Ivory

ONE*

Marguerite

I hadn't stopped running for what felt like weeks, but it was probably only a few day. Maybe four. Possibly five. I really didn't know and hadn't cared enough to count the days. All I knew was that I was far away. I knew that I was no longer Marguerite Trenton.

But then who was I?

"Who cares? You're free, we're running and you just ran from our mate," my wolf said to me. I could tell she was still snippy about the whole mate thing, but I don't care. Brettly couldn't be my mate. I refuse to believe that.

I don't care what fate says, I don't care what my wolf is telling me, I refuse to mate with Brettly Owens!

Along the way I stopped occasionally to eat and drink and I rarely slept for more than half an hour. It was as much as I could get before I began to get paranoid and start running again. I was hell bent on them not finding me and if I had anything to do with it they will never see me again.

After a few more hours of running I decided that it was time to stop. I hadn't cared enough to pay attention to how much time had passed, so there was no telling if my old pack was out looking for me, or how close they were to me. I came across a clearing with a large patch of sun; I suddenly became incredibly tired just looking at it. After days without sleep I think I deserved a good little nap.

I shifted and slowly curled into a ball under the sun. The natural light warming my back and lulling me to sleep with my bag cradling my head. Within a few deep breaths I was fast asleep, without being beaten or verbally abused beforehand. I couldn't remember the last time that had happened.

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When I opened my eyes I was somewhere unfamiliar. I couldn't remember anything from before now, obviously I had fallen asleep but how the hell could I have gotten into here.

Three of the walls were concrete and the other was made of metal bars, possibly copper. Maybe even silver. That would be cruel if they were silver, but it would be a good way to keep me in. The flooring was the same concrete as the walls. A mattress was placed in the far corner and for whatever reason they had placed me on the freezing stone floor. It'll be their fault if I get a cold.

I groaned as I sat up. My muscles were sore and my neck felt like it was at an odd angle. And this weird thing was happening with my left eye, it was only opening half way. It wasn't swollen just a little crusty. What the hell?

Taking in my surrounding again, I saw a bottle of water resting against my side of the bars. It had to be trick. I wasn't at my dungeon at home and from what I've heard no other pack has been particularly nice to their captives. This place was far too clean and scented to be my pack dungeon. So where the hell was I?

As cautiously as I could I crawled towards the bars and looked around as best I could. The hall was dark but there were lights attached to the walls every six feet. As far as I could see there was no one there apart from me, not that I could see any of the other cells. But I couldn't smell anyone else so that was a good sign that I was alone.

Why couldn't I remember anything? I hadn't hit my head, I didn't have any new cuts of bruises. So what was it?

Suddenly I smelt someone. They weren't familiar and they were obviously not from my pack. A few seconds later someone was standing in front of me. He was tall and muscular, with dark hair and matching eyes. There was a certain air around him, not strong like an Alpha but more of a beta. His dark eyes bore into the top of my head as I crouched low behind the bars, I didn't look him in the eyes but kept them downcast instead. Even for an Alpha's daughter I knew that I had to be submissive to them. I was in their territory and I would probably die if I was being disrespectful towards them.