Alliances, War, and Love.

It did make sense. A sadistic, cruel and dominant pack like ours would do well in a pack alliance with them. The Volsung pack was infamous for rising from the slaughter of others. They rose from murder. They were feral, vengeful, and cold. My pack, however, were more keen on cruelty. At least Volsung was swift and merciful. They were brought up at nearly every meeting. Tales of their members betraying their previous Alphas. Tales of their battles, where their wolves went feral and slaughtered other packs. Yet here we were, going to reason with them and try for an Alliance. I honestly opened this alliance would fall through. I had no loyalty to the very pack I was Alpha Female of. Their own fault. If they hadn't captured me and treated me like s**t, perhaps I would be vouching for them. Instead, I wanted to see this alliance burn to the ground, especially the Alpha. My mate. If the tales were true, the Volsung wasn't much better. There are hundreds of packs in the world, yet these two were the worst. We had been driving for hours, not stopping except to refill the tank, which even then I was not permitted to move without escort. Damien sat next to me in the back seat, a large figure that cast a shadow over me at all times. He was the Alpha, which by being his mate, made me the Alpha Female. To the Volsung Pack I would be in the position of power. To the world even, I would be a leader. That by design of the basic pack rules, meant I had just as much power as Damien himself. Yet that was not the case. I was little more than a pet to him. Perhaps that's why I wasn't allowed to wander alone. I could be given a sliver of hope. An escape to freedom. In our pack I was powerless. No more than a prisoner who bore the Alpha's mark. Even our driver and Guardian, Victor, had more power over pack decisions than myself. "Cover up." Damien spoke in a stern voice. As a female of Pack Citadel, I was under the most basic rules of male territory. I was not to be seen by other males without permission. I pulled my jacket on and pulled the hood over my blonde hair, soaking in the soft dark fabric that gave me a sense of comfort. Honestly, the rule didn't bother me. I truly was shy and enjoyed not having the responsibility of leading meetings and such. Covering up made me feel invisible. I put my hands in the pockets of the jacket to feel its warmth. Damien's order let me know we were close to our destination, and the anxiety crept up. Damien had brown hair and brown eyes, and was actually quite handsome. He dressed well, normally in business casual wear. To any female he was handsome, it was a shame that he was a monster. He loved to punish, he loved to inflict pain, and he did so regularly. Every fiber of my being hated him with passion. The forest we were driving through was dense, much thicker than what I was accustomed to at home. Light hardly got through the upper branches, causing the forest to remain in a state of afternoon darkness. I was lost in the view, trying to catch a glimpse of any wildlife, wanting nothing more than to let loose and run. How far could I get? I'd be lost, that's for sure. The temptation was strong, but so was the child lock that kept me from even trying. A f*****g child lock. My wolf tore at my insides for freedom, but how could I give it to her? I wasn't free myself. A hand on my thigh shattered my thoughts. It crept up my thigh till it was no longer just a touch, but a sign that my mate was in a mood. He never mated for love. He was cruel and sadistic. I also wasn't the only one he f***s. To other women in our pack, having an Alpha betray his mate for you was a compliment. For me it was a break. Fortunately, my black leggings acted as a barrier. His rules about no skin showing around strangers backfired, giving me a slight sense of happiness. "You will behave. Remember the rules, and I will reward you later." His voice rumbled near the end. I nodded, hoping to avoid a conversation. His rewards were for him, never for me. I knew that well by now. My eyes never parted from the forest which suddenly cleared to a Victorian styled tall black fence, the bottom of which were dark red bricks. The car slowed down as the gate slowly opened and the driver's window rolled down. Victor nodded as a security guard walked around the vehicle, ensuring nobody that wasn't previously authorized was inside. As he passed my window my eyes darted down. I did not dare to make eye contact. One more squeeze to my thigh for approval, and he let go. The car then continued for what seemed like 5 minutes before pulling up to a beautiful mansion, built of dark wood logs. The entrance was huge, with stained glass on either side of the enormous double doors and an awning. The smell of the flowers decorating the outside filled my nose, and the smells of the pack hit me like a truck. The house must have been 3 stories. A few small cabins stood around the sides of the enormous mansion. I knew the Volsung Pack had money, but I wasn't prepared. Most packs have money, but this house didn't match the savagery that the stories had depicted this tribe to have. A bunch of stone cold killers live here? My car door opened, I unbuckled my seat belt and took a deep breath before stepping out. I waited until Damien took his place by me, and walked