Sold To The Alpha
Hated Ties That Bind Chapter 19

'This is your family Rowan; I think that's an exception to our agreement' the Rogue replied with a chuckle as Rowan's face turned mutinous. 'How does he support you?' Riley asked curiously, inching forward in his seat.

'I know about who Rowan was and what he had to do for the Council' Archer replied, his eyes darkening at mention of the men who had tormented his friend for all those years. 'It was me he came too after they bound him too them and I tried everything to find a way to break his bond, I am glad you found the way my friend' he added with a smile.

'As you know Luna, I had money to support my pack, for want of a better description, but my finances dwindled over the years. We struggled to provide for our ever increasing numbers, trying to make our supplies stretch which was hard when more Rogues appeared each day. Then Rowan found me that day, as I lay healing, we would talk and I told him about how I came to be here and the problems we faced. When Rowan finally left us, I was sad to see him go, but weeks later a Rogue family appeared at our entrance, a husband, wife and two small children, dirty and scared. The father said that they had been directed by a lone Rogue who had told them that they could find a home here.

As I welcomed them in, the man handed me an envelope, inside was a bank card and a handwritten note with a pin number and information that Rowan had set up an account and it was for me to support the Rogues under my care! Riley stared at Rowan, his shock evident, 'why did you do that?'

Rowan shrugged, 'I earned good money as a collector, even more with the side jobs I took, more than I needed. Archer needed money and I had it, so I paid half of everything I earned into the account for him. As his pack grew, I took on more and more extra jobs until I made a mistake, helped the wrong people and a girl ended up dead.' Pain lanced across the warrior's face at the memory, 'I was young, I trusted their word, not thinking to check into their story, I didn't make that mistake again. But it was too late, the council found out and I was hunted, so I became freelance, taking jobs that no-one else wanted just so I could keep supporting Archer and his pack.

Riley sat back, his eyes closing, 'that's why you took the job to kidnap Isabella' he breathed.

Rowan nodded, 'Graham swore he was not going to hurt her, he needed her to get through Oak Ridge pack's barrier. I researched him before I agreed to the job, just as I did with every contract after... her. What I didn't know was, that he would make the decision to wipe her mind, he always said that he just wanted her strong as he didn't think she could step through if she wasn't. He didn't really understand why Isabella and Charity could walk through the barrier unhindered, but he had seen Charity's strength and assumed that her training had something to do with that so decided to get me to train her just in case, he also didn't want her to get hurt if things went wrong.

The plan way always to build up Isabella's strength, get through the barrier, grab his wife who was trapped there and then leave, letting Bella go once we were outside of the pack barrier and away from pursuers!

The warrior closed his eyes tiredly, 'I never expected to be drawn to her, and as I had never felt the mate pull I didn't understand what was happening. It wasn't like how everyone described it, sparks and electricity, but I just knew I wanted to be near her all the time. I don't know, maybe I really could feel Gabby before she was even a thought' he added ruefully.

'So everything he did was for you? What about when he was with the council, how did he support you then?' Riley asked.

Rowan shrugged, 'the council paid me a wage, despite being immortal, I still needed to eat and have places to sleep, plus, as I was working for them, it seems that in their warped minds, it would have been immoral not to pay me for my services. I also still took on the odd job when I could, having no scent really upped my game at being able to take things without being seen' he said with a hollow laugh as if his past amused him though his eyes gave away the scars he still carried.

Sitting outside of the clinic, Alessia twisted her fingers in her lap as she waited impatiently for news of Nathaniel from Galena. A young female Rogue, approximately fourteen years old, approached her hesitantly, holding out a plate filled with sandwiches and salad. Taking it, the she wolf thanked her appreciatively as she placed the plate on her lap and picked up one of the sandwiches, biting into it hungrily. Looking up, she saw that the young teenager was still watching her curiously, though she stayed back. 'Do you want to share?' Alessia asked as she waved to the plate, nodding slightly, her blonde hair falling into her eyes, the teenager stepped forward and sat on the floor in front of the Green Vine she wolf. Slowly she reached out a hand to take a sandwich, bringing it to her lips and taking a small bite.

