I couldn't control my breathing one bit. I'm sure everyone could hear my anxious heart beating louder and louder as the seconds pass. I didn't want him coming at all. I was scared of what might happen to us. What if he killed us off one by one? He was infamous for doing such things that I wouldn't be surprised.

But what would he do to me? I was his other half after all. He can't exactly kill off his other half right? That thought sent a shiver up my spine. Although Alpha Thaddeus was cruel and cold I hoped deep down he had a warm place in his heart. Especially one for his mate.

The guard holding my wrists let go and went somewhere else. I scowled and immediately rubbed my sore red wrists. He could have at least softened his hold on me.

My eyes darted around trying to find someone. When I couldn't I released a sigh. But as if on cue the same mouth-watering scent from earlier seemed to appear out of nowhere. But as the scent seemed to be there, the Alpha was not.

Or so I thought.

I turned my head forward just in time to see the tallest person enter the room. Even if he wasn't Alpha I guarantee if he ever walked into a room with his height and those dazzling looks he'd attract a lot of attention. Especially from the females.

At that thought a growl emerged from me. All heads snapped in my direction including his. Alpha Thaddeus's dark mysterious eyes roamed over my face. I wasn't sure if I saw correctly but when his gaze landed on my cheek I could've sworn I saw a hint of anger in those almost pitch black eyes of his. But it was gone in an instant. A blush immediately took over as we made brief eye contact before I diverted my eyes to the ground. I cursed myself for being so foolish in front of everyone especially my mate who probably didn't want me.

When all attention was back on him, I sighed quietly trying not to humiliate myself any farther. He stood tall and imposing at the front of everyone, standing on top of a platform that made him look out into the crowd with a threatening glare in his eyes that made you cower away when they landed on you. It made him look more attractive in a way. I wasn't sure if it was myself or the mate pull that was commencing these thoughts but I wasn't complaining.

I hadn't even realized that he had begun to talk until I noticed my pack members stiffen.

"Many of you must be wondering what I plan to do with you all," he began, his deep monotone voice making me sigh out in pleasure, "and I assume most of you already know it."

My heart stopped beating for a moment. He couldn't be serious right? He couldn't possibly kill us all like nothing. My wolf cried out in pain. She wasn't the only one to do so. Many others from what I can see had tears already crawling down their cheeks. I too, was about to let the tears slip down but I held myself together.

He observed us all before continuing. "But after having a discussion with my Beta I've decided to change the plans."

His eyes connected with mine as what he said finally registered in my head. He was the first to break eye contact and glanced at the crowd as everyone but the guards surrounding us looked around in confusion as if the person next to them knows. I pulled my eyebrows together in confusion. What was he planning? I glanced at his Beta who stood behind him. His facial expression wasn't giving anything away. Like Alpha Thaddeus, the Beta was emotionless.

I hadn't noticed this earlier but Alpha Thaddeus and his Beta were similar in appearance. They both had huge body figures and eyes that made you want to pee your pants when they land on you. Even though his Betas eyes were a dark green I still found them slightly intimidating.

"We have decided to have you all join The Dark Moons pack."

My mouth went wide opened at this. Join this pack? The same pack that destroyed our pack. After the words were out of his mouth silence ascended into the room. Not one person moved a muscle. Heck, his very own guards looked shocked to hear this coming from their own Alpha.

The same Alpha that despised other packs and killed anyone in an instant. This was very different.

"But you all have a choice."

Who was this man standing before us? This didn't seem like Alpha Thaddeus one bit. Since when did he give his prisoners a choice?

Every since he found his mate, my wolf proudly answered me. He is doing this for us.

I wanted to ignore what she was saying. But deep down I couldn't help but think he was doing this for us.

"As I've said the choice us up to you. You can either join or you can become a rogue. I don't care what you choose."

Go rogue? That was such a dangerous thing to do. Rogues were wolves with no pack that have either been exiled or that has run away. Rogues are bloodthirsty wolves that only cause trouble. They are constantly on their own and usually die quickly too.

Even though the rogue option was bad I couldn't help but feel as if this choice was going to be harder than I thought. I've heard the way my pack talks about Alpha Thaddeus and the Dark Moons pack. Who would want to join his pack and who would pick becoming a rogue?

Just as these thoughts begin emerging into my head something I haven't thought about immediately comes to mind.

