**Estelle's POV**
I groaned as I woke up. My eyes shot open when I realized the place I was in. It was a shabby camp. They were other slaves in the apartment too, and the joy I momentarily felt died down.
How stupid I was!
I remembered making a sound when those wolves wanted to grab me and recalled how Alpha Cedric looked back at me with shock written all over his face. Even though he hid the shock and surprise under his calmness, I saw right through it. I was thinking he would take me, but before I could hear anything else, I was knocked unconscious. My father didn't help her, and neither did my mate.
I felt hurt and devastated. I really should stop putting my hopes up over every little thing.
Looking around, she saw diverse kinds of slaves. Some were old men while others, children. The ones that were older than me had been taken by the other masters and were kept away from us. One woman was crying quietly because she lost her child. It was heartbreaking seeing this kind of woman who was used for sexual purposes crying. I wanted to comfort her but I couldn't and it brought tears to my eyes.
I don't want to stay in a place like this. Most of the people here were used as sexual resources, and I wasn't ready to be one of them. The next thing that came to my mind was how to escape from this hellhole. I used her eyes to scan the room like a spy and saw a door leading out of the place.
I scrambled to my feet as quietly as possible, careful not to make a sound and tiptoe towards the door, praying vehemently not to be caught, but it seemed luck wasn't on my side because I saw a few shadows I assumed to be the guards. I decided to try my luck and still push through with this.
Just when I thought I was almost there and reached to open the door, the guards with the gas masks appeared from nowhere and grabbed my wrist.
“Where do you think you're going, mute?” He asked and I frowned.
I controlled the urge to kick him in the shins, judging from the fact that they weren't the only one in the room and if I tried anything dangerous, they might just kill me.
I tried to yank my hands away from him, but his hold on my wrist tightened as he dug his elongated claw into my skin, drawing out blood in the process. I hissed in pain and they burst out laughing.
“What an imp! She can hiss, but she can't speak. What a waste of time!” One of them snapped and it hurt me.
“Let's take her,” Another said, and they grabbed me, taking me out of the prison.
***
They brought me to the door leading to the throne room, and I suddenly felt a pang of hope again. My mate was definitely going to save me this time. Maybe that was why he had ordered the guards to come get me.
The door opened, and the guards threw me in, bowed to the Alpha and left, but not without glaring at me. I stood to my feet and looked up to see Alpha Cedric seated on his throne with a glass of wine in his hand. My eyes met his, and I shuddered under his icy look.
“You're still alive,” He commented dryly. I swallowed, my throat suddenly feeling dry. I nodded slowly. “Good. I'm not going to have much time to teach you how to obey me and your duties. You're already in my slave's role, so you should know what's expected of you.” There was anger in his voice and a deep frown etched onto his features. He took another sip of his wine.
I felt like I had stepped into a more dangerous place, because of how he looked at me like he would kill me soon.
He stood up from the throne, dropped the glass of wine he was holding, and walked up to me. I was terrified and tried to move back but he continued coming closer and I had no choice but to stop. He looked at me for a while and sighed.
“Since you're mute, I'm not really going to waste my time with you. The only thing I'm grateful to the moon goddess for is that you can hear me and so, I wouldn't have to stress myself while talking to you today,” He paused and moved closer then bent to look into my eyes. “You're the only one who isn't affected by my Aura, and the reason for that is simply because we are mates. I can't believe it, but we are mates,” He said with much difficulty.
I was a little delighted to hear what he had just said. If I was the only one who could break through his aura, then I was exceptional indeed. I felt happy to be the only one who can get close to him and know he was the only one who could cure my “stealer” pheromone. I believed we were destined to be together and as if he heard my thoughts, he shook his head.
“This isn't how it should be. We aren't meant to be,” He said, and my heart broke. “I don't want a weak werewolf to be my mate, it can't work that way,” He said and moved away from me.
I could sense the hurt in his voice and it broke my heart the more. It wasn't my fault that I became mute, it was never my fault. Who was I kidding thinking I could be accepted like this? He thinks I'm weak and I don't blame him at all.
If only I had a voice, I would have comforted him and assured him that I could get stronger for his sake. I tried to touch him, but he yanked my hands away.
“Leave now!” He ordered, his eyes flashing between white and yellow.
I could tell he was furious but I didn't want to leave him in this state, and so I followed him, but the next thing he did shocked me to the bones. He turned angrily and grabbed me by the neck, lifting me off the ground.
“You're stubborn!” He growled as his grip tightened around my neck while I gasped for breath.
