Chapter 5: Alexandra's POV

The Ashclaw packhouse was exactly as the stories described.

Large. So large one could get lost in the halls for days. The carriage had carried us past the outer gate where the town was, and stopped at the ancestral packhouse.

“Welcome back, Alpha Damarus.” A woman stepped out of the large palace-like building, moving towards us. “We were not expecting you till dawn.”

“Something unexpected came up.” I felt Alpha Damarus shift his gaze to me. That one glance was enough to make me shrink behind Marcus, and his hand holding mine was all that kept me from running back into the carriage.

“Take my mate’s bag to a room in my chambers.” I almost flinched at the commanding tone Marcus used to address the maid.

Her eyes widened, shifting to me like she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. I almost couldn’t believe it as well, but one of the maids that had accompanied her surged forward, taking the bag from my hand while bowing deeply.

I hesitated before releasing it. That was my whole life in that bag, and it was taken into the packhouse, away from me.

“You have nothing to fear, Alexandra. All of this is mine, and what’s mine is yours.” He squeezed my hand reassuringly before pulling me inside, leaving the other pack officials behind.

“I don’t think your father likes me very much.” My voice was low, a weak attempt at making conversation and getting to know the man who now basically owned me.

“My father doesn’t like a lot of things. He’s a bitter old man who won’t get off my neck.” We stepped through the heavy stone carved doors, his hand never loosening around mine.

“I don’t want to cause any harm to your relationship with him.” My gaze lifted from the floors, taking in the wide hallway.

The candles illuminated it, held by the sculptures of men whom I assumed were past alphas. Everything about the packhouse appeared ancient, right down to the floor-to-ceiling glass that showed a perfect view of the Ashclaw pack town.

“There’s no harm you can cause that isn’t already there. My father and I are hardly ever on good terms. He tolerates me simply because he has no other choice.” He didn’t sound bothered by that fact. At least that was one thing we had in common.

Though I technically didn’t even know my real father. My mother refused to tell me beyond the fact that he had been a knight. She had been especially cruel to me in order to gain back the favor of her alpha, but I could see the disgust in his eyes every time he looked at her.

The look was there even when he looked at me, simply because I reminded him of my mother.

“What are you thinking about, little mate?” Marcus turned down a hallway that led to a tall bronze door with two men standing in front of it as guards. They bowed deeply once they spotted him, pushing the door open.

“Nothing relevant.” I gasped as the candles in the room suddenly came alive without anyone to light them. “How…?”

“There is nothing you can say, think, or do that isn’t relevant to me.” He ignored my question about the lights.

The door led to a shorter hallway with five doors. Two on each side with one at the very end. Marcus led me to the first door on the right. “These are my private quarters. You will be staying in this room until we bond. I will speak to my father about the rest of the arrangements. It’s late and I’m certain you must be tired. Someone will attend to you soon.”

He pushed the door open, stepping onto the red rug inside. My eyes widened, taking in the room that was to be mine. “It’s beautiful.”

“Yes, it is.” My eyes darted back to Marcus after almost forgetting his presence. He wasn’t looking at the room though. His sea-green eyes were fixed on me. “I must return to speak to my father. I will see you in the morning?”

I could sense the dread in his voice, like the thought of leaving me brought him actual pain. “I will be fine. I don’t want to intrude and I know you have a lot of duties to attend to. Good night, Alpha Marcus.”

He stepped forward, lifting up my chin as he leaned down. My shocked gasp was swallowed by his lips pressing against mine. His hands wrapped around me, refusing to let go until both our lungs demanded breath.

“Good night, mate.” He planted a short kiss on my forehead before leaving, slamming the main door of his chambers shut behind him.

Something tugged at me, a deep possessive longing that pushed me to follow him, demanding contact. The distant scent he had left wasn’t enough.

I turned, taking in the luxurious room and hoping to ignore the obsessive pull I felt towards Marcus.

My shoes came off, settling onto the plush red carpet that was soft enough to serve as a cot. There was a large bronze dresser pushed against the wall that held the single large window.

My hand wrapped around the golden handle of the first drawer, pulling it open to reveal the basic necessities of a female guest.

I picked up a silk nightgown, running my fingers along it as I stared in awe of the material. It had been years since I had last been allowed to wear silk, and it felt satisfying holding it now.

It happened then. A large gust of wind blew past my hair though the window was locked shut, and then the whispers followed.

Like a thousand lost souls were screaming at once. My body was frozen in place as my eyes darted around for the source of the voices. They seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at the same time.

My heart nearly leaped out of my chest as an unfamiliar voice finally spoke out clearly.

“He really found his mate.”