Chapter 2
My normal place was beside my parents, but in my spot stood Beta Aiden, which wasn’t unusual. They killed his father in the last rogue attack on our village. He saved me from the king of rogues as he was about to take me. Beta Brendon saved me but was stabbed with a silver blade through the heart as I was finally able to shift and let Athena out. She killed three of the rogues as they escaped. She sat beside Beta Brendon howling as she felt him die, but the thing that always stuck with her was his last words to her.
“Josie, honey, you must discover who are you. You are not the weak Omega like everyone has told you. The Lycan King has spies in the pack that are against you. If you don’t get to the Alpha King, they will kill you, honey.” I never told anyone what he said to me, not even Holly. Dad cleared his throat, calling attention to everyone.
“Now, as you know, I need to announce my replacement as Alpha. That is why I have called you all here today to be witnesses for the pack. This decision has been the easiest one that I have had to make since becoming Alpha myself.” He announced. His eyes meet mine and they hold nothing. It was like he was a different person. It sent chills down my spine. Then Beta Brendon’s words replayed in my head. Looking at Mom, I could see that she was tense. She held no emotions on her face. As a Luna it taught her not to show emotions, but I could tell that something was bothering her. Even though I knew what the next words were going to be that came out of father’s mouth, what he said after that even I didn’t expect.
“It is with great honor that I announce that Aiden Murphy will become the next Alpha of the Crescent Moon pack and his Luna will be Alexis Morrison.” There were a few gasps in the room as father had told everyone that he was training me to become the next Alpha. Even though I knew he was going to say it, it didn’t mean that it hurt any less. All eyes were on me, including fathers he was waiting for my reaction, but I gave him nothing. Mom had trained me well to keep calm and never give away anything on your face.
“Does the council agree?” He asked when he got nothing but silence from me. The council all agreed with him.
“Honey, I am sorry. I tried, but he is my mate and there was nothing I could do. Please remember that I have and always will love you.” Mom said to me through the link.
“You must find your way out, my baby. Get to the Alpha King. Before the Lycan King can get you.” Her words chilled to me the bone. What the hell was she talking about? I didn’t care that father didn’t make me Alpha. Clearing his throat again, he pulled me out of my thoughts.
“My final act as Alpha is as follows. All omegas shall be sold off as slaves to other alphas as requested by the Lycan King himself.” My mouth falls open. How could he just sell off half of his pack? Someone grabbed my neck, causing me to scream in pain.
“That includes you Jocelyn Hallows. You are no longer the adopted daughter of myself and my Luna. You have wrongfully harmed the new Luna many times and for this, I strip you of all titles, making you again an omega and, therefore, will be sold off as a slave.” His words were harsh and I could not understand them. A single tear fall my mother’s eyes as I looked at her, she turned her head and walked out of the office as the man who I thought was my father grabbed me by the hair and dragged me as I tried hard to get out of his grip but it didn’t work, his foot connected with my face as everything went black I heard his words.
“You were never a daughter of mine. You are going to regret ever getting dropped at my border taking my Luna’s attention away from me. I have already sold you off to the most vile man alive. I am doing you a favor because if the King himself was to get his hands on you, you would wish you were dead. Your mate is never going to find you where you are going. I know exactly who you are and the prophecy about you, well lets just say your wolf will never know its full strength.”
It was all just a nightmare. When I wake up, I will be in my bed waiting for mom to call me down for breakfast. Dad will go over what he expects of me for the day. My eyes opened, but I wasn’t where I wanted to be, the darkness and the smell of mildew along with the feeling of coldness. I knew exactly where I was.
“Well, my darling, you decided to finally wake up.” That voice had given me so many nightmares. As part of the training from father. Something inside my heart was hurting at just thinking about him.
“Josie, snap the hell out of it now. You need to pay attention. You know exactly what happens in here.” Athena hissed in my head.
“I always wondered when the Alpha was going to send your sweet little ass down here. Though I am disappointed because I was ordered by the Luna that if I lay a single hand on you, I will be in your place instead. But don’t think you are not going to suffer until your new Alpha arrived to pick you up.” His words cut through my heart like ice.
“Derek, I don’t care what you do to me, because it is going to be nothing compared to what he does to me.” He looked at me with wide eyes.
“Jocelyn, no one is allowed to touch you down here. Your Luna told me. But the Alpha told me I had you punish you somehow. He told me to use my words but also not to give you food or water until your new Alpha arrives.” He confessed I didn’t think he was a bad guy. There was a gentle side to him. Yes, he had the job of punishing the prisoners, but they deserved what they got. And he was about to show me that.
“Josie, I am sorry if what I say out loud hurts you, but understand I have to pretend ok. Because he has eyes and ears everywhere.” He linked me. I nodded my head to show that I understood what he was saying.
“Did you really do what they are saying?” He asked me when I didn’t reply to him.
“What does it matter? I am guilty in the eyes of everyone here.” I didn’t hide the coldness in my voice this time. He was watching me, still waiting for my answer. I sighed.
