Ten Years (The Alpha and Her)

Chapter One; Damage

Ten years.

Ten agonizingly long years since a pregnant young woman by the name of Ember Gray appeared in the city of Paris with on a duffle bag filled only with a few pairs of clothes, a single photo of her older sister and a couple hundred dollars in her pocket. The young woman had no idea that the city housed the Royals, having only come from a small pack in the backwoods of Indiana. She had needed to escape and the first place that appeared in her mind was the City of Lights. Her fear drove her to run, driving her to venture to her dream city. The thought of her pup growing up in the historical city seemed perfect. Though after only a few days, she learned how dead wrong she was.

When she stepped off the plane she had no plan in motion, just relief that washed over her knowing there was no way she would be tracked down in another country. Everything had happened so quickly the moment she had found out she was carrying another life inside her. It only took her a day to pack what she needed, having her passport at the ready and her money that she had saved over the course of the year. She left a single note to her sister and once night fell she left. 

That day was still fresh in her mind.

After exploring the city, she had finally ventured to Parc Floral de Paris after a small lunch at a local café. The need to walk off her large lunch for two fueled her energy as she made her way through the famous park. She had traveled down one of the many trails, not noticing how the deeper she traveled in the park, the less people there were. Ember had stopped to gaze at the flowers, enjoying the fragrance of the many different tulips. She leaned down and brushed a piece of her curly dark but vibrant red hair behind her ear, a soft smile playing on her lips.

She closed her jewel like blue eyes, inhaling the floral scent.

Suddenly she felt something close around her head, she opened her eyes but only saw darkness. She heard muffled yelling as she felt her arms being pinned behind her, her screams falling on deaf ears as she begged the mysterious people to let her go. Tears stained her face, as she screamed at the top of her lungs, hoping, praying that some passer-by would hear her.

Finally she felt a sharp pain on the back of her head, an empty void engulfing her but not before she heard one of the men mutter “rogue”.

“Wake up…” a gentle touch awakened the wounded female from her memory that would never stop haunting her.

Ember shifted slightly as her head began to pound. She opened her dull blue eyes, allowing a few seconds for them to adjust to the dim light of the barren room before moving over to the beautiful blonde woman kneeling next to her.

“Clover…” The name meant to come out as a whisper but instead her waspy voice made it sound more like a croak.

Clover’s hazel eyes scanned Ember’s body for new injuries, noting the dried blood trailing down her thigh. Tears pricked at her eyes as rage boiled in her heart. “He was on duty last night, wasn’t he?” Clover questioned though she didn’t need an answer to know who it was that was on duty. The blonde woman pulled out a water bottle from behind her and twisted the top. She held it out to Ember, helping the weaker girl drink the refreshing liquid. Clover shivered at the sight before her, wanting to cry and scream for the woman, wanting to rip the heads off the men who subjected her to this torture.

“How is she?” Once she finished the water Ember tried to pull her limp body up. Her dull blue eyes brightened slightly, anxious to hear of what new news Clover was bringing her today.

“She is growing more and more each day.” Clover said softly, her light pink lips pulling up in a smile. She was always happy to provide her with the information, knowing that the information was the only thing keeping the woman alive the past few years. “She will be starting 7th grade at junior school in about a month. She is such a genius, Ember! She has skipped 2 grades already, not even the Alpha’s youngest brother can keep up with her.” Ember softly chuckled, the sound quickly turned into a raging coughing fit that lasted until her hands were painted red with blood.

“I-I’m sorry, Clover… do you have a wipe?” She asked softly, not wanting to look up at the beautiful woman as she stared at her blood covered hand.

“O-of course!” Clover took a small package of sanitizing wipes from her back pockets, pulling a fresh one out. She softly grabbed hold of Ember’s thin wrist, fearing that too much pressure would cause it to snap. She gently wiped the blood off Ember’s palms.

You would think that being a werewolf she would be able to quickly heal from her wounds, but Ember’s wolf was too weak from the lack of food, water and fresh air. To be honest, Ember already feared that she could no longer shift, counting down her days until she would one day no longer be able to open her eyes. All Ember wished for was to see her one more time. To stare into her emerald green eyes, and touch her soft red hair, a shade lighter than her own.

“Y-you know! The Alpha should be returning with the King here soon! I promise you that I will plead with him one more time!” Clover looked into the dull blue eyes of the woman in front of her, knowing that she didn’t have much time left. “I swear on my life, Ember, you will be able to see your daughter. That you will be able to hold her and kiss her.” Clover looked into her eyes with unwavering determination, her hands placed firmly on Ember’s boney shoulders.

Clover couldn’t help the flashes of memory that passed before her eyes of when Ember first arrived at the palace, the strong willed woman thrown into the dungeon to be interrogated as a rogue and potential assassin. The blonde woman knew that the guards faked the documents of Ember, claiming she was working with a large group and they needed her alive to find out more information on the potential “assassination group”.  Ember was a gorgeous woman, even with the wounds that littered her body, but when she was first brought to the palace she was so stunning that every head turned to catch a glance. Her 5’ 4 figure was a tad shorter than the average werewolf but she had the curves in all the right places. A large chest that any man would drool over and a woman be envious of, a thin waist and wide hips, her muscles toned from years of training to be a lead pack warrior. Her long blood red hair cascaded down her back, as her sapphire eyes glared daggers into every person she connected eyes with. After the initial shock, she was no longer begging for her life, no she was ready to kill, her pouty lips curled up in a snarl as she growled at every passing person.

