HER FATED ALPHA

THE NORTH TERRITORY

**Cerise Astor Gray**

I had no choice but to let them take me. Part of the reason was that I wanted to get away from the forest so quickly that the rogues chasing after me wouldn’t find me or even come near me. The other part was because it somehow felt right to be around that guy whose aura felt powerful and strong, yet I still didn't know his name.

My heart was telling me it felt right, but my mind was telling me to mask my emotions and not let him get to me in any way.

I’m strong and I can handle myself, even when dealing with a hot stranger who makes me feel something other than intense dislike. I didn't like this condition—that I was kind of not like who I used to be.

Just a few minutes of walking we stumbled upon a dirt road where a black Range Rover was parked. Elijah immediately climbed into the driver’s seat and started the car. The Alpha opened the backseat door for me, and I glanced at him before getting inside. He angrily slammed the door behind me, causing me to flinch. I swore under my breath at him while watching him get into the front seat. Then, Elijah started driving.

I frowned while watching them communicate through their mind link quietly. It was quite obvious they were talking about me because Elijah kept glancing at the Alpha every ten seconds and then nodding his head without saying anything. It frustrated me, but then I realized that it was a good thing they were not speaking—it gave me some time to think about my next move.

A few minutes later, the car entered a clear highway that went straight to another part of the forest. When I looked out the window, I saw many houses coming into view with a few cars parked outside. My jaw dropped open in surprise when I noticed how big and fancy the houses all looked, including the cars. It made me wonder how the Alpha's people could afford to live in such houses and own such expensive-looking cars, yet they lived in the middle of nowhere, probably far from town.

And then something suddenly hit my mind. This was another pack, so that meant they were either the North pack in the North territory, the Blood Moon pack in the East, or the Silver pack in the West.

The pack in the South was out of the question. I’d been running for my life ever since they stabbed me in the back. Now I’m a lone wolf, and I knew some places in West Virginia to avoid, as they would lead me back to them.

So which one do these guys belong to?

The car finally came to a stop and I looked to the front. My eyes widened in surprise when I saw the beautiful open mansion in front of me. I knew straight away that this must be their pack house. Of course, it’s the only beautiful mansion in this area, which can only belong to their Alpha and where he also lives.

Elijah suddenly turned around and grabbed both of my wrists, quickly tying a cable tie around them before I could even protest. I hissed in pain when he pulled the cable tightly and caught the Alpha glaring at Elijah without saying a word.

“Let’s go,” he said before stepping out of the car.

Elijah held my arm, and we followed the alpha along another clear pathway. Through the trees we came upon a huge clearing, a crowd of people was already gathered there. Both men and women, girls and boys, stood together and talked with each other. Once they saw the Alpha approaching, they immediately bowed their heads in respect, but not before shooting a confused glance at me, dressed weirdly. It only took them a second to catch my scent. Then the pack members in the crowd growled nastily at me, while the rest started talking about me.

“Who is she?”

“Why did Alpha Kayne bring a female rogue here?”

“Did he agree to sign a marriage contract with the rogue pack for some kind of peace agreement?”

I heard them asking all at once, and the last one almost made me laugh. Kayne, the Alpha who I now knew by name, stood in front of them all and faced them. Elijah and I both stood by his side, facing the crowd as well. The people immediately stopped their whispering and looked back at the three of us.

“I have something to say. My wife Charlotte will no longer be a part of us starting today.”

The people were shocked by this news. However, nothing had changed Kayne’s serious face.

“She has betrayed us and eloped with a rogue named Andrew, so she’s no longer your Luna and she’s no longer my mate. She is a traitor and has chosen to become one of them!”

He paused for a short while and then sentenced,

“So, if you ever come across any rogues, regardless of who they are, do not hesitate to kill them.”

The people all mumbled in agreement and started to whisper questions all over again. I blocked out their words, staring at Kayne with a puzzled look on my face. The news about what his mate did to him and the fact that he had a mate already completely threw me off-guard. It kind of hurt my feelings that he had already marked someone else as his mate.

Wait! Why the hell did I feel like that?! It was none of my business.

I slightly shook my head to get rid of the thought and shoved away all the new feelings I had today. When I looked up, Kayne was looking to the side at me.

“This woman standing here in front of you is one of them. Though she denies it, we brought her here to find out the truth.”

The pack people started to throw insults and offending comments at me, and some even voted to kill me. I looked down on the ground with my fists clenched tightly, forcing myself to keep a straight face.

Kayne announced it like that on purpose. He wanted to see if he could get any useful clues from my reaction, but I remained calm with no expression on my face at all. For a minute, my expression almost convinced him that I was innocent. But, since he had been fooled by a woman once, he wouldn’t allow it to happen again.

“Quiet,” Kayne commanded once, and the crowd immediately fell silent.

“I have made my decision. We will not kill her right now but keep her locked up in one of the underground rooms. And I will personally hold a private investigation with her, and we will soon know the truth.”

With that being said, he nodded at the people who were standing guard nearby. Two of them came by my side and grabbed my arm, starting to take me. We soon entered a huge dark hallway located behind the mansion. We stopped in front of one of the rooms and one of them unlocked the door with a code. They pushed me inside and closed the door behind me. There was only one light bulb hanging from the ceiling, and the light it provided was not even enough for me to see the dark corners around me.

Anger pulsed through my veins and I glared at the closed door in front of me. Then, I released my breath and slowly sat down on the floor. I closed my eyes, trying to keep my thoughts in one place and my emotions under control. I kept my eyes closed, just thinking about my next move in silence.

I wasn’t going to let the situation get to me, as I knew that I was strong enough to go through whatever they had planned for me.

I was once an Alpha!

I moved to the corner and leaned my back against the wall. Having been running away for so many days, I was exhausted. In the next few minutes, my lids started to grow heavy and an exhausted yawn escaped from my lips. Finally, I let sleep take over.

********

The next morning, someone entered the room with a bucket full of ice-cold water. The person smirked before tipping the bucket over my head to wake me up.

The cold water made contact with my skin and I immediately jumped up in shock, drenched from head to toe. That was enough for my anger to resurface. I slowly turned around to face the person who did it with a deadly glare on my face.

“Rise and shine, b***h!”