Chapter 6

From Alessia's POV

Deep down, I thought perhaps I should be grateful that Alpha Markus had walked in. I thought he was here to help me instead. It was the opposite. Alpha Markus didn't care about what Jared did to me, and I was foolish to think that he would. He never cared about anything that didn't benefit him or Crestview. I was naive to think that perhaps, after all these years, he would have cared for me. The only people who ever cared for me were my parents, who were no longer here, and if they were, I wondered where we would be. How would our vacation have turned out?

All these thoughts ran through my head as Jared and Alpha Markus argued in the room.

"I don't give a fuck about what happened. All I care about is that you are practically killing her here." I heard Alpha Markus tell Jared.

"Alpha, I just wanted to be sure she wouldn't say anything," Jared said.

"The Beta of the Onyx Fang Pack is here. He is doing his weekly report. If he would have seen what you were doing, all the work I have done for this wretched pack would be pissed down the fucken drain. And for what? Because you can't control your ex-mate, a stupid orphan. Get your shit together, Jared, or I will make sure that your days as Beta come to an end. Do I make myself clear?" Alpha Markus said, his voice cold.

"Yes, sir," Jared replied, lowering his head in submission.

"Good. As for you," Alpha Markus said, turning toward me.

"You will be discharged today, and not a single fucken word about this or what my son and Jared did to anyone. Unless you want to end up like your parents," he said.

I nodded in agreement as tears flowed down my face. I couldn't believe how cruel they were. How could someone be this evil? This was a side of Alpha Markus I had never expected to see. I had heard rumors, but I never thought in a million years that I would be at the front for all this.

Alpha Markus and Jared left shortly after, leaving me more alone than I was before. I closed my eyes and tried to think of reasons to want to push forward, but my will to survive was telling me to give in and succumb to the cruelties of the world and let it take me.

But as much as I wanted to give in, a small piece of me kept telling me that there was light at the end of the tunnel. Call it my wolf, intuition, or the great divine, but whatever it was, it brought me out of the dark place to which I wanted to retreat.

A knock at the door brought me out of my thoughts. "Alessia," the doctor called out.

I opened my eyes and glanced at her as she approached my bedside with a clipboard.

"I am glad you are awake. I have your discharge paperwork. Your friend Jackie is on her way up and will take you home. If you have any further problems, please come back and see me." The Doctor said with a small smile on her face.

"Thank you," I said, sitting up as Jackie walked in.

Jackie had brought me a change of clothes. It turns out that Alpha Markus requested that the clothes I had when I was brought into the hospital be burned. It didn't surprise me. If I were trying not to get caught, I would get rid of anything that could implicate me. At least, that's how it was done in the movies.

"We should get going before it gets dark," Jackie said as she picked my bag up off the floor. I nodded at her and headed towards the door.

We walked along a dirt road to the far end of the western border. As long as I could remember, no one had ever lived out this way. It was far from everything and everyone. Even the pack warriors never patrolled out here. The only thing that comforted me was that this was the route I took to get to the little hill that I loved so much.

"Goddess, this place is hideous," Jackie said as she pushed open the front door.

There was a small couch in the middle of the living room. There was a musty smell that filled the air. The walls were covered with peeling wallpaper. A thick layer of dust had settled on all the surfaces. As we walked through the rest of the house, it was clear that the house had been abandoned for a long time. We cautiously looked around, unsure of what to expect. It was a strange and eerie atmosphere.

"Alessia, I don't think this is a safe place. Let me talk to Alpha Markus and Luna Helen. Maybe I can convince them to..." Jackie began to say when I cut her off.

"No, leave it alone. I-I'll be OK," I said, my voice trembling.

"You know that this area is not patrolled. You were just assaulted. You can't stay here," Jackie said with worry in her voice.

I sighed deeply. "Jackie, please don't say anything. I promise I'll be fine," I told her, but deep down, I was trying to convince myself. Jackie stared at me with a worried expression. She was about to say something when Luna Helen's voice came from the living room loudly. "Alessia," Luna Helen called out.

"Yes, Luna," I said as Jackie and I returned to the living room.

"Ahh, Jackie, you are still here, I see," Luna Helen said.

"I was just helping Alessia settle in," Jackie replied.

Luna Helen glanced around the living room, her facial expression showing a look of disgust when her eyes landed back on me. "I see you are still alive and well. I am glad," she said.

"Yes, Ma'am," I replied. I knew she didn't care about me; it was clear from what she had told the doctor that she didn't care about me or my well-being.

"Well, you should know that we have some special guests here tonight, and you are expected to work this evening, so get ready and be back at the packhouse in thirty minutes," Luna Helen said.

I nodded in agreement. I really wanted to sleep. I had no intention of working at this time. Despite my exhaustion, I knew I had no choice but to do what I was told.

"Oh, Alessia, before I forget, just so you are aware, you will also become a member of this pack tonight. Please be prepared for that," Luna Helen said as she turned and walked out.