I am not Your Love Story

BECAUSE YOU’RE GOOD

-Harper's POV-

My eyes shot open, and I jerked straight up. Fear gripped me as memories of last night slowly trickled back into my mind. I screamed as it felt like my soul was leaving my body. It was so long and hard with a force that made my lungs burn. I didn’t care to control the tears streaming down my face as my wailing continued to fill the dark space around me. Images flashed through my mind. My mother, my father, both gone. My cries pleading for mercy fell on deaf ears and hardened hearts. The sad eyes of my parents staring at me seared into my mind. The hollow feeling where my heart once beat was a constant reminder of how alone I am. There are no words to describe the man responsible for my heartache. He took my life from me in the most gruesome and sadistic way imaginable. A cold chill rolled over my bare chest and arms causing goosebumps to rise all over my body. I lifted my hands to wipe my eyes. The light of the moon was shining through a window too small for me to fit through. I’m in what looked like a prison cell. The shine of the moon light reflected off the thick metal bars to my left. The walls were gray, built from concrete or blocks. Cracks lined the walls, spreading in all different directions. A dank smell that reminded me of mildew made the air thick and stuffy. All I could hear was water dripping, causing a constant echo over and over. Where am I? The pain of the brutal happenings from last night reminded me of why I was here. I lifted my legs to sit up from my position. I slid my feet off what looked like a cot style bed, hard with no covers. Cold and heavy clinking sounded throughout the room, a harsh realization that I had shackles on my ankles. I felt a burn on my bottom lip. I licked it realizing it had a cut. Most likely that was from Alpha Thane striking my face when I refused to be his mate. Looking at my hands they were dirty. My clothes were torn to the point of almost falling off my body.

I cried for what seemed like hours on end. Now my emotions were numb, I was unable to feel anything. A loud squeaking sound as if a metal door was opening caught my attention. It was the first sign I had had of not being completely alone here. I lifted my head to look toward the footsteps headed my way. A lady who looked to be a servant smiled gently at me and slid a tray of food through an opening I could only assume was used for that purpose. She turned to walk away.

“WAIT!” I yelled. The lady stopped walking and turned to look at me. “What is going to happen to me?” The lady had sadness in her eyes.

“Alpha will see you shortly” then she turned and continued toward the exit. The metal door squeaked once more and latched closed. I thought about eating but my appetite wasn’t there. How could I eat right now? Maybe I can starve myself. Death is a welcome thought for me, as I can’t imagine my life being happy ever again. Hours passed by.

I am assuming it was the next morning as the sun peeked through the window. I was awake staring at the ceiling when I heard muffled talking. I recognized the squeak from the metal door. Realizing someone was coming my way caused me to shiver. I knew this was a man, his steps were much louder than the lady who was in here last. It must be him. Deciding I was not going to cower to this monster I stood up straight and prepared to meet my capture head on. Anger rose in my chest as his voice got louder. Finally appearing before me was three men. Two guards, and him. The first thing I always see when I am staring at the devil himself is his eyes. They were menacing deep and dark red eyes. Pure evil radiated from this man. He was tall, around 6’1. Light brown hair that was not long and not too short. It was styled messy on top. Over his right eye a scar was slid diagonal over his face. His body was built like an Alpha should be. Strong and chiseled with arms that threatened to tear his tight fitted tee shirt that was tucked into his blue jean pants. If he were anyone else, I would find him attractive. He stood tall with ruthless authority. This man ruled with fear. I wasn’t going to give him the pleasure of seeing me scared of him. I didn’t take my eyes off him, if looks could kill he would be dead right now. I straightened my shoulders and stood as tall as I could.

“Harper, you look beautiful as ever. The look of captivity suits you.”

His voice is low and seductive. He made me sick.

“What do you want with me, Alpha Thane?”

I spat the words out. His menacing smile curled over his white teeth. It is a terrible thing, how such a handsome man can be the devil reincarnated.

“It is no secret; I want you as my mate.”

