His Queen, Her Alpha

(Lex’s POV) Have you ever felt like you were meant for something more? Like you're missing something important in your life? Most people assume that because I’m an orphan, I must be talking about missing my family. But the emptiness I feel... it's more than that. I feel like there is more to me that I have not found yet. I guess I should introduce myself so you understand me a little better. My name is Alexandria Smith, but everyone calls me Lex. Like I said, I’m an orphan. I was left on the doorstep of the orphanage I still live in today. Someone from my family left me in front of the big double oak doors, knocked, and ran away—or so I was told. I don’t remember much from back then, but when they found me I had a big bruise on my head and was out for a few days. All I have from that day is the pink blanket I was wrapped in—stitched with my name, Alexandria, and my birthdate: 12/19/2003—and a white gold moon pendant necklace. Ms. Mary gave me the necklace when I was nine, and I’ve worn it ever since. Ms. Mary has worked at the orphanage for as long as I have been there. She always says that I am her family and that she will protect me. She was in charge of finding me a family, but she always said that we were family and that was okay. But every family that came to meet me ended up calling me a freak. She say some not-so-kind words to them, standing up for me and they’d leave, never looking back. “Lex! Time to get up for school!” Ms. Mary calls from downstairs. “Great. Time for my personal hell,” I mutter, slipping out from under my cozy blanket. The one upside to living in the orphanage so long is that I ended up with the best room in the house—the master suite. I head into my attached bathroom and glance at myself in the mirror. The reason I’ve always been an outcast, stares back at me. White hair. Bright purple eyes. That’s what makes me a freak to everyone else. Otherwise, I’m not that bad-looking. I’ve got an athletic build from running constantly, and my skin’s sun-kissed from spending so much time outdoors. Ms. Mary once let me dye my hair brown in hopes it would help. But within two days, the color faded, and my snow-white hair returned. Figures. “Lex, are you getting ready?” she calls again. “Yes, Ms. Mary! Be down in five!” I yell back. This is our usual morning routine. Luckily, I’m almost done with high school. I’ve worked my butt off to graduate six months early, and now I have just three days left. Tonight, I turn eighteen—and I’ll be kicked out of the orphanage after I receive my high school diploma. They were nice enough to agree to throw me out after Christmas, but my plans are to get the hell out of here. I’m on my own. I throw on my oversized black hoodie, light denim jeans, and my worn black Converse. As I head downstairs, Ms. Mary is already sitting at the kitchen table, waiting. “About time. You’re going to be late, sweetheart.” “I’ll make it. I’ll just run—school’s right up the road,” I say, grabbing a banana and muffin on my way out. “Hold on, girl. What are we doing for your birthday tonight? You only turn eighteen once—and at midnight, you need to be here with me. I want to bring in the special day with you." That was a little strange since she never worried about midnight birthday parties any other year. “Yay. Now, if I only had a place to live after graduation,” I reply, heavy on sarcasm. I know it’s not Ms. Mary’s fault, but the thought of being alone in a week eats away at me. I’ve saved up enough for a small apartment—barely two months of rent, even with the deposit—but I keep wondering... do I even want to stay here? Montana is beautiful and wide open. I love running through the woods. But I can’t shake the feeling that my heart belongs somewhere else. I give Ms. Mary a quick hug and head out the side door, walking down the road toward our local high school. Time to start another day in the place I hate the most. By the time I get to class, I pull up my hoodie and slip into my usual seat in the back. It doesn’t take long for the usual insults to start. By fourth period, I’ve already been called a freak, tripped, and had my hoodie ripped—because someone just had to see my hair. Again. I hate high school. People are cruel—for no other reason than I look different. Thankfully, I have enough credits that I leave right before lunch. I head straight for my favorite place in the world: a waterfall tucked about six miles deep in the woods behind the orphanage. I stumbled upon it when I was thirteen. Another couple had come to “check me out,” and I overheard them say I looked weird. Unique. I got a bad feeling about them and hoped they’d leave without adopting me. Ms. Mary had my back, as always. She told them I was getting adopted by another family and I could not go with them because of the adoption papers already in progress. I appreciated Ms. Mary so much, but sometimes I felt she was doing more harm than good by getting me adopted. I would overhear her tell them things I would do wrong, which was weird, but she never spread hateful lies about me. They left. I ran. That was the day I found the waterfall. Now, after school, I run there. It’s my escape. My sanctuary. No one can reach me there. When I arrive, I pull my backpack from its hiding spot behind some trees and grab my blanket. I spread it out on the ground and sat down to read the book we were assigned for homework: Romeo and Juliet. It’s tragic—but beautiful. To love someone so much you’d die for them… I think everyone wants that kind of love. I know I do. But I couldn’t even get my parents to love me. Why would anyone else? Still… a person can hope, right? As I lie back and stare at the waterfall, book on my chest, I feel my eyes start to drift closed. Maybe, just maybe… tomorrow will be different.