Mated To The Beastly Alpha
Chapter 12

Nicole still felt like she was dreaming. The female members from Dark Moon had arrived after the ceremony and helped her pack her measly stuff, put them in the trunk of the luxury cars they arrived with, and took her away.

Some of the Dark Moon's scouts had wolfed out and gone ahead of them, others rode alongside them.

Nicole could see flashes of their fur as they competed with the high-speed vehicles. Alpha Liam and the rest were coming from behind in wolf form too.

Nicole was barely present for all that happened. Her body was there, her eyes were open, and she moved when asked and responded when spoken to, but from a far distance in her mind. If not for her wolf, she would have lacked coordination. Despite her long run, where she tried as much as possible to spin the wheel that was after her life, it was still like a dream. Maybe it was for the better. Maybe the soul-crushing sorrow she felt about losing her mate was the best. She took a lungful of the cool wind blasting across her face and making a mess of her Ash brown hair.

"I'm going to accept my fate," she whispered into the wind.

"I'm going to see where life leads me. This is for the best," she assured herself. It helped to calm the pain a little.

***

Nicole gasped as they drove into Dark Moon territory. The moment they crossed into its borders her wolf purred and relaxed contentedly, taking her by surprise.

A certain ease that she had never felt before washed over her, making her sigh involuntarily.

As they pulled into the residential area, she couldn't help but stare stupidly at the structures. The houses were modern and very classy. Which was something not easily found in the werewolf's world. Werewolves were known to be tardy, shabby and untidy. They were too strong to be elegant. But the landscape of the Dark Moon flushed that theory down the drain.

It was completely breathtaking. The mild but vibrant and aesthetically pleasing colors pleased her senses. She was still basking in the radiance of the houses and cottages she had seen when they pulled into the main Packhouse. Her jaw dropped,

The huge mansion. No, the Castle before her looked like something stolen out of Europe and meticulously placed in the Dark Moon. Its dwarfing presence screamed power and authority, just like that of its owner.

A shudder swept through Nicole. The castle-like mansion bore Liam's presence. It was like he was peering directly into her soul. She averted her gaze from the mansion and admired its surroundings.

"Welcome to Dark Moon," A plump and curvy female of average height, with silky blonde hair, greeted as Nicole alighted from the car.

Startled, Nicole jerked away and evaded her outstretched hands. Hurriedly, she ran to the vehicle where her stuff was kept but stopped short on seeing that some omegas were already carrying them into the mansion. She spun around and looked from the nice-looking lady to the servants.

"Welcome to Dark Moon," One of the females who had accompanied her from Crimson said, giving her a brief hug and bright smile before walking away.

Other ladies who had accompanied her did the same thing. Some walked into the mansion. Others shifted and dashed into the nearby forest and some began conversing as they returned to the village and residential areas they had just passed. In the end, Nicole stood alone with the lady who had introduced herself first.

She stood gobsmacked. Never in her whole existence had she been welcomed so warmly. It brought goosebumps to her skin. She swallowed and reminded herself to breathe.

"Uhm, I'm Asha, I'm supposed to show you around." The lady said, eyeing her skeptically.

"Nicole," Nicole said, her eyes fixed on the servants carrying her luggage.

"Nice. Let's get you settled before Alpha Liam returns," Asha said, gesturing to the main entrance.

Nicole glanced briefly at her, then back at the servants.

"Shouldn't we be going that way?" She inquired from the servants.

Asha gave her a tentative smile, then piled her hair up in a rough bun.

"Nope, we go in through the lobby, then to the main hall. Come, I'll show you your room."

"Oh!" Nicole squeaked, releasing a breath. All the friendliness rubbed off on her in the wrong way. It jarred her senses, making her stiff as a board and very suspicious.

"This way," Asha said and began to walk towards the main entrance.

"Okay. Here goes nothing," Nicole murmured, clenching and unclenching her fists as she followed her stiffly.

The interior of the mansion which was reserved for visiting guests was as intimidating as the exterior. It showed dominance and power. As Asha showed her the guest parlors, reception and entertainment areas, Nicole trembled.

The Mansion was so unlike the warmth she had felt when they passed the residential areas. She could feel the happiness and peace wafting in the air, but the mansion was cold and full of decorations of high taste that screamed power. Asha noticed her discomfort and grinned at her.

"I know he loves playing mind games with his guests, but I promise, this exaggeration is all for show."

Nicole didn't believe her, but she mutely nodded. She wondered how her room would be if the mansion was as terrifying as she had seen.

Asha gave her a sheepish grin, then threw open a large door that seemed to separate the house into two equal parts. Nicole's eyes went wide as they stepped into the stark opposite of where they had just been.

