It's been 24 hours since I stepped into my flawless prison. For anyone else, it would be a dream come true....finding your true soulmate, living with him in his pack but it was not my story. My soulmate would not glance in my direction, he would not step inside the room if he felt my presence.
He would rather share his time with his future luna, I never thought I would envy someone I had never met.
Bernadette tried her best to spend time with me, she tried to make me talk about anything but I was not ready to open my heart to anyone again. It was not needed, I was just a guest here who would leave in a matter of days.
I stared at the dark screen of my phone, it was useless. I was pretending everything was fine in front of Eleanor. She did not need anything else on her plate right now, being a Queen was already taking a lot out of her.
Slowly, I closed my eyes letting sleep overtake my senses as I slept alone on the cold bed.
I stood bare feet on barren land, my feet touched the hard soil with tiny stones poking my skin. I looked around and realized it was not the weirdest part about the place.
Two lifeless trees stood alone on either side of the empty ground. Grey clouds covered the sky like a heavy blanket shielding the place from the rays of the sun. I inhaled a sharp breath as my eyes made contact with something behind the tree.
Licking my lips, I ran my eyes around the place once again hoping to find someone to get me out of there but it was not long before I realized…..I was alone.
Gathering all my courage, I started approaching the leafless tree that had long branches spread like hands waiting to grab something.
I did not know how I got the courage to reach the pile of dirty clothes but soon, I was standing two steps away from it and that’s when I realized, it was not a pile of clothes….it was a person.
“Uh...” I did not know what to say.
Very slowly, I reached toward the face to remove the fabric. Something inside me wanted to make sure the person was okay.
My hands were shaking but I did not let that stop me.
The fabric was covered in dust and had some spots all over it, I was almost sure it was not dark in the beginning. It was making me wonder what had happened to that poor person.
With a gulp, I pulled the fabric away from the face quickly but I was not ready for what was waiting for me.
The girl had bluish-grey marks on her pale skin, it was evident life left her body a long time ago. Her eyes were closed, even then there was no peace on her face. There were scratches on her face, telling the tale of her unpleasant death. The cheeks were sunken and the cheekbones were clearly visible.
My lips did not move to make any sound as I stared at her arms which were twisted in an abnormal manner.
It was me.
I was staring at my dead body.
But how was it possible?
My breath started getting shorter and heavier.
I put a hand on my heart but not being able to look away from the deadly pale face of the corpse in front of me. I could not stand any longer but I could not move my body either.
“You are safe, love,” a deep calm voice fell into my ears, taking away all my thoughts.
I finally looked away from the body.
Alpha Orion was standing a few feet away in front of me with a cold expression on his face but his eyes held a warm look, making me feel safe.
“What is happening?”
“I will not let anything happen to you.”
He put his hand in my direction. His grey eyes never left mine for even a brief second, his brows were furrowed like always.
I was about to start walking in his direction but just then, I felt like something was wrapped around my ankle.
With confusion, I looked down.
The twisted arm was now near my feet and the bony fingers were wrapped around my ankle. But how was it possible?
With a gulp, I moved my eyes from the ankle toward the face. The eyes that were shut just a few minutes ago were now staring directly at me, they were deadly white. She opened her mouth to say something but a loud screeching voice started coming. I closed my eyes and covered my face.
I opened my eyes, to find myself sleeping on the bed. I quickly looked around not understanding a thing that was happening.
Soon I realized, it was a nightmare.
I closed my eyes and started taking some deep breaths after gulping the water that was on the table next to my bed.
I scanned the room in which I was staying, the room had light even though I was sleeping, I hated sleeping in the dark.
I was alone.
Taking another deep breath, I felt a void inside my heart. There was no place for me.
My ears reacted quickly when a small voice came from outside the room. I got out of bed and approached the door but did not open it.
I stood on my spot without moving, not even breathing loudly. There was someone’s presence outside the door, I did not have to open the door to know someone was standing on the other side of the door.
My heart started beating loudly inside my chest…was Alpha Orion outside?
I wanted to open the door immediately as the thought crossed my mind but my hand stopped once it touched the doorknob.
What was I thinking…why would he be outside this room?
Shaking my head, I did not turn the doorknob and turned around to go back to bed.
I hugged the pillow tightly between my arms and hid my face, not knowing what else to do.
I stayed like that for a very long time, until my breaths became normal once again.
Just then another sound came, it sounded like a door being closed. I lifted my face up in confusion, was someone outside?
.
.
.
“Hi,” a small muscular voice fell into my ears. I stared at the man with confusion, the man with short blonde hair and freckles on his face looked familiar. He lifted his lips upward to pass a shy smile, his brown eyes sparkled as they made contact with me.
He was the one who guided me to the previous room.
“Hi,” I responded in a small voice, looking around the room hoping Bernadette would come back fast.
“How are you?”
I did not respond at once, it was the first time someone asked how I was in this mansion.
