New Start?

I hit the forest clearing, and the Packhouse came into view. The feeling of dread overwhelmed me, making me stop in my tracks. The beautiful 3-story home's walls mask the torcher I endured for years behind them. Laughter pulls my attention to the lawn where large groups of people gather and say goodbye to Alpha Charlie, Vanessa, and Craig before they head home to their packs. I catch a glimpse of Alpha Stone in one group of men.

Aries... the voice reminds me.

Nope, I am not calling him that, and I need to turn around and get out of here. I will have a better chance of surviving longer as a rouge than if I go with them. I say back

"If you pull this again, I will not be as nice next time." His voice rings in my head.

Almost as if he could hear my thoughts, he looks my way, the stern look even harsher as Alpha Charlie seems to be trying to negotiate with him. He shakes his head at me, then at Charlie, dismissing him before walking away. I lose sight of him as he disappears into the crowd.

Taking a deep breath, I force my legs to push me forward and walk toward the house. I am almost past the lawn when Vanessa and her followers meet me.

"Look...the mutt made its way home." she wines mockingly

Her groupies laugh at her poor joke.

I want to rip her throat out! The voice in my head growls.

Vanessa snaps her fingers, and one of the girls rips the backpack off my shoulder. Unzipping it, she dumps what little I had in there on the ground and proceeds to grind it into the dirt.

I lunge to stop her, but another grabs me by the shoulders and pulls me back, forcing me to watch as they dance on my belongings. Vannessa grabbed my bag from the girl and looked inside to ensure that It was completely empty. She dives her hand in and pulls out my necklace. She twirls it in her hand and steps toward me. The smirk on her face has my stomach sinking. She pulls tight on the chain, and I can see the metal trying to give way.

"Stop...please," I beg.

That just makes her pull harder, and her smirk turns into a full grin.

"Or what?!" she hisses

I open my mouth to reply, but I am cut off.

"Or I take you out to the woods and deal with you myself," a husky voice states.

The girl behind me releases my shoulders, steps away, and bows her head respectfully. The other two do the same. Vanessa and this man stare at each other before she releases the necklace and bows in respect.

"Gather your things; we are leaving," he states, not taking his eyes off Venessa.

I stare back at him...he is a tall man, almost as tall as Alpha Stone.

Who is this guy?

He must have noticed that I hadn't moved and looked at me. He raised an eyebrow and motioned his head towards my things on the ground before looking back at the group. I quickly gather my things and shove them back into my bag. Then, I walk over to Vanessa and bend down to grab my necklace. A growl escapes her lips, causing me to flinch a little before standing up and walking toward the man.

His glare intensified at Vanessa before turning and walking towards the front of the Packhouse. I follow behind him until he stops, and I dodge out of the way to keep from running into him.

"Thank you, Derrick," Alpha Stone says.

The man known as derrick nods his head and walks away to the driver's side of a black town car, and gets in. Alpha Stone is standing in front of the open rear door to the car. He locks eyes with me, clenching his jaw. He takes a deep breath before motioning me to get in. I hesitate for a second, the worries of what if flooding my mind. Then, a hand rest's on my lower back, giving me a nudge towards the car. I look up to see him looking down at me with the softness I saw in the forest. But as quickly as I saw it, it was gone.

I duck my head and slide into the car, moving over to the other side of the bench seat to make room for him to get in. He quickly slides in next to me, his large body making the car feel much smaller than before, his leg almost touching mine. The electricity pulling me closer, I have to fight the urge to let them connect. Instead, the overly stern look on his face has me turning to push my legs against the car door so that I won't be tempted.

I definitely don't what to piss him off.

The car comes to life and pulls out of the driveway. The Packhouse taunts me one last time as we drive off. Relief washes over me as I see Vanessa and Craig getting further away.

Am I getting the new start I have always wanted? Or am I just being lured into another trap?