped her arms around me, and I returned the hug. This was precisely what I needed right now. I soaked in all of the positivity and calmness that it provided.

“Morning, Sissy,” she told me, smiling at me.

Her beautiful blue eyes sparkled with happiness and innocence.

I prayed that the Goddess would protect her when I couldn’t any longer.

“Morning, Little One. How did you sleep?”

“Really good. I dreamed that I was flying through the sky. It was so much fun.”

“Hmm. Like a dragon?” I mused, making her giggle.

“Maybe. Or maybe I was a bird or Supergirl.”

She did the Supergirl stance with fists on hips, feet spread, chest out, and chin held high.

“Ah! Yes. Definitely Supergirl.”

I booped the end of her nose and stood back up to get plates ready. It gave me a moment to attempt to find the right words. 

A throat being cleared ruined the moment. He gave a very pointed look that didn’t need interpretation.

“Piper, I have something that I need to tell you,” I began, attempting to swallow past a lump in my throat. “Do you remember what I taught you about how sometimes one mate had to move if they’re from a different pack?”

Her eyebrows furrowed some, her little nose scrunching up in concentration. She nodded her head.

“Alpha Dane is coming to pick me up so that he can take me back to his pack. I don’t want to leave you, but I have to because he has an entire pack to run and can’t abandon it to move here. I’m sorry, my love.”

She immediately burst into tears and crawled into my lap. I wrapped my arms around her and held her tightly, trying to keep my own tears at bay. Both of our hearts were breaking.

Reality crashed into me when the doorbell rang at 9:00 A.M. on the dot. Well, he was nothing if not prompt.

“I love you, Little One,” I whispered, taking another moment to soak up her presence.

“I love you too, Sissy. So so so so so so much. To the moon and back again.”

She ran out of the room, returning with her favorite teddy bear, Sir Fluffy. I had made it for her when she was a toddler. It wasn’t my best work, but it was her most prized possession.

“Here,” she said, holding him out to me.

I was absolutely touched by the fact that she wanted me to have him.

“I can’t take him, Little One. He’s your favorite.”

She leveled me with a look that dared me to argue with her.

“He’s not my favorite. YOU’RE my favorite. Please. Take him. Love him. Hold him. And think about me.”

I took Sir Fluffy and held him to my chest just like she did, his worn material was familiar. The happy smile on her face warmed my heart.

I highly doubted that she could ever understand what she just did for me. This was more than a teddy bear. More than a beloved toy. It was a token of love, of hope. It was a memory of a little sister who saved me in more ways than one. The one who gave me the strength to keep going and the hope that life would one day change.

Sir Fluffy pressed against me as if promising to be my shield. If only that was how reality worked.

Voices carried towards us, warning me about their approach.

My father had a smug grin firmly planted on his face when he caught my eyes, clearly happy with how things were going so far.

My eyes took in the person who was entering the room. He was huge, easily 6’5” with broad shoulders and a body that was ripped with pure muscle. Intricate tattoos covered his exposed skin. The designs added a layer to the bad boy look that he had going on.

Holy Mother of Fuck…

That energy of his, all dominant and all Alpha, could even be felt over here.

Alpha Dane didn’t just enter a room. He owned it.

“Aren’t you a little too old for toys?”