“Derek, you have seen what they are like with me. I put up with so much crap and yesterday, I finally put Alexis on her ass.” A smile crept across his face.
“That’s my girl. The other guards won’t be as nice as me, Josie. When I am not here, don’t say a word ok. Link me if they try to touch you. I will bring you food and water. But I have to show the Alpha I am doing as he says or he will hurt Ella.” He told me through the link.
“Thank you Derek. I will repay the favor back to you one day. It may be years from now. But I will be back to take vengeance on those that have harmed me.”
“I have one more thing to tell you. You must get to the Alpha King, no matter how long it takes you to get there. Do not forget these words, Jocelyn. Promise me.”
“I promise.” I simply said back. Looking at the cell that was now my home until I was sold off to the ruthless Alpha, shivers ran through my entire body. If it was the Alpha I was thinking of, I was dead shit. The next five days were hell. None other than the man that called himself my father beat and whipped me on the order of my new Alpha. On the last morning, nobody came to say goodbye. The pain in my back was nothing like I had felt before. The marks had only just started to heal over.
“Josie, I am sorry that you have had to suffer like this. More is to come. Close your heart to the pain, Josie. You must become numb. Do not think about anyone or hope. Think about your vengeance and how you can escape. Please Jocelyn, this is the only way you will be able to survive this.” Derek was begging me, his eyes held no malice towards me. He was the only one that kept me alive these last five days, but now I was going to be on my own.
“I promise Derek.” Those were the last word I spoke to him because Alpha walked into the cell kicking me in the face knocking me out cold. I woke up because my back landed on something cold and hard, causing the whip marks on my back to break back open.
“Well, now, look who we have here, my new little slave, and you’re a pretty one at that.” The man that stood in front of me now had everyone scared of him because of what he did to his own pack members.
“Bring her to my chambers. She will live in the slave room up there.” His eyes were black, there was no other color to them. He nodded his head at me. I stood up and went to the cell door, bowing to my new Alpha. Over the five days I was in the cells in my old pack, Derek had told me what to expect here and what the Alpha would expect. This was the only plan to keep me alive. He warned me that slaves with Alpha Than never lasted more than a few months, sometimes a few weeks, and they were the lucky ones. He walked to the cell, opening the door. I didn’t move, showing him from the start that I could do as I was told. He put his hand on my chin, lifting my head up so I had to look in his eyes.
“You are still only a child. Sixteen yes?”
“Yes Alpha.”
“You are already showing me that you can be a good slave. If you can take my punishments for the next month without dying or making any noises by the end of the month. Your life will become a lot better. If you can survive this month, then I will heal the damage that I do to you. But be warned, child, if you try to escape or do anything I don’t like, you will die. If you steal, you will die. If you talk to my Luna or children, you will die. No one will touch you but me. If you survive the month, you will wish you were dead. If by the time you turn twenty-one and you have survived, our contract will be finished. You will have the choice to stay on as a maid in my pack or will you have the choice to leave and take vengeance on those that sold you to me.” He never stopped looking into my eyes.
“Do you understand me, child?” He asked.
“Yes Alpha, I understand. I agree with the contract.” They took me to his private chambers. I kept my head down, not looking at anyone or anything but the ground. They led me up the stairs into a small room. They took the silver choker off my neck, they closed the door. My room was not bad. There was a single bed with a window that overlooked the forest. There was a desk with books and, to my surprise, a cupboard that had no doors but had clothes in there. I had my own bathroom, as well.
Ethan’s POV“Where are these slaves coming from?” I sighed, rubbing my temples. Nothing happened in my kingdom without me knowing, but somehow this was flying under the radar. Why couldn’t we find out who was behind? We got close a few times, but then the trace went cold. There had to be witches involved, but why?“I don’t know, dude. But if I pull another body out of the forest like that again.” Garret couldn’t finish his sentence. The man that sat before me felt just as broken as I did. Someone was dumping the bodies of omega slaves on the border of our kingdom. The state that we found the bodies in was the worst that we had seen.“We are missing something. Why are they getting dumped near the border? Is someone trying to start another war with the Lycans? I think we need to visit the Crescent Moon Pack again. I know they signed an alliance with the Lycan King but I have a feeling he is helping.” There was a knock at the door as my Gamma and Delta walked into the office.“How many t
Jocelyn’s POV “It seems it is that time of day again, princess.” Alpha Than whispered in my ear. I didn’t say a word because if I did, he wouldn’t heal me. Every day for the last five years, eleven months, and twenty-nine days, I was chained to the bedposts and whipped fifteen times on my back and legs. I was then beaten to within an inch of my life. Then he would have his way with me, then he would heal me enough that I could take it all again the next day. This was my life. I was numb to the pain. I didn’t feel anything anymore. I was a lifeless shell that had a heart of stone. Doing everything Derek had told me, and here I was, two days away from leaving this place. I was the only one that had made it this far. I stripped down and went to his bed, where he strapped me in the chains. All I could hear was the crack of the whip and the sound of my skin breaking. After the whips, I couldn’t move he placed me on the bed and fucked me whilst he stabbed me with a silver knife laced with w
