Mated To The Beastly Alpha

With each second that passed, the unease that held Nicole hostage dissipated until she was able to relax. Dark Moon's Packhouse was the most glorious place she had ever set foot in. Her room was even more awesome.

closet.

When Asha led her into the large room that was now hers, she stood in bewilderment. There was no way the classy, chic-themed room was hers. Asha gave her a side eye before drawing her in and showing her to her luggage which had been properly placed in the "Oh, my goodness. It's three times larger than my old room," Nicole gasped on seeing the stylish closet.

She barely noticed Asha, who was staring at her like she had gone nuts. Fear gripped Nicole at once. She began to question Liam's motives.

"Don't beat yourself too much, Alpha Liam has always been very generous to his ladies and it seems that you're his latest new toy. Don't worry, it'll phase out soon and if this is too much for you, you can go back to living a normal life," Asha said, and Nichole's brow curved.

"Latest new toy?" Nicole blurted out and began pacing.

There was a connection. No, a severe attraction between her body and Alpha Liam, but toy? No, it couldn't be. Her guts told her that he brought her for revenge on Shane and something else, something that she was yet to decipher. Even with all that, it didn't explain why he wasn't treating her like the slave that she was.

Why was he putting her in a nice room in his pack house when he could easily place her in his servants' or Omega's quarters so she could begin to work and pay him? It was even sketchier than Shane's betrayal.

Asha sighed, "It's no big deal. Your room may be bigger and more tastefully furnished, but you should see others. Look, I don't know your story or what your deal with Alpha Liam is, but this isn't a big deal. We are very accommodating in Dark Moon and we treat people, except those who cross us, well. You're like a guest here and it's my Alpha's instructions to make sure you're well settled and comfortable."

Nicole stared wide-eyed at her, tears welling up in her eyes as the horrible experiences she had gone through in Crimson flooded her mind.

Slowly, she pushed down the negative thoughts and allowed herself to be more accepting of her current reality. Maybe life as she knew it was about to drastically change and maybe it was the good type of change.

“Come on, settle down, unpack, and rest. I'll be back to complete the rest of the tour and feed you later on." Asha said, patting her shoulder and then walking out of the room.

The moment the door slammed shut, Nicole numbly trudged out of her closet and fell on her bed. She remained on it till Asha came back about two hours later.

*****

"Wow," Asha exclaimed on seeing her, "you are the most... I dunno... you didn't even freshen up."

Nicole sat up guiltily, how was she supposed to explain her former predicament to the young female werewolf before her? There was no way to tell her that she was still bewildered. Everything was still like some sort of dream.

Just a few hours ago, the man who was supposed to protect and defend her for life sold her off. She had also discovered that he wasn't even her true mate. She had mistaken the connection from the pack bond as a mate bond and Shane had used her while he disrespected and bullied her.

And now she was being introduced into a new pack where, instead of the hostility she was expecting, she got warmth, so she was yet to understand why Alpha Liam had brought her there. It was too much. Too much for anyone to process.

"You wouldn't understand," she sighed, dragging herself up, "just give me a few minutes to freshen up."

Nicole trudged to the closet, picked out the first outfit she set her hands on, and went into the bathroom. As promised, she didn't spend much time in the bathroom. When she was done, they set out again.

This time around, they toured the pack's ground. Asha showed her the monuments and utility buildings and gave her information about the Dark Moon. They finished around dinner time and Asha returned her to the Packhouse.

Nicole found herself growing more nervous with each passing moment. The pack members she had encountered on her tour were either nice, hospitable, or disinterested. It was too much. She had grown used to the discrimination she had received in Crimson, so she felt like a fish out of water.

"So will I be put to work tomorrow?" She asked Asha as they neared the Packhouse.

Asha shrugged, "That's something you'll have to figure out with Alpha Liam yourself. I have no hand in that. My duty is to help you get accustomed to the area and that does it."

"Yes, and that's exactly what she's doing. Right, Asha?"

Nicole jumped and spun around in the direction of Liam's penetrating baritone voice. Her heart threatened to break out of her chest as she wondered where he had appeared from. Her hands flew to her chest and she bit back a scream.

"Y-yes Alpha," Asha stuttered, bowing her head. From the periphery of her vision, she saw that even Asha was struck with terror.

Liam smirked, "Wonderful as always. Thank you, Asha, you can leave us. I heard dinner is being served." He said, grabbing Nicole's arms.

