Beyond Fate

Awake

“ hello sweetheart” I heard the familiar American voice, floating through the air.

Turning my head I was hit with deja vu, seeing Lucas’s handsome face staring at me from the chair next to the hospital bed I was in. Oh great here again. I should rent a room here.

“ We have to stop meeting like this” I smiled sleepily, my eyes feeling heavy and my voice cracked at the dryness in my throat. I began to cough and the pain radiated through me. Yep I was definitely alive, my body felt like it had been hit by a train.

“ how do you feel?” Lucas asked concerned, reaching for my shoulder, rubbing it gently almost like I was made of glass.

“ like I’ve been mauled by a pack of angry wolves” I chuckled this time really coughing unable to catch my breath Lucas rushed to my side helping me to sit up.

“ you came back?” I whispered feeling glad that he was here, I didn’t know Lucas well but he had this calming aura about him that always made me feel safe.

“ couldn’t resist seeing that beautiful face again.” Lucas smiled, giving me a cheeky wink. His blue eyes sparkled ever so slightly in the hospital lights.

I cringed thinking I must look a right state, I put my non cast hand to my head feeling the messy tufts of my hair sticking out and hard parts of what I was assuming was dried blood matted to it.

“ Wow, that bad huh?” I cringed feeling embarrassed, Lucas always looked like he’d effortlessly stepped off a G.Q magazine, his ash blonde hair long enough to run your fingers through with that slightly tousled look that you were never sure if it took hours to accomplish or was just a quick run through with your fingers. His wardrobe didn’t go much beyond casual T-shirt and jeans yet he could rival the most fashionable of models with his just rolled out of bed look. He was the boy next door, mischievous but caring. Only there was nothing about him that said boy he was hundred percent drool worthy godlike man.

“ still the most beautiful girl in the pack” he smiled genuinely at me and I could feel myself blush. If I hadn’t been lay down already I'd probably have swooned.

“ smooth!” I wiggled my eyebrows at him, Lucas grabbed my some water and I chugged it greedily. I felt like it had been a year since I’d last had a drink. The cool liquid soothing my sore throat. When I was done Lucas helped me to sit up slightly so I wasn’t laying down flat anymore.

“ hungry I can grab you some food the cafeteria is closed now but I saw a vending machine out in the hallway, though dumb dumb on the door was stuffing his face earlier, I doubt there will be much left soon” he gestured to the door with his one hand while holding me still. I just shook my head clutching my stomach feeling like I might vomit if I ate anything right now, memories of everything that had happened were starting to flash through my mind. The beating, the dying, seeing rose it was all making my stomach churn and I couldn’t be sure half of it was even real.

The tears came suddenly. I wasn't sure how or why, maybe it was the overwhelming emotions I was feeling right now but everything just seemed to hit me at once. I didn’t want to cry but the tears came all the same. I felt stupid doing it infront of Lucas too. I hardly knew the guy we’d only engaged in half flirty conversations but in the short time I’d known him he seemed to have been there for me more than anyone else I knew. The realisation of how sad that was that a total stranger was more of a support system than even my own family made me cry harder. But it was true, twice Lucas had saved me, twice I’d woken up in this hospital and he’d been by my side. He was starting to seem more like a guardian angel than anything else. I'd just wished he could have been there to save me from my pack in the barn.

“ hey hey, come on it’s ok, baby girl” Lucas shushed me coming to sit on the edge of the bed, he wrapped his arms around me while I pathetically sobbed into his chest.

“ your safe now Alisha, no one’s going to hurt you I promise” he clutched me to him soothing me. I felt my wolf calming. I was still crying but I felt better just from knowing at this moment I wasn’t alone.

“ what the f**k is this?” I heard the door opening and a familiar unwelcome voice came into the room. I visibly stiffened in Lucas’s arms though I didn’t move from his embrace. It was all that was anchoring me right now and I would take any kind of comfort that was offered.

Nathan of course. He'd come straight here to see me beaten down. I wasn’t stupid it was how he liked me, broken and alone which I usually was and it made me open to his manipulation but I could hear the anger laced in his voice and the loss of control on his wolf showed he had not expected me to be in the arms of another man. He didn’t expect me to have anyone but his worthless self.

