Sold To The Alpha
Hated Ties That Bind Chapter 12

Rubbing his chin, Nathaniel let out a breath, avoiding the she wolf's gaze as she watched him hopefully.

'I swear, I won't be any trouble' she added, 'Alex is the only family I have left and our pack is just not big enough to send out a search party for him, you could literally be my only chance to replace out what happened to him.

'I don't know Alessia' the warrior murmured, 'we are going to be going through some dangerous territories, I'd be unable to forgive myself if something happened to you on my watch!

The she wolf slipped off the bed, walking over to his seat and sinking to the floor in front of him, her hands replaceing his as she looked up into his face. 'Please Alpha, I'm begging you' she whispered, 'I need to know what happened to him, if he found his mate and remained there, or to help him if he's in trouble, or...' she gulped, 'or if he died, so I can bury him with our parents' she whispered.

Struggling for a moment with his conscience, the werewolf finally nodded, 'OK you can travel with us' he muttered.

Squealing, Alessia threw her arms around the Alpha's neck, hugging him tightly before flinching back and dropping her gaze, her arms falling to her side, 'I am so sorry Alpha' she said humbly, 'forgive me, that was not proper!

Nathaniel laughed, 'it's fine Alessia, no offence taken, but maybe you should go and tell your Alpha your plan before getting some sleep as we will be setting off first thing after breakfast.'

Nodding enthusiastically, the she wolf jumped to her feet, her black hair bouncing as she rushed to the bedroom door. Placing her hand on the door knob, she turned back to the young warrior and gave him a smile, 'thank you Alpha, you have no idea what this means to me' she said honestly before opening the door and slipping out into the hallway, shutting it softly behind her.

Heading back to his bed, the Alpha lay on his back, staring at the ceiling, already imagining what Landen would have to say about the new addition to their group.

Rolling onto his side, Nathaniel closed his eyes, his body suddenly overtaken with fatigue as sleep took him.

The following morning found them all back in the dining room as the Omega's ran around with plates of sausages and eggs, serving the pack members and visitors. Leaning over his plate, Alpha Christof got Nathaniel's attention, 'I hear you are taking our farm wrangler with you Alpha' he said with a grin.

Nathaniel nodded as he swallowed his mouthful, ignoring the glare that was coming from the Beta beside him.

Riley turned to his son in surprise, 'what is this about?' he asked quickly.

'Alessia has asked to join us on our journey, she has a family member that went missing and she wants to travel with us to look for him' he explained. 'She thinks that it would be safer to travel with a group rather than alone and is reluctant to ask Alpha Christof to spare his warriors to accompany her.

Christof nodded sadly, 'yes, it is true, Alex has not returned to us, he is a good warrior, but it concerns us all that he has not come back to the pack yet' he agreed.

Riley frowned, 'it would be a pleasure to have the young lady accompany us, we will do our utmost to keep her safe' he said solemnly.

'Thank you, Luna,' the Alpha replied as his mate patted Riley's hand with a smile, 'Alessia became like a daughter to us after her parents passed, we know that Alex's situation lays heavy on her shoulders and it always upset us that we just didn't have the man power to search for him.'

Riley grasped the Luna's hand in his own, giving her a reassuring smile, 'we will assist Alessia in every way we can to replace her brother. I know what it's like to lose someone you love and have no idea what happened to them, we will replace the answer for her' he promised.

Standing up, the men headed back to their rooms, Landen hurrying to catch up with the young Alpha who held his hand up as the Beta started to open his mouth. 'Don't say it' he warned, 'the decision has been made, she is coming with us, she needs to replace her brother.'

Landen shook his head as he stopped by his room, 'whatever helps you sleep at night mate, but I just hope you can deal with the outcome when she watches you walk into your mate's arms' he replied.

Nathaniel growled warningly, 'it's not like that, she isn't coming with us for me, hell, I doubt she even likes me like that, we are just a way for her to replace her family' he grumbled before walking to his own room and kicking open the door angrily. Once they were packed up, their clothes returned by the Omega's, the group met up at the front door to say goodbye to the Alpha and Luna.

'Thank you Alpha for your hospitality' Riley said as he shook the older man's hand, 'and please, if you ever replace yourself near to our territory, come to visit, I'm sure that my mate would be eager to meet you and your Luna' he added.

Christof nodded, his face beaming, 'we will make sure you take you up on that Luna, it has been a pleasure to have you here with us, even for such a brief time and we hope that you will replace your way here again one day!'

Shaking the Alpha and Luna's hands, Nathaniel hoisted his backpack on to his shoulders just as Alessia bounded down the stairs.

Dressed in blue jeans, heavy duty hiking boots and a red checked button up shirt, the young girl smiled at everyone before making her way to her leaders and hugging each of them tightly.

