RALIA
I was confined to my room after that, and not even Cheyenne was allowed to see me. I spent the first few hours in fear of what would happen, if my family would listen to the Alpha, Lord Lesley, and spare me, or if they would go ahead and have me flogged.
I could already figure out what had happened. James had set me up to cause misfortune for one of my sisters, or my other brother. I was so tired of my family using me as a mere pawn in their childish games of jealousy.
I heard Helena was set to marry a Count, and this was no small feat because Helena is now considered to be quite old and still unmarried, plus a Count is quite powerful. I learnt James sent me down dressed like a whore so that Alpha Lesley would defile me, and then Helena’s luck would be spoiled.
A tear slipped down my cheek and I did not bother to wipe it. The makeup Cheyenne put on my face was probably spoiled by now. I just wondered why my family could not blame James instead for what had happened, since it was obvious he planned everything, and I was only obeying orders. It was typical of them though to always use me as their scapegoat. I was the one who could not fight back, the one who had to take every scolding with a smile pasted on my face.
I wanted to vent, to cry, throw a tantrum, tear at my hair, and throw things about in the room, but years of being told to keep my emotions under control did not allow me to lose it even in the face of these circumstances.
Feeling tired although I had not done any physical work, I went to lie on the bed – fully clothed. I really didn’t have the strength to take anything off.
I closed my eyes and tried to day dream of the fantasies I and Cheyenne always sketched. I would be locked in my tower room just like now, when I would hear some commotion outside, and throwing open my windows, I’d see a handsome thief trying to get away from an angry crowd –
We always had our own different version of Rapunzel, and the Cinderella story too. In the Cinderella story, Cinderella did not have just two wicked step sisters, but five wicked blood sisters and two mean brothers. Needless to say, Cinderella was me.
I could not find any joy in my musings anymore, and still feeling agitated, I swung off the bed – then a thought occurred to me.
Slowly, as my heart started pounding in mismatched patterns, I drew close to my window.
I wondered why I had never thought of it before, but suddenly it occurred to me to try to escape. Maybe it was the fear of getting flogged for the first time, or the aftermath of being held in a strangers arms, but for the first time, I felt it was possible to escape, to be free.
My window overlooked the overgrown weeds in our backyard. No one really visited that place since my father died, and whatever flowers where there were long since choked by weeds.
The window seemed a thousand feet high above the ground, and from the way the house was built, there was no way I could make it down there alive if I tried to climb down.
I had to think fast. I needed a rope – the curtains. I could use the curtains and the bedsheet as a rope, and all my dresses too. Keep tying them together until it was long enough to get me to the ground. I was finally making my own Rapunzel story!
A giggle escaped my lips at the thought of having the curtains and bedsheet for my hair, then my face grew serious as I set down to business.
I had torn down the curtains from the window, turn them up into two long strips, and was now tying the strips together with the ones I had cut from the bedsheets when the door was thrown open and I heard someone step in.
My heart skipped several beats as cold fear gripped me. If my family had wanted to flog me earlier, they would want to kill me now.
My hands shook on the pieces of cloth I held, and tears burned my eyes, but I could not bring myself to turn around.
“Well that saves me the stress of taking an unwilling woman.” A stranger’s voice said from behind me. This was the same voice that had laughed at me somewhat tenderly after asking if I had ever taken a lover.
CHSPTER FIVE
RALIA
My heart beat sped up now, and I could feel my pulse beating erratically in my veins. I still did not turn around.
“Well are you going to at least let me have a look at you – be sure I made a good bargain.” Alpha Lesley snapped, though he added the last bit in a more patient but insolent drawl.
Feeling insulted, I finally turned around. “I have no idea what bargain you have made Lord Lesley, or why you think it should concern me.”
“Oh the little kitten has teeth.” Lesley replied smiling, but unlike the amused tender smile he had earlier when both of us lay together on the bed, this smile was cold, cynical, and didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Keep your wit with you little kitten. You’d need it being mated to a dark Alpha.”
I blinked in confusion. What was he talking about. I I knew very little about werewolves and Alphas. I could not possibly be his mate. I cleared my throat and was about to tell him just that when he stepped forward, and I was forced to step back so that I would have toppled out of the open window if he did not catch me.
His hand held my weight effortlessly, one hand circled around my waist. With a tug, he drew me closer so that I could feel the heat of his powerful body radiating.
“I’m going to ask you once Ralia. Would you come willingly, or do I have to tie you up and throw you over my shoulder?”
Maybe it was the way he said my name that hypnotized me, to hear my name from his musical deep voice. I don’t know what it was, but I nodded. I nodded even though I did not trust him, and somewhere deep down in my belly was the fear that the horrors I was already used to in my house would be far worse than what this unknown Alpha would do to me when I was completely his.
