Lola always assumed that her and her boyfriend Alpha Tyler were mates. On Tyler's 18th birthday, her world comes crumbling down. Broken hearted, she flees from her pack for an entire year. Tragedy forces Lola to return home where she finds the infamous Alpha Asher in charge. This time around, Lola may actually have a shot at happiness. That is, until she finds out who her mate truly is~~~for updates, aesthetics, and more, follow my ig xendmostmarsx, or my fb at Author Jane Doe!

Prologue

I can tell you the exact moment my life began to fall apart. The moment where everything came tumbling down and I no longer knew what my place was in the world. The familiar instantly became foreign and I was left with nowhere to go.

It all started when my boyfriend had found his mate.

Tyler and I had been dating since I was sixteen, almost a year of time was spent having him by my side. Tyler happened to be the Alpha's son, I had grown up with Tyler and spent my childhood training at his side.

When I turned sixteen the feelings of friendship quickly blossomed into romance. Tyler was seventeen, able to find his mate from he turned nineteen.

I was so gullible back then, hanging on his every word. I was so sure we would be mates, we were destined after all.

I had this same delirious mindset up until his nineteenth birthday party, the day where everything crashed and burned.

Tyler picked me up from my house around 8 p.m. He pulled up to my house in his shiny Mustang, I'd often joke that he loved his car more than me. There were a lot of things Tyler loved more than me.

My mom, dad and older brother weren't fond of me dating their soon-to-be Alpha. They knew the risks of getting involved with another wolf, but like a child, I had ignored them.

I hopped into Tyler's car, not thinking twice that he hadn't opened the door for me.

"I thought I told you to wear the blue dress." Tyler sighed, rolling his eyes. I frowned at him and looked down at the black dress I was wearing. I didn't see anything wrong with it.

"I told you I didn't like that one." I frowned, wondering what got him in such a bad mood.

"Whatever, you know I'm just looking out for you." Tyler shrugged, "You look like some goth girl when you wear black."

I rolled my eyes at his bad mood, knowing he would cheer up once he had a few drinks in him.

Tyler never liked when I wore black, he would always say I looked "goth". I didn't see a problem with looking "goth", some of the clothes they wore were really cute. I'm sure it didn't help that I had straight, raven colored hair.

Tyler had told me hundreds of times how much better I would look as a blonde, but I couldn't bring myself to dye my hair. I was the only one in the family who had gotten my grandma's raven hair.

I sat in silence as Tyler drove, listening to him openly complain about the neighboring packs. Tyler seemed to have a problem with just about everybody.

"The Alpha from the Dawn pack is asking for my help. He picked a fight with the Crescent pack and needs my help to get out of it." Tyler rolled his eyes, running his hand through his sandy blonde hair.

I felt my eyes widen, "The Crescent pack? Why the heck would he pick a fight with them?"

The Crescent pack were one of the baddest packs around. Legend says they started out as a pack of all rogues, and quickly expanded once Alpha Gabriel came into power. Now Alpha Gabriel's grandson had taken over, and it seemed the cruelty ran in the family.

"Please Lola," Tyler scoffed. "It's just a stupid pack, and their Alpha is just a man."

"A man with a lot of territory." I mumbled, knowing that the Crescent pack held the most territory in the world. They were the biggest pack our kind had ever seen.

"Not for long." Tyler smirked. I didn't like the feeling that bubbled in my stomach at his words.

"What do you-" I started, but was cut off.

"Enough of that. It's not important." Tyler dismissed me with a wave of his hand. We pulled into the parking lot of the nightclub and Tyler turned to face me.

"This is important." Tyler smirked, pulling me in and pressing his lips against my own.

I giggled like a stupid school-girl and leaned into the kiss, loving the butterflies that swarmed my stomach.

"Are you finally going to say yes tonight?" Tyler smirked, tugging on a piece of my long hair.

I found myself smiling back, ready to give him the news he had been waiting for.

It was only a matter of hours until Tyler was able to find his mate. He had been nagging me for months now to finally sleep with him, to let him take my virginity. Each time I had turned him down, waiting for this night. Once we officially became mates, I would give myself to him entirely.

