Finding herself

Chapter 5: Meeting the alpha

"Hello alpha. I have a girl here to see you, she wishes to join our pack." Maya said while bowing her head in respect towards a man sitting behind a table with a computer on it. He had black hair with a few strands of grey, and green eyes and he was dressed in dark blue suit pants and a white button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He was about 6'5 and his aura just radiated power, but not in a bad way. He smiled when he looked at me and I felt calm at that moment.

"Ah, so this is the famous Alyssa I heard so much about. My name is alpha Jeremy Grey." he extended his arm out for me to shake it. I extended mine and we shook hands after he pointed toward two chairs in front of his desk.

"Please do sit down. We might be here a while." Maya and I both sat on the chairs and I figured I would introduce myself properly and not with the name I gave Maya. "Nice to meet you, alpha Grey. If I can, I would like to say that my name is not Alyssa. It's Anya. I didn't know I would be staying here and didn't want to tell who I am, in case someone came looking for me. And then they did. I'm sorry for lying. But I don't know my last name or the pack I came from." I said and looked down, embarrassed to have lied to Maya when we met.

"I know your name, the nice gentlemen that came looking for you told us. And how do you not know which pack you came from?" he said looking at me with disbelief.

"I was never told, sir. The pack I originally came from was attacked and I ran per my mother's instructions. I was known in the community and never needed my last name. Also in school, we weren't told the name of the pack. It wasn't important since we never left the territory. And the man that found me in the woods after the attack never told me the name of the pack he brought me to. I was never far from the house and I think the other maids didn't know either or they just assumed that I knew. I didn't attend school there, so I don't have much knowledge, just what I read from the books in the house." I told him the truth and continued to tell him my life story.

"That are some horrible things you had to go through. And I completely understand the need for a fake name. I would do so myself in your situation." He turned towards a bookcase behind him and pulled out a big book that had the word History written on the cover. "Now when did you say that the attack happened? I might figure out which pack you belonged to and who your parents were." He opened the book and focused on the pages in the back.

"It happened 14 years ago. My father's name was Noel and my mother's name was Maria. I'm afraid I don't know much else." As I said the names alpha Grey closed the book.

"I know who you are. The alpha and your father were close friends of mine. You could say we grew up together. I was devastated when I heard about the attack. It was said that some other pack was working with rouge wolves to take down the said pack. It was horrible. Nobody ever knew what happened to you. And to think I have been looking for you this whole time and you came to me. I promised your father I would raise you if anything happened to him or your mom. I have had a room for you ready here in the pack house since you were born. He made me promise I would have. And I looked everywhere for you. But I guess now I know why I couldn't find you. And to think they would keep a child for a maid? Disgraceful. And I know all you want is revenge, but I can't give you that. Not without being found out. And I can't risk it for my people. It's too dangerous. You know, fun fact, your father and mother weren't mates. But it was love at first sight. You could feel the love they had for each other. Same thing with the alpha, too. He chose his Luna."

I'm pretty sure a fly flew into my mouth, that's how open it was. This was just one bombshell after another. I couldn't even say anything, just think about all this new information. A pack destroyed my home? I thought it was rogues alone. And people were looking for me? Well, they couldn't have found me while I was not supposed to leave the house I was at. I didn't know my mom and dad weren't mates. I'm pretty sure my mom told me once about the time she met her mate. I'm sure she just didn't want me to know that they weren't truly made for each other, but it was true love after all.

And I thought you needed a mate to be happy. Or do you? I could be happy alone too? That's something that intrigued me. I could work with that. No more cleaning after others would truly be a dream come true for me.

There was one question that bugged me still. "What's my last name? And the name of the pack"

"Your last name is Thorn. And the pack was called The Full Moon Pack." Alpha said and stood up. He walked towards the giant window that had a cabinet under it. He pulled a drawer out and shuffled some papers around. He lifted a black box and walked towards me. He handed it to me. "This was your mother's. It's your dad's family heirloom and he gave it to her when he proposed. I'm sure they would want you to have it. I kept it safe for all these years because I knew that someday I would find you." I opened the box and in it was a beautiful ring I saw my mom wear all those years ago. It had a round diamond in the center and beautiful swirls around the diamond. I put it on my finger and swore to myself I would never take it off. It's the only thing I have of my family. The gesture of the alpha made my eyes water.

