Alpha Zander
Bonus Chapter

**Grace**

I lay on the hotel’s disgusting bed, looking up at the cracked pink paint, watching every scrap as it peels off, falling from the ceiling. The dimly lit light flickers through the room as I try to focus on the walls around me.

“Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me,”I softly sing as tears stream down my face.

How did everything get so f****d up? I had a foolproof plan that would have worked if he didn’t replace his f*****g mate. Who would have guessed Ashleigh Steward was my boyfriend’s mate?

I honestly thought it would be me. I’m an Alpha’s daughter; I had a higher possibility. We had a magnetic attraction from the start, and everyone back home said we were perfect together. Dad is obsessed with Zander.

But then, all he ever wants is power and money.

Charwood, being the biggest pack in the country, has both.

‘We should go out. I saw a bar when we walked past here,’ my wolf Talia says encouragingly, pushing forward hopefully.

“We heed to stay hidden, Talia,’ I scolded, ‘we don’t want them or dad to replace us.’

Talia whimpers and curls up at the memories of home. They used to be happy memories, but since mum passed away, giving birth to my baby brother, dad turned feral. With my brother, Drake, watching his every move, he has become even more aggressive.

Dad’s mistress, Denice, is just as money hungry and doesn’t give a s**t about anyone either. As they say, “learned from the best”.

All I wanted was Zander. He was everything to me. I loved him more than anything, despite what my father wanted and what they wanted, but I couldn’t tell him.

They warned me; told me people were watching, and they were right. I have the scars to prove it.

When Zander broke things off with me, I was devastated, especially when I found out that it was because he found his mate.

That day that we went to the clinic for the ultrasound, the pure rage was on Zander’s face when he found out the truth. I didn’t even get a chance to explain.

I knew that if I didn’t get out of Charwood’s territory quickly, his wolf Jace would surely kill me.

That day my phone rang nonstop with people demanding to know what was happening, and I couldn’t tell them. I didn’t know. I’d never seen Zander so angry in my life.

Let’s go. You’ve been moping about Zander for a few weeks. We need to shape up and ship out,’ Talia says. ‘But first, we need money. This is the last hotel we can pay for with the cash we had.’

I sniffle, wiping away my pathetic tears because I know she is right. Our last few hundred dollars could only get us this dinghy room for the weekend, and tonight is our last night.

I flick on the TV as I start to get ready. It is only 8 pm, so it’s not too late to go out. It probably is a slow night, but being my birthday, I hoped that would benefit me.

In breaking news, Summervale College was attacked by rogue shifters earlier today. Three students remain in critical care, and four have lost their lives. Charwoods, Luna Ashleigh Blackwood, Beta Daniel Richmond, and Gamma Eric Stephens are all in ICU facing life-threatening injuries. We wish them a full recovery and will follow this story closely with further updates.

I freeze as I hear the news report. They actually went through with it. After everything, I couldn’t believe they did it.

I am so glad I changed my phone number and deleted the other numbers from my phone so that they couldn’t track it. I couldn’t be linked back to anything. I can’t ever go back. It will be my mission to never be found by them, only to be dragged back to that hell hole.

I look at myself in the mirror as I brush my hair.

Sadly it needs a good cut and clean. The hair dye I used a few weeks ago has started to fade, and my brown roots are starting to show.

I wish I could use my credit cards more than anything, but since l haven’t reported in, I know they will be waiting for me to slip up. I know they are looking for me. I got as much cash out as I could at the first point, then stopped using them so they can’t replace me.

They told me to contact them twice a week. If I missed a scheduled update, they sent someone to punish me.

This isn’t the first time l’ve missed an update. I hope they would forget or just not send anyone, but they always come. I moved my fingers along my last punishment’ on the right side of my h*p. The skin healed quickly despite the red-hot iron bar they pressed against it, leaving me with a jagged scar. They remembered to use silver so that the scar would always be there as a reminder that they owned me. I tried to plead with them, explaining that I was doing what they asked, but each time they ignored me and didn’t care because they wanted information.

I collapse on the shower flow and sob for what feels like hours. The alarm on my phone buzzes loudly. I look at it and see that only ten minutes has passed and a reminder that there is something I needed to do tonight.

I get up from the shower floor and put on my best top and a skirt with my favourite high heels, and get ready to go out for the night.

The bar is only a few blocks down. Even in heels, it is a short enough walk.

Muffled music could be heard from behind the door.

A few people waiting around the front, which is surprising for a Monday.

The two bouncers out the front are in black tees and dark pants. One of them looks me up and down with l**t-filled eyes and a smirk on his lips. The other just looked at me and remained expressionless.

By their scent, I could tell that they are both humans.

Not wanting to give away that I am a shifter, I flash a Sweet smile as they part for me to enter.