"I'm ready." I bit my lip, looking up into his cerulean eyes.

His smirk deepened as he pulled me in for another kiss, "It's about damn time." I giggled as he grumbled.

We went inside the club and met up with our friends. I linked my arm through Chelsea's and talked to her over the pounding music.

Chelsea was one of those people who was easy to hate, and harder to like. I realized later on in my life, that I had been the same as her. Shallow, bitchy, mean even.

"Hey bitch." Chelsea smirked, flipping her honey colored hair behind her shoulder.

I smirked back at her, taking in the baby pink dress she was wearing. "Hey yourself."

I happily clung to Tyler's side while he talked to his closest friends Ethan and Isaac. Ethan was your typical asshole, always jumping around from girl to girl. He had even tried to get with me at one point.

Ethan had a problem with personal space, and would often try to push any kind of boundaries you set. Isaac was nineteen and had already found his mate, but he didn't seem too attached to her. He'd often go out with Ethan and Tyler, doing only Goddess knows what.

"You ready to find your mate?" Ethan teased, waggling his eyebrows at a group of human girls that passed by.

"Hopefully she's hot." Tyler smirked, giving my shoulder a small squeeze as he glanced down at me. I rolled my eyes at him and playfully smacked his shoulder. I eyed Tyler's drink enviously, he never liked when I drank alcohol. It didn't fit his picture perfect narrative. I turned towards Chelsea and struck up a conversation.

"If I happen to be Tyler's mate, hope you won't hold it against me." Chelsea winked, giving Tyler a sly glance.

I rolled my eyes at her, "Please, if anything your mate will be Ethan." I broke out into giggles at the disgusted look on her face.

"Not a chance. Been there, done that. Never again." Chelsea practically shrieked, fanning herself with her hand.

"Ew, you slept with him?" I fake gagged.

She rolled her eyes at me as if I were a petulant child, "Well duh. Who hasn't?" She scoffed.

"Um me. I haven't." I smirked at her.

"Well, that's because the purity princess is saving herself for her mate." Chelsea cooed dramatically, but I knew she was making fun.

"Jealousy doesn't suit you." I stuck my tongue out at her.

Just then, Tyler ripped himself from my side hard enough to make me stumble.

"What the hell, babe." I snapped, looking at him in surprise.

"Do you smell that?" I heard him murmur to himself.

I watched, open mouthed, as my entire world crumbled.

A tall, long-legged girl made her way out of the woman's bathroom and locked eyes with Tyler. Even with the thumping music sending vibrations scattering across my skin, you could hear a pin drop.

"Oh shoot." I could hear Ethan's amused voice, but it sounded like he was in a bubble.

Tyler and the mystery woman locked eyes, and ran into each other's arms. Like some kind of bad romance movie.

I couldn't hear anyone else now, couldn't focus on any ones face. I could've sworn I saw Ethan laughing and Chelsea with a sly smirk on her face. The only one who didn't seem amused was Isaac.

I could feel my entire body trembling as my brain fought to process what was happening.

Tyler had found his mate. My boyfriend had found his mate, and it wasn't me.

Then, like any completely rational teenage girl- I ran.

I didn't stop running until I was deep into the forest, my lungs burning from being deprived of oxygen.

My wolf, Maya, was furious.

She was hesitant about Tyler in the beginning, but was eventually won over. She thought he was our mate too. While I was heartbroken and fighting back tears, Maya was seething.

I closed my eyes and allowed her to take over, making her promise that she wouldn't go and hunt Tyler down.

Maya carried us farther into the woods, and I allowed myself to sink into the furthest depths of her mind. My head was still racing with what had just happened, I wanted to turn everything off for just a few moments. I couldn't handle it.

Hours and hours had passed, but I hardly noticed. I drifted off as Maya hunted and continued running.

I finally came to my senses when soft grass tickled my naked back. The familiar scent of herbs filled the air. Basil, Lavender, and Mint invaded my nose and soothed my aching heart.

"Lola, dear? Is that you?" A withered voice called out and I felt my heart jump.

"You brought me here?" I asked Maya in surprise.

"We need her. We're not going back." She growled, resenting me for thwarting her plans on attacking Tyler.

