Darkest Before the Dawn

The Alpha

I could almost taste the tension in the air, I slowly opened my eyes and was temporarily blinded by the light. The Alpha was definitely as intimidating as his voice led on. He was tall and physically strong most likely mentally as well. I knew better than to make any fast movements, I slowly sat up my knees and rub my eyes, trying to get rid of the dirt. Meanwhile the Alpha continued to glare at me as I made myself at home. Finally, the Alpha broke the silence.

"Why are you here rogue?" He asked barely containing the growl under his breath, I gazed past where he was standing and stared upon the shiny red apple laying dirtied in the dirt. The Alpha raises an eyebrow following my eyeline and spotted the apple I had been staring at.

He looks at me cautiously before turning his back on me and walks over picking up the apple off the ground. He rubs it against the side of his jacket before tossing it at me. I catch it in both my hands, unsure of why he was giving me the apple. Though, the roar of my stomach made it hard to think of anything but the apple, I eye the Alpha as I take a big bite out of the luscious juicy red apple. I closed my eyes in heaven when the juices entered my mouth and leaped off my taste buds trailing down my throat. I take small rapid bites of the apple, finishing it in seconds eating everything including the core under the watchful eye of the Alpha. Who knew when I'd eat next?

"How old are you?" He asked this time dropping the rogue tittle and speaking in a softer tone as if trying not to be intimidating but he somehow manged it still.

"Fourteen years old sir." I told him weakly, my voice coming out as strained and coarse. My voice must've sounded like a dying cat, who's been left out in the sun to dry out. Shock struck his expressions hard; he was unable to shield his emotions from me anymore. 

"Fourteen?" He whispered to himself astonished with what he was hearing. I personally didn't know what was so strange about the whole thing. He looked over at his men anxiously before looking back over at me. He seems to make up his mind about something before he walks over to me.

He frowns lightly when I flinch as he grabs onto my arm and pulls me up to my feet. He doesn't make any moves to restrain me as he guides me back towards his pack house. I looked at him awe struck, why the hell was he taking me to his pack house? Shouldn't I be taken somewhere like a dungeon far, far away from any of his valued pack members. Like I knew I wasn't dangerous but he didn't know that, not that I appeared to be much of a threat.

Pack members who were wandering around town stopped and stared as I was led to our destination. The pack house up close was huge, long round driveway with a marble fountain in the middle, stained wooden steps leading up to the cliché huge wooden two storied log house. Made by the pack's ancestors from the very trees that surround the pack lands. A house that was created small and since then one room is added every time a new Alpha comes into power. It was a part of the ceremony, a symbol of strength as each room was crafted by the hands of the Alpha. 

When we entered the pack house a beautiful lady came down from the upstairs floor. She had flowing brown hair that tumbled down to her waist in soft waves. Dark red lips and sparkling blue eyes, I envied her very existence. She stopped in her place when she finally saw me, I felt her eyes roam over my face and I lowered my head. Knowing that the distinguished scar positioned over my eye would never fade, she could look at me for as long as she likes now that I’m her prisoner. 

"Honey who is this?" She asks politely, her voice was so soft and sweet almost reassuring, she reminded me of my mother. A smile light up on the Alpha's face, just by the way his entire spirit just lifted I could tell she was his mate. It makes sense that she would be the Luna, she had a peaceful aura about her, it’s almost like being in the same room as my mother.

"Darling this is..." He trailed off in a questioning tone, he turns to looking at me in half awkward half wondering look and I take the hint.

"Dawn." I told him and he nodded turning back to his smiling mate. 

"This is Dawn, a rogue I met at our borders." He said so plainly and even I was terrified at what he had said. That sentence alone should cause her to go into a mild panic considering a rogue is standing mere metres away from her. Most people would either back away from me in terror or spit horrible slurs at me. Oddly enough she did neither, instead she smiled at me. She walked over to where I was standing and smiled at me warmly.

"How old are you Dawn?" She asks and I smile nervously.

"Fourteen." I told her and her smile drops and she frowned looking at me sadly.

"An illegal rogue?" She whispered more to herself than to anyone else. I was puzzled by her statement; I've never heard of the term illegal rogue. Aren't rogues already illegal? Rogues are criminals, isn’t being illegal the main idea of the name. So, how can something already illegal be illegal. I looked at the Alpha with a confused look and he sighed frustrated running his fingers through his hair.

"Technically according to pack law, you aren't allowed to banish someone until they are shifted, how is it fair to judge a girl on her loyalties when her wolf a key part of what makes a person themselves is missing. How can you judge them when they are only half of what they are meant to be...?" Rage. Until now it had been an emotion, I had never expressed but now…I can feel it coursing through my blood. Thoughts rushed through my head at speed, any sympathy or understanding I had for my Alpha lost.

“Are you saying I should be in my pack right now with my mother?”

I ask him, and he nods his head grimly. Both him and his Luna are looking at me with sympathy, no matter what crimes I possibly could have committed in order to be banished, I didn’t deserve to be cast out, branded as a rogue left to die, cold and alone in no man’s land.

“May I ask why your Alpha did this Dawn?” The Luna asks, her tone soft and non-judgmental. Though, the idea of telling anyone what I had done struck fear through my heart. I know my betrayal to my pack was low on the scale of crime and I hadn’t truly done anything morally wrong but the look on the faces of my own pack members when they heard about what I had done, scars me. Every night when I close my eyes, I see their hateful eyes staring into me, judging me. I look back up at the mated pair, the Alpha sends me a look of encouragement and oddly despite my earlier fear, I felt like I could tell him, that I could trust him with a piece of my pain.

“Our pack was attacked, the Alpha told me to hide in the closet but I choose to save my mother’s life instead.” Alpha and Luna remained silent for a few moments, seeming to think over their next words carefully.

“Are you of Alpha blood?” The Alpha asks and I shake my head. He frowns in confusion and turns to face his mate, they both look at each other in silence, having a silent conversation between themselves before the Luna turns to face me.

“Come with me dear, I’ll make you something to eat.” She offers, extending her arm out to reach me. I grab a hold of her hand, the warmth from her skin and her presence alone starts to thaw the ice that had seeped down to my bones. For the first time in days, I felt safe, protected and I knew that this feeling was going to last...