up the path lined by decorative rocks and landscaping. The smell of a lake drifted up to me, as well as cooking. Steak it must have been. As much as I wanted to look around, I couldn't risk Damien thinking I was looking at the 3 men who were escorting us in. We stepped into a huge interior. The sitting room included maroon Victorian styled sofas and chairs, a dark oak coffee table. Beautiful decor everywhere, and what looked like original paintings of landscapes on the walls. "Damien, welcome. I trust your journey was comfortable?" "Yes, thank you Stephan. May I introduce my mate Kara and my head Guardian Victor." Damien was incredible with conversation. He had to be, to cover up for all the crimes he committed. Probably due to his sociopathy. I wondered if this pack would catch onto that. "Pleasure to meet you both. My son, Nick, will lead you all to your rooms. Please make yourselves at home and we will start dinner when you're ready, before we delve into the treaty?" Stephan was very straight to business, I respected that. A young man shook Damien's hand and introduced himself as Beta. His voice was gruff and charismatic. I didn't dare let my eyes wander. f*****g humiliating. I wasn't a submissive. If I were, it'd be easier. I was an Alpha Female. A terrible one. He led us up a spiral staircase, black railing allowed my eyes a glance below. Red curly hair caught my attention. She was beautiful. Her blue jeans danced around a tall male with a huge build and her smile was lighting up the room. A few seconds was all I risked before looking down at the wooden staircase with a red carpet. A smell still lingered. Pine, cinnamon, alluring. We were led down a hall to a room where Victor took his entrance in. One more room down and I was gestured in. More oak furniture, including an oak wardrobe with shelves on the top. The shelves were packed with books with no names on the spine. They looked ancient. A king sized bed with white sheets and a highly decorative headboard and footboard welcomed us. Same Victorian style, gorgeous tan walls and an ensuite bathroom that smelled of pine cleaner. Damien thanked his escort. The smell drifted away as the door closed. "Good girl." Damiens huge hands gripped my waist and his breath hit my neck. His hands explored under my shirt, rising just under my breasts. "Get comfortable." I shuddered at his touch. In fact, I loathed his touch. I put up with it, as I was his mate, but I knew I wasn't going to stick around long. On this trip I had plans, the moment I was left alone, I would shift and run. Run until my legs couldn't carry me anymore. Head into a town somewhere and maybe start a new life. I had no excuse as to why I stayed so long. I was 24, and had been here since childhood. But things were different now. I had been mated, partially. I never accepted his mate, therefore there was still time. But Damien was growing impatient. This put a timer on my escape. I only had until Damien lost his patience to make my getaway. Dinner was incredible, steaks, potatoes, and salad with multiple sides in the center of the table. Shifters ate a lot. I knew to ration myself as Damien wanted. He always reminded me to keep my weight down, though I was underweight already. They talked about other packs, mates, roles, the normal pack introduction conversations. Occasionally a question would be directed at me, which allowed me to make eye contact, and respond shortly. From what I was able to gather, their Alpha, Stephan, was older. He had grey streaks in his black hair, and bright blue eyes. He seemed kind, completely opposite of the stories of this pack. The redhead was Ayla, and she truly was just as beautiful as I thought from my previous glance. She had bright green eyes and a sly smile. She clung tightly to her mate, Travis, a blond attractive man she was dancing around earlier. He never lifted his eyes off her while she was talking. He hung on her every word, but he was quiet. They must have been true mates. The air was fun, and I found myself actually enjoying the playful chat and surroundings. I could feel something though, like I was being watched. A tension grew, and my skin grew goosebumps and shivers were sent up and down my skin. Danger? No. Not dangerous. Just intuition maybe. The meal concluded and Ayla, Nick, and Stephan led us into a meeting room. Bookshelves were built into the walls, and a table with 6 seats was centered in the middle. Victor sat across from me, with Astrid next to me. Stephan and Damien naturally sat at the heads of the table, and Nick took his place next to Victor. "To get straight to business, we are here deciding on a treaty for an Alliance. What are the terms you bring, Damien?" Stephan did not hesitate. Why would he have to? This was his territory. "We want battle support. Nothing more or less. In return we offer the same to you." Damien responded. "We are not in danger, however. And any alliance would continue into my reign." A rough voice spoke up. Nick was soon to be Alpha, and he was allowed to voice in these matters for that reason. More shivers. More goosebumps. It's just his voice. Nothing more. "We are not either. We are in a time of peace. The best time to strengthen. And you are next as Alpha. I will support you through the transitional phase naturally." Nick's eyebrows