It was like the world had stopped. How was this possible? The Alpha was my mate.

I was embarrassed for him.

His wolf was perfect. His thick, raven fur had a silver sheen as the light from the moon cascaded across his body, which was nothing but pure muscle. His eyes were intense, gleaming rubies despite the lack of light. There was no question of how gorgeous he would be in human form.

Confidently, he stepped closer to me. The two smaller wolves left, scampering into the dark wood. Alpha had dismissed them.

I held my breath as he grew closer. Slowly, he circled my body. I was trapped. I had to leave! Suddenly, a spark shot through my side as his nose brushed against me. I jumped, cowering away from him. But there was no mistake, the Alpha was my mate.

His eyes darkened slightly. Then he blinked and where it had been black only seconds ago, the beautiful scarlet was back. He stared into my eyes, with a clear message behind them. 'Shift'

I hesitated, knowing I would be naked in front of him as well as being exposed to the freezing snow. Clearly he didn't want that, as he pulled out a bag of clothing from a nearby tree, placing it in front of me before turning.

Quickly, I shifted and pulled a jumper from the bag and over my head. It was enormous on my small, neglected body and fell below my knees. The pale blue sleeves drooped off the ends of my arms. Shivering, I crossed my arms over my chest and cleared my throat. The Alpha turned and his eyes trailed down my body, staring at my revealed skin longer than necessary. Embarrassed, I tried to cover my bruised body as much as possible with the sweater.

Suddenly, he turned away and the sound of cracking bones sounded throughout the silence of the night. Seconds later a tanned butt was in place of his large wolf form. Shyly, I turned to face a tree. How could he be so confident?

"I'm not naked anymore." A deep voice spoke, causing my stomach to do somersaults. Hesitantly, I swivelled around to face him. He was perfect. Curly, dark brown hair and peacock green eyes watched my every move. His jawline was sharp and led to full, pink lips.

Silently, I waited. I knew what was approaching. He would reject me and I would be banished before any other members of his pack could find out about me.

Nervously, my hands pulled at the sleeves of the jumper, wishing he would get this over with. Taking a deep breath, I squeaked, "You don't need to say anything, let me pass through and I will leave quietly-".

I jumped as he moved to stand a few inches away from me. His breath fanned across my face. I was frozen on the spot. My legs were shaking as fear overcame me. It was never good when they got this close!

Unexpectedly, he pulled my body into his arms and held me tight. My breath was knocked out of me from the sudden movement. What was happening?

Slowly, he let me out of his hold. His hand found its way to my chin, tilting it up so that I would look at him. "Stay with me." He whispered, cradling my cheek in his hand.

My heart was pounding so loud that I thought it would break through my chest. Tears brimmed my eyes. "Please don't joke." I croaked out, holding onto his toned arm that was holding my cheek. There was no way he could possibly want me as his mate.

"You're my mate. I would never joke." He blurted, his brows furrowing. "You're mine, forever." He finished.

Slowly, a tear escaped my eye and was wiped away by his thumb. "I-I..." I cried, not knowing how to respond. "Thank you." I breathed, as further tears streamed down my face.

"Don't thank me." He frowned, pulling me against his chest once more until my sobs stopped. I was astonished and lacked belief that he accepted me as his mate.

Slowly, he pulled away and gripped my hand as he started leading me through the forest. "We need to warm you up." He smiled, as a large building came into sight. Guards opened the gates as we reached them, allowing us into the pack building. I gripped onto his hand tighter as we walked through the door. I had prayed we wouldn't run into any of his pack tonight as it was so late. But when was luck ever on my side?

"Zander?" I heard a feminine voice ask softly from behind me and I stiffened. I knew that voice. The Alpha looked down at me confused. Quickly, I turned to look behind me.

"Ariella?" I breathed, shock taking control of my body.

"Iris?" she questioned, a grin appearing on her glowing cheeks before she lunged at me and pulled me into a tight embrace.

Ariella pulled away as a throat was cleared behind her. A blonde man towered above her, a confused expression lining his face as he watched Ariella closely.

"How do you two know each other?" The blonde guy asked, leaning against the wall beside him.

A smile found it's way onto Ariella's face as she looked from her mate to me. "Axel this is Iris, Iris this is Axel." She grinned, "Iris and I were best friends in my old pack, before I met you."

Axel nodded, giving me a little smile. In return, a sad smile found its way to my lips. "I missed you so much." I said, looking at Ariella's apologetic eyes. "But I'm so glad you're happy. I always said you would find your mate first!" I giggled.

Ariella had gone hunting one day in Summer almost three years ago and had never came back. She had been the only person who was a friend to me when I was rejected by the rest of the pack. It was rumoured that she had been killed after crossing the border without realising. It broke me. She was the only person in my life who had ever shown me love. She was the sister that I never had.

"I'm so sorry Iris." She said honestly, "I knew that if I sent letters through the border to you they would be destroyed by your father." .

"Don't apologise! You're right." I smiled, "I'm just so happy to see you again.".

Ariella grinned, "I can't wait to have a catch up tomorrow.".

"Me too. Breakfast date?" I laughed, giving her another quick hug.

"10am, don't be late!" She smiled, moving back to lean into her mate.

Suddenly, I realised the Alpha was still here and spun around to see him crouched on the marble stairs. Zander - even his name was stunning. His lips curved into a smile before he stood up and gestured for me to follow him. Quickly, I made my way up the stairs behind him. The walls leading up the stairs were as white as clouds, with photographs of the pack proudly presented in golden frames.

Soon enough, he had opened a large door in front of us. Dark, wooden floors stretched across the spacious room. Candles were lit causing a low light to pour into the room and a sweet scent to fill my senses. Fluffy, violet pillows were propped up on the large bed. A smaller door opposite the bed was ajar, showcasing the modern en-suite that was calling my name.

Zander tugged on my arm to get me to follow him into the room. I hadn't realised I had been staring. Never had I had my own bedroom in my old pack. I was speechless. He sat on the bed and pulled me closer to stand in front of him. His hands were rubbing circles into mine. My stomach was aflutter.

"Are you okay to stay here tonight? If you need anything just call me - or reception." He reassured, pointing to the phone on the bedside table. Never before had I been allowed a phone. "You can shower and get some rest." He smiled.

"I would love that." I smiled shyly, looking down at our interlocked hands.

Zander rose to his feet, pulling me into a gentle hug. I hugged back, still in disbelief at what had happened in only a few hours. Gently, he pressed his lips on my forehead, causing shivers to shoot down my body. Quietly, I let out a small gasp as he moved away and towards the door.

"Sweet dreams." He said, closing the door as he left.

Taking a deep breath, I made my way into the shower before sinking under the thick bed covers. As my eyes closed, my mind wandered off to dream of those green eyes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~••••••••~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for reading. It means a lot if you take the time out of your day to read my book!