Mate's Redemption

“Cassia!” I heard the angry alpha scream through my mental link. I winced. I knew this was not going to be good. With a heavy head, I left my room, although it was little bigger than a broom closet, and began taking the stairs. Slowly. One. Foot. At. A. Time. When I finally reached the pack’s kitchen and pushed the door open, I had barely crossed the threshold when a strong fist slammed into my chest. I crumpled to the ground, gasping for any breath to return to my lungs, but it was of little use. I felt a giant fist knot in my hair and yanks me up from the floor with haste. I could feel the anger radiating off of Beta John, but I didn’t dare open an eye to peek at him. “Alpha Ross told you to be up before the rest of us to have the pack’s breakfast ready, you useless bitch.” Beta John spat in my face. I winced again. My breathing had finally begun to return to normal and that is when I dropped to the ground and Beta John turned on his heel and walked out of the kitchen. A silent tear slid down my cheek. How I missed my true family. My eldest brother, Christoff, would have ripped Beta John’s arms from their sockets had that fateful day not happened… I pushed the thought from my mind and began rummaging around the cupboards to bring out bowls, utensils, eggs, bacon, sausage, and coffee. I got the pots of coffee going first, and then began whipping up the eggs and batter for pancakes. Soon the kitchen smelled wonderful and pack members started trickling in, grabbing plates and silverware at the door before getting in line to get their breakfasts. I was not allowed to eat until the rest of the pack had gotten first, second and third helpings if they desired. And you know what that means; I did not get food often. I was seriously lacking any extra fat on my body and I looked underweight. I actually hated how I looked. I avoided mirrors often. I could not stand to look at the girl who was a former ghost of herself. True, I may be a princess to what was one of the most powerful packs in werewolf history, The Diamond Moon Pack, but there is a keyword in that sentence. Was When the Black Blood Pack showed up, we were caught off guard. Defenses had been lowered that day so everyone in the pack could attend my younger brother Hank’s wedding. He and his mate, Clara, were about to finish their vows when screams erupted from the reception building. In a flash, there were massive wolves everywhere. Striking down humans before they could shift, and ripping the throats out of those who had managed to shift. In the blink of an eye my entire pack had been annihilated, right in front of my face. I turned to see the final moments of my father's life. Pinned beneath who I now knew as Beta John, Alpha Ross walked up victoriously, the wolf smirking at his obvious victory. Half a second later, he ripped my father's throat out and threw the skin behind him. My own father's throat lay at my feet. Blood had splattered halfway up my dress and a few drops had littered my face. I was in shock. It took me all of another second to realize all eyes were on me as Alpha Ross closed in. I expected the same fate I had just watched my entire pack suffer. But all I felt was a hard knock to my head and then darkness. When I woke up, I was in what my room is now. With rags on for clothes. I had no idea who changed me, who put me here or anything. I didn’t even know why they had attacked us in the first place. I knew Alpha Ross was cold and calculating, but I did not think he was the type of man to destroy an entire pack just to expand his territory and his power. As far as I knew, all of the Packs had a peace treaty. However, my father stopped letting me go to alpha meetings once I reached the age of ten so I have no way of knowing if the peace treaty was still in place when the attack occurred. My guess would be that it was not in place when my pack was nearly wiped from existence. My father, mother, eldest brother Christoff, and younger brother Hank, all dead. I was the only surviving member of my families bloodline left. And Alpha Ross made sure he kept me under tight lock and key to avoid my strength getting better and me escaping. He made me wear a silver necklace and earrings at all times which sapped my strength immensely and burned like a son of a b***h. Every night when I would take the necklace off before bed, I would have a burn mark where it had been laying that day on my chest. I actually had a light scar now from this happening. Just another painful reminder of the abuse I suffer here. Not only does Beta John beat the living hell out of me whenever he feels like it, he also sexually assaults me whenever he and I are the only ones around. I know Alpha Ross knows because he walked in on it happening one time. I pleaded for help with my