"What about Alpha Brayton?" The question literally comes out of my mouth as if I was just having a normal conversation with the most feared man in the world. Alpha Thaddeus eyes narrow. I don't think he was expecting any questions or comments from us at all. His guards looked at me curiously. Obviously, no one has ever questioned Alpha Thaddeus before. Everyone from my pack looked at me too for a few moments before the looks of recognition came down on their faces.

All this time, we have been talking amongst ourselves when our own Alpha has not made an appearance. What if he was dead? What if Alpha Thaddeus has already ended Alpha Brayton. Now that I think of it though Alpha Brayton was much older and probably had much more experience then Alpha Thaddeus has. But Alpha Thaddeus could most definitely kill Alpha Brayton seeing as my alpha doesn't like to kill. I really wonder where Alpha Brayton is.

His eyes were still narrowed in my direction making me look down. I thought he'd shout at me but he didn't.

"He is dead." I was right. He was dead. Alpha Thaddeus kept his gaze on me for a few more moments before diverting them elsewhere. "I have important business to do so I suggest everyone choose now."

"I think it's best if we go rogue," someone whispered to me. I turned my head to see Mason standing right beside me. Rose was holding onto his hand tightly. I looked over Masons bruises and winced. You can barely make out that this was Mason. His face was heavily bruised and his bottom lip was very swollen.

I lifted a hand to hold his cheek but he shook his head slowly letting out a groan. "What do you two say?"

I exhaled. Even though this was the Blue Bloods enemy pack we couldn't go rogue. Even if they did kill off the majority of my pack, we still couldn't go rogue. I shook my head at Mason.

"We can't go rogue, Mason," I stated. His shoulders sank before he turned his head towards Rose.

Rose looked determined yet afraid. She looked up at Mason who was practically pleading with his eyes. "I agree with Annabel."

"Why?" I thought he was only talking to Rose but he turned his head and glanced at me too. "Why should we join this pack? Why not just go rogue, its safer."

"We can't become a rogue because we can't fend off for ourselves." Mason growled under his breath.

"Mason," the tone in Roses voice made Mason look her in the eyes, "becoming a rogue is very dangerous. I have first hand experience. Do you want Annabel and I to get hurt or even worse?"

Mason immediately shook his head. "But this doesn't make any sense. Why would he offer us this? Last time I checked he wasn't the type to offer his prisoners choices. There has to be something in this for him."

"There is," spoke someone from behind me. I didn't have to turn to know my parents where standing right behind me or that my dad was the one who answered. My dad looked at me. "He's doing this for you."

I looked away from everyone as their piercing gazes observed me. A small hand interlaced with mine. I looked down to see Beth holding Savannah. "I don't know what to do."

I looked down at her and her baby sister who had tear stains on her pink chubby cheeks. I glanced back at everyone else. "I'm taking the safer option."

I looked down at the younger girls. "You two should join, its much more safer."

"But how do you know for sure its safer?" Asked Mason. I glanced up at my mate who was talking to his Beta. As if feeling my gaze on him, he turned catching my eye. I looked back at everyone else not wanting to get distracted.

"I just know."

"He killed my mommy and daddy." My mom was quick to comfort Beth as tears started leaking down her eyelids. I guess my mom can relate to their situation because her own parents were killed before her when rogues attacked her own pack. After the attack another pack near by helped the remaining survivors. This pack was the Blue Bloods pack. And from there, she met my dad. Romantic ending right?

"We have to join," says my dad. He watched us all closely. "Unless anyone wants to become a rogue."

We all watched Mason. He was thinking about this which hurt me deeply. Before I could add anything else about why he shouldn't become a rogue, he nodded. "Fine, I'll join."

Rose and I both jumped to hug him. He winced making us remember that he was injured. I pulled back smiling like a lunatic when reality came crashing down on me. I was going to join my mates pack. My mate who probably didn't want me. But, if he didn't want me he wouldn't do this, correct?

But the biggest brick came crashing down on top of me. He was an Alpha. And I was his mate. If or when we mated, a blush crept onto my face, I'd be Luna. I wasn't ready to take on such a role. Before I could think of this any further a furious growl erupted throughout the room. I immediately knew who it belonged to.

I looked behind me just in time to see my raging mate stomping to me. Everyone in the room immediately stopped talking. People parted like the red sea for him to walk through. He stopped in front of me, all attention on us but he wasn't glaring at me. I followed his gaze which was on Mason who had his arms still around me.

My mate spoke two words which sent a shiver up my spine. "Let go."