It is a cosy bar for one that is on the side street and not open to heavy traffic flow. I walk in and look around.

It has an open floor plan, with tables and chairs scattered and a pool table off to the side. Along the back wall is the bar with bartenders serving drinks. The shelves are lined with liquor bottles illuminated by lights.

There aren’t too many people out tonight, mostly all humans. The shifters who were here earlier have since left, as their scent is faint. Sighing, I move to the bar. I hope I can get something for free. If not, I’Il have to use my last fifteen dollars to get at least something decent to eat.

“What can I get ya,” the bartender asks in a gravelly voice. His eyes directly go to my boobs as I push them out, making them look more presentable.

“Mojito,”l say with a sweet smile, batting my eyelashes.

“Comin’ up,” he nods, giving my b0obs one last glance. “So, what’s a fine young lady like yourself doing around these parts of town?” he asks, giving me a creepy smile while making the drink.

I shrug and twirl my hair, “oh, you know, just visiting some friends.”

He chuckles at my response while passing me the drink. “On the house,” he smirks as his eyes dart to my b0obs once more.

I lean forward and give him a little peck on the cheek with a sweet “thanks”. I turn around and walk to one of the tables in the corner.

As Iook around, a strong scent of cinnamon and mint hits me so suddenly l’m in a complete daze.

‘Mate, mate, Tahlia jumps around excitedly.

“What!?!?’ I panic. If he’s here, he’s not a shifter.

There aren’t any shifters around.

I frantically look around to see who the scent belongs to, and as I do, my eyes land on the most beautiful man I have ever seen. He’s sitting along the back wall in a booth, buried deep in books and paperwork, with a few beers pushed to the side on the end of the table.

His hair is pitch black. His jaw is covered in short stubble, and his glasses keep slipping down his nose every few seconds as he moves through his work, so distracted by it that he doesn’t even notice his surroundings. His long-sleeved shirt is wrinkled and pushed up his arms, and his tie is loose, like he’s pulled at it trying to get it loose after a rough day of work.

My heart skips a few beats. He’s beautiful. I wonder how I can go over and speak to him. I’ve never been shy about approaching people, but now, at this moment, I am terrified of speaking to my mate.

I slowly walk over to him, and as I do, his scent amplifies by a thousand. My body is buzzing like it’s on fire, and Tahlia is so excited, jumping around in my mind like a crazy person making it harder for me to Concentrate.

I put on my best smile and tried to get as much courage as possible to say something to him,

“Hi, I’m Grace,” I say, trying not to let my voice come out like a squeak.

At first, I don’t think he hears me and just continues moving through his paperwork, but after the most intense five seconds of my life, he looks up. Blue, his eyes filled with the most beautiful colour of deep blue l have ever seen in my life. I svck in a sharp breath as he looks at me.

He frowns, opens his mouth slowly and says, “Elijah, ” his rough voice weakens my knees.

Get a grip, Grace… I murmur to myself, only to have Talia snicker at me in the background. His name is as beautiful as he is. I want to move closer and jump in his arms, covering him with k!sses, but I hold myself back. I don’t know how much he knows about shifters.

By now, everyone knows about shifters, but some people choose not to accept or believe or have some sort of hatred towards us, so I have to tread very lightly here and see what his beliefs are before I reveal our bond.

Tahlia whimpers at the thought of our mate not wanting us. No one else ever wanted us, but the thought of our mate not wanting us and being a different species only makes things harder.

Elijah is the first to snap out of our staring contest and moves back to his paperwork and books, shuffling everything around on the table in some organized mess.

“Mind if l join you?” I ask, sliding myself down into the booth opposite him.

He looks back up. His eyes hold no emotion, but frustration is etched on his face. He gives a quick nod before grabbing his beer and taking a swig.

Work is stressful. Being a university professor has its challenges. Talking to people every single day and not having a break can be hard, so I like to go to my local bar and do the paperwork there.

Benny, the barkeeper, is my best friend and owns the pub, so drinks and food are half off. It’s a decent enough place to remain hidden but has the ambience.

When this girl, Grace, walks up to me and introduces herself, I feel this weird pull toward her. I don’t know how to explain it, but suddenly it’s like nothing else matters, and all I want is her.

I didn’t even feel this much pull with my most recent girlfriend. We were together for three years, but six months ago, she decided to end it, telling me that she was now bored and had enough of life with me. She packed up her stuff in our apartment and moved out that same day.

I drank my sorrows away for the first two months.

After that, Benny helped me get my s**t together again.

The one person who I wanted to settle down with was bored of me. If only she knew the truth, she might not have been so bored..

“‘So, what are you doing?” Grace asks curiously, looking between all my paperwork sprawled across the table.