“I am fine,” I smiled at the man, he appeared to be in his early twenties, his nose was long and thin, and his eyelashes appeared to be absent due to the light shade of his hair.
“I am Antonio.”
“I am Ruhee.”
“You are new here,” it was not a question.
I bit the inside of my cheeks before answering, what was I supposed to say, I was just a random person who got thrown into this mansion. They were curious about my identity, I remembered the girl mentioning guests. The alpha clearly did not entertain guests but it would mean that his future Luna lived here as well.
Something heavy settled in my stomach.
"That was a stupid question," Antonio gave a chuckle, touching the back of his head.
I smiled in response.
"What brought you to this pack?" He was not hiding his curiosity or the questions. I knew everyone who saw me wanted to know the answer. The place did not have many people, to begin with, only a few would come on a daily basis.
“I…uh”
He might have understood my reluctance while his eyes stayed glued to my face probably waiting for the answer, “It is fine, you don’t have to answer this.” Even though he said I did not have to answer his question, I knew he was waiting for the answer.
“Do you stay here?” I decided to change the subject.
“No,” he shook his head, “only alpha lives here and soon Luna would shift here as well.”
A sour feeling came inside my heart, “Where is your Luna right now?”
It was not my place to ask anything about her or about their relationship but I could not help before asking that question. Deep down a question was burning inside my heart, why was I here?
“She is….”
“What is going on here?”
Bernadette came before Antonio could answer my question. His head immediately turned low showing respect to her.
“I was just talking to Ruhee.”
“You can leave now,” she ordered with a serious face. Antonio did not waste another moment and left immediately.
Bernadette turned towards me, her face lightened which was the exact opposite of the expression she had earlier. I would not lie and say I was not disappointed Anotio left before he could answer the question.
“What were you talking about?” she asked as we continued walking back to the room in which I was staying.
I was not allowed to leave the house, I did not want to wander alone in this huge mansion knowing well that people would ask questions about my presence….questions I could not answer.
“Where is the Luna?” I did not try to hide the bitter feeling that the word Luna was giving inside my mouth.
“She is not our Luna, you are,” Bernadette said like it was pretty obvious.
I smiled at her, “Alpha Orion has not said a word to me, I am nothing more than an uninvited guest in his home.”
“Whaaa…what are you talking about?” she threw her hands in the air and opened the door. “Look, that guy has been going through all the bullshit life has been throwing at him alone. He had no hope of ever finding a soulmate. He is working his ass off to make sure his pack is working smoothly. Chelsea is more like a…..” she dragged the last word as she thought of the right word to use, “friend..a friend.”
I did not respond.
I had nothing to say to her, she was doing what she thought was best for her alpha. She had no idea about my side of the truth, if she knew, she would pick Chelsea’s side in a heartbeat. My focus was on what she said earlier, what happened to Alpha Orion? I knew he was an orphan, his parents died a long time ago in a pack war….just like my father. I thought it was something we both could understand about each other.
“Look, give him time. You know what, forget that, if you want, just talk to him, don’t wait for him to come and find you. You are his soulmate, you have right every right to ask him everything you want to know without any hesitation.”
I bit the inside of my cheeks while I dug my nails inside my palm.
Was she right? Maybe she was right, I had to ask him why I was here, the sooner I talk to him, the faster I could go back to my life.
“I have to go, I will talk to you later,” as usual Bernadette left in a hurry without waiting for me to ask where I should find Alpha Orion.
I guess it was time for me to finally have a conversation with Alpha Orion.