I felt myself being shoved slightly but not by Lucas he wrapped his arms tighter round me as though shielding me. I knew there was a commotion but I just couldn’t do it anymore. I just wanted to be left alone. No that wasn’t true I just wanted Nathan to leave me alone.

I poked my head out slightly from Lucas’s chest seeing that Nathan was right up in his face but Lucas wasn’t someone who was easily intimidated. I could see even though Nathan was the pack Beta Lucas had no problem holding his gaze, it made me slightly curious to what Lucas’s rank was.

He was powerful that’s for sure but although he oozed authority I couldn’t see an alpha having so much freedom as he did, even alpha Mitchell had been hounded for years by his parents after he’d vanished on us. In the beginning Alpha Felix sent worrior after warrior out to bring him home.

An alpha has too many responsibilities, even the heirs. Maybe Lucas was a future Beta to his pack; it would explain his current freedom and the American packs housed the world's strongest werewolves. it had come from the generations of breeding with the strongest females and not always werewolves.

When the original alpha king took his pack to the new world they abandoned the moon goddess’s gifts and instead of waiting for their fated mates, took chosen mates instead as a way to give themselves more power. It's not uncommon now but back then it was considered barbaric.

All down to the wild theories of one alpha with a crazy obsession for power. It's said that alpha king Leopoldo mated with a high witch priestess he kidnapped from her coven and then used her to breed his powerful bloodline that still exists to this day.

Some legends say that was what had sparked the ultimate hatred between the two species; other legends say they enslave witches still to this day using them to breed their powerful bloodline.

When I was young Johnny had once told me they don’t have omegas because any weak wolves are killed at birth. I hoped that none of it was true. Not many facts came out of the alpha king's pack.

King Leopoldo’s madness seemed to have been hereditary; each alpha king that came down the line seemed just as obsessed with power and just as suspicious. King Magnus had not been seen outside his pack in years, he had apparently gone insane after his mate was assassinated years ago along with their pup because of our accent alliance we were offered certain protections from our American friends but no one had seen anyone in years, apart from the usual Courtesy news feeds.

Now that I thought about it Lucas wouldn’t even need to be of any real rank. His bloodline would be that strong, if he had indeed come from the alpha king's pack it would make a lot of sense, him and Mitchell being good friends as well. We all knew he’d made it as far as the American packs in his bid to escape his problems before Alpha Felix’s men had finally caught up to him,maybe he had been looking to the alpha king for help with his own sanity.

“ Get your hands off her now” Nathan said through gritted teeth. Lucas did nothing but lean further back angling us onto the bed so he was casually sat and I was on his chest more.

“ Who's gonna make me Beta? You?” Lucas scoffed, rubbing his one hand down my back.

“ we came to see that she’s alive” I heard the sarcastic voice of Kelly. He’d brought her. Fear momentarily ran through me at the memory of her uncle and cousin taking turns beating me, the imagine of Darren’s smug smile as he punched me square across the face splitting my lip open clear in my head. I stiffened in Lucas’s arms and he held me tighter.

“ Well now you’ve seen her, you can leave” Lucas said sternly and I could tell he wasn’t buying into Kelly’s fake caring routine. I wasn't even sure why she tried. She was terrible at it.

“ alphas orders, we need to speak with the omega alone” Nathan said his voice all business it was clear he was losing his patience. I knew I should just let them say their peace so they would leave me alone. They were relentless. They would have their say one way or another but I would get no peace till then.

“Actually I’m feeling kind of hungry now, do you think you could grab me something?” I asked gently, drawing Lucas’s attention away from Nathan. I glanced at Nathan who’s eyes were glazed over. No doubt he was mind linking someone to draw Lucas out of the room.

“ I’ll get Colton to grab you something from the vending machine” Lucas smiled down at me getting up from the bed, I knew Lucas wasn’t going to leave me alone with these two willingly; he already had a clear dislike to Nathan and didn’t buy into Kelly’s bullshit nice girl act.

