Slave to the Alpha

Chapter 5

*Ciara's pov*

It had been a few days since the events that took place between Neil, Jayson and I. They had left me alone and for that, I was thankful. They would still look at me with lust in their eyes, which made my stomach turn. The night I was brought up to Neil's bedroom, is one I would never forget. Neil and Jayson looked so proud of themselves when inside I was screaming. I had tried to push the thoughts from my mind but they always found a way to creep back.

On this particular morning, the nightmares were increasingly bad. Jayson had his hands tightly wrapped around my neck and was squeezing. I was fighting against him to the best of my ability, but failing horribly. He had me pinned against the wall of the kitchen. His fingers grazed over my sensitive area, as he squeezed tighter. I was coming to the part of the dream when Jayson would slam his fingers inside me. It was around this time I would wake up gasping for air. Today was no different, I turned to look at the clock on the floor. It was officially my eighteenth birthday. I sat up in bed, I knew that my birthday didn't matter to anyone else but today was the first day the thought of freedom really became a reality. I quickly got dressed and headed downstairs to the kitchen. It was five o'clock in the morning, I wanted to have breakfast taken care of before Jayson and his crew were back from training.

It took me an hour to get everything ready. They were having a buffet-style breakfast so I didn't personally need to serve them. I made sure everything was set up in the dining area. Once it was perfect. I made myself scarce. I headed back up to my room, tonight I would be able to shift for the first time, I would be able to communicate with my wolf, but most importantly I would be able to find my mate, the person who would save me from the living hell I was in. I knew this was a big deal. I have heard stories of first shifts being extremely painful. Even the most experienced warriors feel the bone-crushing pain, or at least that's what I've always been told. I let myself into my broom closet of a bedroom and closed the door behind me. I knew that my room was the only one on this floor with no lock on it, Jayson kept it that way so that he could always access me when he needed to.

Once in my room, I climbed up onto my bed, there was only a small window for me to look out, but at least it was something. I stared out of the window, looking into the woods, soon I would be able to run free, feel the wind in my fur, I was excited about this. I had always hoped my dad would be the one to teach me how to shift. He and I were very close, he was my best friend in the world. The day he was killed, I was devastated. I knew my father was unhappy about the way we omega's were treated. He believed we should at least be allowed to train, to learn to fight and defend ourselves. He spoke out against the Alpha, Jayson's father and was killed on the spot. Jayson's father had no patience for unruly omega's, we were at the bottom of the pecking order in his eyes. I didn't realize I had started crying until I felt the hot liquid run down my cheek. I quickly wiped the tears away, today was a happy day, today was the first day on my road to freedom.

Thankfully nobody needed me for most of the day, I was able to actually take a dream-free nap. I looked out my window again, it was dusk. The sky wasn't dark, but it had an orangish-red tinge to it. I got up and headed for the door. I wanted to make it to the edge of the woods, in the little clearing but far enough away from the packhouse that I won't be seen before I shift. Once out in the hall, I made sure the coast was clear before hurrying down the steps. I made it to the bottom floor without being seen, and soon enough I was outside. The warm air hit my face as I began to sprint across the yard. I wasn't fast by any means, faster than most humans but not nearly as fast as my kind.

I got to the clearing and made sure that the coast was clear before stripping off all of my clothing so that It wouldn't be destroyed during my shift. I crouched down so that I was on my hands and feet, I didn't want the force of my bones detaching and elongating to force me to the ground. I said a silent prayer to the Moon Goddess praying for a painless shift, and that my mate was someone who would want and accept me. Closing my eyes I focused on the task at hand. I didn't know how long a shift would take, I started to feel itchy all over. I looked down and I could see chocolate brown fur slowly replacing my skin.

Then I hear the tell-tale sound, the first pop and crack. I wanted to scream as my bones shifted and grew before putting themselves back in place. I was glad I had been lower to the ground, the pure force of that would have knocked me over. I felt myself floating like I was a cloud, a bypasser in my own head. Then, I heard her. "Hello Ciara," the female voice said to me. This must be my wolf. "Hello" I replied, unsure of what else to say, I didn't even know her name. "I am Sierra, it's a pleasure to finally be able to speak with you," she said in a warm tone. "Want to go for a run Sierra?" I asked. She immediately took off running towards the forest.

Sierra jumped over logs and dodged the trees like a pro, she would chase the woodland creatures around and finally, I was able to feel the wind rushing through my fur. It was exhilarating, it was freeing. We came to a small stream in the woods. Sierra looked down into the water and I was able to see just what we looked like. The dark chocolate brown fur was paired with a pair of deep blue eyes. I was a solid colour, and my fur was a little longer. "You are beautiful Sierra," I said to her. "Thank you, Ciara," she said happily.

We spent a few more hours running through the forest that concealed our borders making sure never to cross them. Finally, after we were both depleted of all of our energy. Sierra headed back to the clearing where I had left my belongings. The shift back wasn't nearly as painful but it still hurt. I wondered if I would ever get used to this. I slowly got dressed, I didn't want to go back to the packhouse just yet but I didn't know where else to go. I had already been running around the forest for hours. I sighed, heading back to the packhouse. I decided I would lock myself away in my room for the rest of the evening. I slowly crossed the grass, Sierra was starting to prance around in my mind. The closer we got to the house the more rambunctious she became. I started to smell something, like freshly ground coffee beans. I picked up the pace, not quite running but more like speed walking. The smell was getting stronger. I followed my nose and it led me right to the back door of the packhouse. "Mate, Mate" Sierra called from my mind. Sierra was positive that our mate was inside. I took a deep breath, the smell of coffee was strong, like someone had just ground the beans. It was aromatic and fragrant. I couldn't get enough of that smell. I opened the door, silently creeping through it. The smell was definitely coming from this floor. Thankfully all pack members were permitted to use the main level of the packhouse for whatever they wanted. There was an entertainment room near the front that had all sorts of video game systems, large television and a pool table.