furrowed in thought. It wasn't unusual for pack members to challenge a new Alpha, or for other packs to attack while the new Alpha was learning to lead. Oftentimes it is seen as a moment of weakness for a pack. "How would it look to our allies if we were to ally with the Citadel Pack? Especially when you've murdered some of their families?" My wolf liked Nick. So did I. "I'm not sure your reputation is much better." Victor chimed in. Damien raised his hand to signal Victor to stay quiet. "Our reputation instills fear. We've never attacked unprovoked or for unneeded land. And we have never slaughtered innocents. From what I hear, your last battle ended up with the pups killed as well." Nick continued. Damien had enough "If there was no chance of an Alliance why did you have us come out here? To tell me how to lead my pack? We've been around centuries before Volsung existed." "That is enough. Damien, may we speak at my desk? Nick is young and still wants to be a hero." Stephan intervened. He gestured to Damien to move to a desk on the other side of the room. They began comparing alliances and taking notes. "Tell me again where you're from, Kara?" Ayla questioned. I could feel Victor's gaze. But even more, I could feel Nick's. "Arizona, um. S-southern" I stuttered. I don't stutter. What the hell is going on. "How did you meet Damien?" She asked "My fathers pack was attacked. Citadel intervened and I met Damien." Damien loved me telling the story of his heroism. In truth, he didn't save me whatsoever. Citadel were the attackers, and I was made a pack slave in training to be an enforcer. I showed a lot of promise and grew up to be one of the best. "That's a lie." Nick broke into the conversation. Without even thinking, I locked eyes with Nick. His eyes pierced mine. Words stopped flowing in my head, and my breath left me entirely. Even my heart must have stopped. The moment lasted years, or so it felt. The chatter in the far side of the room between the Alphas faded. Victor and Ayla faded away too. Nick's eyes reached further into me, into my soul maybe. I saw his wolf. I felt his emotions. I felt the strength and dominance inside of him, and the insecurities and pain he had. I saw the kindness in him too. Suddenly it was like I knew him, as if I've always known him. And a longing that I didn't know I could feel. But moreso, a feeling of comfort and security. A safety that I hadn't felt before. As though all of the pain and suffering I've ever felt never happened. As if Damien never existed. I felt mated. Victor broke the moment by shooting up in his chair and coming over to me. The gaze between Nick and I broke suddenly and reality crashed back to the surface. In shock I didn't say a word. Nick stood up suddenly in response to Victor coming to my side. Victor bent over and whispered in my ear "Time to head upstairs." I knew that was my chance to pretend like nothing happened. But how could I? I didn't understand what had just happened. I glanced back at Nick. He stood dominantly, his build sending warning vibes to Victor. The Alphas in the corner of the room had turned to see what was going on. Damien glared at me with a look that sent fear straight through me. It was the same look that I've bowed down to every other time, when I used to fight back before I submitted. "She got really dizzy, maybe a drink of water. I'll lead her to the kitchen. We will be right back" Ayla said in a cheerful tone. She nodded at Nick, then to the Alphas as a show of respect. She then sent a dominant glance at Victor and took me by the arm past him through the doorway. "s**t" she mumbled under her breath. "I- what," I stuttered out, noticing my hood fell down to reveal my blonde hair. "I… what happened" In the kitchen now, which was enormous, Ayla stood over the sink, staring down the drain waiting for an answer to come up. "Fuck." Her curly red locks fell off her shoulders, blocking her face from me. After a few moments she looked at me "What the f**k was that." "I dont know." Was all I could muster. I'm such an i***t… I'm f****d. Truth be told, I was terrified. Did Damien see? Would Victor tell him? Sensing his mate was stressed, Travis broke into the room in a frantic state, and immediately took Ayla by the waist. Before he could even ask, Ayla turned into him "She imprinted. She f*****g imprinted." "Wait what? On who?" Travis didn't respond with fear, just curiosity. "Nick. Travis, she imprinted on Nick. She is Damien's mate. And she imprinted on Nick. In the alliance meeting" she stared him down as if waiting for Travis to understand the severity. "What did he say? What's going to happen" he questioned. "I don't know. I don't think the Alphas noticed. I just got her out of there." "So, let it go for now and Nick will decide what to do." Travis rationalized. "He will come up with a solution. Did the bulky dude notice" "Yes." I chirped out. Victor isn't easily read. His motives are unknown. Would he tell Damien? What if he did. What if he didn't. What the hell is going on. Did I really just imprint. My wolf stirred impatiently. "OK so we wait till they're done and we can talk to Nick and Stephan. Travis ended the conversation and had us enter the sitting room. The clocks on the walls ticked in unison. How did they sync those so well… They were the only thing