1. Run

I definitely did not think this through as I ran into the woods, the Alpha’s son Hayden and his cronies hot on my tail, inches away from grabbing me and dragging me back to that hell hole. I had been living as a slave to the Black nights pack for as long as I could remember and I had enough scars and bruises to prove it but today was different, today I was eighteen and I was running away, I didn’t care if I had to be a rogue for the rest of my life but they were never abusing me again not after they just branded me.

There was a single moment and I took it, now I was running for my life.

“Come back here bitch” I heard Hayden’s words ring out behind me.

“We will get her. Hey stupid wolf, come here”

I do not dare to look back as I continue to run, but my legs were starting to tire, stumbling and tripping over fallen twigs and rocks as I moved

“Come on Ashley” I tell myself and just the very thought of being dragged back to Black Nights pack fuelled me on. Stupidly glancing back I could see Hayden had shifted, shit, he would most definitely get me now.

The beatings, the sleepless nights, the never knowing what was coming each and every day kept me going. I wasn't like the other slaves, the others got to have down time and were treated more kindly but me, well,  for some reason they treated me worse than something they had trod in. I was the packs play thing and they all enjoyed it.

The scent hit me hard, a deep earthy smell and for the first time in a long time I felt my wolf stir

Mate she whimpers very quietly and my body does something weird, it changes direction on its own and propels itself through the forest and out on to a road, where a man is stood leaning against his motorbike, dark hair hanging to his shoulders with dark eyes to match, a biker jacket with a patch that I cannot read.

He looks at me, but does nothing, probably surprised that I am just standing in the middle of the road in an oversized tshirt that was full of holes and filthy, just as filthy as the rest of me.

Mate!!! my wolf sounds more confident this time but my legs don’t move and Hayden jumps out from the forest and pins my weak body to the ground.

“Get off of me” I try to fight but my body is exhausted and as much as I will it too move, I only manage to throw a few rubbish punches and my body gives up, like it is accepting its fate.

“You are coming back with us bitch” Hayden had shifted back to human form and was snarling in my ear, he grabs my dark hair and starts to pull, trying to drag me across the ground.

“I believe the girl told you to get off of her” a low gravelly voice echoed across the grounds and was not one I heard before, but it was coming from the direction of my mate

“Get lost, this has nothing to do with you” Hayden looks up towards the voice

“Oh, but it has everything to do with me if you harm my mate”

Hayden freezes and stands up straight, trying to make himself look bigger, I can see that he looks alarmed and its only now when I see my mate come closer, that he is easily six foot tall and his arms are well defined with muscles and covered in some sort of tribal tattoos, I briefly wonder what his body looks like under his clothing.

“She belongs to Black Nights pack” Hayden stood his ground

“It seems to me that she does not want to be in your pack” his gravel voice was making my my stomach do flips.

“I don’t” I whisper quietly, the man offers me a hand and I hesitate before letting him pull me up to my feet, the shock from touching his skin was electrifying. He looked me up and down and his eyes were taking in all my visible cuts and bruises that I received on a daily basis.

“Who did this to you?”

“Pretty much all of them in the Black night pack, they kept me as a slave” I had no reason to hide that truth from him and if anything I felt like I needed to tell him

His dark eyes looked annoyed “A slave” I nod and he growls “Wait for me by the bike” I move quickly towards his bike and when I look back they are all gone, after just a few minutes my mate walks out the forest, wiping something from his hands and on his jeans.

He says nothing as he walks towards me and climbs on the bike “Are you getting on?” he stares at me and I shake my head making him frown “Where are you planning on going then?” shrugging my shoulders, my black hair falls down over one side of my face and he reaches out, tucking it behind my ear causing another shock. “Do you have anywhere to go?”

Looking back at the forest where I came from, I shake my head “You don’t talk a lot do you” again I shake my head and he tells me to climb on and before I had a chance to think about it, he pull's me towards the bike “Hold on” he smiles at me as he pulls my hands around his waist, my chest resting against his back as he speeds down the road.

It was the first time I had been outside of the packs grounds and I absorbed all of it, all the shops we passed and the bright coloured buildings, people were mingling everywhere and I had no idea whether they were human or wolf or something else.

After a while the man I had my arms wrapped around stops and climbs off his bike, holding out a hand to me I hesitate again, could I really trust this man? but I allow him to help me off, thanking him for his help.

“Welcome to my pack” I don’t move, had I traded slavery in one pack for another? As I look around at all the houses, they were well looked after, children were playing across the grounds, people were tending to their gardens or just chatting.

He wastes no time in grabbing my hand and the electricity takes my breath away “Come on” and he starts to lead me into the village but my legs were weak and struggling from all the running and I kept tripping over my feet. Sweeping me up off the ground he says nothing and continues to walk towards the largest house I had ever seen. I can’t help but place my hand against his chest and feel his steady heart beat underneath, people just didn’t let me get close to them and it was oddly comforting, yet I didn't know if I could trust him.

“What’s your name?” he asks calmly

“Ashley”

“Well Ashley, I am Daryl Lycan” and I smile at him sharing some information with me.