Starr It was so cold, and I was so confused.
I didn’t know where I was or even who I was.
I woke up wet, dirty, and very cold in a ditch.
I was hardly wearing any clothes and felt like I was walking in a daze.
Everything was hazy, like, there was a cloud in my mind, and I couldn’t shake it.
I was still determining where I was and even where I was going.
I was scared because I hadn’t seen another person since I woke up.
I was afraid because I didn’t remember anything of my past, including my own name.
What happened to me? Why can’t I remember anything? Where am I? How the hell did I even get out here? Who did this to me? Why would anyone do this to me? Was I really that much of a lousy person someone would want me dead? So many questions flew through my aching brain.
But I didn’t have the answers to any of them.
Like, how do I get home? I didn’t even know how to get home because I didn’t know where home was.
Hell, I didn’t even know if I had a family out there somewhere looking for me.
My feet were bare and dirty from walking through the forest.
My dark hair was all over the place, and my dress was torn almost to pieces, barely covering my frozen body.
Every inch of my body hurt, from my toes to the tips of my hair.
I felt like I was going to vomit because my head hurt so much.
Did I bang my head? Where am I even going? There were trees all around me, but I had no knowledge of how I got out there.
I must have walked a long way, but I wasn’t aware of how far I’d come.
I stumbled through the trees and screamed when someone violently grabbed my arm.
My eyes widened because the man holding onto me was incredibly tall and well-built.
He was wearing nothing but a pair of board shorts, and his long blond hair was braided down his back yet shaved at the sides.
He had a thick beard and sparkling brown eyes.
He had muscles for days, and he was really intimidating.
I swallowed hard as five other men, almost as big, walked out from behind the trees.
Oh, Goddess, they’re going to kill me! What did I do to deserve this? Had I not been through enough? Could they not see how much distress I was in? That I’d been battered, and Goddess only knows what else? Did they even care? “What the hell are you doing on our territory?” The big guy holding onto me asked.
His voice was so deep it shook me to the bone! I felt like I was going to pass out, I was barely fighting it, and it was taking everything I was not to give in.
“I… I didn’t know I was trespassing.
Please, let me go.
” He laughed as though I’d just said something stupid.
His laughter caused me to cringe inside, and I whimpered without meaning to.
But I was in so much pain I couldn’t bare it any longer.
“No can do.
You’ve seen this place, which means,” Big guy pulled me against him, making me gasp in shock.
“You belong to us now, and our Alpha is going to have so much fun with you.
” No way in hell! I pulled against him, trying to make him let go.
“Let go of me! I’m not going anywhere…” Is all I got out of my mouth before he smacked me in it so hard it knocked me out… — I woke up to a hand on my face.
I was lying on something soft and comfortable.
A bed, I realized, when I slid my hand over the sheet-covered mattress.
I blinked my eyes, looked around the room I was in, and narrowed them a little.
It seemed I was in some sort of wooden house.
“Hey,” I looked wide-eyed at the woman sitting beside me on the bed.
“It’s okay, Starr; you’re okay now.
” Why is she calling me Starr? “Who are you?” “You don’t know who I am?” Why did she look so devastated? I shook my aching head.
“Should I?” She helped me to sit up before answering.
“Oh, Starr, what happened to you?” “I don’t know,” I whispered.
“I don’t remember anything; I don’t even know who I am.
” With tears in her eyes, the girl took my hand in her own.
“My name is Iona, and your name is Starr.
” “How do you know?” “Because,” She smiled.
“You’re my best friend.
” “I am?” What’s going on? If she was my best friend, was this my pack? My home? But it couldn’t be; that big pig made sure I knew that.
I figured that meant Iona had met her mate and moved to this place.
I supposed that made me lucky to have stumbled upon the pack Iona now belonged to.
Coincidence? Or perhaps my subconscious mind led me here? Iona nodded her redhead while wiping a tear of sadness from her cheek.
“You and I went to school together.
We were best friends from the day we met at four years old.
We haven’t seen each other for the past two years because I met my mate and moved here to be with him.
” That answered that.
“I didn’t want to leave you, Starr, not when we had so many plans.
But that’s what we do, isn’t it? Leave with our mates.
” “I don’t know,” I mumbled because I was unsure how the mate thing worked.
My mind seemed to be blocked from it all.
“I’ll teach you all I know.
” Iona smiled again.
“I was scared to move here with a man I’d only just met,” She laughed.
“I literally walked into him one day in town.
I was scared, but you told me there was nothing to be afraid of and to trust the mate bond.
You said my mate would love and care for me, and you were right.
” None of what she just said meant anything to me.
It didn’t because I couldn’t remember a damn thing! But how Iona looked at me told me she was being honest.
“Where is home?” Iona looked at me before shaking her head.
“A place far away from here.
Let’s not say anything about it just yet; I have a lot to figure out before I call anyone from home.
I just want to keep you safe, okay?” I nodded but didn’t really understand what she meant.
“Well, where is here?” “This is the Wild Pack.
We’re a small pack, but we’re a pretty friendly bunch once you get to know everyone.
I don’t know how you ended up here, so far away from home, but the Alpha will want to speak with you.
” “Alpha?” I felt the confusion in my mind getting worse.
I felt as though my brain was being crushed! “The man in charge.
” She smiled slightly.
“When you meet him, he might seem scary because he’s so tall and built, not to mention intimidating.
But he won’t hurt you, Starr, I promise.
” I hoped she was right because I was terrified of being here.
I had been through hell; that much was evident from the damage to my body.
I didn’t need any more drama; I just wanted some peace.
“Your injuries don’t seem to be healing, and that’s concerning.
Perhaps we should