When The Wolf Ran

Chapter 2 - Cold

Rosalie — POV

A week had passed since that horrible experience in the locker rooms. I had seen Alpha Sean and Beta Luka from afar. I had kept my head down mostly and had chosen to work on the duties far away from the pack house. I had hoped that doing this, I would minimize my interactions with both of them and it had worked.

It was my birthday tomorrow, and the pack house was already buzzing with excitement. But the excitment wasnt anout me, it was because we were expecting many visitors from other packs because our pack was hosting a singles ball.

Alphas, Betas and other ranked wolves would be coming from all over, hoping they might meet their fated mates.

Luna Celeste had hired professional party planners and entire teams to prepare everything for the evening.

Of course, we omegas wouldn't be allowed anywhere near it.

We would be confined to our rooms for the entire evening.

Zyphorah and I were working in the laundry room, and she was already making plans for how we were going to celebrate my birthday tomorrow.

Even though the pack didn't really see it as necessary to celebrate us, we omegas celebrated each other.

We had to.

“Oh, honey, eighteen is great! Who knows who you'll be mated to?”

“Come on, Zyphorah. I told you, I don't want to be mated to anyone. I believe you can live a meaningful life without being mated. Besides... husbands and pups complicate lives.”

Zyphorah laughed.

She had met her fated mate once, but he had died in a fight. I partly blamed it on the fact that omegas were never allowed to train.

He had died protecting her from a rogue.

She still spoke about him with so much love.

Zyphorah was very pretty. She was tall and skinny, with green eyes and auburn hair. She would have been a wonderful mother if she had been given the chance.

“But it's lonely,” she said. “Don't you want a pair of big, strong arms to hold you every night?”

She gave me a wink.

My cheeks immediately flamed.

“Zee, no!”

She laughed.

“It's natural! And I mean, you are almost eighteen. Mating will be the most memorable experience of your life.”

“Please, don't start,” I said softly as waves of embarrassment rolled over me.

Zyphorah had always been open with me, but she never went into too much detail.

“My girl, you are going to feel that mate bond. You won't have any control, and you will want to be mated immediately. Trust me. If I could have my Peter all over again for the first time, I would.”

I smiled sadly.

“Do you ever wish you could meet a new mate? I've heard that some wolves have second-chance mates,” I asked gently.

“Not really.”

She became quiet for a moment.

“What I had with Peter in the six months we shared together is unforgettable. Yes, he was my mate, but he truly loved me for who I was. He wanted me to be happy.”

Her eyes always twinkled whenever she spoke about him.

I wondered what it must feel like to be loved like that.

It was Friday morning, and the pack house was buzzing.

We were on laundry duty, which meant going into all the rooms, collecting the laundry, washing it, drying it, ironing it, folding it, and then returning it to the rooms where we found it.

The laundry room was huge, with rows of industrial-sized machines that seemed to run constantly.

I was knee-deep in warrior gear when Zyphorah had to go and assist some of the other omegas in the kitchen.

“I'll be back, babe,” she said in her sweet voice.

“Okay, Zee.”

Once she left, I switched on the small radio we had in the laundry room and started singing along to the familiar tune that was playing.

The radio was the only form of entertainment we omegas had in the pack.

“Mmmh, mmmh, you gonna hear me roooar, louder, louder than a lion...”

I smiled to myself.

For a few minutes, I forgot where I was.

Then suddenly, I heard a deep growl.

I practically jumped out of my skin.

“Alpha? Is anything wrong?” I turned around quickly. “I mean, can I help with anything?”

I froze.

Alpha Sean was leaning against the doorframe.

His eyes were dark, and his blond hair hung messily over his forehead.

For a moment, neither of us said anything.

I immediately remembered the locker room.

The slap.

His hands on me.

The way he had looked at me when I told him no.

My stomach twisted.

He cleared his throat.

“I just brought this down. I noticed my laundry basket wasn't in my room.”

He held a dirty jacket in his hand.

“Alpha, my apologies. I was just—”

“Shhh... Don't apologise.”

His voice was calm.

Too calm.

Somehow, he had crossed the room and was standing right in front of me.

I took a small step backwards.

He noticed.

His lips curved into a small smile.

He took the dirty jacket from his hands and dropped it onto the floor between us.

I stared at it.

Then I quickly bent down and picked it up.

I didn't like the way he was looking at me.

There was something in his eyes that made me feel like I was his prey and he was simply waiting for the right moment to pounce.

“What is your name, little omega?”

“Rosalie, Alpha. Rosalie Winters.”

I kept my eyes down.

“Rosalie Winters.”

He repeated my name slowly, as if he wanted to remember it.

“Okay, Rosalie Winters. Look after yourself.”

I swallowed.

He stepped closer.

“You're almost eighteen...”

My fingers tightened around the jacket.

“And I promise you, you and I are going to have a lot of fun.”

My heart started pounding.

He walked towards the door.

For a moment, I thought he was leaving.

Then he stopped.

He turned around and looked at me.

There was something cold in his eyes.

A warning.

Then he walked away.

I stood there frozen, listening to his footsteps disappear down the corridor.

I knew instinctively what he meant.

He was threatening me.

He hadn't forgotten what happened in the locker room.

And he was going to make me pay for it.

---

After a long day of work, I finally stumbled into my room.

I was exhausted and grateful that I didn't have to work tomorrow due to the ball.

I thought about my birthday...I should have been excited.

Instead, I couldn't stop thinking about Alpha Sean.

I decided I was going to stay in and read. I had gotten a book from the pack library, and I was excited to start it.

It was one of the few things that could make me forget about everything else.

I showered and climbed into bed wearing some old plaid pyjamas that I had gotten from the charity pile.

That's how omegas got clothes in this pack.

We took what we were given and were grateful for whatever little we had.

I opened my book, but I couldn't concentrate.

Every time I looked at the page, I saw Sean's face.

I eventually closed the book and placed it beside me.

As I slowly drifted off to sleep, I couldn't help but think about him.

My heart rate picked up.

I pulled the blankets closer around myself.

I wouldn't allow him to hurt me again.

I would fight.

I would run.

I would do whatever it took.

I would rather die than let Alpha Sean take away the last bit of freedom I had left.