Claimed by the Alpha

I ran away from home. After everything that happened with my family and the pack, I did the only thing I thought was right: run. I left my life behind, and when I was far enough from home and everything I used to know, I just kept running. Being a quitter was frowned upon in most packs, and mine was no exception. But when my life took a complete 180 and everything became too much to handle, I made a choice: to give up and start over elsewhere. No one saw it coming. Everyone expected me to stay and endure everything being thrown my way, but deep down, I knew that if they were in my shoes, they might have made the same decision. I was the daughter of the Beta, and without having a say, I was supposed to marry the Alpha of a neighboring pack. Maybe I would have made that sacrifice for my pack if the situation hadn’t been so twisted. Alpha Nicolas was 35 years old—17 years older than me. At first, I tried to overlook that. But the real problem came when I finally met him. The first thing he said to me was, "You look just like her." At first, I had no idea what he meant. But later that day, the whole pack was talking about me being a replacement for Alpha Nicolas’ dead mate. I was meant to be a clone, a stand-in to take the place of his lost love. When I saw a picture of Isabelle from when she was younger, I realized everyone was right. We did share similar features, though most of it was probably in his imagination. Alpha Nicolas wanted to see Isabelle in me, so that’s what his mind showed him. My union with the Alpha would seal a loyalty agreement between our packs.