A Tale of His Spy Mate

Chapter Two: New Slave/New Home

Anna (Alana) POV

A what? I don’t think I heard that right. A slave?

I am not a slave. You had better fix this, Alana.

I didn’t think this would happen. I thought they would make us an Omega.

Well, he said we are a slave. We came here to stop a war, not to be lost as a slave.

This just makes it more challenging but not impossible. We knew this might be possible. We’ve always managed to find a way. I know we’ll find a way now.

Avery was silent. My attention jerked back to the man in front of me.

“Let’s go. I’ll take you to your new master and mistress.”

Panic started to fill me. The confidence I had just displayed to Avery vanished. I didn’t want to belong to someone else. I could only imagine all the ways that they would abuse me.

“What if I would rather be a rogue?”

“Then you shouldn’t have come onto our lands asking for sanctuary. You need protection, and being a rogue will only be worse for you. You’ll find life here isn’t as terrible as you think.”

"You've never been a slave before," I retorted. I tried to calm myself. This was only a setback. We can find a way to stop the war, even being a slave.

“You were the one who was kicked out of your pack. Until we verify your story, you will remain a slave, or we can send you to the dungeons if you rather be "free". Whichever you prefer.”

Which was better? A slave or the dungeons. At least, being a slave, I would be able to move around on the packlands. Besides, he made it sound like this would only be temporary. I can temporarily handle this.

We walked to a nearby house, where a cheerful woman opened the door. She smiled widely at me.

“Oh, is this the young lass then? Why on earth did you bring her over naked? Could you not at least get her a blanket? Men these days, no consideration for women!”

Her exclamation brought me some relief, and the man with the grey eyes looked slightly chided.

"I'm Eloise, by the way, but you can call me Ellie." She remarked, rapidly moving towards a closet and pulling out a shirt and shorts. “These will have to do for the moment at least. Eric, I can take it from here. I’ll give you a report in the morning.”

I quickly put on the clothes and followed her as she walked down a hallway.

"I expect you to get up at 5 am. Breakfast is at 5:30. We begin our work in the field at 6 am, and we continue until 5 pm with a short break for lunch. After dinner, we will do food prep for the next day, chores around the house, or laundry. You are expected to shower daily; just because we do hard work doesn't mean you should be so tired you can’t take care of yourself.”

Ellie stopped in front of a door.

“The Crescent Moon pack cares about all its members, even the slaves. You won't be mistreated, but you'll have no privileges. If you work hard and prove your loyalty, you might be made an Omega.”

Not be mistreated? I wonder if I heard her right. Growing up, all the stories of the Crescent Moon were about their viciousness to those who weren't a part of their pack. One of the most memorable stories was about an Omega. The Omega wanted extra food and took an extra piece of bread. The Omega was caught then chained to a pole outside for three days and nights with no food or water. Who would even think of doing that to their own pack member?

And now I’m a slave here. Maybe Ellie is being nice just to get me to relax? Maybe she is a cruel task-master at heart?

"Thank you, Ellie. I'm just exhausted and want to go to bed."

"Alright, lass. Five am wake up." Ellie opened the door, "Your bed is the top bunk in the corner."

I walked inside the dark room. It looked like all the other inhabitants were asleep, with one snoring very loudly.

The bed was firm and had a thin blanket. This wasn't ideal, but at least they hadn’t decided to kill me. Yes, I just need to stay positive. I have to stay focused on my mission.

****

Justin POV

I was reading the financial report the accountant had just sent over, becoming increasingly distressed over the existing numbers. I heard a knock on the door before my Beta, Eric, walked in and sat on the seat in front of my desk.

“The girl, Anna, is settled at Ellie’s and Jacob’s place. The patrol that followed her path here went out until they found her car on the side of the road. Her story checks out so far.”

"You still don't trust her, though." Eric didn't trust any outsider, so that wasn't a surprise. I didn't really trust outsiders, either. The war with the Rising Moon Pack has resulted in several schemes by outsiders that always ended poorly.

My father had charged me to carry on the war banner after I took over as Alpha. He didn’t explain why, only that I needed to do it.

I had grown up hating the Rising Moon Pack. They have killed fourteen pack members, wounded thirty-three pack members, and destroyed $300,000 worth of property since I had been born. It was hard not to hate them.

However, I have grown tired of the fights and the constant plotting. There is always some new way the Rising Moon Pack tries to harm my pack. The financial report told me the Rising Moon was up to their old tricks again. I brought my attention back to Eric.

“Why don’t you trust her, other than being an outsider?” I wanted to be impartial. It was so hard not to be.

“There was just something about her that rang false. I'll contact the Shadow Moon Pack tomorrow to confirm the story. I feel like she is hiding something, though."

I trusted Eric and his intuition. He was an excellent Beta, if sometimes a bit too protective.

"We'll let her be for a few days and see how she gets along. Now, any more reports of witches and warlock involvement in the area?”

“Assaults on humans in the city have increased. If it worsens, the police will come knocking at our door."

“I’ll get Derrick to stop by the police and talk with them. If it's not one thing, it's another. Alright, I think I’m done for the night.”

"Sounds good. I plan on finding my bed, too. But uh, one last thing… your mom also stopped me in the hallway.” Eric said uncertainly. I knew I wasn’t going to like what he said next.

“And why did my mom stop you?” Resignation reigned in my voice.

“She wanted to remind you about a ball hosted by the Dark Moon Pack tomorrow, and you need to look for your mate."

Blasted balls. All the young women come out to fawn over all the available alphas and betas. I always feel like a peacock on a parade.

"Of course, another ball," I muttered. As if there wasn't enough going on. “I’m going for a run before going to bed. I need to clear my mind.”

I headed downstairs and shifted. The night was chilly but was perfect for running. I started in the forest and let my wolf, Ajax, take over.

Towards the end of our run, we decided to come back through the fields. As we were slowly loping along, we faintly smelled cinnamon and orange. It tickled the back of our minds, but it was gone just as soon as the smell came.

We need to find that smell, Ajax thought to me.

Tomorrow. We are so tired, we probably just imagined it.

We didn’t imagine it. It was real. We need to find it. Ajax could be stubborn at times.

Our mate isn’t in the pack. We would know it. We have met everyone. Tomorrow.



Ajax was quiet, but I could tell he was disturbed by the tantalizing smell that only seemed like a figment of our imagination.