I had been through so many things in my life that I was so sure that I would be able to go through this, too.

But I was starting to see that I was wrong.

How could I marry someone that I didn’t love? That I didn’t even know that well? Walter was barely an acquaintance to me.

Even if my father knew him extensively and was pushing for it, or forcing it on me, it still didn’t mean that this was something that I could go through with.

But my father was the Alpha of the Manhattan pack, and he wasn’t someone that anyone refused.

There was a knock on the door. I turned just in time to see Walter leaning against my door frame, a glass of cognac in his hand.

I immediately felt anger and irritation flare through me. He had no right to barge in like this.

“I’ll join you in the entrance in a minute,” I told him, staring at him pointedly. “I’m just getting ready.”

“Why?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. “You look ready enough.”

He looked me up and down, and I tried my best to restrain a shiver from going through me. We were wolves, and we could be intense in a lot of things, but the way he looked at me was just unnatural.

He looked at me like I was prey.

I turned around and went back to the jewelry box. A prey animal would never turn their back to a wolf, but I refused to behave like one—especially not in my own house.

Suddenly, I felt a rough hand on me, groping my behind. Anger spread through me, and I didn’t bother restraining it.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing!?” I screamed at him, shoving him away from me.

He moved back for a moment. Then I saw a smirk stretch across his face, and he stepped toward me.

“Come on,” he said, coming closer to me and grabbing my hand roughly. “What’s the harm in a little fun? We’ll be married soon, anyway.”

I tried to pull my hand out of his grasp, but he had a firm hold on me.

I saw his face and knew I needed to get away from him. He wasn’t listening to me, and I knew he would do anything to get what he wanted.

I slapped him again with my free hand, and it was enough of a shock that he let go of me. But then he recovered almost instantly, and suddenly, he loomed over me.

“You don’t get to push me away,” he growled. “Not ever.”

I glanced at the cabinet beside me. Sitting on it was a precious vase. It was heavy, and I didn’t even stop to think.

As he moved forward to seize me, I lifted it high and brought it down on his head.

Glass shattered everywhere, and he collapsed to the floor.

I tried to calm myself as I stared down at his body laying unconscious on the floor.

I had no idea what to do, but there was one thing I was certain of. I couldn’t marry this monster, couldn’t live in fear of this disgusting man my entire life.

But there was no avoiding it if I stayed here. My father would never listen to me. He would force me to marry him anyway.

I only had one real choice left to me.

I had to leave. So I grabbed what I could and left.

I knew what it meant that I had run away from my father’s house. I was a lone wolf. I didn’t belong to any pack any longer.

And that was the most dangerous thing for a wolf. We survived because we had our packs. I felt panic start to set in at the thought.

I wandered the dark woods for what felt like hours until I saw a patch of light.

The trees gave way to a large clearing, and then the road. I crossed over the road and I found myself standing at the gates to a very large mansion.

This mansion wasn’t in my father’s territory—there was no way that another wolf would be allowed to have a mansion that resembled an Alpha’s so much.

But when had I crossed the boundary? Had I been so tired that I had missed the signs entirely?

If I was, I knew that it was a dangerous sign that I needed to rest. Now that I thought about it, I could feel the cold soaking through my bones, my wet clothing clinging to my skin.

The mansion was set on a large estate, and I was surprised that I had made it so close to their door. I stared at it for some time, before something dawned on me.

This was an Alpha’s House. And I knew one thing for sure. I had no business being near it.

Even though I had run away from my pack, it still didn’t change who I was and who the world saw me as. I was the daughter of the Alpha of the Manhattan pack, and another pack meant a rival in our world. I couldn’t stop here for shelter.

But at that exact moment, I heard the rumble of thunder, and I knew I had no choice but to stop.

So, taking a deep breath, I made my way to the front door and rang the doorbell quickly before I could lose my nerve.

Then the door swung open, and I found one of the most handsome men I had ever seen standing in front of me.

He was tall, with broad shoulders that tapered to a lithe waist. Even through his shirt, I could see the muscles protruding. His hair was a perfect jet black, falling in soft strands across his face. He had the darkest, deep-set eyes, instantly holding me captive. I couldn’t speak, feeling myself get lost in them.

He seemed confused to find me standing on his doorstep, and I suppose my silence didn’t help.

“Come inside,” the man said, glancing at the sky wearily.

We were wolves, and though we were strong, some of us were still instinctual animals. And that part didn’t like storms.

That part drove him to offer me to come inside, even though I was a stranger. That part of me drove me to accept his offer.

I stepped inside, and he closed the heavy door behind me.

The mansion was old, and, like all old houses, the doors were ancient and heavy. It wouldn’t be so easy for me to get out.

But I noticed that he looked reluctant to have me inside, too. And for some reason, I felt safer knowing that he was as nervous about having me in his house as I was nervous about being in it.

“Come,” he said again, his voice a little stiff.

As he walked past me, I caught his scent, like pine and forest.

“Let’s get something warm to drink, and you can warm yourself by the fire. I’ll see if I can get you something dry to change into.”

I shivered suddenly. I had been so caught up by him, this strange man who had opened his door to me, that I had forgotten that I was wet and freezing.

I followed him as he led me through a doorway into a living room with a fire crackling in the heath.

“Would you like some tea?” He offered. He looked more than a little apprehensive at having me in his home, even as he offered me refreshments and warmth. “Or coffee? Hot chocolate?”

Even with a little scowl on his face, he was just so handsome. I wasn’t sure how to behave around him.

“Some tea is fine,” I told him. “Thank you,” I added on as an afterthought.

He seemed to linger in the room with me even after I answered him a little longer.

I wonder if he didn’t want to leave me alone. Did he think I would steal from him?

There was an awkward silence between us that hung in the air. I was uncomfortable with it, so I thought I would break it.

“I’m Ella,” I told him, glancing at him quickly and then away.

It was customary for wolves also to give their pack’s affiliation, but I knew I couldn’t do that. At least not for now.

“Oh, er…”

He struggled and stumbled over his words, which only added to his charm. He seemed even more handsome now, with that terrible scowl dropped off his face, replaced with confusion.

“I’m Adam,” he said finally. “Adam Walker.”

I could only stop my jaw from falling to the ground.

The wolf in front of me was the most dangerous man on the Eastern seaboard—the young Alpha of the Walker Pack.