LESLEY
She lay with her head against the window as we rode back to my house. She seemed a bit dazed, out of reality with what was going on around her, and I could not quite blame her, I felt the same way too.
I am the dark Alpha, a werewolf that got stronger by each dark or horrible deed. I had no business mating or having pups. I had not even planned to mate, ever!
So why was I sitting in a carriage with a dark haired human girl, heading for my house!
My eyes went over her again, for the tenth time. She was beautiful, I’d give her that. Her curly black hair framed her heart shaped face, and her eyes were closed now, so that I could appreciate the length of her sooty lashes.
Her rosy cheeks were tinged just the right shade of pink, and her perfectly bowed mouth with that generous lower lip, the color of crushed berries, looked like they had been created solely for kissing.
I reached out and pressed my lips against them, and her eyes flew open. I saw the fear that was briefly registered there, before they were shut again – tightly this time, as though she were bracing herself for some kind of punishment.
“Open your eyes Ralia.” I commanded, and I watched those lovely green eyes stare at me in reluctance.
I could still see the fear there, buried deep inside, but there was a new curiosity. It made her look even more desirable. I wanted to take her there and then even though I knew she wasn’t ready. After all, if I took her against her will, it would only add to my power as one more dark deed I had done, but as I looked into those innocent green eyes that were beginning to stare trustingly into mine, I knew I could not do that to her – she should not get too trusting with me though, that I was unwilling to hurt her now did not mean she was forever safe around me.
“So, have you lived all your life in the tower?” I asked, consciously trying to put her at ease.
She nodded but didn’t reply, so I tried again. “What were you going to have done if I hadn’t interrupted you? Were you trying to escape?”
That brought a smile from those perfectly bowed lips, and I could see how even more beautiful her dimples made her look.
“I was going to try to escape.” She grew more serious. “I don’t know why I have never thought of escaping in the past though – maybe I just didn’t want to hurt my family –”
“So what changed?”
She lowered her lashes a bit. “They were going to have me flogged –”
“Ah! For James’ deception. Had it never occurred to you to be angry with the way you were being treated?”
“But that would hurt –”
“My family!” I finished for her. Did she not think even just one angry thought in that heart of hers. Her innocence was endearing, but if she was going to survive as my mate, she needed more than just innocence.
I pulled her into my arms again, roughly. I wanted to drive her over the edge, bring out the fighter in her, the spunk, but like I had expected, she seemed only scared as she settled more comfortably into my arms, her green eyes searching mine with an innocent curiosity that was as endearing as it was annoying.
“You better enjoy these moments of kindness from me my little mate.” I murmured. “They are the last you are ever going to get. Welcome to life as the dark Alpha’s mate.”
RALIA Unable to understand anything, I watched as he pulled away from me feeling a little bit of regret. Surprising to me, I longed for the warmness of his embrace, the feel of his strong arms around me and his warm breaths caressing my bare skin.He probably has charmed me with his handsomeness because I don't understand this thingy feeling in my stomach. We finally got to his house and he led me to a room."This will be your room from now on"he said coldly with that lovely deep voice that makes my heart flutter."Someone would come to help you get comfortable". I watched as he leaves without sparing me another glance.I looked around the room, it looks quite comfortable. And somehow it doesn't feel like a cage- just like my former room.I looked through the window, it has a nice view. I could spend all day watching the city from up here. I moved and sat on the bed, it feels comfortable. But something's missing, I might never get to see Cheyenne again; I'm really going to
I watched her face in the mirror as she brushed my hair quietly. RALIA She looks nothing like Cheyenne, I know she can't pass as a replacement for her.At that moment, I longed for Cheyenne, I longed for the fun moments we had together when talk about our fantasies. I longed for the days she brings cards to my room, I miss being defeated by her, I miss her cheating me in the card games. I snapped back to reality when I felt a light tap on my shoulder. "We are done mam" she said formally."Let's head downstairs for breakfast".I nodded and followed her downstairs.LESLEYI sat impatiently on the dinning table wondering what could be taking so long.Is she that hard to dress up?A few minutes passed before I heard gentle footsteps on the staircase. My jaw drooped when I looked up.I had always known she's beautiful right from the first time I set my eyes on her but right now, her beauty is undiscribable. She looked like a water goddess whose sole aim is seduction, like a morn
