RYLEE

The sharp knock on the door jolted me upright in bed, my heart rate spiking as anxiety crept in. I hadn't been able to sleep, but I also wasn't expecting a visitor. Especially not at 11:23PM. Cautious, I grabbed the lamp holder and made my way to the sitting room.

I flinched at the sound of another knock on the door.

Who could it be? I knew no one in town because I'd only just moved to town the previous day.

Swallowing hard, I flicked on the porch light and edged towards the front door. Cracking the door open, I peeked out of it, sucking in a sharp breath.

A man stood there. He was tall and muscular. He leaned against the doorframe like he could barely stand. He groaned, stumbling forward. A gasp escaped my lips when the metallic smell of blood hit me

His dark hair fell over his forehead, partially obscuring his face. But that wasn't what made my stomach twist.

Blood. His shirt was soaked with it.

My fingers tightened around the lamp holder. Who the hell is he? I wondered.

"Who are you?" I asked with a trembling voice.

"Let me in," he croaked and I stiffened.

Instinct screamed at me to call for help or do something other than let a bleeding, possibly dangerous stranger into my house.

I'd moved to a new town to lie low after all.

Yet, I couldn't just leave him there. He was injured and totally out of it. So, I looked around to make sure no one had followed him to my house. Convinced that the coast was clear, I helped him into my house. He was as heavy as he seemed. Once I laid him down on the floor, he passed out.

While I cleaned him up and dressed his wounds, he stirred. I brushed his damp hair away from his face and froze.

He was drop dead gorgeous. For a moment, I stared.

The man was a piece of art. His dark brows were suddenly furrowed in pain.

Just as I wrapped the last of his injury with gauze, his eyes flew open. I found myself staring at electric blue orbs. He grabbed my hand and pulled me down towards him. Then, he sniffed at the crook of my neck. I stiffened, my cheeks heating up. His grip on my hand went lax and when I pulled away, I realized that he'd passed out again.

Inhaling shakily, I placed a pillow under his head and covered him with a spare blanket. I didn't know what had happened to him but I knew it wasn't good.

Exhausted, I rose to my feet, letting out a yawn. I trudged to my bedroom and laid down on my bed. I fell asleep almost immediately.

...

The next morning, I awoke, gasping for air. My cheeks were damp with tears, my chest tight with grief. I'd dreamt of Nathan-my best friend. My mate.

The night he died played on repeat in my mind. The moment his heart stopped beating. The way his blood had painted the ground.

The way his killers had laughed.

Trembling, I curled into myself, gripping the sheets as the pain came crashing back in waves. It had been months, and yet it still felt fresh. Like the wound had never closed.

Nathan had been killed for what he knew. For trying to warn the pack.

I had told the council that the werewolves from the neighboring pack had broken the treaty. They had murdered my mate because he discovered their plan to wipe out other werewolves.

My pack, the Red River pack was close allies with the Crescent Creek Pack because they were one of the strongest and largest packs.

My pack believed that the peace treaty they had made with them was still valid. Perhaps, it was the fear of going to war with the neighbouring pack that made them accuse me of killing my mate.

Then, they exiled me.

Now, I was alone. Packless. Hated.

No werewolf pack would accept an exiled Omega like me. It's why I moved to a new town for a fresh start. I wanted to keep my status a secret, as long as possible.

I began my morning routine and went to check on the injured stranger in the sitting room. He was still unconscious. So, I placed a hand on his forehead, to check for a fever. His temperature was normal, I knew he was going to be okay.

I got dressed with the intention of going out to fish for a job.

The town was crawling with werewolves.

I felt their eyes on me the second I stepped into a coffee shop. I ignored them. But my heart pounded as I walked past their tables, sensing their whispers and scrutiny.

Do they know about my status? I wondered, paranoia clawing at my gut.

Unable to handle this uncomfortable atmosphere, I left. The same thing happened at every restaurant I visited. Wolves-watching and judging.

I gave up midday and returned home, defeated. But the moment I stepped inside, my stomach dropped.

The stranger was gone.

I stared at the empty space where he'd been, unease curling in my chest. Had he left on his own? Or had someone taken him?

I shook off the thought, deciding that it didn't matter. I'd helped him. I'd done my part.

Trying to push away the disappointment of a fruitless job hunt, I made myself a cup of consolation tea and sat by the fireplace to warm myself up. It was cold out, especially since winter had finally arrived.

I took a sip of my tea and rubbed at my chest to ease the pain that came at the thought of my situation. I haven't had time to cry and mourn over everything I'd lost. Everything has been happening too fast.

Unable to hold it back anymore, I lowered my cup of tea and broke down in tears. I was a mere Omega but I had once been loved and cared for, by my family.

There was a knock on the door of my apartment, I froze.

It came again, louder and more forceful. My blood ran cold in my veins as fear sank in.

Wiping my face with trembling hands, I forced myself to my feet.

"Breathe, Rylee."

With dread pooling in my stomach, I opened the door and as soon as I did, something hard collided with my head. My head spun and it all went black.

...

I opened my eyes and through blurry vision, I saw that I was in an unfamiliar hall. My head throbbed relentlessly.

I blinked to clear my vision and to my horror, I realized that there were so many unfamiliar people there. I could smell them. They were all werewolves. I knew I was in trouble.

"Since you're awake now, you should stand up" one of the men said.

I stumbled to my feet, the chains around my wrists and ankles weighing me down. Fear raced through my veins and I started to panic.

"We are the werewolf council of this town. Who are you? What is your business in this town?" another man said and I almost had a heart attack.

This was my nightmare coming true. I thought I'd been careful. Tears pricked my eyes as I thought about how my life had gotten to this point. I had been exiled by my pack and at the moment, I was about to be executed by another pack.

"Do we need to force you to speak?" A woman asked and I swallowed hard, my limbs trembling.

"M-my name is R-Rylee Shaw" I stammered, the tears now crawling down my cheeks.

"What is the name of your pack?" the first man who'd spoken to me said.

"Red River pack" I stammered.

"You were exiled, weren't you?" Another person asked and I swallowed hard. All I could think of was the fact that they could kill me. I parted my lips to speak, but was interrupted by loud footsteps heading towards us. Everyone turned to look at the newcomer. I couldn't look. I didn't have the courage to. My gaze remained fixed on the ground.

"Alpha Vincent. Nice of you to grace us with your presence" I heard them say.

"Who is she?" I heard a deep, unfamiliar voice say.

"She's an intruder in this town. We suspect that she'd been exiled."

I squeezed my eyes shut, my heart feeling like it was going to explode. Footsteps were drawing closer until it stopped in front of me. A man's hand cupped my jaw and roughly tilted my head backwards. I kept my eyes squeezed shut.

"Look at me" the man said. Slowly, I peeled my eyes open. Electric blue eyes stared back at me.

My eyes widened when I saw him. It was him-the injured stranger. He stared at me with a blank look on his face. If he recognized me, he didn't show it.

Realization set in within me. If the man standing in front of me was the stranger and was 'Alpha Vincent' as well, it meant that I'd brought a werewolf inside my apartment. More importantly, how was it possible that I hadn't perceived his scent?

"You were exiled?" He asked and I nodded subtly.

"I'll take her" he said and I froze.

"What? She's an exiled Omega, Vincent. She's probably unmated as well. She must have done something terrible" one of the council members said.

Alpha Vincent looked at me with

a cold look in his eyes.

"I know. That's why she'll be coming with me....as my slave"

My blood froze in my veins as fear paralyzed me.