1. Valeria: Meeting Alpha Devon

“It's going to be okay, honey. You're going to like it here.”

I turned my head to stare out the window again.

The only family I have left in this world. But, she wanted to throw me away. She always just assumed that I'd like it where ever she decided to dump me.

This time I said nothing because there was no use in arguing.

I'm what you would call a rarity in their world. I was born fully human which meant that I had no genes whatsoever that hinted at my heritage. It was the reason why I had no friends and why I was treated like a stranger in my own pack, but it had worsened when my parents died. People were afraid to include me in their daily activities—not that I'd ever be able to keep up on their pack runs.

I guess that's why my aunt wanted to throw me away. She was tired of taking care of me at the expense of her normal life.. She wanted me to mate before my eighteenth birthday. So now, she just needs to find a pack and leave me behind.

“The Alphas are looking forward to meeting you,” she said softly.

This was the first time I heard of two Alphas leading one pack. In my vision, alphas were possessive and territorial. They could barely stand to be in the same room for more than an hour. Aunt explained during the flight—they once led their own packs, but the two packs merged due to some troubles which were unknown to other packs. Besides, they discovered that they were stronger together.

Why would they want to accept a weak human being?

The flashing light that caught my eye stole my thoughts away. The house in front of us was decorated with different colored lights that shone brightly. Some flickered on and off and others changed color every few minutes. The house itself was just as impressive as the lights. It looked like an old

farmhouse with a big wrap-around porch. Everything in the front yard was covered in snow.

“You will certainly have a beautiful Christmas here.” my aunt muttered, as she parked the car next to a black pick-up truck.

I swallowed and silently slid out of the car after her. The sound the snow made under my boots as I walked made me wince, I hated it. I hated the cold too. I couldn’t change my body temperature like most of the wolves could do. The cold was already starting to seep into my bones, making me wish that I had chosen a thicker jacket to wear. My eyes darted around as I waited for my aunt to finish locking the car.

Tall trees surrounded the house and it seemed to go on for miles and miles. My eyes snapped to the right when I saw movement from the corner of my eyes. A whimper fell from my lips as my eyes landed on the big wolf watching us. It shook out its fur and then took a step closer. I stumbled backward and hit the ground hard.

“Why do you have to be so clumsy, girl?” I told you, don't ruin this.” Aunt's voice. She pulled me up quickly.

She started tugging me towards the steps. I glanced back over my shoulder. The wolf was still standing there, watching us—or rather me. It looked like his eyes were focused on me more specifically. When we reached the steps, it turned and disappeared into the woods. This was the first time I saw someone in shifted form. Were they supposed to be that big?

“A-Aunt?”

“Shut up!” she snapped, spinning me around to face me. “You keep quiet. Head down and don't speak unless you're spoken to. This is the last pack willing to take you in for a few weeks. They haven’t decided if they’d make you a part of their pack just yet. You better be on your best behavior or . . .”

My lips parted, but whatever I was about to say was forgotten when the front door swung open. My aunt spun and greeted whoever answered.

I kept my eyes focused on my shoes as she tugged me behind her.

“Alpha,” she breathed. “Thank you so much for granting us permission to visit.”

“It is no trouble. I have to admit that I'm a little curious about the human amongst us.”

Shivers raced down my spine as his gruff voice reached my ears. I glanced at my aunt from the corner of my eyes to see her bowed slightly with her head tilted to the side. I knew it was a sign of submission. This Alpha was powerful, I could feel it. But unlike her, the urge to bow down to him wasn't there. Something else was urging me to look up.

The moment I glanced up, my eyes locked with icy blue ones. I internally flinched, but I couldn't look away. His eyes narrowed and then slowly dropped to trail over me. I studied him just as he studied me.

His black hair was messy. He had high cheekbones and a slightly crooked nose with soft pink lips. My eyes dropped to the black t-shirt that was stretched tight over broad shoulders. His skin had a golden tan—something that all wolves had in common.

I wonder if he had any tan-lines. Heat flooded my cheeks. I've never wanted to see anyone naked as badly as I wanted to get a glimpse of more of his skin. My eyes lingered on his lips when he licked them. They parted a second later to reveal lethal-looking fangs. My heartbeat increased as fear washed through me. Was he going to kill me for looking him in the eyes? Movement from behind him drew my attention.

“Shit,” the man cursed, freezing in place when his eyes locked with mine. “Holy hell.”

My eyes instantly lowered back to the floor as heat flooded my cheeks. It wasn't the usual reaction I got when someone saw my eyes, but it was close enough. A low growl filled the room.

“Take a seat, Geraldine.”

“Thank you, Alpha, but unfortunately I can't stay.”

“You're not staying to make sure your niece has settled in?”

“I have a prior engagement. I ask your forgiveness. I'll call later tonight to make sure that she's okay.”

“Of course.” The chair creaked. “Moon will show you out.”

She gave my arm another tight squeeze before letting go. The hug she gave me was a formality and one I didn't feel like returning. I watched her until she disappeared.

My eyes darted around the room. Like outside, it was decorated in Christmas ornaments but there weren’t a lot of lights in here.

“Take a seat,” the Alpha ordered.

I glanced at him and then the couch across from him. Hesitation filled me. Was this one of his tests? I nibbled my lip as I slowly moved closer. My body trembled. I had to make the right decisions here or I'd spent the rest of my stay paying for it.

“Sit on the couch.”

I slowly sank down on the floor instead. A low growl filled the room, making me flinch. The chair creaked again and a second later black boots appeared in my line of vision. I gasped when two big hands wrapped around my upper arms. In the next second, I was lifted off the floor. A whimper fell from my lips, and my eyes fluttered closed as I waited for the punishment.

“Look at me.”

My eyes slowly opened and locked with his. They widened when I realized our faces were level and only inches apart. His narrowed gaze locked with mine.

“Are you trying to piss me off, sweetheart?” I fanatically shook my head. “Why did you sit on the floor then?”

I swallowed and then licked my lips. His eyes dropped to my mouth for a second before snapping up to mine again.

“The other packs . . .” I trailed off.

“You're in our pack now. Do you understand?”

“Y-yes, sir.”

His eyes flashed black before returning to the icy blue. My stomach tightened, but not in fear. Colour flooded my cheeks when sudden heat flashed through me. For some reason, I had the strong urge to wrap my legs around his hips—an urge that was too hard to resist.

His eyes widened in surprise.

The air around us changed. His body tensed and his hold on my arms tightened slightly. A low growl made his chest vibrate against mine, causing wetness to flood my panties. His hand slipped from my arm to wrap around my waist and his other hand slid down to grip my hip.

“David said you had quite a fall outside. Did you get hurt?”

I had to swallow a few times to find my voice. “It only hurt for a little while.”

“Alpha—” The man jerked to a stop. “My apologies.” He bowed his head. “Where shall I put her bags?”

“The purple room.”

“Right away.”

He was already watching me when I turned to look at him again. My eyes dropped to his lips when he smiled. “We're going to make sure that you're happy in our pack, little dove.”