I weaved through the back entrance, making my way through the kitchen. The smell was getting stronger and stronger, it felt like something was pulling me through the house. Sierra was howling by this point, she was more excited than I was to find our mate. I walked down a long hallway, the rooms off of it were office rooms. The doors to the entertainment room were closed, but I knew the smell was coming from inside. "Mate, he's in there" Sierra howled. I put my hand on the door handle and took a deep breath, this was it. I prayed he would accept me. I slowly opened the door and took a step into the room. There were pack members playing pool, not ones I recognized, none of them seemed to turn their attention to me. I took another step or two into the room. A group of guys were playing video games. I recognized a few, not to know them by name but I have seen them around before. They were standing around the couch as gunshots blasted from the tv. Suddenly the game went quiet. I froze in place, the smell of coffee was overwhelmingly strong. Sierra was driving me crazy with her howling. The guys standing behind the couch turned to look at me, with complete shock on their faces. I didn't know what to expect now. I heard a low growl coming from behind them. I took a few more steps in the direction of the smell. It wasn't until he stood up that my heart shattered. I couldn't understand how the Moon Goddess could be so cruel. Sierra was prancing around happily, wanting her mate to claim her, I wanted anything but. He quickly crossed the room, grabbing me and pinning me to a nearby wall. I closed my eyes, I didn't want to see this. Sierra was purring in delight as our mate inhaled our scent. "Open your eyes" he commanded. I took a deep breath, expecting him to reject me on the spot. When I opened my eyes, I was met with the hazelnut orbs of my Alpha Jayson Adams.

I blinked in disbelief, there must have been some mistake. My mate was supposed to save me, to take me away from this nightmare, not be the one in charge of it. Jayson stared into my eyes, and an evil smirk crossed his face. I knew Jayson would reject me, he would keep me here for all eternity. Jayson opened his mouth to speak. I braced myself against the wall, expected to feel the shattering blow of rejection. Instead, Jayson straightened up, his eyes never leaving mine. My breath hitched in my chest as I awaited the words that have been told to kill wolves far stronger than myself. "Go to your room Ciara" he commanded before turning around and walking back over to the couch with his friends. I saw him whisper something to Neil before they turned the video game back on.

I was dumbfounded, I was sure Jayson was going to reject me. He could have humiliated me in front of everyone by simply rejecting me. Why didn't he? I pulled myself from the wall and walked in a daze back upstairs. Closing the door to my room, I replayed the events that had just taken place inside my head trying hard to piece them together. "Where's our mate?" Sierra asked me. I sighed, I would have to explain this to her and hope that she would be okay.

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*Jayson's pov*

I had just sent Ciara away and walked back over to the couch. All eyes were on me but I didn't care. My wolf Cyrus was howling in my head, he wanted us to go to our mate, to mark her and claim her as ours. I had no intention of marking Ciara and making her our luna. Neil was sitting beside me with a quizzical look on his face. "All part of my plan," I said to him over a mind link. He nodded and we went back to playing the game on the television.

After a few more rounds we called it a night. Most of the guys dispersed, Neil was the last person to stay sitting. "So Ciara's your mate huh?" he asked, surprised by the revelation of the evening. "Guess so, now she'll never be able to leave. '' I replied, the same devilish grin on my face. "Why didn't you just reject her?" Neil asked me honestly. "This is more fun," I said, being frank. It was the truth, watching Ciara squirm was always enjoyable but now, now we had the mate bond to contend with. Cole came strolling into the room, beautiful women on his arm. Lucy was Cole's plaything, they weren't mates and they weren't dating, they just casually slept together. She had golden colour highlights in her brown hair. Greenish hazel eyes, she was pretty and had high cheekbones. There was no denying she was a beautiful girl.

Cole wasn't a man w***e like Neil so while they may not be anything more than friends with benefits, Lucy was the only she-wolf Cole was sleeping with.

"What did I miss?" Cole asked, his arm wrapped over Lucy's shoulder, her's was wrapped around his back. "Not much, played some video games, Jayson found his mate, you know the usual" Neil said casually. Cole gave me a weird expression but I waved him off. The pack wouldn't care that Ciara was my mate, they knew she was my property so no one would bat an eye. Still giving me a sideways look, Cole said good night and led Lucy upstairs, leaving Neil and I alone once again. We all knew they weren't going to be sleeping anytime soon.

I decided to turn in for the night as well, not that I was overly tired but I needed time by myself, time to process and get Cyrus under control. I headed upstairs to my room. As I started to climb the stairs, the smell of freshly cut flowers hit my nostrils and my mouth began to water. I knew the smell I was smelling was Ciara's scent. I had sent her upstairs a while ago and yet still freshly cut flowers were all I could smell. As I neared the top floor the scent got stronger until I was standing in front of Ciara's door struggling to breathe a normal breath. I inhaled once more deeply taking in the mouth-watering smell before disappearing down the hall to my own room. I quickly unlocked the door and let myself in, I needed to get away from Ciara's scent and figure out my next move. I knew I didn't want to make Ciara my Luna, she was weak, she was my property not someone who is my equal.

I stripped down to my boxers and laid on my bed. I could still smell Ciara and it was driving my wolf crazy. He wanted to mate with her right then and there. I, on the other hand, had come up with another idea. There was a she-wolf in the pack named Tasha. Tasha got around so it wouldn't take too much to get her to agree to sleep with me, maybe I would take her as a mistress. These are the thoughts that crossed my mind as I laid in my bed waiting for sleep to come.