"Grandma?" My voice cracked and I sat up from the grass.

It was nearing dawn, the sun was just beginning to rise and it cast orange hues along her small cottage. Her herb gardens lifted and swayed in the breeze.

I had always loved coming to grandma's house. My mom forbade me and my brother from coming back here, holding a grudge against my grandma for years.

The story of my mom meeting my dad isn't one I like to talk about. My mom and dad aren't mates. Mom rejected her mate when she was younger, seeking out my dad when she realized his mate had died. My grandma always resented her for that, for throwing the mate bond away.

"Lola, what on earth are you doing here?" My grandma exclaimed, wrapping a woven blanket around my exposed body. She pulled me into a hug and I could feel myself break down at her familiar scent and touch.

My grandma had this quality that made everyone love her. She was nearly impossible not to get along with. My grandma matched my extremely short height of 5'2', and had the same long black hair. She was more withered, with laugh lines circling her mouth and eyes, but she had never looked better to me.

"I missed you so much." I cried into her shoulder. I even remembered how she smelled. So many different herbs and apples. Grandma had a couple of apple trees she absolutely adored. She would always be making a pie or some kind of dessert when we used to visit.

"What's got you all worked up, Lola?" Grandma frowned, "Is it that boy you're dating?"

Grandma was always supportive of anything I wanted to do, she just always reminded me to think things through.

Grandma led me into her little cottage and sat me by her fireplace.

"Tell me, what happened?" She sat next to me, placing a fresh set of clothes in my lap.

And tell her, I did.

I poured my heart out for what seemed like hours. She never once threw my mistake back in my face, like my mother would have.

"I don't want to go back, Grandma. I can't face them." I sniffled.

"Then you won't go back. You'll stay here with me." My grandma nodded with finality. She had that determined look on her face that said 'nobody will stand in my way'.

"What about mom and dad." I sighed, knowing a huge fight between them was brewing.

"You let me deal with your parents." My grandma shook her head, placing a cup of tea in my hands.

1 Year Later

"Ha-ha!" I laughed, launching myself through the air. I maneuvered around the muscular arms that reached out to grab me.

I dropped to the ground, dodging limbs and landing my own blows as I went.

"Good Lola, don't let me land any blows." Chris's weary voice yelled out.

"Just a few more seconds. He's getting tired." Maya coached me.

I continued to dodge each move Chris made, while landing my own in the process. I could feel him breaking down, growing tired as he threw all he had at me.

"Now!" Maya yelled in my head.

I leaped at Chris suddenly, his eyes widening in shock before he could defend himself. He turned away, as if he were going to run. I landed on his back and wrapped my arms around his neck, putting pressure on his windpipe.

After a second or two of holding it there, I jumped off his back and beamed up at him.

"That was some good work, kid." Chris nodded appreciatively.

"Thanks." I smirked, finally having gotten the upper hand on him.

Chris rolled his eyes and frowned at me, "Don't go getting cocky now. You still need to work on building your strength."

"I know, I know. Just let me have this win." I sighed, smiling at my grandma as she came out of the cottage with food and drinks.

I had been living with grandma for almost a year, only talking to my parents once a week. I stopped calling my mom after a month. She insisted on giving me updates on Tyler and his mate, which I learned was named Brittany. I kept in constant contact with my dad, the only person who seemed to understand the decision I had made. Even my older brother Sean, rarely called.

Sean had started taking over his duties as Beta, my father having retired almost a year ago.

Life had been amazing living with my grandma. I spent my eighteenth birthday in her cottage, picking herbs and making pastries with the apples she had picked. My grandma lived a simple life, but I had quickly grown to love it.

She introduced me to her neighbor. Chris. Chris happened to be a werewolf like Grandma and I. In Chris's prime he was one of the best warriors in history, and even a Beta at one point. No one knew what happened to him after he disappeared, no one but my grandma. Chris agreed to train me, looking at my short stature, and deciding I needed to know how to protect myself.

Chris taught me to use what I had in my favor. Being 5'2' and 105lbs didn't give me much to work with. After training with Chris for almost a year, I could easily handle myself. I'm small and fast, which means men twice my size had to work even harder to land any blows.

