Chapter 1

Alexa's POV

I dreaded waking up in these nasty motels from hell it couldn't be more of a reminder of what an awful sister I was. What was I thinking? raising a sixteen year old in this shithole this was what we called home. Thankfully, I was able to graduate high school and find work to save money to stay here, and to have food and clothes on our back. The new school year was starting and I had to enroll Dahlia for school and hopefully find a new job, one that made enough for us to get an apartment. The little money I had left in the bank, and of what my mom left to me was not going to be enough much longer. Especially with a teenage girl that thinks money falls of trees. I threw my pillow across the room to wake my lovely little sister from her beauty sleep.

"C'mon princess! Time to get up and rolling it's the first day of school." I yelled.

"Alexa, please don't make me go! ... my stomach has been in knots all night! I feel like I'm going to walk straight into the lion's den. I thought I was your favorite sister?" She whined as she sat up on her twin bed across from mines. I looked at my sister's puppy dog face, wincing because I knew it was going to be scary for her-- being in a town full of packed wolves, and going to their high school was not going to be easy, but i was necessary. Living as rogue wasn't working. I had to make some changes not just for me, but for Dahlia as well. I wish I could hide her from the world but when my parents died, I promised my mother I would raise Lia to be a strong willed women, and to be who she was meant to be. "Lia I'm going to try and talk to the head alpha today to inform him again about you starting school." I cupped her face in my hands. She had grown so much these last few years, she was a beautiful young lady with hair long golden brown cascading like waves down her back just like mom. Her naturally tan skin, and big gorgeous hazel green eyes from my dad. We had a lot of similarities, but the only difference were my eyes. I got them from my mother-- green with specks of gold, long raven colored hair down to my waist, and I was a splitting image of my father with olive color skin, full lips with lovey dimples that my mother would drool over every time he would crack a smile. I was half Spanish and Italian, I was four years older than Dahlia, she sixteen and I was twenty.

"I know this will be hard for you going into high school without knowing anyone I get it. You'll make friends fast, Lia. You're a good person with a big heart and if people can't see that, then that's their loss," I said giving her a kiss on the forehead. She shook her head with anger looking at me.

"We're considered rogues here according to the Crescent Falls law. They're not going to welcome me with open arms! You're making me walk into a death trap!" She cried.

"Don't say that, Dahlia! I have already spoken to Alpha on the phone he is willing to consider our request at living here, he knows we come to do no harm are situation is different than most rogues. He agreed to let you go to school without any issues. He wants to meet with m face to face to ensure that I am not a threat to their pack or a spy. I don't want you to have to grow up running from place to place it was fun for awhile, but you need stability. Think about when you go through your first shift? I want you to be able to be around our kind-- that's how it's supposed to be, and you can go to college and not have to keep worrying of what's out there you'll be safer within a pack, as will I. Just trust me."

She just sat there for a moment, thinking or fighting with the idea. Sighing, I left her to her thoughts, and grabbed my stuff and headed to take a shower. I never would purposely put her in any danger. I would kill myself before anything happened to her. Once I showered, I found her dressed and ready, with guilt in her eyes, she sprang up from my bed.

"Alexa, I am sorry," she cried while giving me a bone crushing hug. I wrapped my arms around her, just feeling her warmth. Moments like these I missed my mother, and I hoped that was doing the right thing.

"I know, baby girl," I said, wiping her tears away from her face. I didn't realize I too had let out some tears. I grabbed her hands and led her to the vanity and fixed the puffiness under her eyes. "There-- we can't have you going to your first day at a new high school looking a wreck, can we?" I said. I grabbed my make-up bag from the shelf, and started working on her.

"Alexa, thank you for this... for being here, being the best sister-mother a girl can have and for buying me these new clothes when I know we didn't have the extra money." I chuckled gave her the one brow lift.

"Sister- Mother, is that what I am? You, my friend, have no need to worry about money at all. You need to not worry about things like that in that pretty little head of yours. Now let's go-- we don't want you late, do we?" She laughed as we went out the door.

On the drive to Crescent Falls High I could see Dahlia fidgeting with her nails and it wasn't hard to guess she was nervous. I wish I could ease her worries but this was a part of life. This was going to be our new life.

"Dahlia, everything will be fine. This will be the beginning of new experiences for you."

She looked at me with the 'yeah, right' look. "Easy for you to say, Alexa. I've seen the movies-- the bitchy cheerleader, the hot football jock...and so on," she sighed, and gazed out the window.

I pulled up in the school drop off zone, and then I turned in my seat to face her. "So let me get this straight. You're baseding your high school experience on a bunch of movies you've seen? Lia, you have to stop this. Everything is going to work out fine, I promise." I took in a breath and hoped what I was saying was true. She got out of the car without answering, and I let out a breath. Kids were hoping outta cars from all different directions. I watched as Dahlia made her way up the top of the stairs and turned to face me. I gave her my best smile in the hope that she would have a good day. On an impulse, I rolled the window down and yelled back to her, "Knock 'em dead, sweetie! I will be waiting here when you get out. Love you."

She waved back, and disappeared.

With that I made my way towards the Alpha's pack house.

Wow, I didn't realize how far into the land they had built. Here I thought I'd never find the high school within the woods. It was nearly an hour or so from town already. Slowing down and pulling over, I could feel the presence of other wolves around. I got out of the car, feeling the hairs on my neck go up in warning as I walked closer to the gate I was startled by a man's deep voice.

"What is your business here, rogue?" said the voice behind the trees. Jeez way to treat a lady...

"I am here to speak with your Alpha. I have a meeting with him," I said, putting as much confidence in my voice as I could., because these guys were huge!

"I haven't been notified of anyone coming to meet with the Alpha, especially not a rogue. I think I would have remembered that one. We don't get many willing rogues walking in on our territory," he said in a hard tone. I was beginning to get annoyed the other guys standing around saying nothing as me and the invisible man behind the gate with a not so nice welcoming went back and forth...his hatred towards rogues was pretty obvious. I mean I clearly knew I was a rogue, and I did my part to talk to the alpha so why was I being interrogated? I swallowed down my anger.

"I can assure you I come with no intention to harm this pack or your territory. If you can just ask your Alpha, maybe we can just get this cleared up." I replied holding up my hands in the air as he spoke to someone. The man stepped out from the gate and man was he massive. He had to be about six foot five? Maybe seven foot!, and all muscles everywhere, and man was he something. Definitely hot... yes smoking hot!... I caught a smirk on his face, which meant he must have caught me staring at him. I cleared my throat and put on my poker face. "Ah...So are we good?"

"Yes, it seems we have been cleared things up, but before I let you in I need you to verify your name." he said walking closer, I could smell his fresh showered musk scent hit my nose.

"My name is Alexa Rose." I managed say my name without drooling. He stepped aside so that I can walk past him.

"Come this way," he stated. As I walked ahead, while he stayed very close behind. I could feel his eyes on me, as if he was watching my every move and daring me to do something wrong. We walked for another twenty minutes before I was faced with a beautiful massive mansion. I just stood and gaped. The lawn work was remarkable, the grass was the darkest hunter green, and it looked fine and fresh. I had the urge to run my hands through it to see if it was as soft as it looked. The mansion looked grand with big white pillars and tons of windows looking out on a beautiful lake. I was brought back to reality when I heard someone address himself to me as Alpha Julian.