eyes, tears silently streaming down my face as I was assaulted from behind but he didn’t even look at me. He turned and left. This was my life. Beaten, assaulted, r***d and at the mercy of this insane and volatile pack. The Black Bloods were known for being ruthless, but this was another level of torture I wasn’t sure how long I could survive. I had already been enduring this bullshit for four years. I was thirteen when the attack happened. I’m seventeen right now, and no one knows but I have a small pocket calendar I count the days down until I’m eighteen and I pray to the Moon Goddess that my mate will somehow find me and take me away from this place. I have two weeks. Two weeks from now and I will be eighteen and hopefully my mate is a kind, loving man who want to protect me from the suffering I have endured these last four years. I say another silent prayer to the Moon Goddess for my mate, and close my eyes. Darkness eventually swallowing me. *Twelve Days Later* My birthday is two days away. Things have been in the same routine since I’ve been here. The only good thing that seems to be happening in my life is the fact that I will turn 18 in less than 48 hours. I felt excitement rush through at the anticipation of meeting my mate. I smiled to myself and went back to collecting laundry from outside of each pack members bedroom. I hopped on the elevator and went down to the basement. I silently started my work, getting lost in my own thoughts. I wonder what he will look like? Will he want me? Will he reject me? Fear constricted my throat. I felt a stabbing pain in my chest and my hand shot up to cover the pain. Every werewolf knew that if your mate rejected you, your odds of being blessed with another from the Moon Goddess were slim to none. I cleared my mind and got back to work. There was no sense in stressing about that now. Plus, after all of the suffering I have endured these last four years, I do not think the Moon Goddess would punish me with a cold and hateful mate. I finish the laundry about six hours later (there are about 40 people living in the pack house) and head back upstairs to return the clean linens to their bedrooms. I make it halfway up the steps when I see Beta John thudding down the steps toward me. A wicked gleam in his eyes. He caught sight of me and quickened his pace. And so did I. I was almost sprinting back down the stairs to try and get away but I don’t know what I was thinking because there is no way out down here. I found myself in a corner, on the other side of the ironing board. Beta John’s hands twitched and I could see claws coming out. His wolf was threatening to take over and if that happened, I was dead. I could see the peril I was facing. I don’t know how long we stood there and assessed each other but eventually Beta John had had enough waiting and came in for “the kill”. I tried to run but one of his arms wrapped around me and threw me back into the wall. Some cement crumbled from behind my head, I had a metallic taste in my mouth and my vision had gone blurry. I sunk to the floor. The last thing I remember before the darkness overtaking me completely was my pants being ripped off. I knew where this was going and I was thankful for the abyss that consumed me. I awoke later, covered in blood and left on the floor where I had been thrown initially. I rubbed my head, a gash in the back still. If I had not been forced to wear the silver jewelry, I would have healed within two minutes and killed Beta John in one. I may be a princess but my family still belonged to one of the oldest werewolf bloodlines to have existed. It was rumored that we were even related to the first werewolf ever. So when the Black Blood Pack came and wiped out our entire pack it was a really big deal. The other packs across the country fell under their reign more or less. Except one. There was one pack, towards the US Canada border that refused to concede. Alpha Ross expressed his frustrations by beating the living hell from me when he pleased himself, or sending Beta John to do it. I guess it just depended on how lazy he was feeling that day. I had heard Alpha Ross practically yelling about that pack and how he was not afraid to “...put Alpha James in a hole in the ground” I shivered. I hoped for his packs sake, Alpha James would surrender and not face the same fate as my family and father. I pushed the memory to the back of my mind, collected the laundry and trudged up the stairs. I put everyone’s clothes where they needed to go and went back to my room. I grabbed the only other pair of clothes I owned, my wash cloth and wash bucket and headed outside. Once out the backdoor I went over to the spigot. It was a brisk fall day, at about 50 degrees so I wanted to wash myself quick. Shivering I dumped a bowl of water over