“Grading papers,” I grumble. My mind is in such a fog with her around. Something else had to be at play ,here. She smells of sweet strawberries and mint. Every time she leans closer to me, I can smell it, making my body tingle all over.

“You teach?” she asks, looking at me c*****g her head slightly, observing my every movement.

“Yes, history and philosophy.” I sigh, moving through one of the paperS.

I feel her mood instantly change. From the corner of my eye, l see her expression change to one of worry as she shifts uncomfortably in the seat opposite me.

Something flashes in her eyes so quickly that I almost don’t see it.

f**k, f**k! is she what I think she is?

A vampire’s eyes don’t change like that. Their eyes only change when they drink b***d.

Witch’s eyes do change color but only when casting a spell.

As for werewolves, it isn’t just the eyes. When the animal moves forward, it can take control and its whole body shifts from human to wolf.

So. If she shows her eyes again.. I’Il be able to determine which one she is … witch or wolf. But why is she interested in me? Hardly anyone ever speaks to me when I am sitting here they know not to approach me.

Grace looks curiously at the papers and starts reaching for them. I guess to see what I was grading them on. I get agitated and quickly move my hand down on hers, stopping her movements.

She jumps up in fright and pulls away her hand, but not before I feel an eruption of sparks surge through me.

Her eyes turn silver, and I can see her wolf peeking through, interested in what’s going on.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you. It’s an organized mess. I have the different piles so I can grade them later and know what marks to put down.”I explain softly, confused by the sparks.

Think, damn it.. think… What do the sparks mean with the wolves? And then it hits me like a freight train.

The pull, the sparks, the scent.

“How old are you?” I ask her. I need to be one hundred per cent sure I have this right before making any assumptions.

“Umm… I just turned eighteen today,” she mumbles, looking away. Suddenly her surroundings are more interesting than me as she looks around the room fiddling with her fingernails.

“So old enough to replace a mate,” I state bluntly.

She looks back at me, shocked.

“Yes,” she whispers sadly. “l understand if you don’t want me, but all I ask … can you please reject me tomorrow … I don’t want it to taint my birthday.”

I sit there, completely stunned. I couldn’t believe this girl is my mate. The moon goddess is surely playing a sick joke on both of us.

“Where are you staying?” I ask. I need to know she was safe here.

“The motel on the corner,” she mumbles while looking down at her hands, as her face flushes with embarrassment.

“What are you running from?” l ask curiously.

You only go to that motel if you need something cheap. Her hair was half done, she had only half applied her makeup, and her outfit was all over the place. She was running from something or someone.

She shifts around in her seat, clearly uncomfortable with my question.

“Look, I just want to know what I’m getting myself into,” I tell her before grabbing one of her hands and squeezing it tightly to give her some reassurance. If we are both running, I’d like to know what she is running from so we can make plans for when we need to move next.

The sparks of the bond fly through me, jolting my entire body to life, making me want nothing more than her.

She looks up at me with hope shining in her eyes, her beautiful brown eyes. f*k she’s gorgeous! The more I stay around her, the more l just want to be in her presence.

She opens her mouth to say something but hesitates when she looks down at my hand. I release hers and move mine back towards me.

“You’re one of them..” she whispers quietly. panicking and trembling as she pushes away from the table, trying to get out.

I frown, looking at the back of my wrist. I used to have an old tattoo there but got it removed a long time ago. Right now, it is nothing more than a scar.

How the f**k does she know what that symbol means? Unless

Before I even get a chance to process what happened, Grace has already sprinted toward the door, wanting out. I scramble quickly out of the booth, following her. I don’t know what she knows, but I am nothing like them. That’s why I left. She needs to understand that.

“Grace, let me explain,” I call out to her, f*k, she’s fast, but l’m gaining on her. She nearly reaches her hotel, and she spins around to face me.

“No, I am not going back to them. You can’t make me,” she shrieks as her wolf pushes forward with full force and slams her fist into my chest. Making me stumble a little and grunt in pain.

I snatch her wrist and spin her around to hold her. If the mate bond is as powerful as all the books I have read, I pray this will calm her down so she will listen as I talk.

“I’m not one of them anymore. I left, and I ran. I couldn’t be part of something so disgusting. I will never let them hurt you. Do you understand me?”I hold her close. Her eyes swimming with tears, she looks up staring into mine.

“You were still one of them,” she whispers. I can still feel her shaking violently, and her wolf pushing forward as she struggles to break free.

“Years and years ago, when I was a kid, I needed quick cash. I never knew what happened behind closed doors. But when I moved up the ranks and found out the truth, I got out and have been running ever since. I use the knowledge I have of the supernatural now to teach kids. I swear to you, I will not let them hurt you,”

I watch the tears streaming down her face, as she breaks down completely falling into my chest crying.

I made a silent promise to her and to myself… no one will ever replace us, and we will never be a part of that again.