Prologue
I ran away from home. After everything that happened with my family and the pack, I did the only thing I thought to do. I ran away from my life. When I was far away from my home and what used to be my life, I kept running.
Being a quitter was frowned upon in most packs, and mine was no exception. When my life gave a 180 turn and things became too much to handle, I decided to give up and start over elsewhere.
No one saw it coming. Everyone thought I would stick around and take everything they were throwing my way. In my heart, I knew I wouldn’t be the only one to make the decision I took if they were in my shoes.
I was the daughter of the Beta in our pack. Without a say, I was to marry the neighboring packs’ Alpha. Maybe I would have made the sacrifice for my pack, had the situation not been so twisted.
Alpha Nicolas was a thirty-five year old man. I found a problem in him being seventeen years older than me but I let it go at first. The real problem started when I met him.
The first thing he said to me was, ‘you look just like her’.
At first, it was a mystery what he meant. Later that day, the whole pack was talking about me being the replacement of Alpha Nicolas’ dead mate.
I would be a clone taking the place of his deceased mate. After I looked at her picture when she was younger, I agreed with everyone. Isabelle and I had similar features, but most of it was in his imagination. Alpha Nicolas wanted to see Isabelle in me, so that is what his mind showed him.
My union with the Alpha would bring a loyalty agreement between the two packs.
Chapter 1
Everything for the past two weeks before I left had been hectic around the pack. I was pampered and beatified every day in order to please Alpha Nicolas. Not that he cared for any of it.
He met me three weeks before, claimed he wanted me as a wife, and I was to marry him in two days. Every moment we spent together was full of caresses, compliments, and possibly the best treatment any man could give a girl.
The problem: I was aware that everything he did, every present he gave me, and his nice compliments were not for me. They were all for her, for Isabelle- his mate who had been killed by a Rogue six years ago.
It had been early in the morning when I ran away. Now, it was almost midnight. I only had with me a backpack with three changes of clothes, my valuables, and some saved money. I knew it would last me a while- at least until I settled down and found a job somewhere.
I was given everything when I was at home. Now, things were going to be a lot harder.
I tried to cover the most land that I could during the day, only stopping when absolutely necessary. I arrived at a town three states over from my pack.
There were hardly any cars on the road. If it weren’t for the street lamps and the scattered cars, the town would’ve looked deserted.
It was easy to find a hotel in the middle of town and I went inside as soon as I spotted it.
A few lamps illuminated the outside of the hotel and gave the air a mysterious look. There was light fog coating the ground. Had it not been for the gas station and a diner that seemed to be open 24 hours a day, everything would appear creepy.
I opened the hotel door to be greeted by a middle-aged lady behind the counter. The place was too small to really be considered a hotel, but it was too nice to be a motel. Outside, the air had been chilly and the contrast to how warm it was inside the hotel was noticeable.
The lady greeted me with a kind smile and motioned me over.
“Hi sweetie, how can I help you?” The lady asked, with a motherly voice. I couldn’t help but be reminded of my parents who stayed behind with the pack. Swallowing my pain, I tried offering her a smile.
“I would like a room,” I told her.
“Sure thing, dear. Most of the rooms are available, so you can pick from the first floor or the second,” she told me.
“I would like the second floor, please,” I said to her as she handed me a few papers.
“I’m going to need an identification and for you to fill out this form.”
I panicked when she asked for my ID. It was obvious I would have to give one, but I wanted to avoid leaving trace of where I’d been.
“Is there any way that I can leave some parts blank, and not have to give you my ID? This is really important,” I pleaded.
I would call more attention to myself by doing that, but I was desperate.
“Honey, are you in some sort of trouble?” The lady asked, as she took my hand and looked at me worriedly.
“I’m trying to hide from my family. My dad, he…” I couldn’t bring myself to finish that sentence.
Being married with Alpha Nicolas might not seem so bad to some, but for me, it meant giving up my life.
“Don’t finish that sentence sweetie, I understand. Just fill in the most information that you can and we’ll pretend some paperwork got lost, okay?” She smiled at me warmly, and I couldn’t help but feel grateful.
“Thank you so much. You have no idea what this means to me. I’m Leila,” I told her, offering my hand to shake.
“I’m Marie, and if you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask. This is my hotel, so I spent most of my time here. But in case you can’t find me here, this is my house number.” She handed me a business card, and wrote her number in the back.
I nodded my head and settled in one of the chairs to fill out the form.
I went to my room after assuring Mrs. Marie that I would be fine on my own.
The room was medium sized, but it had everything I needed. The queen size bed was covered in light teal sheets. There was a comfortable beige couch in front of the bed. A TV was mounted on top of a shelf, which had a combination of several magazines.
I decided to take a shower fist since I’d been running and sweating all day.
I went to bed right after my shower. Once I was lying down, my thoughts drifted towards my future. I was now a Rogue, a lone She-Wolf, and the idea was causing different emotions within me.
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