my body and began rigorously scrubbing. After a quick two minute scrub down I went back inside to start dinner. It was while I was leaving the kitchen quietly I heard another pack member whisper to another, “That arrogant prick of an alpha from the Crimson Wave Pack will be here in two days to talk to Alpha Ross about surrendering and agreeing to terms in order to save his pack.” I breathed a sigh of relief. The wolf heard me and whipped her head in my direction. “You eavesdropping b***h! Get out of here!” and with the last word she back handed me so hard I felt a tooth come loose as I fell to the floor. Laughs erupted from other pack members and I scurried away, the metallic taste returning to my mouth. The next two days were a whirlwind of insanity. These were the only two days in my four years of being here that everyone was to busy to seek me out and attack me. Even Beta John had no time for his usual antics and I was more than relieved of that. I had finally gotten the dinner spread situated when a knock rang out at the front door. I hurried to go answer the door before Alpha Ross could scream in my head to go do so. When I opened the door to, was the tallest, prettiest man I had ever laid eyes on. He was easily 6’9 with dark brown hair and an olive complexion, and piercing blue eyes. He could have been a Calvin Klein model. He was built like a Greek God, veins and muscles rippling under his skin. He smelled wonderful, I felt weirdly drawn to him, I noticed my hand was extending out to touch him. I cut myself short, shook my head and looked at who was clearly Alpha James, alpha of the Crimson Wave Pack. I did not want to anger him like I angered Alpha Ross by just existing. My eyes shot to the floor, I mumbled an apology but when there was no response, no movement at all, I decided to steal a peek at this gorgeous Alpha. What I saw was not what I was expecting. His eyes were dark, almost entirely black, his hands twitching. Claws and human hands fighting for control and there was a look there I couldn’t quite pinpoint. It almost looked like…desire? I had little time to finish my thought because I hear a guttural growl emanate itself from his chest and he roared “MINE.” I stared in shock. Didn’t both people usually feel the mate bond when it happened? Why was I unable to feel the connection? Is that why he smelled so strangely good to me? I gazed up in confusion. Other pack members began to pay attention to what was happening. Beta John started to head over, curiosity laced in his expression, head c****d to the side. I knew he had heard what Alpha James had said. Alphas and Betas have better hearing than the average werewolf. “What did you say?” I heard Beta John ask accusingly. My...mate? protectively pushed me behind him, my skin tingling where his hand had been a moment ago, and roared “MINE! DO NOT MAKE ME SAY IT AGAIN BETA b***h!” I almost laughed out loud. I had to turn my snort into a cough to compose myself but Alpha James caught on and a smirk graced that beautiful face of his. I could feel the anger rolling off of Beta John. If Alpha James wasn’t an entire head taller and had about forty pounds of muscle over Beta John, I think Beta John would have fought him in the entry way. Alpha Ross came storming out of the back hallway and stood in front of my mate. My handsome, gorgeous mate. I could feel the anger rolling off of him in waves and everyone in the room cowered under his presence. Everyone that is, except Alpha James. He was equally as angry and ready to fight for his mate. James POV I could feel myself being pulled to the house. My feet took each step faster and faster and my heart was pounding. How strange. I never got nervous like this. For any occasion. Ever. The door opened and my gaze fell to a petite girl who had to be the most beautiful creature I had ever laid eyes on. She had black hair that fell in loose curls to her waist, big green doe eyes, a curvy small frame with a tight ass and the perkiest t**s I had ever seen. I was hard just looking at her. MINE! I heard my wolf growl, he was threatening to take over and mark her right here, in front of everyone. It took every ounce of strength I had to keep him from taking over entirely. “MINE” except this time, it was my voice not my wolf’s. I could hear the gasps and murmurs. Obviously this beautiful little mate of mine was not treated very well here. I could tell by her scars, bruises, bags under her eyes and what was essentially rags for clothing. I felt rage boil inside me. My wolf threatened to take over again and kill this entire pack for whatever suffering they caused my beautiful little… I realize I don’t know her name and make it my current life’s mission to learn it. I’m about to introduce myself and pull her chin to look at me when I see her peek