Clover was a part of the escort team. She knew that the woman was no real danger to the alpha or the crown but she still had to go through the standard procedure. She should have been released after a few days. It’s been 10 years… 10 years of torture, r**e, abuse. All because the guards didn’t want to give up their toy, their way of relieving stress. And the higher ups turned a blind eye. As long as the guards didn’t cause a fuss, the higher ups were fine with them using a single prisoner to let out their frustrations.

But Clover hated it, hated every second of knowing what Ember was going through. Even though she was the Beta’s mate, she had no control over the prisoners, only the Alpha or the king could release them if the guards deemed the prisoner dangerous.

The moment Ember gave birth to her daughter in the cold wet cell, Cover tried everything to get her out of there, everything short of treason by letting her escape. Her mate wouldn’t listen, thinking it was only her soft side showing, and the Alpha had been too busy with pack and royal duties to hear her out completely. But Clover knew she didn’t have much time. If she had to drag her alpha down to the dungeon by his ear, she would gladly do it. She wouldn’t fear for her life; that was part of the perks of being best friends with the alpha and mates with the beta.

“Clover! Time is up!” A dark chuckle echoed in the room as the steel door opened, a large rough man walked in, a smirk playing on his scruffy face.

The blonde woman stood up, glancing down at Ember once more, surprised to see Ember staring up at her with a soft smile. Clover mimicked her smile, briefly nodding her head before turning and growling at the guard. There was no hiding her clear dislike for the dungeon guards,

~3 months Later~

“Welcome back, Alpha!” The 6 '3 man forced a smile on his chiseled face, the smile never reaching his forest green eyes as he entered the grand hall of the palace. He quickened his pace, making his way to his office in long strides, running his hands through his long black hair.

He finally stopped at the double oak doors leading into his office, heaving a sigh of relief as he pushed open the doors.

“Finally back I see…” Clover swiveled in his plush office chair glaring at him as she sat forward placing her elbows on his thick oak desk, fingers laced together.

The man was taken aback slightly, wondering what he could have possibly done when he had only just arrived back home.

“Well, it’s nice to see you too, Clover.’ He sighed, running his hand through his hair once more, slicking his black locks back as he walked in, not bothering to look the blonde woman in the eyes.

“We need to talk-“

“About?”

“The… rogue in the dungeon.” The man looked up when she paused, seeing Clover’s face as she forced the word ‘rogue’ out of her mouth.

“What about the rogue?” He asked, not even sure who exactly Clover was talking about.

“She has been locked up for 10 years.” She spoke, her voice shaking while her gaze bore into the tall man. “She’s being tortured just for the fun of it, while our soon to be King-” She narrowed her hazel eyes at him “-could care less! I bet you don’t even remember her name!” She stood up, walking around the desk. “Don’t you think it’s about time you made a trip to the dungeon to see what your lovely guards are doing down there.” She stated firmly as she stood directly in front of him, poking his broad muscular chest with her sharp finger.

He rolled his forest green eyes at her, making Clover’s face turn red in anger. She knew her  friend lacked emotions but she hadn’t thought to this extent. He noticed her pale face slowly turning red and he knew she was about to blow.

“f**k! Fine!” He growled, his hands balling into fists as she challenged him. He held himself back, mind linking his Beta Lenn to meet him and Clover down in the dungeon. He turned around, allowing her to lead the way. Clover heaved a sigh of relief the moment he turned towards the door, thanking the moon goddess.

Clover quickly made her way down to the dungeon, the Alpha hot on her heels without any effort. The blonde woman was not expecting to see her mate Lenn waiting at the bottom of the concrete stairs. She turned around to glare at her friend, wanting to give him a piece of her mind but she couldn’t risk him storming off.

“Hey Babe, Alpha.” He bowed slightly in respect before wrapping his arm softly around Clover’s small waist.

She pecked his scratchy cheek softly, not allowing herself to be distracted.

It took only 30 seconds before they were at the end of the hall only lit by a few oil lamps every 10 feet. Clover stopped in front of the steel door, hearing the soft whimpers from behind the door. She turned and looked her mate in the eyes, Lenn saw her fighting the tears back.

The Alpha noted that no guards stood in front of the door as per policy. He pushed open the heavy door. “I hear you have been having some trouble with a little rogue-.” He stopped in his tracks immediately, his eyes looked up instantly as the heavenly scent of coconut and vanilla filled his nostrils.

The two guards froze in place on the ground, the woman laying on her back as one guard held her hands above her head and the other positioned between her legs, forcing them apart, his d***k which had been pulled out instantly falling limp.

Clover peered past her friend’s form, not noticing him shaking in rage as she saw the woman on the ground her lip busted and a black bruise forming on her right eye. The red haired woman turned her face to the door mindlessly, seeing two figures, only one was familiar. The man before her eyes stood in the doorway she had never seen before while she could see a blonde woman peering around the tall muscular man, her hazel eyes wide in horror. Ember saw slight movement behind the woman which she assumed was another person. The dull blue bruised eyes of the beaten women connected with the wide forest green eyes of the man. He instantly knew, the connection confirmed when his eyes caught hers. But her reaction was not what he was expecting, her eyes slowly closed before she turned her head the other way, thankful that her body was given a moment of rest, her mind not even registering that Clover was behind the man staring at her as tears streamed down her face. She breathed a sigh of relief.

“Mine…” The alpha whispered, barely audible. His eyes narrowed on the two men, instantly turning black as he growled.

“Oh f***k…” Clover and Lenn muttered seconds before the alpha lunged at the two men.