"Lola, dear. Your brother's on the line waiting for you!" Grandma informed me, placing a sandwich in my hand as I walked into the house.

"Hello?" I said through a mouthful of sandwich. Why would Sean be calling me?

"Lola? I have some news." Sean's voice responded from the other end, sounding a lot deeper than usual.

"What’s up?" I frowned, sitting on the arm of the couch as I munched on my sandwich.

There was a long pause on the other end of the line.

"Mom's dead, Lola." Sean replied in a gruff voice.

I felt my face scrunch up in confusion. How could mom be dead? Everything seemed normal when Dad called me every week.

"W-What? How?" I demanded.

"Just- Just come home, Lola. I don't want to explain this over the phone." Sean sighed, adding "Dad needs you."

"I'll- I'll talk to grandma." I sighed. The last thing in the world I wanted was to go home. The thought of running into Tyler or his mate put a sour taste in my mouth.

After Chris went home for the day, I told grandma the news.

As much as grandma didn't like my mom, she was still sad to hear what had happened.

"And he wouldn't tell you what happened to her." Grandma sighed.

"He said he wanted to explain in person. He said dad needs me." I frowned at her, and she knew what I needed to do.

"Then I suppose we better get packing." Grandma frowned, worrying about her widowed son.

"We? You're coming too?" I nearly gasped.

A stern frown crossed her face, but I could see her eyes twinkling. "Of course, no granddaughter of mine is going back to her slimy ex without some backup."

"I don't know what I'd do without you." I sighed, pulling her in for a hug.

"Just don't expect me to get into any fist fights, I'm too old for that stuff. No one wants to see a sixty-year-old werewolf fight." Grandma cackled.

I rolled my eyes at her, but I couldn't help the giggle that slipped from my lips.

"You'll never be old to me." I smirked, following her into the bedroom to pack our clothes away.

Grandma stopped by Chris's house the next morning, letting him know where we had gone. She promised him a year's supply of apple pies if he took care of her herb garden.

We hopped into my grandma's car, and the anticipation bubbled in my stomach. Everything about me had changed in such a short amount of time. I was no longer weak or shallow. I wouldn't let anyone walk all over me ever again.

"Are you ready for this?" My grandma frowned, her silver eyes meeting my identical ones.

"Not at all." I gave her a weak smile.

"Chin up. If any of those pups mess with you, bite their damn head off." My grandma encouraged me.

Through the nerves and resentment I held for my old pack, I laughed at my grandma and braced myself.

Turns out I wasn't the only thing that had changed.

The drive back to my old pack was only five hours. While I remembered Tyler finding his mate like it was yesterday, the run to my grandma's house had been hazy.

"You ran five hours?" I asked Maya, somewhat shocked.

"We needed to get the hell out of there." She grumbled, "And now were going right back."

"We don't have a choice." I sighed, "But were both different now."

"You're damn right we are." Maya growled smugly.

We pulled up to the edge of the packs territory, escorted to the side of the road by some of the wolves who were guarding the perimeter. I was surprised that I didn't recognize any of these wolves.

They emerged from the forest wearing nothing but low hanging sweat pants. I tried to keep my gaze to myself, but I'm still half human.

"What is your business coming here?" One of the men spoke up. His build was huge, and he had a long scar running down his bicep.

"Were here to visit family. My brother's the Beta." I replied, looking at each of their faces. There really wasn't anyone here that I recognized. Had the pack grown in the time that I was gone?

"Beta Drake?" The man had a confused look on his face.

"What? No, Beta Sean." I scowled. Since when did Tyler have a Beta named Drake? I wondered if everything was okay with Sean's position in the pack. You typically have to do something really bad to lose your position like that.

A look of understanding crossed the man's face, and he glanced at the other men with him.

"Go on through." He nodded once, and my grandma wasted no time in pulling away.

"Well, that sure was strange." My grandma looked at me and frowned, I'm sure she was thinking the same thing as me.

"It definitely was." I frowned.

We drove through the center of town and I was shocked to see a ton of new faces. Something had definitely happened while I was gone.