'You be careful young lady' the Alpha growled affectionately as he held the she wolf in a tight embrace, 'don't go running into danger, it's not like breaking in a stallion out there.'

Alessia giggled, 'I won't Alpha, I'll come back in one piece, I trust the Silver Cross warriors, they will keep me safe, plus Briana trained me, and she will be soooo pissed at me if I go out there and let someone kill me! She would hunt down my body, resurrect me, berate me and then kill me again just so I could feel the full extent of her wrath' she said with a wink.

Edith pulled the handler into a hug of her own, tears building in her eyes, 'you come back safe to us, we can't lose you too' she muttered before releasing the she wolf and stepping back, wiping her eyes as her husband wrapped an arm around her waist. 'Don't cry Luna' Alessia moaned, 'you'll make me start and that is not the impression I want to give to the big scary warriors!'

Laughing, Edith nodded as she tried to stop her tears, 'I'm not crying, it's dust' she mumbled with a shaky smile.

Tory appeared beside them ready to lead the group back to the boundary so that they could set off on their way, thanking the pack once again, the group followed the Green Vine warrior and headed toward the field where they had first encountered the pack. 'Bye Rowan' Isla called out as she waved to the warrior, her friend giggling next to her as she also waved to Nathaniel.

Rolling his eyes, the ex Rogue ignored the pair, though a smile graced his lips he spotted the children in the distance, their teacher sat beside them holding something in her hand as they gathered around her, their trousers rolled up from wading in the nearby stream.

Soon enough they reached the field, the group bidding the Green Vine warrior goodbye before setting off in their original direction, the two Alpha's pairing off with their Beta's with Rowan walking along alone behind them.

Marching through the wild grass, Alessia held back slightly, not wanting to intrude on the men who were all talking quietly among themselves, and unsure whether to approach the warrior who seemed to prefer solitude. Looking over his shoulder, as if reading her thoughts, Rowan slowed slightly, allowing the she wolf to catch up with him before falling into step beside her.

'Thanks' the young woman said with a small smile, 'I didn't want to intrude on you all.'

The warrior shrugged, 'You are going to be with us for a while, so you can't just pretend that we are two separate groups' he grumbled back, his eyes fixed ahead.

Looking over at the strong jawed warrior, Alessia tipped her head slightly, 'you aren't much of a talker are you' she said softly.

Rowan shrugged, 'don't really have a lot to say to people' he replied evasively, as he pushed his hands deep into the pockets of his jeans.

'You have a mate?' the she wolf asked, deciding she might as well attempt conversation with the closed off wolf as he had chosen to try and include her in their group. 'Yes' Rowan replied shortly.

The she wolf laughed, 'you gotta give me more than this Rowan, I'm trying here' she teased.

Looking over to her out of the corner of his eye, the tips of the warrior's lips tipped upwards as he tried to supress a smile that was fighting against his features, trying to appear.

'I have a mate, yes, her name is Gabriella, she is Nate's sister' he said in a low voice.

Studying the strong wolf, Alessia could see how his face lit up as he spoke of the she wolf, his cold and distant eyes, warming as her name fell from his lips. 'You love her, huh?' she asked with a warm smile.

Rowan nodded, 'more than life' he replied with a faint blush, 'and our son, he's like the most amazing little dude I have ever met.'

'You have kids?' Alessia asked in interest, 'no offence but I'm surprised!

Rowan shrugged, 'we have a son, Ethan, and my mate is pregnant with our second child who is a little girl' he replied, that warmth appearing in his voice again.

'Congratulations' the she wolf said as she nudged her shoulder against his.

'Thanks, I'm still amazed that she wanted a guy like me, she could have done a lot better' the warrior answered, his eyes dimming.

Alessia shook her head, 'surely that is up to your mate? If she thinks that you are the right guy for her then that is all that matters?'

Rowan nodded slowly, 'I suppose so' he agreed tentatively.

'Sooooo, you are mated to the sister of the future Alpha?' Alessia continued, 'what is that like?'

Rowan chuckled at her playful tone, 'not as bad as you would think, you haven't met my Gabby, but trust me, the future Alpha doesn't scare me anywhere near as much as she does' he replied. 'If I am ever given the choice between a fight with Nate and Landen or dealing with my mate when I've annoyed her, I'm taking the fight, no consideration time needed!

Alessia laughed loudly, drawing confused looks from the other warriors, 'she sounds like she doesn't take any crap' she said.

Rowan nodded, 'you got that right, you do not want to hear the stories of what she has done to Nate when they have clashed over the years' he replied with a low laugh of his own.

'You know, I really think I do' the she wolf replied with a giggle, her face lighting up with a smile as the werewolf began to tell her about the different punishments that Gabby had come up with for her brother each time he had upset her, the pair laughing easily as they walked along together.