Before he made it to the door though Colton came in with his mobile in hand, he gave me an apologetic look before handing the phone to Lucas. I glared at him but he missed it already looking down at his feet, so that answers my question as to whether Colton knew I was Nathan’s mate and if Colton was willing to go against Nathan. Guess I had been deluding myself thinking Colton was my ally.

“ er the alpha’s on the phone for you” Lucas frowned looking at the phone then around the room at the rest of us. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at Colton’s laim excuse. I was half expecting Lucas to take the call in the room but to my surprise he just nodded heading out of the room after Colton.

“ oh if I come back and there’s a hair out of place on her head…I’ll remove both of yours” Lucas said back over his shoulder staring both Nathan and Kelly in the eyes. Nathan rolled his eyes but he shuffled on his feet giving away his fear, Kelly just hid behind Nathan pradicatably. Lucas gave one last glance at me, winking before leaving.

Now I was alone with Nathan and Kelly. The tension in the room could be cut with a knife. Nathan looked down at me, his eyes turning amber and then back again. Kelly stood just to the side of him now, a smug evil grin on her face as she wrapped her arms around Nathan’s waist.

“ well look the little slut screwed herself a guard dog” she sneered making her caked up face crease, Nathan growled, she was pushing his buttons on purpose.

“ I’m not…” I started.

“ We didn't tell you to speak omega!” Nathan interrupted, almost shouting. My wolf whimpered in my head, even she wished for this moment to end and have Lucas come back. I clutched the sheets to my chest tightly as if it would protect me from them.

“ See baby I told you she’s nothing but a w***e, honestly screwing your way around the pack isn’t going to get you anywhere” Kelly jeered, folding her arms, pushing her cleavage further out of her already gaping crop top. I was impressed that her breast hadn’t pooped out yet.

“ Well I was just following your lead” I shot back feeling momentarily brave and sick at the sight of her.

“ do not speak to my mate like that,your in enough trouble as it is with the fuss you’ve caused, all you had to do was do your work and keep your head down, now look at the mess you’ve brought down on us all” I scoffed at Nathan’s comment, he couldn’t actually be saying that I was to blame for what had happened.

“ they attacked me!!” I shouted, feeling the tears well in my eyes. s**t I didn’t want to cry in front of them. I didn't want to give them the satisfaction. Kelly’s face pulled slightly into a satisfied smirk and I felt sick at how happy I was making her by looking weak. Nathan didn’t seem to notice and just carried on ranting.

“ It's about not drawing attention to yourself Alisha, you can’t blame the pack for the way they feel, you're the screw up here and now because of you our pack is in chaos,” he was pacing now running a frustrated hand through his blonde hair. I didn’t care anymore. I had plans of my own once I healed and no one was stopping me this time.

“ Darren and my uncle have been exiled because of you, stupid mutt” Kelly shouted now. My eyes widened at that not because I felt bad for them. I was just surprised that anyone had been punished for what had happened. Good riddance. But why would alpha jerkface do that for me, he hated me. Perhaps Alpha Felix was back.

“ They tried to kill me,” I growled at Kelly, losing my patience with her. My wolf was ready to tear her throat out.

“ your not dead though are you, you couldn’t even get that right” she spat trying to charge forward but Nathan held her back. I had to hold back my chuckle watching her, she looked ridiculous, there was no way she could fight me even in the state I was in. She couldn’t even stand up straight on her six inch heels. She looked like a drunk woman making a scene in a bar thinking she was going to fight but really just looked like a fool to everyone around her.

“ why don’t you just get to the point we all know your not here under alphas orders” I said through gritted teeth folding my arms across my chest, it didn’t look particularly threatening being sat bandaged up in a hospital bed wearing a blue spotted gown but I felt the confidence in my voice and it was enough to get Nathan and Kelly to stop bitching. Kelly stopped fighting against Nathan and they both stood straight as if addressing a formal pack representative.