I vaguely remembered Tyler telling me about another pack that needed help. Maybe they finally joined forces.

We pulled into the driveway of my old house. The white paint was now faded. It looked like I had been gone for much longer than a year. The flowers that were once outside were now wilted and dead. My mom was the one to take care of the flowers out front. How long has she been dead for?

I hesitated at the door, wondering if I should knock or just walk in. My train of thought was interrupted as my grandma opened the door and walked into the house.

A shocked Sean was sitting on the couch, my dad sitting off to the side in his recliner.

"Lola?" My dad exclaimed, looking more surprised than ever.

My dad and Sean looked me up and down, noticing the changes I had been through in the past year. My raven colored hair had grown longer than ever, now reaching my waist. My silver eyes were much brighter, teeming with life. My skin was clear and porcelain-like, and I had lost some of the baby fat I had carried with me. The fat quickly was replaced with muscle.

"Hi dad." I smiled at him, walking into his arms. I breathed in his scent of cologne and toba**o.

"I missed you, kid." My dad grumbled, ruffling my hair before he turned to his mom.

His face lit up like a little kid, "It's good to see you, Ma." He pulled her in for a hug and held on for dear life.

"Now tell me what the hell is going on." I scowled at Sean, who was simply watching their exchange with dad.

Dad sighed and sat back down on his recliner, looking tired and somewhat beaten down.

"Well go on. I'm not going to break if you talk about it." He grumbled at Sean. My grandma stood off to the side, her hand on her son's shoulder.

"Tyler f**ked up." Sean huffed.

I rolled my eyes, "Wow, so surprised. Keep going."

"I don't know if he told you, but Tyler was supposed to help another pack. They pissed off the Alpha of the Crescent pack and needed backup in case they went to war." Sean started, and I was already becoming bored. Tyler's mistakes didn't surprise me. After finally leaving home, I was able to see what a complete moron he was.

"Okay, and?" I drug my words out, letting him know I didn't care about any of the small details.

"Well, Tyler refused to help them. Then, Tyler kept talking sh*t on the Crescent pack. He pissed off their Alpha, pissed him off real bad." Sean shook his head as if he were trying to get rid of a bad memory.

"He didn't." I sighed, shaking my head. I know Tyler's inflated ego was going to bite him in the ass. His father was a half-assed Alpha and he was turning out to be the same.

"They came here, Lola. They declared war on us." Sean frowned, glancing at Dad.

I couldn't help but feel confused. Sure, there were a lot of new faces but everything seemed the same. There was no way Tyler defeated the Alpha of the Crescent pack.

"What happened?" I frowned, looking between Sean and my Dad's grim faces.

"I'll tell you what happened," My dad spat angrily. "Not a single f**king pack would help Tyler. Tyler made us all fight. Every man and woman had to fight. Your mom died fighting. I couldn't get to her in time." My dad's voice broke off with a mournful sigh.

"How- How could he do that." I said the words more to myself. I knew Tyler was bad, but this was worse than I could imagine. Then again, they hadn't finished the story.

"And you know what the worst part of all of this is? Tyler f**king ran. Grabbed his bitch and escaped while the rest of us were fighting for our lives." My Dad spat, now he was shaking with anger.

My grandma gasped, and they gave us a few moments to process what Dad had said. Abandoning your pack was something no Alpha had ever done. Being an Alpha wasn't a job, it was something embedded deep inside of you. An Alpha would sooner be tortured and die with their pack than to leave everyone behind. It went against everything we know as werewolves.

"Dad calm down. If he ever comes back Alpha will kill him." Sean's face turned grim again.

"Alpha? Alpha who?" I questioned.

"Once we realized Tyler had left us all to die, we did the only thing we could. We surrendered." Sean frowned.

"We have a new Alpha now. Alpha Asher. We're part of the Crescent Pack." Sean grumbled, obviously not enjoying the situation. I wondered what that would mean for his position as Beta.

"At least Alpha Asher would never leave his pack behind." Dad spat, "He may be ruthless and cruel, but he'd sooner die than abandon his people."