Chewing softly, the young girl didn't move her gaze from Alessia's own, her green eyes piercing through as if studying her.

Smiling awkwardly, Alessia stayed quiet, as she ate her food, taking in the other young female's features.

'You look like someone I met the teenager finally whispered, drawing the she wolf's attention.

'I do? Who?' she asked, her heartbeat picking up.

'A man, he came through near here, said he was searching for someone' he went into the witches village and I didn't see him again, I remember him because he didn't shy away from me because I was a Rogue, he was polite to me!

Placing the plate on the floor, Alessia grabbed her backpack from under her seat and rummaged in the pockets until she pulled out a crumpled photo and handed it with shaking hands to the youngster. 'Did he look like this?' she asked uncertainly. Taking the photo, the teenager studied it before nodding her head slowly, 'that's him, is he your brother?' she asked as she met Alessia's gaze once again.

Taking the photo back, Alessia nodded sadly, 'he went looking for his mate and he didn't come back' she replied.

The young she wolf shifted on the floor, moving closer to place her hand on Alessia's arm, 'I'm sorry, he seemed like a really nice man, he gave me some sweets, told me that they were a special present for a special girl' she added with a shy smile. Alessia laughed softly, 'that sounds like my brother, he was always giving the children of our pack biscuits and sweets, he drove the parents crazy! Sobering up, she searched the girl's eyes desperately, 'did he look OK?' she asked hopefully.

The teenager nodded, 'yes, he looked really happy, I only spoke to him for a few minutes but he was really nice to me, I was all ready to run when I saw him as my dad tells me not to talk to other wolves because they may not be nice, but he called me back, asking what the town was like.'

The young girl fidgeted momentarily as she seemed to collect her courage, finally she whispered, 'can I ask you a question?'

'Sure' Alessia replied, intrigued as to what the youngster wanted to know. 'Taking a deep breath, the teenager muttered, 'what is it like to be part of a pack?'

Surprised, the Green Vine she wolf studied the young girl momentarily before answering, 'it's nice, it's like having a big family full of cousins, aunts and grandparents. Everyone talks to you, wishes you happy birthday and will help you if you are injured or sick. The Alpha makes sure that we all have everything we need, and everyone works together to keep the pack running!

The young girl's eyes widened as she listened, 'it sounds wonderful' she whispered longingly as she unconsciously inched closer to the older woman.

Smiling down at her, Alessia nodded, 'it really is' she replied softly.

Standing up, the teenager reached down and picked up the empty plate, holding it carefully as she smiled at the she wolf warmly, 'thank you for talking to me' she murmured shyly.

Alessia grinned back, 'thank you for the food and also thank you for the information on my brother.'

Nodding, the young girl went to walk away, 'wait' called Alessia, 'what is your name?'

The teenager turned back and blushing slightly she replied, 'Grace.'

'It was very nice to meet you Grace' Alessia said warmly, 'my name is Alessia.'

Smiling wider, Grace nodded as she gave a small wave and turned, walking back along the corridor until she was out of sight.

'Alessia?' a voice called as the door opened to reveal Galena who was looking down at her questioningly.

The she wolf stood up quickly, stepping closer to the doctor who stepped aside to allow her to enter.

'He is stable, I have treated the wound and I think he should wake up in the next half hour so it's probably a good idea for you to sit beside him ready' Galena said curtly.

Nodding silently, Alessia entered the room and sat down on the small swivel stool that was next to the bed. Ignoring her, Galena began to clear up the mess she had made, before she exited, leaving the she wolf to watch the unconscious Alpha silently. Tentatively reaching out a hand, Alessia laced it on top of Nathaniel's wincing slightly at how cold it felt under her warm skin.

