I sat on my bed for hours, staring despairingly at the wooden floorboards. Rose and Tobias were downstairs busy making dinner meaning I was free to wallow alone, just as I wanted to, and process what the hell had just happened in that forest.

After overcoming the initial shock, my predominant emotion was anger.

How could the Goddesses give me Alpha Rivers as a mate? For years, I'd watched Rose and Tobias love each other, dreaming of one day meeting someone who would make me as happy as they were.

But with a man like Alpha Rivers as a mate, it could never be like that. I could never experience that kind of happiness and that disappointment was crushing me.

But I felt ashamed for it.

I shouldn't need a mate to be happy.

I am a leader of this pack. I have duties and a purpose. I am fulfilled.

I don't need a mate and I certainly don't need Alpha Rivers. I was disgusted to have enjoyed the kiss with such a vile man and scolded my wolf for yearning for him. The longer we sat alone in my room, the more incomplete she felt and the harder it became to ignore the void that had opened inside me he was supposed to fill.

But with a heart of stone and his vulgar shallowness, he would never be capable of filling it and perhaps I'd always feel this empty which made me feel pathetic. How could I be so dependent?

My thoughts circled in this loop all evening.

I didn't eat, I couldn't sleep. All I could do was sit with my thoughts.

Well, until they were interrupted by a heavy knock on the door.

I took a deep breath in and looked up, finally relieved the pattern swirls on the rug of my stare before getting to my feet and quietly scuttling to the window.

I looked down. It was dark but I could just make out the tall, broad figure of Alpha Rivers at the doorstep, accompanied by two other men.

He came back. Why did he come back?

Tobias and Rose went to the door and within a few moments, the three Pheonix men were in our kitchen.

"There's been an escalation in the threat to my pack's security," Alpha Rivers said gravely, "We need to discuss our first move as an alliance."

"You mean your enemy has attacked?" Rose asked.

"Not yet," he said, "But a warning letter signed by my enemy was delivered to the heart of my pack today attached to the rotten corpse of one of my soldiers who went missing a month ago. There is also a second matter which I urgently need to discuss with your family."

There was a pause, "Come through to our office," Tobias said in a sincere tone.

I then heard the door to the office open and the men go in before Tobias's voice called from the bottom of the stairs, "Esme!"

I didn't reply. I was still stood by the window, completely frozen, my heart pounding.

"Esme!" he called again, "We have pack business."

Thankfully after that, he went into the office too, probably not wanting to keep Alpha Rivers waiting.

For five minutes I didn't move. My mouth was painfully dry, and my hands shaking. I felt guilty that it wasn't the rotten corpse or the letter of warning that had elicited this response, but the vague introduction of a 'second matter'.

A few minutes later, I heard Rose's footsteps come up the stairs. I darted back into my bed and under the covers only a few seconds before the door opened.

"Why won't you come downstairs?" she asked, "You're a leader of this pack and this is important."

I shook my head.

"Why not?" she questioned, "Are you unwell?"

"Has he said what the second matter is yet?" I asked.

Sounds from the office were always quiet and muffled by the time it got to my room and I couldn't make out their words.

"No," she said, "He wants to discuss the alliance first and Tobias is reluctant to start until you are there and Alpha River's is getting impatient."

"Tell him I am unwell," I said hugging my knees, "You can tell me what they said when they're gone."

"Why?"

"I just...it doesn't matter," I said.

"Esme," she said sternly, "Spit it out. What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I said.

"You know I can tell when you're lying, right?" she asked, raising a bold eyebrow.

I sighed and patted the bed beside me.

She came over and sat before putting a gentle hand on my head, "Whatever it is, you can tell me."

I hesitated for a moment before averting my eyes down and opening my mouth, "One of those men down there is my mate. And truthfully... that terrifies me."

"Oh," she said in surprise, "...Which one?"

I paused again before slowly looking up to her, "The Alpha. Alpha fucking Rivers."

Her eyes flickered and she squeezed my hand, "Oh fuck," she muttered.

Rose never swears.

"And I presume he knows?" she asked.

I nodded, "There was always something about him. No matter how much I disliked him, I couldn't help but be intrigued by him. And then earlier today he kissed me and that's when we knew for sure."

"And do you want to be his mate?" she asked, sincerity in her voice.

I shook my head, causing a tear to drop, "I can only just bear to accept his grain. He's a terrible man and he does terrible things. And he doesn't exactly make up for them with his charm and modern attitudes. I'll have to reject him. It's the only solution. I can't be with him, it would drive me insane."

I began to sit up but Rose stopped me.

"Esme, wait," she said taking my hands in hers, "You can't reject an Alpha, let alone Alpha Rivers. If he wants you, he will have you," she said deeply.

I felt my chest squeeze and stomach plunge.

"...and does he want you?"

My mouth dried and I felt the sweat on my palms begin to accumulate.

I nodded.

She squeezed my hand but her words seemed stolen.

"What do I do?" I asked, "Rose?"

Seeing her so dumbfounded unsettled me. She normally knew how to handle everything, she always knew what to say, she always knew what to do.

"I will tell them you are unwell. Do not come downstairs," she said. "We can't give him any opportunity to take you tonight."

I nodded and she forced a comforting smile before getting up and heading downstairs in a shocked kind of silence.

I sat listening to their muffled voices downstairs. I could tell Tobias and Rose were desperately trying to prize answers out of him but his responses were vague and blunt. His mood had turned sour since the time we spent this afternoon. He seemed irritated and sharp. There wasn't even a single sign of his theatrical display of condescending sarcasm and witty comments.

It wasn't long before I heard Rose's footsteps run back up the stairs.

"You need to go," she said in a hushed tone marching to the window.

"Rose?" I questioned, "What do you mean?"

"He is going back to his pack but he won't leave without seeing you," she explained, "He is insisting on it and he won't say why. He also never brought up that second matter and I have a terrible feeling about what it is."

I felt my lip quiver.

"If he wants to take you, there is nothing Tobias and I would be able to do to stop him. He's far more powerful than us and that's even if he didn't have two stony-faced warriors by his side."

She then pushed open the window and ushered me over.

"You mean I should run?" I asked, "Brynns don't run."

"Yeah, you know what else Brynns don't do?" she snapped, "Kneel down to other Alphas, especially him. We are not going to let him have what he wants. We are not letting him take you against your will."

She was right.

With that, I climbed out of bed and over to the window. We hugged tightly before she pulled away, put on her usual strong face and nodded.

"Go," she urged. "I'll delay him as much as I can."

I hopped through the window, scrambling down the side of the house and landing with a quiet thud on the floor before racing into the darkness of the trees.

The tense, eerie stillness of dusk was long gone and the night had brought a horrendous storm that took no mercy as I ran. Within minutes, the viscous downpour had soaked me through, making my clothes cling to my body as my skin itched and stung.

Above me, the trees trembled and creaked in the fierce wind, struggling to withstand the constant battering force. Whilst the forest shielded me at least a little from being completely swept away with the storm, I couldn't help but glance in concern at some of the older, whimpier looking trees as I ran underneath their heavy branches.

Of all the nights to have a storm.

But it didn't stop me running.

My freedom had been threatened and I would do anything to protect it.

Hey, lovelies! Let me know what you think of this story so far by commenting below :)

What do you think of Esme and Alpha River's characters?

Do you think they'll ever be happy together?