Chapter 4: The Rogue of Shadow Crest

As I moved one step closer, he opened his hand, and I suddenly stopped when I saw the piece of technology he was holding. I had never seen this exact device before, but since it was important for me to stay informed about the cities, I recognized the flame and lightning symbol on the side. Blackthorn Technologies was the main company that made weapons in the shifter world, and if I was right, Mr. Mason was holding a high-level taser that would force me into a partial shift, leaving me trapped between wolf and human form and completely under his control.

“I’m not going to run,” I said with a scoff, even though my fake confidence was weak in front of a weapon like that. “I’m not stupid. I’ve accepted my fate.”

A complete lie. But I had accepted it for now.

He spun the small device in his hand, and I stopped breathing so my chest would not move any closer to him.

“Good to know you’re not as stupid as your first appearance made you seem,” he said, and I started hoping he would accidentally shock himself.

Asshole.

The door opened and another shifter walked in, this one carrying strong alpha energy. The beta immediately stopped playing around and stood straight at his full height, exactly one inch taller than me, acting as if he had not just been tossing around a very expensive weapon.

So far, I had not gotten many scent traces from any of the shifters except faint citrus and wolf musk. One of the few things Mom had ever taught me about shifter stories was that I would only truly smell my fated-match.

My mate.

Thank the goddess that was not happening here.

“Is she ready to go?” the new man asked with a flat voice.

Like every alpha, he was huge, with dark skin, short buzzed hair, and cold eyes.

“Yes, sir,” Mr. Mason replied, and there was a tiny shake of nervousness in his voice that showed this new man was important enough to deserve respect. “Are you here to escort her?”

He ignored Mr. Mason and looked at me.

“I’m Alpha Kael from the Ravencrest pack. I’m also one of the council members who will be handling your trial today. Are you ready?”

My throat became dry immediately, and I almost threw up on his shoes. Holding onto the little dignity I still had, I nodded and stepped closer to the intimidating alpha.

I guessed he was a few decades older than me, but because shifters lived longer lives, there were not many signs of age except for a few gray hairs in his short haircut.

“Ready,” I forced out.

Without saying anything else, he wrapped his large hand around my right arm and pulled me out of the room. He was not rough, only impatient, and I forced my legs to move faster to match his speed.

I did not fully understand the structure of pack cities, but I knew that many alphas led smaller packs inside the community.

A pack was a bonded group. Sometimes the members had sexual relationships with each other, while other times they were simply like family.

If Alpha Kael was one of those powerful alphas, then he had enough power to lead other shifters.

Maybe even other alphas.

And because he was also on the council, they had sent someone important to escort me.

Lucky me.

Always the superstar.

“What’s your name, shifter?” he asked as we left the plain room and walked down a long hallway with many closed doors.

I thought about lying, but they could not learn much from my name.

As far as I knew, Mom had made sure it was never written down anywhere.

For her own selfish reasons.

“Aria Vale.”

Kael grunted, using the favorite communication style of dominant men.

“How old are you, Aria?”

Fuck.

Now I really had to lie.

“Eighteen.”

Another grunt, and I had no idea if he believed me.

“Where is your family?”

That was definitely the biggest question right now.

“Dead. I’ve been an orphan since I was young. I grew up on the streets.”

I had only ever known Mom, and after she died, I never cared enough to look for anyone else in our messed-up family line.

“How did you survive by yourself? How old were you when you shifted for the first time?”

“Ten, and my wolf took care of me. She has always protected me.”

Except for the times she did not, but that was never about survival.

It was because of her instincts that wanted to be with her pack.

But even when I refused, she always helped and kept me alive.

We hunted, slept in forests, and did whatever we needed to survive until I became old enough to get a job and apartment.

We did whatever was needed to stay alive and never regretted it.

“That sounds like a hard life,” the alpha said, and I heard a small amount of sympathy in his voice. His dark eyes looked softer as he watched me.

“Did nobody ever tell you about the pack cities? Why did you keep running when you could have found protection and support here among your own kind?”

I knew very well he was asking these questions to prepare for the trial, and I chose my answers carefully because of that.

“Mom was killed by her pack, so being around other shifters never felt safe.”

The complete truth.

“Your mom was an omega too.”

That was not a question.

He had reached the real center of the problem.

The reason I had to escape from the pack cities before it became too late.

Omegas were pieces used by powerful alphas in their world, and I refused to end up with the same fate Mom had.

Destroyed by her pack.