RALIAHe quickly stood up with a disappointed look plastered all over his face causing me to immediately regret my actions. I don't know why, maybe it’s because I love him but I always feel like pleasing handsome man in front of me, I always want to do only the things that would make him happy with me. But he isn't looking particularly happy right now. "Go to sleep" he said with his hoarse voice before I could figure out what to do to make things right..“get dressed in the morning I’ll show you to the garden”.I felt a pang of pain in my heart the moment he shut the door behind him. “I didn’t mean to react that way, I was just taking aback because he was touching me so intimately. I must have annoyed him with my action, I must find a way to make things right tomorrow”.I couldn’t get any sleep the whole night because I was lost in thought, thinking of a way to make things right.It was dawn already, I got up early so I can dress up to impress him.I was scouting through my ward
RALIA It was already dawn by the time I woke up, we had just gotten to the house. He lifted me up and made for the entrance. I offered to walk on my own but he would have none of it, he insisted on carrying me till we got to my room. All this while I couldn’t get my eyes off his face, my eyes kept searching his handsome face with arms wrapped around his neck. He placed me gently on the bed and tried to get up but I won’t let go of his neck. He planted a soft kiss on my lips, the kiss gets deeper and more intimate by the second. A moan escaped my lips before I could stop myself. I was starting to get lost in the moment when he suddenly pulled away. He gently unwrapped my arms from his neck and stood up. “get some sleep, you must be tired” he said before walking out and shutting the door. I felt a little bit disappointed, I wanted him to stay. I wanted to get to spend more time with him. I wondered what I could do in order to make him spend more time with me. LESLEY I walked in
RALIAWe finally got to a destination, and he stopped. The whole place looked void of people, more like a desert.“where is this place?” I asked him“you would find out very soon” he answered.He seemed to be searching for something with his palm on the ground.He eventually got to a point and stopped. I watched his claws grow and his eyes turned red then suddenly there was a vibration under the ground like a small earthquake.And then a mighty tower building which I could swear wasn’t there emanated from the ground causing the whole environment to shake, the area which seemed deserted now looked like a small city.I opened my mouth and watched in awe.He held my hand and led me inside. The inside of the building is something indescribable, though it looked like an abandoned building, it cannot also be written off completely because it looked like something that was once a beautiful mansion.It looked big and magnificient, almost like a palace“wait for me here” he said and walked int
RALIAThat night I had a bad dream. I saw a little boy being tied up and tortured by a group of werewolves.He cried and pleaded for mercy but they wouldn’t listen, they continued torturing him ruthlessly.They used hot metals to burn his skin after tearing his flesh with their claws.I felt so much pity for the young lad, wishing I could take away his pain.That little boy who was tied up and being tortured, letting out agonizing screams which fell on deaf ears is Lesley.I jerked up from my sleep with tears running down my cheeks. So Lesley went through all of these, no wonder he was always so cold.I decided from then that I would make sure he doesn’t feel any more pain, I would love him with all of my heart until when he learns to love me back.It doesn’t matter that he doesn’t love me now, I must surely find a way to make him love me.Then I remembered everything we shared last night, I stretched my arms to the other side of the bed hoping to hold him, but it seemed like he alrea
RALIAI still had amazement written over me as we rode back to the house.I didn’t believe I could actually speak to the moon goddess. This new realization had made me short of words.To my surprise when we got to the house he held my hand as he led me to the dining hall.‘isn’t it too late to eat?’ I wondered as we sat down and he began to open the food that had already being served.“we skipped dinner” he said “I won’t let you go to bed on an empty stomach”“but I am not hungry” I answered but my stomach betrayed me immediately by letting out a very loud growl.“are you sure” he asked with a lopsided grin.I felt the butterflies in my belly just with that single gesture of his. And just like that, his small smiled brightened my mood.If that was all I got from him today, then it is enough to brighten my entire day.I smiled a little and started gulping all the food down hungrily. That night I dreamt that Lesley fell in love with me, I became so special to him that he couldn’t
RALIAI woke up with a throbbing pain between my legs, sweet pain. I admired the dark red marks all over my body. I smiled remembering all the things he did to me, the way he touched me.It seemed I was getting addicted to him, his scent, his touches, his kisses.But the sad thing is, my face drooped as I looked at the other side of the bed.Just like the other day, he was gone. He left again, well didn’t have to be surprised because I already knew I meant nothing to him.I was just a pawn to be used not just in his game of wickedness but also on his bed. But regardless, I love him and was going to let him use me the way he wants.Feeling bad about my ill luck, I stood up, washed myself clean in the washroom and left his room.I decided to go to the garden to clear my head.I met Amelia on the way, she said she was free and offered to keep me company in the garden but I declined, I wanted to have some alone time.The evening breeze in the garden felt so soothing, it managed to calm my