Chapter 1
Allie
Allie knew that she shouldn’t be out in the city, not without her brother knowing where she was and a proper entourage. She wasn’t to go out anywhere alone, not because of who she was, but because of who Allie’s brother was.
Ben was the Alpha, had so many lives in his hands, hers included. That meant she was supposed to listen to him when he told her to stay and she usually did, but not today. Allie was sure that if she just got a little freedom, the ache inside of her would let up and she would be able to breathe again. That didn’t sound so bad, especially when breathing was harder than it should be. She just wanted to go out and do normal things, walk around, buy something off a food cart, go to the library by herself. It wasn’t much that Allie wanted in life, just some freedom and the ability to make her own choices.
The city was a few miles from her home, and it was a lot different than the quiet halls that she had grown up in. She liked the solitude a lot of times, but the hustle and bustle of all the people walking around had her dizzy and excited. This wasn’t the first time that Allie had slipped away from her protection detail and had some fun, but something felt different. Allie had no idea why, but every muscle in her body was worked up. There was something in the air and she had no idea what that something was, but she could feel it nonetheless.
There was movement all around her and when she came to one of the busier streets from the alley, the place really came alive. It was midday and not only were there so many sights to take in but sounds and smells as well. She was lost in the moment, happily staring at all of the commotion around her. All Allie could think about was how much she loved being in the midst of it all.
She heard someone yelling and she could have sworn that it was getting closer. When Allie turned her head to look, she was quickly pulled out of danger that she didn’t even know she was in. A brick hummed past her head, and she looked over to see that two men were in the middle of working. She’d walked right into a construction site and could have been seriously hurt. She looked to the man that had saved her and her heart stopped. It was one of her brother’s soldiers, but he wasn’t like any soldier that she had ever seen before.
The soldier was younger than most, but still older than her. Allie tried to say something, move, focus, but her breath was out of her body, pushed out by his larger one on her. She also had to contend with these piercing blue eyes that were looking at her too. Allie shook with the look, and she smiled, thanking him. Her eyes went downward to hide the immediate blush that she started feeling running across her skin.
“Are you okay?”
Allie looked away as she got up. It was partially because she was embarrassed, but part of it was because she didn’t want to be recognized. If she was, he would drag her back to Ben, and Allie would be stuck trying to get away again. Even though she felt something when she was in his presence and he was looking at her, Allie knew that she had to get away.
“Thank you. I owe you my life.”
He waved her off and introduced himself as Justice. “You must pay attention. I’m glad I was able to help, but you really should watch where you are going. Can I help you get anywhere? You look like you are confused. Have you been here before?”
Allie agreed that she hadn’t and then said thank you again, but refused any more of his help. She wanted to do other things, but she knew that it would be okay, as long as she could get away from the guy. He was too nice, and Justice was going to figure out who she was if she didn’t get out of there soon. Allie tried her best to get away, insisting that she was fine, but Justice took a hold of her arm and steered her out of the chaos. She was still in the middle of the construction site.
“Where are you going?”
Allie shrugged and said that she was going everywhere.
“What does that mean?”
Allie shook her shoulders. “It means that I have spent too much of my life pent up inside and now that I am here, I just want to see it all.”
Justice didn’t understand, but he wasn’t supposed to. Allie was just trying to say something to have him go on his way. She had a lot to see and she didn’t need someone to protect her. Allie had a whole life of that, and she wanted to break away from that kind of situation, not walk right into another scenario just like it.
“Well, I will go with you and make sure you are safe, how is that?”
Allie looked back; she’d turned away to leave. “Why would I want that?”
Justice shrugged and said that someone like her, delicate and slight, could find themselves in trouble. “This is a human’s city and there are dangers here. You don’t seem to know where and how to act, which means you are new to this. Let me help you.”
Allie was terrified that Justice knew her secret. She hadn’t been there before, but that didn’t mean that she was willing to give up her freedom over it.
“I am good, thanks.” She didn’t ask how he knew that she wasn’t human. She knew that he was a shifter, what his clothing and colors were because he worked under her brother. She didn’t want to let him know what she knew, but what did he know?
That answer was given not too long later. “Allie, your brother would kill me if he knew that I let you walk away from me here. You know that, right?”
Allie sighed and her shoulders sagged. She had literally only been there for a few minutes and already she was found out. How did he know? She asked as much and he just scoffed, “Everyone knows who you are.”
He said it so nonchalantly, like, of course, he knew who she was, but Allie didn’t know why. She was practically hidden away. Her brother was sure that something was going to happen to her, he had a lot of enemies, but Allie had never feared it like he had. She just wanted to be able to go out and now she was feeling like it was never going to happen.
“Did my brother send you?”
Justice disagreed. “This wasn’t expected at all. I was here on an errand and then saw you across the street. You look out of place; your clothes are off.”
Allie pointed to his and he agreed, “It is close enough, so as long as I act like I know where I am, no one looks twice at me.”
Allie could tell that they would look twice at her. She was sure that she was sticking out, but that didn’t matter. She wasn’t willing to go back, and she was already looking for a way out. Maybe she could just outrun him.