at me. No one has ever been able to look me in the eye like that. Anyone else and they’d be dead. But her, whoever my mate was, could stare into my soul and I would welcome her with open arms. She didn’t react the same way which was worrisome to me and I felt my wolf whimper when he could feel the fear radiating off of her. He was worried, as was I, that she would reject us. My heart almost broke at the thought. No. I pushed that thought aside. She was coming with us if I had to… “What did you say” I heard Beta b***h sneer. “MINE!” I roared. “DO NOT MAKE ME SAY IT AGAIN BETA BITCH.” I could feel the anger coming off in waves. I welcomed the potential fight and what would be an easy kill. But then I remembered, I had just met my mate. To let my wolf take over like that would terrify her and probably push her away forever from me. I saw Alpha Ross come out, his alpha energy radiating and bending those around him into submission. I almost laughed. What weak wolves. I didn’t feel compelled in the slightest to bow in respect or even fall to a knee like some of the weakest wolves in the room. Instead, I had to stifle a laugh. This was the powerful man who had controlled most of the country? Well, not for long, I thought to myself. “Is there a problem?” Alpha Ross interjected. “Actually” I began, “there is.” I was amused to see both the alpha and beta of this ridiculous pack visibly annoyed. They might as well be children. No poker face at all. I wanted to rip their throats from where they stood but I remained calm and collected. Giving away nothing. If Alpha Ross fought like this on an everyday basis, over throwing him and taking his pack as my own would be much easier than I was anticipating. I continued, “this little woman here is my mate.” Shock fell over Alpha Ross’ face. Terrible Poker face. “I’m sorry you found your mate in such an undesirable woman.” He grimaced. I had to really try not to make him swallow every tooth in his mouth. “It’s no issue at all to reject her,” he continued, “In fact, if you want to take out some of your frustration for being mated to such a useless woman, by taking her outback and doing what you’d like with her, I wouldn’t care in the least.” He finished flippantly. I was disgusted and floored, and my wolf had had enough. A growl ripped through my chest, I could feel my hands twitching between human hands and claws. Alpha Ross was also on the verge of shifting, ready for the challenge and what he thought would be a victory for him but I knew he’d lose his life easily against me. It was then I heard a thud and looked to see my mate unconscious on the floor. My eyes went wide with shock and I scooped her up and turned for the front door. Alpha Ross and Beta b***h had the door closed off. “You’re not leaving with our slave!” Alpha Ross spat. “I am. And you won’t be stopping me”. I started to walk towards them again but they wouldn't move. It was hard to deal with these two while cradling my unconscious mate so I thought for a second. “I’ll send you a million dollars for her and come back to sign the treaty for surrender in a month.” I watched Alpha Ross step aside and smile. “We look forward to concluding business with you within the month.” I nodded and left through the front door. My men never even made it inside. To say they were confused was an understatement. My Beta, Beta Beck explained it to the men via mental link and we went back to the cars quickly. Beck drove while I sat in the back with my new mate. She was still unconscious. I watched her chest rise and fall slowly. It took about an hour to reach the runway to my private jet to take us back to Oregon. About twenty minutes into the drive, I noticed my mate start to stir. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked around. It took a few seconds for her to realize she was in an unfamiliar area and then I saw it. The fear. It was raw, and cut me to my core. I felt my heart crack at how terrified my little mate looked. I reached for her hand but she yanked it back fast and crawled to the other side of the cab. I felt the pang of rejection stab my heart and my wolf whimpered. She looked everywhere but me. It took me another moment to realize she was literally shaking in front of me. Like a leaf actually. My mate was having a panic attack. And there seemed to be little I could to to help. When I tried, I seemed to multiply her fear and panic tenfold. My wolf howled in sorrow in my head. I hung my head in my hands and gave her as much space as possible. Eventually I heard her breathing slow as well as her heartbeat and I assumed she had fallen asleep again. Unfortunately we were only a few minutes from the runway and I had to wake her up. Dread filled me. I tentatively reached a hand out and gently shook her shoulder. “We’re here baby.”