Page 1 of Sold to the Alpha Wolf

Chapter 1 - Senna

A year ago

Exhaustion clung to my muscles as strongly as rust to iron. It had been the day that would never end, thanks to Terrance’s nearly endless number of tasks—everything from getting basic supplies like flour and a smattering of vegetables to more specific things like a new lightbulb for the porch, a new length of chain and a padlock for the main gate, and drain cleaner because there was a clog in the downstairs bathroom. But I was well down the damn ranks. I should just be glad that I was alive, right?

Yeah, I’m thrilled about it.

My thin metal ring clinked against the glass in my hand as I fidgeted, and I studied the simple rope-like design pressed into the silver. It was the only thing I had left of my mother, and I had a permanent tan line around my middle finger because of it. Not that I was anywhere near actually “tan.” No, I was sporting the white-as-hell look at all times.

I looked up at the mirrored back wall across from me, meeting my eyes in the reflection. This shitty bar was what the humans called a dive, and while it was sticky and the service sucked and the beer options were limited to only domestics below five dollars a glass, it was the only piece of freedom I enjoyed.

The only benefit to my unfortunate situation.

After all, I was just a wolfless omega disgrace. The only thing I had going for me was the ability to make these rare trips into town to get supplies for the pack because I was “basically a human anyway,” at least according to everyone else in the Collins pack.

The humans were at least kind enough to ignore me. I wasn’t snarled at and shoved out of the way on the regular. People kept their distance, and I kept mine. I just wanted to exist without fear and ridicule for thirty minutes.

Plus, sneaking off to the bar for this singular drink was my small act of rebellion. One that wouldn’t actually affect anything, so it felt safe enough to enjoy—a rare feeling for me. And the only evidence that I had a personality outside of just being a doormat for the other wolves to step on.

Besides, the splotchy mirror and bad music weren’t the only subpar things around here.

You really need to get out of your head, Senna.

But it was no use. I was depression central at all times of the day, and my utterly hated existence among my own pack was a surefire way to keep me solidly in Bluesville for the foreseeable future.

That mirror in front of me was also shouting it from the rooftops. Sighing, I took another swig of the vodka and soda, tracking the details of my appearance in the reflective surface.

I needed a break. I looked especially haggard, my previously styled bun coming loose in places with stray hairs falling around my face. The pale blonde was another dead giveaway that I was of the lower echelons of the Collins pack. The alpha, Terrance, and pretty much everyone in his inner circle was of the dark and tall variety. Not the tiny straw-haired fair, like me.

As the song changed in the background to another ridiculous anthem of the humans, I finished my drink. I’d need to head back to the truck soon. The supplies would be expected at the compound up the Rocky Mountains. Even if I was only getting the few things we couldn’t have delivered, they’d all be pissed at me if I didn’t get it back sooner rather than later.

Slurping up the dregs of my cocktail, I patted my pocket. The cash that I used for everything was still there, ready to go. A subtle burn slid down my throat, coalescing in my belly to provide a buffer against the winter cold waiting for me.

I’d take a thousand winter days outside over spending another minute with Terrance and his bloodthirsty hyenas.

“Gods, I don’t want to go back,” I mumbled to myself.

“Go back where?”

The deep voice to my left startled me enough to have me knocking over my glass and spilling the ice cubes across the bar surface. Thankfully, it didn’t break.

“Oh, shit.”

Scrambling to mop up the mess with the tiny cocktail napkin that I’d been given with the drink, I shook my head. Of course I’d tip the thing over. I was possibly the clumsiest person on the planet. If not for my learned ability to take my time at everything, I probably wouldn’t have survived even one of these supply runs.

“Ha.” I looked over at the source of the voice, the man who’d elicited my fabulous display of dexterity. “You all right there?”

I scoffed. “Am I all right? You just got me to spill my…”

My words drifted away as I looked the man up and down, my mouth going dry as I struggled to swallow. The levels of attraction and surprise that surged through my blood were dizzying, and I could scarcely think, let alone ask for help with the mop-up.

The adonis sitting next to me was extremely tall, his silver head of hair paired with a pristine olive skin tone that made my entire body hum. He was beyond gorgeous, a decent amount older than me, it seemed, and I had a feeling the hair was naturally that color.

That meant exactly one thing—he was a wolf.

The fragrance wafting off of him supported that fact, and I nearly had a heart attack right there on the stool as I scented the alpha bloodline coming off him in waves along with all that leather and pine.

Being around an alpha, especially this close, was always a bewildering experience. I wanted to collapse to my knees in supplication, and it was only the presence of humans and the stool beneath my ass that kept me up off the floor. The fact that he wasn’t my alpha dulled a bit of his natural command, but Terrance’s hold on me wasn’t exactly stable, either.

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