“ we need you out of the way so you won’t cause any more trouble to the pack, I’d prefer you gone for good but since you are Nathan’s fated mate we need you close by so his wolf does not grow weak” I didn’t like where this was going and an eerily feeling sat in the pit of my stomach.

“ As Beta female Kelly has been gracious enough to allow you to stay for the sake of our duty to the pack, you need to be kept around so my wolf won’t grow weak” Nathan added wrapping his arm around Kelly as if she was making some great sacrifice for him.

“ What does that mean?” I demanded not liking where this was going at all.

“ Simple, you will move to ‘the blocks’ as soon as you are discharged, Nathan will pay you weekly visits, you will keep his wolf satisfied and in return you will be kept protected from the pack so they don’t try and kill you again” Kelly stated making my blood run cold. They couldn’t be saying what I thought they were saying, this had to be a mistake. Nathan had been trying to get me to move to his room in the pack house for years. I knew if I’d ever agreed that I’d eventually end up in ‘the blocks’ but they seemed to have jumped a step. They were taking advantage of the situation to get me to agree to service Nathan as his w***e whenever he decided to come knocking. I felt disgusted at the very sight of them both. This had always been Nathan’s plan; he never planned on letting me go. Never.

“ and if I refuse?” I didn’t even try to hide the hatred in my voice for them both. I would never agree to this never. I’d rather die.

“ There is no refuse omega, you will be moved to the blocks as soon as it can be arranged. I've already started the paperwork, stop being selfish” Nathan said emotionlessly, how could someone be so cruel.

“ shellfish!!” I exclaimed not believing that these two could be that deluded. They wanted me to willingly move to ‘the blocks’ the place that housed the packs unwanted and unmated, to be nothing more than Nathan’s w***e so he and Kelly could rule as the powerful Beta couple of the silver moon pack and I was the selfish one.

“ Be grateful it's not the cells after the trouble you’ve caused, do you think we like this? Do you think we are happy keeping you around to prevent us from being happy?” Nathan growled looking towards Kelly who just stared at me with pure hatred.

“ I didn’t ask to be fated to you, I rejected you years ago” I cried feeling myself falling apart at what was happening, this couldn’t be happening. Please.

“ enough! It’s…” Nathan began but he didn’t finish as Lucas came charging into the room grabbing Nathan by the throat launching them both into the wall opposite.

(Lucas)

I stood outside the door to her room feeling my head spin, I knew something had been going on when the gamma had come into the room with his idiotic claim Mitchell was calling me.

First of all I had a phone that Mitchell had been calling me from with updates all day, second I’d text him as soon as Alisha woke up but he’d had the pack to deal with so I hadn’t expected a response, as soon as I’d stepped out of the room as predicted the phone was silent and all that was heard was the dial tones.

I sent the i***t to the vending machine claiming I’d ring Mitchell back but instead I had waited by the door listening to the conversation the Beta couple clearly didn’t want me to witness. My heart hammered in my chest mortified at the facts I’d heard.

Alisha was the Beta’s mate. He had always known she was his mate but like the despicable coward that he was he hadn’t released her from their bond when he had claimed another, he had kept her prisoner to it, degrading her and using her. My anger pulled me. My wolf was beyond furious. He begged for blood and that I right the wrongs that had been caused to this poor girl. He had been using his power to keep her down so he could keep her entrapped to him while he lords it over everyone with his chosen female.

I remembered the night I’d found him in the alpha’s office when I was looking for Mitchell. I'd already been suspicious he was up to something but never would I have guessed all his scheming would be to abuse his own mate. I could smell blood from the palm of my hands where my own claws were cutting into my flesh, my wolf begging to be set free and tear this entire god forsaken pack apart starting with that scumbag Beta.

The gamma rounded the corner haulting mid stride when he saw the sight of me leaning against the door, the mobile he had given me now lay shattered on the floor at my feet. I could feel his fear rolling off him in waves. The guy looked towards the door clearly, catching enough of the conversation to understand my current stance. I glared at him when he barely reacted to what was being said.