Asha bowed and then scurried away. Leaving Nicole, who was struck with anxiety and anticipation.

Nicole could hear her heart thumping vigorously in her chest as he pulled her along and away from the pack house. They continued walking until they were on the outskirts of Dark Moon's impressive forests where he pressed her body against a tree while holding and dipping his nostrils into the base of her shoulders and sniffing in her scent.

He growled onto her neck, causing Nicole's body to vibrate and goosebumps to appear on her skin. Nicole gulped, there were a thousand things she didn't understand about Alpha Liam, and the one that bothered her the most was his reason for handpicking her. The werewolves who witnessed what happened at Crimson would have concluded that it was a show of power, but she knew better. It was more than that, but she didn't know his particular reason for removing her from Crimson.

"You should be groveling at my feet and singing my praises, not thinking about puzzles you cannot solve," Liam growled and stepped away.

Nicole released a breath and folded her arms, "You will not be telling me what to do with my mind," She spat, although her voice trembled.

Liam raised a brow at her, "But you let him dictate to you, didn't you? Tell me, what freedom did he allow you to have as his proxy Luna," he gritted out.

Nicole swallowed. Her body and her wolf sought to do to him what he had just done to her. There was an urgent need to inhale his scent and fill herself with it. But his mocking words pierced her, it reminded her of how she had been betrayed and how her life, as she knew it, had been destroyed in less than 24 hours.

She hadn't thought of it since she arrived at Dark Moon, but she had yet to reconcile the fact that Shane wasn't her true mate.

"Don't," Liam snarled, his eyes burning with anger and something that resembled desire.

Nicole breathed heavily and began rocking herself with her arms to hold back the tears that glistened in her eyes.

"Don't you dare think about that worthless bastard," Liam growled, pushing her back onto the tree, "I f*****g saved your a*s? Don't tell me you've developed Stockholm syndrome."

Something in Nicole snapped and the emotions she had been trying to keep in check burst out, "Why am I here? What did you save me from? My mate? Or my life?"

Liam's eyes flashed from blue to gold, "He's not your mate!" He growled, his voice dripping with the dominance that caused tremors to overtake her body.

The effect of his power on her was sensational. It held her in place and commanded her to believe the alpha. Her wolf gladly obliged. It enjoyed the thrilling feeling of Liam's voice. Liam's dominance commanded Nicole to keep quiet and not dispute him, but she fought it. She was more curious as to why she was at Dark Moon in the first place.

"W-what do you want from me?" She gritted out, taking deep breaths as she struggled to pronounce each syllable.

Liam's eyes changed back to their normal state and he immediately stepped back.

"You should be more concerned with gratitude, Nicole. Not asking me stupid questions."

"What do you want?" Nicole screeched, "It's obvious that I don't belong here. You don't place me with your servants and yet you don't hold me in any regard."

Liam smirked and folded his arms, "He messed you up and you're yet to see it. When you get to understand the ways of Dark Moon, you'll see how cruel he was. For now, enjoy your peace and freedom. When I see that you've come to terms with the truth and reality, your reason for being here will become clear," he informed her.

Nicole bared her teeth at him. She was tired of his fake sympathy. She didn't need to be reminded of what she went through at Crimson. Liam didn't know half of it, she watched him smirk smugly like he knew everything, but he had no inkling of the deep dark secrets she was going to keep to herself.

Liam raised a brow at her, "Don't be delusional Nicole, you're not special. The things you'll see and experience in my pack are normal, they are common in packs that understand the importance of equality and justice. You deluded yourself once into believing that your captor was your mate when he marked you as a pack member, so I will not put it past you to think you're of some importance because of the treatment you'll be getting here. That's silly. You're nothing, Nicole_

You'll know exactly what I want from you when you come to terms with what you are in my pack. And trust me, there's nothing noble about it. I'm even crueler than your former alpha," With that, he walked away.

"I trust you know your way back to the pack?" He said from afar, without stopping.

The moment he was out of sight, Nicole collapsed on the floor panting. She didn't know why she wasn't moved to tears. His words were bitter, but she had heard worse. At least he wasn't trying to remind her of how ugly she was or body shame her.

He was right, she wasn't special. She would never be special and he was her new master whom she was to serve.

Nicole knew this truth, but it didn't stop her from being anxious about what exactly he wanted from her.