Lacee woke up in an unfamiliar bedroom, in an unknown bedroom. To her left, her sister Leena was safely sleeping in the bed. It was a relief to see that the girl was okay, but Lacee couldn't let her guard down. They were still captured by the werewolves, and she knew it wouldn't be easy to escape now that they had them on their property.
As quietly as she could, Lacee crept out of the bed and began to search her surroundings. Just as she had suspected, the door was locked from the outside, keeping them from leaving the room. She went over to the only window in the room, but it had bars on the outside, guaranteeing no one could climb in or out of it. There was a small bathroom attached, but it didn't have a window to help aid them with escape.
The room was like a prison, but with a mahogany bedroom set and Egyptian cotton sheets.
Feeling hopeless, Lacee went into the bathroom and splashed her face with water from the faucet. She looked up at her image in the mirror; her hair was a mess and her face looked worn out. It appeared she'd already lost the fight.
A knock on the door alarmed her, and she debated on breaking the glass mirror to use as a weapon.
"Lacee, it's me, Rinc." The Alpha said from the other side of the door. "I'm going to come in now, I promise we are not going to hurt you, but don't try anything stupid."
It angered her that the male's voice was as calming to her nerves as it was. This man was practically a stranger and had shown her that he was a monster with fangs and claws that could rip her to shreds. Yet, the moment his voice filled her ears, she felt hope instead of fear.
The door unlocked and he opened it slowly. She watched him carefully as he entered the room.
"Why are you doing this?" Lacee asked him.
"I've told you over and over." He said. "I'm keeping you safe."
"I was safe before I met you. My sister and I were fine."
"That was strange luck." He told her. "Maybe your wolf was so weak and dormant that others didn't recognize it. Maybe other wolves never paid much attention when you were children. Maybe you weren't in a heavily populated wolf territory. I'm not sure why, but I do know that that luck ran out. My pack members sensed your wolf the moment you came into our bar. If you go out into the world now, you'll come across other packs everywhere you go, and they'll punish you for coming onto their territory without permission. Wolves will want to fight you. Packs will want to make examples of you. Not all leaders are as lenient and understanding as me."
"Then I'll fight." She clenched her fist at her side as she spoke.
"And you'll lose." Rinc shook his head. "You don't get it. You're not strong enough yet. You need to train and grow your wolf. And if you don't complete the wolf within you, it will die soon."
"So, I'll then be human, and no one will care what I do."
"No, they'll sense the death in your aura. And they'll hate you even more. Killing the wolf inside of you is punished by death." He explained. "Even if you were spared for your crime, the wolf's death would pain and haunt you forever. It would be ever-lasting grief that you couldn't run from. That's why you are here. I won't them hurt you, and I won't let you do that to yourself."
Lacee was surprised to feel sorrow as she thought about letting the wolf inside of her perish.
"And my sister?" She asked.
"I told you, she's under my pack's protection as long as you are cooperating with me." Rinc pointed to the girl. "My healer gave her some natural sleep aid herbs. The girl needs to rest after the day she had. She'll be asleep for a while. Now, come with me."
Still uneasy with the situation, Lacee looked her sister over, wondering if it would be smart to leave her in the room and go off with Rinc. Leena was sleeping peacefully, and it reminded Lacee of when her sister was a young child and she'd sneak into her room at night to check on her.
"She'll be fine, I promise," Rinc told her. "Now, come on. I want to show you around."
Not seeing much of a choice, Lacee followed him out of the room and hoped that he didn't break his promise. As she exited the bedroom, she was amazed to see that they were in a huge log cabin that was as big as a mansion. When Rinc had said farm, this was not what she imagined. She had imagined a small farmhouse. The farm home was actually more like a log lodge.
"You live here?" Asked Lacee as he led her to a grand wooden staircase.
"I do," he said. "Along with some of my pack."
"So, this place belongs to the pack?"
"Technically, it belongs to me, but I consider the pack my family and any member that wants is welcome here. The farm has been in my family for over a hundred years. It's been passed down from generation to generation, which means Alpha to Alpha. We've added on and updated through the years, but all Blackstone Alpha's have allowed this property to be used by any pack member that needs it."
"This place is beautiful," Lacee told him.
"The real beauty is out here." Rinc grabbed her hand and led her to the back of the house.
They passed by a huge theater room with brown leather furniture and a big-screen TV. A few children were in there watching a movie, but they didn't look up at her, they were too enthralled by the scene on the screen. Next, they entered a fancy kitchen that was bigger than her whole apartment. It was an open kitchen that connected to the magnificent dining room with tables and chairs that could probably seat two dozen people.
Rinc didn't slow down long enough for her to look over the areas, he seemed to be in a rush to lead her outside.
"This. This is my favorite part of this farm." Rinc opened the backdoor that led out to a patio.
Lacee stepped past him out onto the patio and looked up at the view. There was a large lake with beautiful mountains directly behind it. She'd seen the mountains every day since moving to this town, but the view had never been as it was from Rinc's backyard. It was evening now, and the sky was pink and orange as the sun was taking its leave.
"It's amazing," Lacee said. "This place is amazing."
She realized that her hand was still in his, but she didn't pull away.
"Will you train with me?" He asked. "Live here, with your sister, and train every day so we can complete your wolf."
"What if I fail?"
"I won't let you fail."
"Why do care so much?" Lacee let go of his hand and crossed her arms. "You don't even know me."
"Maybe I'm just a good guy." He smiled.
That may have been the case, but Lacee could feel that there was more to it. Maybe she did have wolf instincts. Maybe she was becoming more intuitive than she'd ever been. But the male looked at her differently than any man had ever looked at her, and she oddly enjoyed his stare. He hardly seemed a stranger, and she felt as though she could almost read his mind.
"I'll train." She agreed.
Rinc rushed to her and threw his arms around her. His embrace was warm and a sizzle went through her body as lust scorched between her legs. She had to take a step back and part from him before she let her lust take over and made a decision she might regret.
"I need to go back to my sister," Lacee said as she parted from him.
"Sure." He nodded in agreement. "You've had a long day. My home is now your home."
"Thank you." She went back through the door into the cabin and headed upstairs.
"Don't forget, we start training first thing in the morning!" Rinc called out to her, his deep voice echoing off the cedar walls.
"How could I ever forget?" She continued up the stairs and back to the bedroom, closing the unlocked door behind her.
The strong yearn to rush back to Rinc and beg him to take her into his bed right then was overwhelming her. She almost wished they'd lock her back inside the bedroom to keep her from getting out and pouncing on him like some horny animal.
What was going on with her? Why was she so uncontrollably attracted to Alpha Rinc? And how the hell was she going to train so close to him without jumping his bones every second they were together?