I realised that the gamma already knew that his Beta’s mate wasn’t the blonde that had been hanging from his arm since I’d arrived at this pathetic little pack. He also knew it was Alisha that was the rightful Beta female. The gamma dipped his head shamefully shoving his hands in his pockets they were all cowards. As long as it didn’t effect them they allowed the abuse of another pack member to go unpunished. They all knew yet they had done nothing to help her; they had even allowed Mitchell to be manipulated into their lies to destroy her spirit.

No one deserved to be treated like this, yes my friend was a little naive and lost right now but he was a good man he could be a great alpha given the chance but this jackass and his w***e was set to destroy him before he had begun and Mitchell would never forgive himself for becoming a pawn in their sick game, he had already come through so many struggles just to come back here.

Without thinking I charged into the room, almost breaking the door off its hinges. The Beta female screamed like a hysterical moron but I just ignored her reaching for the Betas throat catching him unaware, slamming him into the wall before he could react. The look of horror on his face was pure pleasure for my wolf and I to see.

“ YOU WORTHLESS DOG!!” I roared in his face slamming the back of his head into the wall with a satisfying crack. The Beta cringed in pain as the smell of blood filled the air. I could hear screaming in the background from his pathetic female but I knew his gamma wouldn’t do anything to stop what was happening. He couldn't even if he had the balls to try. I was killing this asshole here and now he had hurt Alisha for the last time.

“ LUCAS!!” I heard only one voice that had any chance of snapping me out of my current state. I turned my head glancing back over my shoulder to see Mitchell stood in the doorway his powerful alpha aura rolling off him in waves, his large frame filling the doorway in a defensive stance.

KILL THE MUTT NOW! my wolf roared in my head practically foaming at the mouth, I could too Mitchell wasn’t fast enough to stop me but his position in the pack would be even more compromised than it already was. f*****g politics.

Reluctantly I released the mutt shoving him one last time against the wall. The Beta slumped to the floor choking pathetically, not even trying to regain his stand as the female whaled and fussed all over him like he was near death. I would have rolled my eyes at the sight but I was too furious at the revelations I’d just witnessed.

“ Where's Alisha?” Mitthell asked and frowned looking towards her bed stunned to see it was now empty.

She was gone. She must have left during the comotion how had she even walked. She was in no condition to be moving around I sighed rubbing the back of my head feeling like a f*****g failure. I had been so angry and I hadn’t been thinking of her reaction when I’d attacked her mate it would have caused her distress and in her already curable state it’s understandable that she fled. Mitchell looked at me with his ‘ what the f**k’ look. He was right and I shook my head. He had asked for my help, keep Alisha safe and I had lost control. Now Alisha was out there alone with a pack that had already actively tried to kill her for crimes her own mate had been fraudulently fueling. It made me sick to think someone would use the mate bond in such a way. Mitchell could see I wasn’t going to speak in front of anyone so he moved back out into the corridor so I could follow him.

The mutt finally rose from the ground with a satisfied smirk on his face like he was untouchable. That was fine, let him think he was protected by his alpha for now, when he tried to go near Alisha again he would find out just what kind of beast I truly was.

When I got out into the hallway Mitchell was leaning against the wall his arms folded but he didn’t look angry.

“ what happened?” He asked, getting straight to the point, concern written all over his face.

“ We need to find Alisha now, she isn’t safe” I changed the subject, Her safety was what mattered right now, and keeping that mate of hers away from her.

“ no s**t Sherlock, talk to me man you never lose control like that” I knew Mitchell was worried, I was usually the one to call him down, he was right to be concerned the truth was so was I, my emotional investment in this situation was scaring me. Since I arrived here I've felt this overwhelming urge to protect this female and the more I learnt about her the more I wanted to be the one to help her.

“ I’m sorry, you trusted me to protect her and I let you down” I shook my head feeling utterly disappointed in myself. Alisha could be harmed again and it would be all my fault.

“ don’t worry we will find her, she can’t have gone far” he was right, with the injuries she had there were only so many places she could reach in the short space of time. She was probably in the hospital still. I swore to the goddess that I would make sure she was safe and I wouldn’t rest until she was free of that despicable mate of hers.