"This is the Dark Moon's Packhouse," Asha exclaimed, giggling.

This part of the mansion was classy and elegant but contained all the warmth needed. While there was no soul in the other part, this part had people buzzing around. Laughter rang in the air. The smell of coffee, bacon, meat, and everything nice swarmed her

senses.

Pack members conversed and worked together. Nicole stood frozen at the doorway. She could feel the joy and comfort thrumming amongst them. She blinked. How? She asked herself.

It was so disconcerting that she wondered if she was dreaming. The visitors' side of the mansion was what she expected to be the general air in Dark Moon, considering that Alpha Liam was ruthless, callous, and a beast.

She expected to see hopeless and downcast faces. She thought she had smelled fear. But the people before her were bold and happy.

They were so carried away by the merriment that they hardly noticed her.

"Surprised," Asha smiled, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction.

Swallowing, Nicole nodded,

"Yup. That's every first-timer's expression. Close your mouth before something sneaks in." Asha teased. "And stop staring like this is a representation. It's real. Alpha Liam might have a scary reputation, but he's a sweetheart," Nicole's eyes reluctantly snapped at Asha, who was trying to stop herself from bursting into laughter.

"Sweetheart and Alpha Liam do not belong in one sentence, Asha." A deep male voice added.

Nicole jumped as her head flew in the direction of his voice and slipped. The strong man beside her quickly yanked her out of the air, smiling sheepishly, exposing a set of dimples.

Nicole gazed at the very tall man with dark eyes and even darker hair that held her in his arms as her heart thrashed within her chest.

Asha giggled and he winked.

"Welcome Nicole, I'm the Beta of the Dark Moon. I run this place when our beloved Liam, who happens to be the Alpha is away." He said. Nicole held her breath,

So many things were happening and her brain wasn't comprehending.

"Don't let Asha trick you. Liam's not a sweetheart." He said, giving Asha a side-eye.

Nicole was still trying to catch her breath when a deep growl announced to everyone that their Alpha had returned. The Beta's eyes flashed gold and he immediately let go of Nicole like she was infected with some sort of disease.

But Nicole was too invested in the reaction of other pack members to notice what happened to her. Instead of the fear and sadness she had expected, a cheer erupted from the people in the building.

They swarmed toward them, smiling brightly as they cheered for their Alpha. Nicole knew she was in their way but she was too stunned to move. The Beta dragged her out of the way and held onto her until the last of the cheering pack members passed. Nicole narrowed her eyes and twisted her lips. It didn't make sense. She felt Liam's irritation at something in his growl. How were they not fleeing or shaking in fear?

Another piercing growl erupted in the air, snapping her to attention. The Beta let go again, smirking.

"Welcome once again, I'm Garret by the way, and he's pissed."

Nicole was still too stunned to respond.

Asha stood mutely in the corner, peering at them with curious eyes and an uncomfortable stance.

A mischievous gleam shone in his eyes and he gingerly raised her hand and kissed it. Nicole blinked, but her brain was still processing the cheers from the pack members. This time a roar emanated from outside.

Garrett chuckled,

"Oh, I'm going to enjoy this." He murmured, letting her go. "Nice meeting you Nicole, now I must go and wrestle with my very pissed Alpha. See you around." With that, he vanished.

Blinking, Nicole looked from her hand to Asha, who shrugged.

"Let's finish the tour and get you settled before Alpha Liam summons us. Pay Beta Garrett no mind, he's always teasing and joking."

"What just happened?" Nicole blurted as soon as she got herself.

Asha shrugged again,

"Dark Moon. Dark Moon and Beta Garrett happened. Come on, let's go."

Nicole nodded stiffly.

Yeah. I'm going crazy. She said to herself.

if she heard her, Asha said,

"And you're not crazy. You're experiencing your first cultural shock in Dark Moon. Brace yourself, there's more to come,"

"Wow," Nicole managed to utter, as unease and anxiety fluttered in her belly.

Asha gestured to the stairwell and Nicole dragged her stiff body to follow.

She didn't know what to think of what she had experienced. A snarky voice in her head told her that it was a hoax and a lie. It told her that they were pretending. There was no way a pack with such a beast for an Alpha didn't cower in fear and dissatisfaction. Even in Crimson, there was no such unity amongst pack members. Everyone respected Alpha Shane, they obeyed him. They feared him as Alpha but didn't necessarily like him.

Such team spirit was highly frowned upon in the Crimson. So far, she hadn't been able to distinguish the low-ranking pack members from the high-ranking ones unlike in Crimson where the strata were quite clear.

An unsettling feeling settled in her chest. This was new and she wasn't sure she liked it. She couldn't trust what she saw. It was probably a hoax.