After the long and painful conversation, they gave me and my grandma time to settle in. I nearly cried when I saw my room was exactly how I had left it. I ripped the pictures of Tyler and I down with a furious growl.

"Better that girl be his mate than us. We'd never abandon our pack like that." Maya spat.

"We kind of did abandon our pack." I replied to her with a frown.

"That's different, Lola. We're not Luna, we're not Beta's or anything. We had no obligation to this pack. Especially after Tyler." Maya growled, but her words made sense. She was right though, if we were Luna, we would have died along with our friends and family.

After settling in, Grandma and I went back downstairs. Grandma insisted on making dinner even though my Dad grumbled in disagreement. I knew he was happy to see his mom though. He needed his family after losing Mom. She may have not been his mate, but he'd been with her for twenty years.

As we ate dinner, I nearly jumped off my seat hearing the mind-link click in my head. The mind-link hadn't worked since I decided to leave the pack. A deep, husky voice ran through my head. I practically shivered as it swirled in my ear, around my head, and out the other.

"Report to training at the Pack House, 10 a.m. Do not be late. I look forward to meeting you." A male's husky voice rolled around in my head. Rough and commanding.

"Was- Was that Alpha Asher?" I found myself speaking out loud. Dad, Sean and Grandma gave me looks of confusion.

"What, Lola?" My Dad frowned, uneaten spaghetti hung from his fork.

"Um, a guy told me to report for training tomorrow?" I sounded unsure. Was it his Beta?

"That was Alpha Asher." Sean nodded, his lips pressed in a thin line.

My Dad nodded, "He likes doing things himself. He makes everyone train."

I scowled at the two of them. I didn't like being forced into doing anything.

"Don't worry, Lola. If you're no good he won't make you fight. He just likes to see what everyone is capable of." Sean told me, his frown permanently etched onto his face.

"I can fight just fine." I snapped at him. I no longer wanted to be treated like some dainty little girl. I may be small, but I can handle my own.

"Since when?" Finally a smirk formed on his face, the only other expression I had seen on his face was a frown.

I glared at him, "Since I left this pack. I haven't been sitting on my ass for an entire year."

"I'll be there tomorrow for training too. We'll see how good you really are little sis." He smirked at me, only pissing me off further.

Tyler was a big advocate on "men fight better than women", it was good to know my brother felt the same.

Chris pushed me to the breaking point more times than I could count, I had no doubt that I could handle most of the male wolves here.

I spent the rest of the afternoon with my family. Grandma tried to raise their moods, but they had been sitting in misery for who knows how long.

I followed my grandma outside and helped her straighten out the wilting flowers that crowded the outside of the house. By the time we were finished pulling up the dead flowers and planting new ones, I was exhausted and covered in dirt.

"And you call yourself old." I huffed at her, taking long gulps of the lemonade she had made for me.

She chuckled at my statement and rolled her eyes, "Years and years of working in my garden dear. Let's make that a part of your training." She laughed, and I gave her a frightened look.

"You're gonna work me to death, Grandma. And I thought Chris was an evil dictator." I shuddered in fear.

My grandma cackled and shooed me inside. By the time I finally collapsed on my bed, I was knocked out cold without a second thought.

I woke to the sound of banging. Startled from my sleep, I jumped out of bed just in time for my bedroom door to open.

"sh*t Lola, what're you still doing here?" My Dad exclaimed, his eyes darting around at my restless appearance.

"Huh?" Was the first thing to leave my lips. For a minute there I hadn't even remembered leaving grandma's house.

With an exasperated look my Dad replied, "Hell, you're late for training!"

"What!" I gasped, "Why didn't Sean wake me up?"

"He has patrol early in the mornings." My Dad groaned, "Already off to a bad start."

"sh*t, well go so I can get dressed!" I huffed, sprinting to my suitcase and yanking out the first thing I saw.

Once my door closed I slipped on a black sports bra and a pair of black leggings. I hastily combed through my hair using the bathroom mirror. In the back of my head I remembered Tyler's comment about me looking goth. I smirked into the mirror.

I darted down the stairs, nearly toppling my grandma over on the way.

"Lola if you end my life knocking me down these stairs I'll haunt you!" Grandma called out after me, but I was already barreling through the front door.

