The Alpha's Unusual Mate

***Rose POV*** Leaning back in my chair, I reach my arms above my head, stretching my stiff muscles. Glancing at the clock on my computer screen, I notice that it is past eight o'clock and groan at myself for losing track of time. Again. I didn’t choose my career but did find some satisfaction in my work. I started as a part-time admin assistant in one of the lower-level offices of a multi-business organization. I never paid much attention to the different companies that fell under the parent company and kept my head down, focusing on my work. My goal was to use the money I earned to pay for my tertiary education, but somehow there just never was enough money. Luckily, one of the office managers noticed I was good at multitasking and prioritizing and recommended me for the permanent admin assistant position to one of the department heads’ personal assistants in a marketing firm. And that is where I found myself, five years later. My boss and assistant to the department head kept me busy with countless tasks from the moment I arrived at work to the moment she leaves her desk at five o'clock every afternoon. She never said outright that I must work late to finish all the tasks, but I knew that the next day I would receive a new mountain of paperwork to process and file. It was most definitely not the type of job I would have chosen for myself, but every day brought new challenges and thus far I have not been bored. I was too busy to be bored. I was also too busy to have any type of life outside of work. If it wasn't for my roommate, Sarah, I would probably not have a single friend. Sarah was dear to me even if we were very different in many ways. She had two close friends, James and Angela, who often visited on weekends. I enjoyed their visits but always felt relieved when the duplex we stayed in became quiet again when they left. Often Sarah would accompany them when they left, and I was granted time to be alone and just be. Reaching into my drawer holding my personal items, I extracted my phone only to see multiple notices for messages received and calls missed. Sighing, I quickly opened the messages, all of which were from Sarah. She was worried. Again. I thought she would know by now not to worry about me. It was, after all, not the first, or tenth, time I lost track of time at work. My fingers skipped over the touchscreen as I dialed her number to let her know that I was on my way home. I was just about to end the call when it was answered, but all I could hear was loud music and laughter coming through the speaker. The sudden noise pierced the surrounding silence, and I jerked the phone away from my ear to protect it from the sudden high volume. "Sarah, hello!" I yelled into the phone. I knew she would have difficulty hearing me over the noise levels on her side of the call. "Rose, babe - you there?" she shouted back, and I winced again at the high volume. "Yes, I'm here. I'm heading home – where are you?" "Well, s**t. You know where home is, Hun?" "Ha-ha, very funny Sarah. I had a ton of paperwork to finish and lost track of time." "Yeah, yeah. The usual. Anyway, I'm at James's place. He's having an impromptu mid-week celebration." "Oh yeah? Celebration of what this time?" I was glad for all the background noise on her side as she wouldn't pick up on the sarcasm in my voice. "A celebration of life, of course! Of being young and alive! You can still remember what that feels like, can you?" So, she had picked up on my sarcasm. "Ok, ok I get it. Look, I'm beat and just called to let you know I'm heading home. I'll pick up some burgers on my way, and you can have yours when you raid the kitchen when you get home at three a-m." "You're the best, Rose. See you tomorrow – don't wait up." "See you Hun. And stay safe!" With that, I ended the call and tossed the phone back in my purse. I closed all the open windows on my computer before shutting it down. My desk was suddenly dark, and instinctively I reached for my desk lamp. I was bathed in the warm glow, a bubble of light in the otherwise dark office around me. My heels click-clacked on the tiled floor as I made my way through the large lobby of the building. The usually crowded street in front of the building was almost completely devoid of cars, and I quickly made my way to the parking lot across the street. I was waiting for the red traffic light to change to green, cheeseburgers safely on the passenger seat, when I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. My head quickly turned to see what had caught my eye when I noticed a man stumbling through the doorway of a business which looked to be closed. He fell to his knees and turned to face the open doorway. A second man stepped out slowly and the man on the floor scrambled backwards to try and get away from his pursuer. My eyes went back to the man who was standing over the clearly terrified man on the floor. The streetlamp illuminated the scene enough for me to make out his stark features. Even from where I sat, I could see that he exuded danger. His angular jawline was set, and a grin stretched his full lips wide. But the smile gave no comfort to the terrified man on the floor. It was the smirk of someone who was about to do something heinous and reveled at the thought of it. I was vaguely aware that the traffic lights had turned green, but I couldn't take my eyes off what was happening. More men filed out of the building, surrounding the man on the floor. I wanted to scream at them to leave him alone, but thankfully my better judgment kicked in when I saw one of them aim a gun at the man on the floor. Too late I realized what I was witnessing. This man was about to be murdered by what looked like a gang of some sort, and I was just sitting there. I knew that if one of them looked in my direction they would see me, and I would become their next target. Unfortunately for me, I released the clutch too quickly when I finally got hold of my senses and the car stalled. "s**t, s**t, s**t!" I cursed myself. With trembling fingers, I turned the key in the ignition to start the car again. As I pulled away, my eyes darted in their direction again, and ice crawled into my veins as I looked into the face of the devil himself. Cursing again, I raced away as fast as my sensible hatchback would allow me. I ran three red lights in my haste to get away from the scene I had seen. I only saw that man for a moment, but the image of his face was engraved in my memory. Every time I closed my eyes, I could see his face. His absolutely terrifying and beautiful face. His eyes were dark and looked almost black from where I saw him. His skin looked pale in the harsh light of the streetlamp above him. The thin nose that split his face highlighted the angular features of his cheekbones and jawline. I vaguely recalled he wore black from head to toe, and it didn't surprise me. The idea of seeing any other color on him seemed ridiculous. In fact, I was sure that any color would fade and look muddy if it came into contact with him.