keeping the room from absolute silence. The silence that filled the room. The silence that ensured I thought of nothing but my impending doom. My wolf paced. But not because of fear, as she didn't fear. She paced due to the event that just took place. She found her true mate. The mate with the blue eyes and strong jaw line. I found my mate in the most inconvenient location at the worst time. As pack Alpha my duty would be to stop the alliance from taking place due to these events until they were discussed. As Kara, the pet of Damien who has all her power revoked, I couldn't care less. My loyalty lies with nobody, he made sure of that. The need to speak with Nick was overtaking me. I needed to see him. I needed to touch him for the first time. Thoughts raced through my head. The only thing he said to me was that he knew my story with Damien was a lie. How did he know? Because he was my true mate? But we hadn't imprinted. I imprinted. The thought blew my mind. I also imprinted on the Beta, almost Alpha, of the most savage packs in North America. It hit me that I was in a room of cold blooded psychopaths. Yet they didn't seem bad? Ayla poured warmth everywhere she went. She saved me from that room. And Travis, when he wasn't actively munching on Ayla's neck, seemed kind. Nick oddly was the scariest of the bunch that I've met. But the reputation of them was horrifying. My heart hadn't slowed down in hours. What is taking them so long? The door creaked open and Victor held it as first Stephan, then Damien, then Nick stepped out. Damien stopped in his tracks as he stared me down. He knows. I felt betrayed, until he looked away and didn't say a thing. They shook hands and Nick came towards me, looking straight into my eyes. I knew I wasn't supposed to make eye contact, yet I did. He stopped at Ayla, whispered something into her ear, and walked back to the Alphas. My heart sank as he walked away. It also occurred to me that Damien probably stared at me due to my hair still showing and down. Ayla glanced towards me before standing up. "Drinks anyone? Yeah? Come on over!" "Father, a word." Nick brought Stephen back to the office. "We will be right there." They emerged not ten minutes later and Stephen shot me a glance, again, I broke the rules and returned the look. Shot glasses hit the table, sounds of whiskey being poured filled the room. I was not permitted to drink, though now more than ever I would have appreciated it. The smell was enough to take the edge of my nerves off. Victor didn't leave my side unless he was getting another drink. Nick circled the room, and every time he looked at me I shivered. Damien never could say no to a drink. I watched him fall from sober, to tipsy, to wasted. I dreaded what was going to happen next as soon as he got his eyes on me. Shifters are never shy about nudity or s*x. In fact, Ayla and Travis had been fooling around on the dining room table off and on all night. Damien came over, stumbling, and whispered into my hear "you're showing your hair" as he softly caressed it. Not giving him a response, he put his drink down on the nearest counter and lifted me onto a barstool a few feet away. His hand began feeling my waist, then up to my stomach, then inched down till he was moving it between my skin and underwear. I felt Nick's gaze, then fury. Just as Damien was about to go any lower, I stumbled back. "Let's head upstairs? I'll grab some drinks and meet you up there." I smiled sweetly, hoping he'd head upstairs. He nodded and surprisingly did just that. I breathed a sigh of relief before watching Nick head to the front door and turn back to me to motion me outside. I looked for Victor before seeing him off in the distance with his tongue down a black haired shifters throat, and used the moment to my advantage. I followed Nick to the door as he held it open for me, and closed it behind me. I had hardly a moment to take in the fresh air and night breeze before he pulled me into his chest. He stood about 6 inches taller than me. I immediately recognized his smell of pine and cinnamon. I breathed it in through his neck before looking up at him. His face was immensely masculine, with his jawline angled and his short military styled haircut jet black. His eyes were the only thing soft about him, and even now they weren't soft at all, but passionate. "You're staying here." He ordered. "Hi." I teased back. I noticed I had a slight smile. "Kara, you're staying here." He repeated, before grabbing my hair and buying his nose onto the top of my hair and breathing it in. "I spoke to Stephan. You're staying." "But Damien. The alliance." I didn't want to think of any of that at the moment. Honestly I wanted nothing more than to enjoy Nick. He had a slight bit of scruff on his jaw I nuzzled. "We don't need alliances. I need you." With that he took my chin and lifted my head up, before moving his mouth to mine in a soft but passionate kiss. He didn't stop though. His tongue crept in and his hand went to the back of my head pulling me in closer to him. I hadn't ever been kissed like that, and I felt shivers going down my body. His other arm took me by the waist and held me tight. I put my arms around his neck and clung to him as though he was going to disappear. My wolf was satisfied for the first time. She recognized her mate.