'Hey Nate' she whispered fondly, 'you need to wake up, now is not the time to be sleeping when you have a mate out there hiding. The warrior continued to lay still beside her, his breathing light, his skin pale as his eyes flickered under his eyelids as if he was dreaming.

Letting out a sigh, the she wolf inched the chair forward, as she spoke again, 'sooo, it seems my brother passed by here' she started as she searched for something to fill the deafening silence in the room. 'One of the young she wolves met him, she said he looked really well, so that's good news isn't it?'

Starting to trace patterns over the back of his hand, Alessia continued to mumble to herself, 'he went to the witches village, just like we did, so I should probably ask there if they remember him, don't you think? Yeah, that's what I should do, so you need to wake up so we can get moving slacker' she teased.

Flicking her gaze to his face, the she wolf growled in annoyance at the unresponsive warrior. 'You need to wake up Alpha, some of us have more important things to do than sit around here waiting for you to get your beauty sleep' she added before she dropped her head onto the blankets with a huff of defeat.

'I told you not to call me Alpha, I won't respond to it' came a weak voice beside her.

Snapping her head up, Alessia's face broke into a huge smile as her gaze connected with Nate's tired eyes that were looking at her in amusement.

'Well it's about time!' she growled affectionately, 'do you know how long I've been sitting on these extremely uncomfortable chairs waiting for you to wake up? My a*s will never recover from the trauma.

Nathaniel chuckled lightly, making his cough as he pulled a face of pain from the jolting movement, 'where are we?' he asked as he looked around the unfamiliar room.

'We are at a Rogue pack' Alessia replied, placing her hands on the Alpha's chest to push him back down as he began to sit up in agitation. 'Calm down, the head Rogue is a friend of Rowan's, their doctor fixed you up.. do you remember what happened?' she asked tentatively.

Nathaniel furrowed his brow as he thought, 'I remember the smell of citrus and then....' he looked up at Alessia, his eyes brightening, 'my mate, I remember, she was there.. but she was angry.. did I do something to upset her?' he asked worriedly. Alessia shook her head, 'no, from what I can gather, she knew Rowan and he killed her fiancée' she replied slowly, gripping his hand tighter as pain cut across the warrior's face. 'Hey! A lot of people get second chance mates, just because she had a love before you doesn't mean that she won't want you.'

Nathaniel swallowed as he nodded, 'yeah, I know you are right, it's just hard to know that she still holds feelings for another man when she is mine' he replied softly. Clearing his throat he added, 'so, how did I end up here and why does my chest feel like Vaya went ten rounds of sparring with me?' he asked with a laugh.

Shaking her head in amusement, the she wolf said, 'I have no idea who Vaya is, but she sounds like a bad a*s' making Nathaniel laugh harder.

'Oh she is, she's Daniel's mate, he literally ran away from her so that he could come on this trip, no-one messes with her, except my mother who is even more bad a*s.

Alessia smiled, 'you have a lot of strong women in your life' she murmured.

The Alpha nodded, 'I do, even my sister Gabby is a force to be reckoned with, just don't tell her I said that, her head is already big enough' he grumbled at the end.

'Well to answer your question, your mate threw a curse at Rowan and you kind of got in the way' the she wolf told him reluctantly.

'My mate hurt me?' Nathaniel asked, his eyes clouding.

'No, not intentionally' Alessia protested immediately, 'you ran at her while she was throwing it at Rowan, you were trying to stop her.. she... she looked devastated when she saw you fall, like she didn't know what to do, then she disappeared. Nathaniel slumped back into the pillow, his eyes closing, 'my mate ran from me' he said sadly.

'I really think she ran because she didn't know what to do, you were hurt, but Rowan was still there and they obviously have a painful past, she didn't know any of us so she fled, but we can find her again' Alessia stated confidently. Sighing deeply, Nathaniel looked over at the wall, 'I hope so Lessi, I... I think I love her' he said quietly.