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.
Darius’s POV Since, when could our mate show someone the memories of what had happened? Seems we didn’t know too much about her powers, but that was to be expected, I guess. It was hard to just sit there and watch her show Jolon and me not comfort her. But it was always her choice. I would never force her. She seemed to have a plan with Jolon. I trust her judgment. “We will only step in if something happens to our mate.” “I agree buddy.” Trying to calm my inner beast, because we both knew if he couldn’t stay calm, then how was I ever going to? Josie had placed her hand on my lap, rubbing little circles on my thigh with her thumb as if she could sense my tension, which if she could, then I needed to reel it in. “Jolon, do you think you will tell us your story?” She asked him in barely more than a whisper. I looked at Jolon, hoping that my old friend was still in there somewhere and he wasn’t too far gone, that we couldn’t bring him back. His face was full of sorrow, looking into he
Josie’s POV“Darius, what about Jess?” The question had been eating me up since I had let the others become part of the bond. I was sitting on the bed as Darius was finishing a few things on the computer. I would be his tonight and he would be mine, but I wanted a clear mind of everything first.“I don’t know. I can honestly say this is the one time I am unsure of Jess and her motives. We need to go and see Jolon first before anything is decided, but I want to do one thing first.” He wriggled his brows at me. I almost forgot about Jolon, with everything that had just happened. Wiggling my finger at him indicating he should come over to the bed, he stalked over to me slowly. “Are you sure you want to do this now, my little mate?” his voice was husky, making my core throb. After everything I had been through, my heart was telling me this was right and the timing was right. “I am Darius. After what happened to me, I didn’t know if I would ever be ready, but I have a feeling we need to
Jocelyn’s POVThe scars that lined Xavier’s back were the hardest. It seemed like his skin had been torn apart. The mental scars these scars left on him ran so deep I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to heal him.“Athena, I need your help.” I whispered to her.“Jos, they run deep. If we take them, they will not only scar us mentally as well, but it will be physical.” She whispered as well. She was crying from the pain Xavier had suffered.“We have to Athena. I know we have to do this.” As I told her this, the memories he held of what happened entered our mind. So much pain because he wouldn’t give his sister up. She doesn’t know he suffered this because of him. The claws ripped through my back. Screaming, I fall to my knees, but I wasn’t done yet, they others approached me but I shook my head no. Instead, they gave me their strength, but it meant they would all bear some sort of
Darius POV“Ok.” She pulled me out of the room, because there was so much to do and I was feeling guilty I hadn’t told everyone yet. Dinner was going to be delivered soon. Everyone was looking at Ethan and Ava like they wanted to kill him. They needed to understand about everything. We couldn’t be divided, especially now, we would be stronger united.“There are things that have happened you all need to know about. Now that you're awake, Ethan, it will make it easier with a plan of attack.” This had their attention. I motioned for them all to sit at the table, which they did.“This entire time, we have been looking into and paying attention to the omega attacks, but I think this has been a distraction. I had a prisoner that just showed up and I now know is the mate of the rogue king planted here as a spy. The things she has done are unspeakable. She is Jocelyn’s birth mother. She was the Luna of the Berserkr Night M
“GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY OFFICE NOW.” I roared at her, vile was building in my stomach. I would kill her. How fucking dare she do is. How the hell did she even get into my office? Helga got up to see who I was talking to. She looked like she might faint, but what she did next surprised even. She pushed past me and grabbed Katie by the throat.“How dare you sneak into Alpha’s office and dress like the slut you are? He has a mate now and if she was here and caught you. Goddess help you Katie.” She hissed at Katie, whilst Katie was clawing at her hands to let her throat go. After a second she throw her to the ground. Katie grabbed her robe and ran out of the office before I could do anything else.“Fuck, I am so sorry, Alpha. I didn’t know. She must have snuck in when I wasn’t here.” She spoke really fast. I placed my hand on her shoulder.“Thank you Helga, for what you just did. I know you would have never have let her in.” I gave her shoulder a squeeze, she gave me a nod, then walked ou
Darius’s POV I hated to leave my mate, but my gamma really needed me right now. Josie gave me a look that I knew she understood that Jess needed me. Her mate had betrayed her, had cheered on Jolon to beat her. I mean, what kind of mate does that? His true colors started to appear. Jess was distraught. Never had I seen her cry, but here and now she was sitting in my office with a drink in her hand, crying tears over someone that didn’t deserve her. She looked at me. “How could he do that? I know you always had your doubts, but I am his mate.” She sighed as she downed her glass of whiskey. It was hard to become drunk as a Lycan, but not impossible if you lace your drink with wolfsbane, then you would be a goner. The burn of the liquid going down your throat was mostly enough. Jess had never had more than a few drinks, and she was now at her limit. I would let her have. “Because he is a fool, Jess. Jolon has him fooled like he had me fooled. Bane is an idiot and doesn’t seem to know w
“Just ahead in the clearing. There is a scared waterfall that allows one to heal their mind if they are in need of it.” Norris explained to me. Leaving them behind, I blocked out their thoughts, putting up a barrier between us and the world. Athena went into the clearing. The waterfall twinkled from the sunlight that seemed to dance on its surface. It was like thousands of diamonds in the water. The rocks that surrounded the waterfall were littered with flowers. It looked like a rainbow. The water was clear, even though it looked deep. Athena entered the water. We felt a tingling coursing through our body as we went further into the water. She swam around as whatever magic was held in the water worked on Athena.“Your turn now Jos. Just go with it.” Athena said to me. I could feel the calmness from her. Shifting back, deciding to float on my back as the water washed over my body, clearing my mind of all the hurt I had ever felt. How is this working? I thought to myself. Feeling the pr
Jocelyn POVComing into view was a rock formation that would have once been a cave from the looks of it. There were four people waiting out the front for us. Two were the guards, and the others were Derek and Isaac.“Luna, Xavier. I thought you had knocked off?” The more burly guard asked Xavier. “All good Norris. Turns out that Laila is mates with our Luna’s friend.”“Holy shit, Lai found her mate. Wow, that’s incredible.”“See, I knew Alpha was right in wanting to open up the kingdom to the wolves. You don’t know what you have done for us Luna. Maybe I will find my mate as well.” He walked over to me and pulled me into a hug, which made me squeal at first, but I returned the hug.“Sorry Luna, I am Norris, and this guy here is Fred. We normally are guards down in there, but today we decided we wanted some air.” Fred smacked Norris.“Sorry about him Luna, we aren’t slacking…”“Fred, honestly, if I had to send all my days down there as well, I would want a breather. But please call me
Jocelyn“Jess, what happened?” Darius asked her.“I was training with one of the warriors and that idiot decided he was going to attack me from behind. So I showed him that he couldn’t touch me, but the more concerning thing was Bane didn’t stop him. He was cheering him on.” “Jess, let’s go and talk.” Darius said to her. They looked over at me and Jess had a saddened look on her face.“Jocelyn, did you and Wes want to come with us or stay here and train with the others show them what you and Athena can really do?” He was giving me a choice, but the look on Jess’s face I know she needs to be with just him. Jess and I are friends, but when it comes to matters with your mate, sometimes the fewer people know, the better. Looking at Wes, he nodded his head that he wanted to stay and train.“We will stay.” And with that, Darius and Jess left to go talk. Wes looked at me like he wanted to say something, but he stopped himself.“Well, if it isn’t the whore of a she-wolf that thinks she has a