My stomach rumbled, demanding we go back home and eat some breakfast. As much as I'd love to oblige, I couldn't.

"Goddess, he's going to be pissed." Maya huffed.

"Well I didn't see you waking me up on time either!" I grumbled at her.

"I was busy." Maya shrugged, giving a half ass excuse.

"You're a damn wolf who lives in my head, what could you have possibly been doing?" I shook my head at her.

Maya's voice went silent in my head and I rolled my eyes. For once I was thankful that our house was a short run from the pack house.

By the time my lungs had started to burn, I could see the other's already training. I skidded to a halt in front of everyone. From the looks of it there were at least thirty other wolves present for training.

I instantly noticed Alpha Asher's men lingering around. Each one looked like they were half giant, and many had gruesome scars on different parts of their body. Each one was completely hot in an animalistic sort of way.

I had been so busy ogling the shirtless men that I hadn't heard it when someone behind me cleared their throat.

I spun around and nearly smacked into someone’s chest.

"Well f**k," Maya's breath caught in her throat.

I could only assume I was looking into the eyes of Alpha Asher. His eyes were the color of liquid honey, and at the moment they were set directly on my face.

"Didn't I specifically tell you not to be late?" His husky voice was hard, lacking any emotion other than impatience.

"Please," Maya rolled her eyes "From the looks of it, sleep was definitely better than this."

The tone of his voice pissed me off. He sounded like your typical hot-blooded Alpha.

Without thinking it through, I felt the words fall from my lips.

"I'm not good with rules." I said bluntly, looking up at him. The guy had to be over 6 feet tall.

I stifled a snicker as I wondered if he could give me a couple inches. He towered over me and made me look like a kid.

I watched in silence as his dark eyebrow raised at my words, his eyes silently fuming, I kept my eyes trained on his own, but I noticed the muscle in his jaw moving. I guess he didn't like being disobeyed.

"Well, we're going to have to change that." His voice was cold as he analyzed me. I couldn't tell if I felt like a piece of meat or an innocent doe lined up for slaughter.

"If he wasn't so drop dead hot, I'd tell him to go f**k himself." Maya rolled her eyes.

"Jeez, you're worse than I am." I snickered.

"Yeah, that's doubtful." Maya smirked.

"Good luck." Again, my stupid lips uttered the words before I could think them through. His lips were pressed in a tight line and I desperately wanted to laugh. I expected a lot more from the deadliest of Alpha's.

"Good luck? Good luck? Are you trying to get us killed on our first day back?" Maya snapped.

"You're the one who said you'd tell him to go f**k himself." I rolled my eyes at her.

"Well I didn't did I?" Maya huffed.

"What is your name pup?" His cold voice growled. I ignored the fact that the hairs on my arms were standing on end and answered the hot-blooded Alpha.

"Lola. And yours?" I smirked, already knowing his name by the dominance and authority he exuded.

"Your new Alpha." He replied, gauging the reaction on my face. Did he really think I had no idea who he was? Well, who was I to ruin the fun.

"As if that wasn't obvious." Maya laughed.

I let my smirk deepen, "Ooh, really?" I let fake shock fall over my face. I could see the anger flash in his eyes and I waited.

Now, I don't normally have a death wish but I already started off on a bad note. I could tell from a mile away that Alpha Asher was one of those typical Alpha's who wanted everyone to fall in line like good little subjects. I had a big problem with that, and it didn't help that I seemed to blurt out the first thing on my mind.

I was surprised when Alpha Asher turned away, facing the other wolves in training.

"Attention everyone." Alpha Asher snapped.

In an instant everyone's eyes were on Alpha Asher and I. I refused to cringe under the attention. Alpha Asher's voice took on a rough quality, one that nearly made me shiver. I couldn't help but notice Sean's fear stricken eyes on me, wondering what the hell I was doing.

"Lola decided sleeping in was more important than attending training today. Unfortunately, we no longer have anyone available for her to partner up with." Alpha Asher's deep voice rumbled over everyone, commanding our full attention.

I let the little glimmer of hope blossom inside of me, maybe I'd be able to just sit out today.