“WHY ME… WHY DID YOU PICK ME?” I raised my voice and yelled at him

Tears swelled in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall in front of him. “Why couldn’t you pick someone as cruel as you?” Alpha Thane stepped to the side instructing one of the guards to unlock my cell door. More clinking sounds echoed off the walls as the cell door slid open. Alpha Thane walked in, stopping in front of me. I could feel his breath on my forehead. My body wanted to move away from him, but I forced myself to stand as tall and as confident as I possibly could. He was much taller than me. I was only 5’3 in height. I looked up at him. Our eyes locked. A low growl rumbled deep in his chest as he brought his mouth closer to my ear. His breath hot on my neck, caused my body to shiver. With a soft seductive voice, he answered my question

“I want you because you're good.” I took advantage of his proximity to me and slapped him across the face. It didn’t faze him. With a look of pure excitement his eyes fell dark and a nasty smirk curled over his teeth. “You’re going to be fun.” He rolled his fingers softly over my abdomen as he turned to exit the cell. He turned and looked at me once more. “Your 18th birthday is only a few moons away. I will make you my mate that night, and I look forward to claiming all of you.” He turned to the guards, “take her to her room and lock her in. make sure she is able to shower and eat well.”

A couple of weeks passed. I was in an actual bedroom now with a conjoined bathroom. I decided I was going to either escape or die trying. The last words my father said to me rang loud in my mind ‘never forget who you are. You are strong and a fighter. You will live through this. Remember that your mother and I love you so much…’ If I didn’t make It out for me, I would make it out for them. I decided it was best if I kept my head down and didn’t argue or fight. All those things go against my mind and body. Pride and stubbornness being the main driving force in my personality. I pretended to accept Alpha Thane and his plan for me. I had to force myself to act mean to the servants and guards. Purposefully yelling and breaking things then immediately making them clean it all up. I treated them like I was better than them. It was hard for me to do this because I was the exact opposite of all of this. When I got the chance, I apologized to the servants. They didn’t deserve any of it and I got close with a few of them. I eventually trusted them enough to tell them my plan. I was waiting for Alpha Thane to trust me that way I had more freedom to roam around the packhouse. Then I would wait for the right time and run. My plan was not something I wanted to do, but it was something I had to do. I was out of other options. I couldn’t fight my way out and my birthday was only a few days away. It fell on the day of the solar eclipse which I didn’t want to think about right now. If I didn’t escape soon, I was going to kill myself because I am not letting that monster make me his mate.

A few more days passed, and I was finally able to roam about the large packhouse freely. Guards would bow their heads at me as I passed by them as if I was their Luna. The servants knew that I wasn’t mean, so they were ok with going along with my act. Let’s just say they got a kick out of the few times I wacked a guard with a vase pretending to be angry. Tonight, Alpha Thane had planned to take some of his troops and raid a village. It was now or never. I didn’t have much left of home, so I was able to pack it all. The sun started going down. I watched as Alpha Thane and his warriors lined up outside preparing to leave. Alpha Thane walked over. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close to him.

“Seven more days Harper, then I will be able to claim you as mine.” He licked his lips and kissed me long and hard. Unable to wait for the kiss to be over I separated from him and forced myself to smile. He turned and walked toward his warriors, and I watched as they climbed into their vehicles and disappeared into the night. It was time to go.

I hugged all the servants who came to my room to see me off. I hate so much to leave them here. If I am ever given the chance, I will come back for them. They were each situated outside my room in different areas to keep watch. I slid from my bedroom window onto the roof of the pack house and shimmied down a drainpipe with little effort at all. By the light of the full moon, I kept to the shadows moving quietly but quickly. My direction was unknown. The only thing I could do was get far away from here. I turned back briefly to mourn the loss of my childhood home before continuing into the dense forest. I ran as fast as I could. I only stopped to rest briefly before moving again. I walked when I couldn’t run. I realized I had forgotten to pack food and water, so I stopped near a stream to have a drink but kept moving. It was the night of the third day when fatigue finally overcame me. I laid down to rest for only a moment. I couldn't fight sleep any longer.

***The next morning***

The sound of footsteps dissolving down the hallway outside my room invaded my train of thought as I stepped out of the shower. I tried to hurry and dry myself, wrapping my hair in a towel before I could soil the floor even more with water. The smell of my perfume scented shampoo filled the room along with steam that clouded the mirror. Taking a dry cloth, I slid it over the mirror to wipe it clear. I quickly brushed my teeth and applied a minimum amount of makeup. I looked at myself in the mirror, breathing out a sigh. I am so nervous today. I am hoping to be sworn in as an official member of the Harmony Moon Pack after I stumbled onto the edge of their territory by accident late last night. I consider myself blessed by the Moon Goddess for letting me find this pack. After my ordeal with my last pack… The Foul Moon Pack, I thought I would be forever a rogue on the run. I have fifteen minutes to be dressed and standing in front of the Alpha of this pack. I hurried and scrambled to dry my long black wavy hair.