Those two words were just two words but had a very strong message behind it. Mason understood very quickly because he had already let go of me. Alpha Thaddeus was still glaring furiously at Mason who seemed like he wanted to pee his pants. My mates fists were clenching and unclenching. He was breathing heavily. I knew he was close to shifting.

But before anything else could happen, Alpha Thaddeus's eyes glazed over. Someone was mind linking him. After his eyes focused back on us, he gave Mason a warning glance before trudging away.

I thought he'd walk back to the front but he surprised me by slamming a door opened and shutting it closed. Mason let out a breath of relief but by the look on his face, he hadn't known he was holding his breath.

"Now I'm having second thoughts here," he stated. I shook my head. I opened my mouth to reply but my dad beat me to it.

"He is an Alpha, Mason, Alphas tend to get possessive over their mate." I wrapped my arms around myself hating the attention that was back on me.

"But in order to get possessive he'd have to care for me." My dad and Rose both looked at me. Mason was listening but not watching me.

"Who says he doesn't care for you?" Rose asks. She gestured to Mason who looked up. "Mason does that all the time when he sees or even suspects another male is looking at me. Why do you do that, Mason?"

His answer came out almost immediately. "Because I care for you and no one besides me is allowed to touch or even look at you."

She turned back to me. "So basically times Masons possessiveness by ten and that's how much your mate cares for you."

My dad nodded in agreement. "He might not want to show it but he cares for you."

I was just about to remind them about the what he said the first time we've ever met when the Beta cleared his throat. All eyes went back to him.

"We will conduct the ceremony of acceptance tomorrow night for anyone wanting to join." His eyes looked around before stopping on me. "For now all who choose to become a rogue must step forward."

No one moved a muscle. So no on wanted to become a rogue? Well, that's good. I thought too soon.

A man that looked slightly familiar stepped forward. He had long brown hair that reached his wide shoulders. He looked young but I knew better. He could be in his mid-thirties.

When no one else stepped forward, he turned to face us all with a scowl. "Why am I the only one staying loyal to the Blue Bloods pack? You all are traitors. Leaving your own pack to join the enemies."

"You have no pack," says the Beta, coldly. "They're gone."

"Because of you, your Alpha and your stupid hypnotized pack!" Once he raised his voice, two guards stepped forward. The Beta stopped them with a hand but as the future rogue kept throwing insults I'd rather not repeat, the Beta motioned for the guards.

The guards took him away, but he was putting up a fight. Two more guards helped the others take him away. My dad mumbled something so low under his breath I wasn't able to hear it. "What?"

"Behaviour like that is punishable by death." I nodded along with what he was saying and turned my attention back to the Beta.

"If anyone agrees with what that man said step up now." He said it like a calm message but everyone could hear the menacing message behind those words.

No one stepped forward. We were all too desperate to avoid becoming a rogue.

The Beta eyed us all one more time before nodding. "As I've said tomorrow night is when the ceremony begins. For now everyone must return to their cells for one last night."

I could feel the disapproval from everyone like a wave. I too, disapproved about this. But we tried to hide it when the Beta looked out onto the crowd again.

The guards surrounded us and led us back to the cells. They didn't use any force on us because we were future pack members and they probably figured out we weren't a threat.

By the time we reached the cells, the delicious smell of food filled the entire room. We were placed into our cells again but this time food awaited us. It wasn't much but still, it was food.

My mom split up the bread and meat for Rose and I. There was only two water bottles for each cell so I shared one with my mom while Rose had one to herself.

I glanced to my left to see Beth and Savannah both eating their food. Beth caught me staring and shot me a small smile. I returned it before I continued munching on my food like a child.

Silence was all in that room besides the occasional burps.

After we were all fed most of us went to sleep while others, like me, had quiet conversations with others.

"What happens during the ceremony of acceptance?" I asked my mom this because she had to go through this when she joined the blue bloods pack.

"You're just sharing blood with the alpha and you have to state your loyalty to him in front of everyone."

I nodded distracted by the ugly bugs creeping near me before looking up at her in shock. "Share blood?"

My mom nodded. Rose was looking at my mom the same way I was. "How?"

"You both will find out tomorrow," she replied before laying down to sleep. "Both of you, rest, especially you Annabel."

I gulped and looked at Rose. She seemed frightened but instead of saying anything she laid down, listening to my mom. I laid down next to them and sighed. Sharing blood? It's not like I've never heard of it because I have. But it was different. Most packs have different ways on how to accept someone into the pack. But how were we being accepted?

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~MissieA out!

♥