The Alpha's Unusual Mate

Chapter 2

***Rose POV***

Relieved to be home, I rushed to my bedroom, cheeseburger and a bottle of ice-cold vodka in hand. I hesitated for a moment before turning the key and locking the door. I poured myself a hefty drink and threw the cold liquor down my throat in one go.

Spluttering slightly as I felt the coldness burn a trail down my throat, I started taking the pins out of my hair. My brown curls tumbled down my back, and I scratched at my scalp to ease the pain of having my heavy hair pinned up the whole day. As I closed my eyes to savor the feeling of my nails scraping against my scalp, the man’s face appeared behind my closed lids and my eyes flew open again.

After my third drink of straight vodka, my burger lay forgotten on my desk. The room was spinning around me slightly, and I decided it was best to lay down before I fell over. I cursed myself again when the room felt like it was tipping over as I plopped my head onto my pillow. My usually peaceful dreams were disturbed by images of a hauntingly gorgeous man interspersed with images of a very unhappy Miranda as she shouted at me for not finishing all my work on time.

It was sometime in the dead of night that I woke from my sleep. My body felt stiff and cold as I had fallen asleep on top of the bedding and still fully clothed. There was also a slight throbbing in my temples and my stomach growled at me for skipping dinner.

I was in the kitchen and on my second glass of water when a noise broke the silence of the early morning. Pausing with the glass midway to my mouth, I listened intently to try and figure out where the sound could have come from.

I knew Sarah was not home yet as her bedroom door was still open across the hall from mine. I wanted to desperately believe that the noise was just a neighborhood cat doing its nightly prowling, but the chill running down my spine suggested something much more sinister.

Gathering my wits, I made my way to the living room as quietly as I could. The closer I got, the louder the noise became, and I could discern a scraping sound, like something scratching against metal. Too late I realized someone was trying to pick the lock on the front door.

I was frozen in place, too petrified to move. The click of the lock finally springing open pierced the quiet night air and I gasped as I saw the door start to open. I sighed a momentary sigh of relief when I remembered I had latched the additional security chain. The door stopped abruptly as the chain pulled tight, and I could hear a voice on the other side growling what sounded distinctly like "f**k it" before the chain’s fastening was broken clean off as someone forced the door open.

I couldn’t help it; a scream left my mouth when I saw three men entering my home. I knew my life was in terrible danger the moment I laid eyes on the last man who forced his way into the living room. Up close, I saw that he was tall, very tall. His hair was cropped short on the sides and his longer tresses on top were inky black. A series of what looked like black spikes crept from under the black collar of his shirt and I vaguely wondered what the rest of the tattoos looked like.

My eyes snapped back to his face and I found myself staring into his beautiful eyes. There was no doubt that this man was lethal, even without witnessing what was clearly an execution earlier. His face might have been beautiful, but it was cold and unyielding. The corner of his mouth lifted into a cruel sneer, and I stumbled backwards to get away from him. But there was no escape. The three large men quickly filled the space in the room, making it feel much smaller than it was, and I realized I was trapped.

‘How do you want to do it, boss?’ one of the men directed his question to the black-haired devil still pinning me with his gaze. My breathing became erratic as my heart beat so fast, I thought it would burst. They were going to kill me because of what I witnessed earlier.

How they found me I didn’t know, but then again, how do any of us know how these things really happen? He did not answer the man who spoke right-away, and I knew he was contemplating his various options of silencing me forever.

‘Boss –'

‘Yes, I heard you the first time, D.’

He remained silent for a moment more and only spoke again when he finally lifted his eyes from me.

‘Not here. Take her.’ I felt a heavy blow to the back of my head before I lost consciousness.

The blackness clouding my mind receded enough for me to become aware of my surroundings. My eyes were still closed, but I could smell the leather of a car seat underneath my cheek. Realization of what had happened in my living room chased away the remainder of my grogginess and my eyes flew open.

I was lying on my side on the backseat of a large vehicle. I felt my hands were tied behind my back when I tried to use a hand to push myself upright. Panic took hold again, and I started thrashing against my bounds.

‘That is pointless, Rose, so do me a favor and quiet down.’ His voice dripped with ice and malice and terror gripped at my heart.

‘How do you know my name?’ my voice came out stronger than I felt.