The early morning sunlight streamed in through the open slats of the shades, covering the windows around the bedroom, slowly creeping along the floor and flooding across the white cotton comforter on the bed. A warm breeze blew in through the open balcony doors, bringing in the scents of pine and damp moss.
The front porch had wood planks that were falling out and the front steps needed redoing. the paint on the outer walls was peeling, and the gutter was hanging down in places. the old roof of the old barn was ready to come down at any time, which made it a danger to anyone who dared to go inside. but the best part of all? Was the fence outlining the property that needed fixing.
The fireplace on the opposite end of the bedroom still let off a tiny bit of smoke from the fire that had been lit the night before, the cinders still red and crackling under the heat it still gave off. Across the bedroom, the bathroom door stood cracked, steam coming out from the opening from the shower that was currently running.
She had moved here about three days ago, per the wish of her parents upon their death. She had yet to meet the leader of the colony she had moved to, but she knew it would be soon. Someone would come to collect her. Meanwhile, she spent her time unpacking everything she had brought with her. Of course, it would probably take her a week or more to unpack everything she had brought. She would start with the bedroom up on the second floor.
A couple of hours later, there came a knock at the front door, giving her a momentary pause from what she had been doing. At first, she questioned whether or not she had heard an actual knock or if it was just the exhaustion she felt. Sure enough, another knock came at the door, and she went downstairs to answer it. She was surprised to find a young man about her age staring at her. "Grace Bordeaux?" His voice was deep and raspy, almost as if he was a smoker.
She nodded but didn't say anything. "Come with me." He turned and started walking before she could even begin to follow him. to her, he seemed arrogant. Grabbing her jacket, she ran to catch up. As she followed him, they passed by little kiosks owned by the locals of the community. People stopped and starred at her, children smiling and waving as they ran down the dirt paths playing with each other.
Eventually, they came up to a giant three-story house. he guided her through the place and came to a stop in front of a large set of dark Mohogany double doors. He held the door open for her. "In you go." She stepped through the open door, and he closed it behind her, leaving her alone in the giant office she now found herself in. She took the time to look around, running her fingers along the spines of the books on the wall of shelves.
"You're welcome to read them anytime, if you would like." She spun around to see where the voice came from and found herself looking at a young man who had to be a year or two older than her. He was looking down at a file in his hands, not even bothering to look up at her. In her mind, her wolf Rayne seemed on edge but also excited and nervous. this was out of character for her.
She edged her way around the room to get a better look at the man sitting behind the desk. He flipped a page in the file. "Your record is completely empty. No name, no date of birth. No criminal record or school transcripts of any kind. Not even so much as a social security card or a birth certificate." He dropped the file down on the desk and turned his eyes up to look at her.
In that moment, it was just the two of them. The rest of the world fell away, and she felt a feeling of electricity running through her. In her mind, her wolf howled. She could sense his doing the same. Taking a step back, she suddenly felt a complete sense of fear, and trepidation. He was an alpha, a wolf who demanded power and respect. And who was she? She was no one.
He put his hands up and gave her a weary look. "Now, hold on a second..." He couldn't even finish his statement before she had taken off running from the office. She didn't know where she would go, but she knew that she had to get as far away from him as possible. Because if there was one thing she knew, it was that alpha's did not take rejection well.