"Not to worry. I will be Lola's partner." Alpha Asher's harsh words were like a bucket of cold water.

"sh*t, you've really done it now." Maya groaned.

"Crap, what do I do?" I asked her.

"Um, try not to die?" Maya shrugged.

"Thank you for your infinite wisdom, Maya." I rolled my eyes at her.

"It's not a problem. I live to serve." She snickered, "But for real, try not to die. You know how to fight. You'll never win, but you can still put up a fight." She shrugged.

Everyone began training at Alpha Asher's words. Sean sent me one last pity and panic filled glance before he turned back to his opponent.

I huffed, and turned to look at Alpha Asher. I wanted a good look at the guy.

Much to my dismay, my jaw dropped. Alpha Asher had to have been the most attractive male I had ever seen.

His hair was the color of molten chocolate, short but also intoxicatingly messy. I tried not to drool as he slipped his shirt off, revealing a scarred but chiseled chest.

"Close your mouth, Lola." Alpha Asher snapped, and I rolled my eyes at him. I could hear the growl rumble in his chest and I mentally slapped myself.

"You really shouldn't keep pissing the dude off, you're about to fight him." Maya sighed, but I could tell she was enjoying my resistance.

"Yeah yeah, I know." I grumbled.

Before I had the chance to react, Alpha Asher had launched himself at me. I grunted as his fist connected with my stomach, forcing me backwards.

I could feel myself losing balance as he came in for another strike. I let gravity take me backwards and rolled out of his way just in time to dodge another punch.

I got to my feet and shook off the pain. This was the same as training with Chris. I could do this. I couldn't let his impeccable god-like looks distract me.

I watched as he lunged forward, his arm extending to throw a punch. I feigned turning left only to roll under his legs and launch myself at his back.

I clung to his back for dear life. At one point I almost started laughing, I was like a miniature backpack on him. I jumped off his back just in time for him to roll across the ground.

"That would've hurt." Maya muttered, knowing he intended to do that with us still locked on his back.

If that hurt Alpha Asher, he showed no signs of it.

"You're fast." Alpha Asher pointed out, throwing a couple more hits to my face and body, which thankfully I managed to dodge.

This guy was fast. Faster than Chris and that was really saying something.

"I am. And you hit hard." I snapped, dodging another punch. I didn't move fast enough and winced as his fist grazed my hip.

I wasn't sure how long I spent dodging Alpha Asher's kicks and blows. By the time Asher stopped attacking me, I was completely exhausted. While I managed to dodge some of his hits, he was way faster than the normal werewolf. My entire body ached and groaned.

Alpha Asher was absolutely lethal. He must've been good at controlling his anger cause he had at least thirty five openings to kill me.

Just as I was about to leave with the rest of the group, Alpha Asher cut me off.

He stood in front of me, his arms crossed against his chest. He had slipped his shirt back on after training. Peeling my eyes away from the bulging veins on his arms, I looked into his toffee colored eyes.

"Did you learn something today, Lola?" His rough voice was cold and almost condescending.

Again, it seemed as though I had no self control around him. My lips spoke the words before my brain had a chance to catch up.

"Yeah, your nose twitches before you throw a punch." I said deadpan. I watched as flecks of gold swirled in his eyes and wondered if his wolf were close to surfacing. I could feel my heart pounding, and I don't think it was from the hours of training I just went through.

"Are you purposely disobedient, or is this just something you enjoy doing." The muscles in jaw were moving again as he gave me a strange look.

"It's just one of my very attractive qualities." I shrugged and turned on my heel before I could say anything that really pissed him off.

I collapsed in a heap on the couch, waking my Dad from his recliner with a startled grunt.

"I see training went well." He grumbled, "I see you're still alive." As if it were an achievement.

"My body hurts." I groaned, flopping my head back on the couch.

"Alpha was Lola's partner for the day." Sean smirked, but he also seemed relieved.

"Shut up and let me suffer in silence." I grumbled, happily accepting the cookie my grandmother offered me.

"Don't be late tomorrow and maybe it wont happen again." Sean smirked.

"Tomorrow?" I moaned. I had completely acted out today, not even thinking about tomorrow. Great.