The thoughts inside my head were enough to slow me down. Filling my lungs with air, I started walking. The hallway seemed to be longer than any path I had traveled. I was walking with only one name in my head but I had no idea where to find him. There was no one around which was not a surprise as not many people lived in the mansion.I could not figure out where Alpha Orion would be, I looked back when I heard a tiny noise but as a result, I collided with the large empty vase. I took the support of the wall quickly and stood up straighter, praying no one witnessed it. "Are you alright?" a feminine voice that I had never heard before fell into my ears and soon a soft touch was on my shoulder. I tried to keep my eyes on the vase closing my hands into a fist, I dug my nails inside my skin.I nodded without looking at the person."Are you sure honey? Are you looking for someone?" I finally looked at the woman. The woman with hair like a beautiful sunset, and walnut-colored eyes with fr
The dark screen of the phone stared back at me, the constant silence inside the room was a constant reminder of my loneliness....I could never be a part of this pack. I bit the inside of my cheeks as I tried calling Eleanor once again. "Hi...I am so sorry I could not answer earlier," this time Eleanor's voice came from the other side, instantly bringing a smile to my face. "What's happening in the palace?" "Well, let's see. Everything is almost a mess. We still have to get married and as the date is approaching my stress is increasing too and don't get me started about Mr. King of the werewolves, he is always busy." I did not have the heart to stop El and tell her anything about my problems when she had all of those troubles. "You will be fine, just remember how much you both love each other," I smiled, "this time will pass, he needs to take care of his people as well." I heard some shuffling from Eleanor's side, I assumed she must be doing something else too. I cleared my thr
I turned my head quickly to see the stranger. A girl was standing with an amusing smile just a few steps away, Long pin straight luscious light brown hair reached below her waist, her eyes were a combination of green and yellow as she stepped closer I got to see her flawless skin. She walked gracefully in her floral dress like a stream of water flowing down from the mountains. Her eyes sparkled with a smile as she stood in front of me, "Who are you hiding from?" I looked at the young girl speechlessly, "Why do you think I am hiding from someone?" She let out a small rich laugh covering her mouth with her fingers as she laughed, "Look around, this is not a place where you see people walking around daily just for fun." She grew serious suddenly, "Most people can not even find this place. I guess this place picked you for a reason." She sat down on the grass and started looking at the water with a smile. I followed her action and took a seat next to her, "This is a forest, and wer
I kept sitting in the room wondering about what had happened. Alpha Orion talked to me. But why? Did he notice my absence?The thought brought a small smile to my lips. Was there finally some hope? The dinner was sent to the room by Alpha Orion. I finished everything without thinking about anything else for the first time in days. The dinner had everything, it was organized unlike the plate Bernadette had prepared for me earlier. I started chewing the brownie slowly, my thoughts wandered around the place I went to earlier. There was something about the place which I could not explain, there was a unique feeling. I felt drawn to that forest...and the girl. Flora.Who was she?I never got the chance to ask her anything else, what was she doing there all by herself? She was not scared of being there alone. Wolves were known to live in the lap of nature but the forest was not for everyone. I drank some water and inhaled a deep breath. A knock on the door startled me, I glanced at
"How did you know I was standing there?" I went ahead still confused and took a seat next to the strange girl.I was surprised, she did not turn around and yet noticed my presence. She could not have listened to my footsteps with all this noise around her. Werewolves had a super hearing but something was not adding up. She gave me a side look, there was a smirk playing on her lips, "You don't need eyes to see everything."I frowned at hearing this."What do you mean?"She laughed in response."It is a good day to be outside."I smiled while looking around, letting my eyes wander around the serene scenery. Flora was right, water, birds, trees, everything was perfect here. All the doubts left my head. It was the right decision to be here. But what about Alpha Orion? What was happening with him and Chelsea? Was Bernadette right about them?"What are you thinking about?" I did not turn towards Flora but knew she was looking at me. "My life."There was a pause, she was still starin
"Hey, where were you?"I stretched my lips to give a wide smile. I did not bother trying to make it look real this time, "Just looking at the wedding preparations of Alpha Orion."Bernadette opened her mouth but closed it shut again instantly."So, when is the big day? Am I invited?" I did not hide the sour tone."Ruhee.." it was the first time I had seen Bernadette speechless. Maybe it was the first time as well when she saw me say something like this. "This is not what you think."I shook my head and moved away from her. All I wanted was to grab my phone and call Eleanor... to tell her everything, I just wanted to get away from the place where I was nothing but a burden...where I was nothing for my soulmate. "I think I know everything now, you are just trying to cover up everything your alpha is doing. I understand this is your duty...I accepted my fate a long time ago, I know Alpha Orion does not want me.""Are you crazy?" Bernadette's eyes grew wide hearing this, "this was decid
There was a thick mat of silence covering the room that looked as cold as the man who lived in it. He was sitting on the couch looking at me continuously. His hand rested on the side of the couch, he started tapping his fingers on the wooden surface. He was not urging me to say anything. It appeared like he had all the time in the world. "Pardon me, Alpha but I have a few questions on my mind," I knew I had to be careful with my words. He was an Alpha, the man whose pride meant so much to him that he could slit someone's throat if he felt disrespected. He raised his thick brows slightly while gesturing with his other hand to continue. "I heard you are about to get married."There was no response.I started thinking if I should continue or wait just when he opened his mouth."Is that your question?""Yes, Alpha.""Not that this is any of your concern, princess but what you heard is not right," he replied in his calm and deep voice. The same voice that could send shivers down my s
My heart was still racing inside my chest. I did not know why maybe because Alpha Orion admitted he would never accept a wolfless girl as his Luna or maybe because it was the first time I talked back without looking at the floor...to an Alpha. Inhaling a sharp breath I stopped to think about what I was doing here. It was clear I would never become a part of this pack...no one wanted me here. But what else was I supposed to do? Run away from this place? I shook away the thought...it would not work. I had to use my head...this was just a game for Alpha. If I ran away he would find me and probably make my life more miserable or maybe he would do something to make things more difficult for Eleanor and the King. I could not do this...they did not deserve more trouble in their lives especially because of me.Even though I hated everything about this place...I could not ignore Alpha Orion was powerful. The news about him taking over packs was spreading everywhere like a fire. There was