Ethan's POVJames stayed at the pack with his mate. She had calmed down and was talking with Sara and James about what happened with her old pack and about Tobias. The poor girl had suffered a lot in her lifetime and when she had the chance to come here and study in order to get a good job and support her family, but now all she had was James. He didn’t care that she was an omega. The moment he saw her, he was in love with her. He explained to me that the mate bond was something out of this world and you would die for your mate the second you see them. I found it hard to believe because of the way that my Mom was with my dad.Dad had been at the last big Lycan war with Mom staying behind to help me run the pack when I caught her cheating on him with none other than his Beta. She tried to explain to me that she was lonely and that he mistreated her, but it was actually the other way round. He worshipped the ground she walked on. When he came back, she rejected him and took his Beta as
Josie’s POV “How can the Alpha King be our mate, Athena? There has to be a mistake. He didn’t react?” I asked her as I paced quickly back to Luna Cleo’s chambers. I needed to talk to her and Alpha Than. “But he is our mate, Josie. He won’t reject us.” She was excited when his scent hit us and after all this time, we had found our mate. But I had told her not to react. “He has a Luna already Athena. He has a chosen mate. They crowned her the Queen of Alphas last year, remember? Alpha Than explained to us those few nights he wasn’t with us. We are too damaged to become a mate, we agreed to this. He has to reject us, so we will speak to him. We can’t make him reject his Luna.” I felt better after getting this out. She knew I was right, there was no pain. I didn’t feel happy or sad when we saw him. My heart is stone cold. No one can melt it. He is better off not knowing anything about me and rejecting me tonight. “Josie, how was it?” Luna Cleo asked me. “Luna, may I speak freely witho
Ethan’s POVAfter I told Sara what happened, she felt as sad as I was. “Honey, you need to do what is best for her. We can’t just order her to come and live with us. Living on the sidelines. Look at what has happened to her in her life already. Can you really cause her more pain?” Sara had scolded me when I suggested that she came to the kingdom and could live with us but in a separate chamber.“If you do that to the girl, I will leave you, Ethan. You will not cause this girl more pain. Do you understand me?” “I know baby, I am sorry. If you could only see the way she is. She has no soul in her eyes. It is like she is dead inside and I can’t help feel that it is my fault. She is talking to Garrett now and its heart breaking. She is talking like it is a business transaction.” Even I could hear the sorrow in my voice.“Try to compromise with her baby. Take her to her old pack with you, because no doubt she has unfinished business. She will need you after she has been there, and the le
“Now get ready to lose against her wolf, Ethan.” He snickered in my head and cut off the link. Garrett and Jocelyn were both looking at me.“I told you, Ethan, he isn’t as bad as you think he is.” She looked at me and smiled.“Now rules. The lake is northeast of here, around fifteen miles from here. No cheating or biting. Do you agree?” She looked dangerous right now, and I liked it on her. Garrett and I both agreed with her.“Shift.” I said to them both. After the sound of snapping of bones, two wolves stood before me. Farris was Garrett’s wolf who was an easy eight feet. But Jocelyn’s wolf was something else. There was no way she was an omega. Her wolf was taller than his. She was pure white, but the thing that stood out about her was the tips of her fur were violet and her eyes were violet. There were no white wolves left. There hadn’t been one for centuries. Colton whined in my head as he looked at his mate. “Ethan, are you seeing what I am seeing?” He asked me.“Freya.” I couldn
Josie's POVHow could I have not smelt the rogues? Alpha Than and Gamma Wesley had taught me better than that. They had come out of nowhere and this time they had come in from another side. I know it wasn’t my fault, but if anyone else had gotten taken. I had a feeling who was this behind this and that’s why I needed to go back to my old pack and kill them.Garrett and Ethan kept looking at me. I didn’t mean to make them submit, but I couldn’t let the rogues attack anyone. No one was dying on my watch again. Garrett was awakening something inside me that I didn’t understand. I know they found it odd that I was so close to this pack, but they would never be able to understand. I still didn’t myself. Yes, he killed me every day, but he healed me. They loved me and gave me an education. I was allowed to leave my room. My life was mine during the day and I could do as I wanted. That was when I meet Silas and Wes. We became very close friends and with the help of Alpha, Than they trained m
We stared at each other for I don’t know how long. All I wanted was to be in his arms again.“Garrett please. I wasn’t going to reject you.” I sighed, breaking the silence first because Athena kept whining in my head because she wanted our mate with us. He looked at me with a confused look on his face.“Garrett, I opened my heart for the first time in six years to feel something for you, but you walked away and didn’t want me. I don’t know how to feel about you, Garrett? I don’t know what I want? But all I know is you made me feel something that I have never felt before and that was safe in your arms.” I admitted to him. He didn’t know how big it was for me to open up about anything, let alone having feelings for anyone. Tears were threatening to fall from my eyes again. He gently touched my face, causing sparks to go through my body. He lifted my chin, so we were looking into each other eyes.“Josie, when you shook your head at me, I thought you didn’t want me. I am so sorry. It look