"Thank you so much. You don't know how much this means to me. And I'm sorry for being so quiet, it's just a lot to comprehend. So much new information. But I would like to ask you one more thing. Is there anyone alive still from the pack? I would love to meet them." If there is someone left, they could share my pain and maybe help me move on finally.

"No, I'm sorry, you're the only one. Nobody could escape once they were attacked. If they did, we would take them in. But unfortunately, they couldn't." I could see the sadness in his eyes over the loss of his lifelong friends. I will find whoever did this and they will answer for their actions. I just don't know where to start.

My head started to hurt from all the information, but we weren't done yet.

"Where would I be staying? I'm sure miss Lorena doesn't need me to take up the space in her house. And I don't want to impose on someone else privacy." I said hopefully I would get my place, but I knew it was a long shot.

The alpha seemed to already think this through," For the time being, you will stay here, at the pack house. Your room is still ready for you to move in. And in time we could find you your place. But I think it's best if you first find your place here in the pack and figure your own thing. You will have time to do it here since you won't have to clean and cook like you would if you lived by yourself. Now, have you thought about what you wanted to do with your time? I'm sure there is something that you have on your mind."

I didn't like the thought I would have to live with other people again, but at least I would have time, just like he said. "I would like to work somewhere with catering. Maybe, like, work in a diner. And I would like to someday attend school again. I missed out on so much. I would like to have a career someday." All I said was true. And I hope I could one day be so successful that I wouldn't need a man in my life. I saw how my mom was dependent on my dad and his rank in the pack, while she was bored all day. I don't wish that for myself. "And also if someone were to show me how to shift into a wolf and do werewolf stuff, I would be most grateful. Nobody showed me how to do it, I only shifted once for the first time. I don't even know how I did it and I went to sleep, and when I woke up, I was me again. Also, I would like to train. So that I would never again have to be dependent on anyone but myself. So that when the situation arose, I would know how to defend myself." I looked at the alpha and he had a slight smirk on his lips. Almost unnoticeable.

He then turned to Maya. "Do you know if Mr. Thompson has room for one more on the team? Maybe during your shift? So that everything wouldn't be new to her. He could be a scary man when he's angry and she will need support on the first days." She quickly nodded and confirmed. "I think he's looking for someone at the moment. I will ask and say that you insist. And don't worry, I will take good care of her and show her around the pack, introduce her to the members and such. You have nothing to worry about. She's in good hands." She turned to me and smiled, reached for my hand with hers, and squeezed it. I finally felt like I belonged somewhere. It felt nice.

Maya and I stood up, said our goodbyes to the alpha, and walked out. When we reached the door, alpha stood up and said to me, "Don't be a stranger here. This place is yours, as it is mine. And if you need me, I'm always somewhere near. If not, ask someone and they will call me. You go out and have fun, and when you come home I will be waiting to show you to your room. And don't come back too soon, please enjoy your day and night. Go out, and have fun. And I was thinking tomorrow night we could have an official welcome to the packed ceremony for you." He smiled at me and I know he meant it.

"That sounds amazing. Thank you. Well, see you later. Bye." I said to him and closed the door. Then the wave of sadness and happiness hit me at the same time. This is the kindness I haven't felt in so long. I longed for it for many years, before I just gave up the thought of ever feeling it again. Maya saw me stop and turned to me. "Is everything okay? Why did you stop?" I just hugged her and I couldn't stop a couple of tears from falling. I was happy. "Thank you. For everything. I hope I'm not a burden but you don't know how happy I am to be welcomed with open arms. This is all I could have hoped and wished for."

I let her go, but she pulled me back into the hug.

"Honey, you are not a burden. Now come, I would like to show you where we will be working together. We have the best coffee on the continent." She said and let me go, grabbing my arm and pulling me behind her down the stairs and out the front door.