Alright, I'm in real shit now.
**Estelle's POV**I struggled with him as he held my neck, trying to make a sound, but nothing came out of my mouth. I looked at him tearfully, hoping he would just feel remorseful and let me go, but he didn't and only pinned me to the wall more.His face held anger and sadness as his grip on my neck tightened. From the way he looked at me, one could tell that he hated me so much. He looked at me with sheer hatred etched into his features, and tears rolled down my cheeks.I was running out of air and tried to make a sound for him to stop, using my hands and fingers. He looked at my gesture and frowned.“Say something, dammit!” He growled and his grip on my neck tightened. “Just say something already!” He grabbed hold of my neck hard as tears fell from my eyes in torrents.I tried hard to say something; I tried to open my mouth, but what came out were short gasps and panting. It felt like I couldn't catch my breath. I looked at him pleadingly as sweat covered his features.How do I tel
**Estelle's POV**I couldn't stand her impudence and accepted the Alpha's arrangement for me, so I sat still and allowed her to inject the suppressant into my system. I winced in pain and she scoffed. When she was done, I didn't wait for her to tell me to leave and stood up by myself then got out of the ward. My heart ached as I walked past a few couples in the ward, and was a bit delighted since I wasn't attacked by any of the single wolves there. The suppressant was working perfectly and I liked it.I suddenly realized that the only way I can live is to stay in this pack with the Alpha. If by chance I left his side, I might get kidnapped and worse, get killed. As much as I am safe with him, and the fact that he would protect me, I was very terrified of him. He was scary. I sighed at the thought and facepalmed as I gently made my way to the palace.****The following day, the Alpha made sure I did almost all the chores in the palace, but I mainly focused on his room and his study, s
**Alpha's Cedric pov** There was something off about Estelle tonight, but I couldn't quite place my finger on it. Her movements were fidgety and she trembled- not that she never trembled around me, but today she was more scared than usual. I ignored it however. I had heard she was bullied at the training centre yesterday, so I guess she might be scared of what to expect tomorrow because she's definitely going there again. The least I can do other than make her mute and unable to voice out her thoughts and feelings was to get her to be strong. I couldn't condone weakness around me in the slightest- and according to the women at the training center after I got reports. 'She is as weak as a feather.' Now, she was bent over me, setting my favorite bottle of wine right down before the round pool table before me, torturing me with the scent of her. I may have used a suppressant on her, but somehow she was able to still entice me with her scent. She tried leaving, but I ordere
**Estelle's pov** My heart was pounding hard against my chest as I watched him come for me, and the next second, I was pinned to the wall with his hand around my neck. My legs were up above the ground kicking violently, and my face was red as all the blood had rushed up there instantly. My vision was slowly fading and I feared that he was going to try to kill me immediately. If he wanted to kill me now, then I deserved It. I didn't know If I loved him too much to not see him die before me or If I was just too stupid. My father was right- I was really just a big dissapointment. I couldn't even do anything right. Blame my stupid empathetic heart. I tried pleading- but it came out in raspy voices as usual, and my grip tightening on the hand grabbing onto my neck was useless. His hold around my neck was like an unmovable steel and his eyes searching deep into mine was like a larva melting iron. "I'm done playing around Estelle. You tell me the truth right now or .. " a cry, so
**Alpha Cedric's pov** The moment I had stepped into the living room, dragging my mate behind me, I knew at that moment who was responsible for the attempted murder. These cowards didn't have the guts to actually poison me so they decided to use their own family as bait. I threw her to the ground and stood over her, sneaking glances at her father, irritated by how he chose to put all the blame on her. I waited for them to confess and admit to their mistakes, but he actually had the audacity to slap her right across the face. I couldn't explain why my heart twisted in anger and rage seeing the burning sensation on her cheek before her father gripped her shoulders. I noted the knowing looks they exchanged before he tried to pull her up, but I suddenly grabbed a gun and cocked it, watching as he retreated while Estelle turned to me. The horror and fear In her eyes made me think she was actually going to expose her father, but she didn't. Infact, she was ready to die than exp
**Estelle's POV** My whole nerves were like slack after he said that he would not kill my father or my brother. That was enough and I couldn't ask for more, considering my current situation. After he came out, I cleaned up the mess as he ordered, ignoring the smell of wine still surrounding my head. But I thought it would be better if I cleaned myself first so this poisoned wine wouldn't contaminate the room. So, I went back to my room to wash my face and change clothes. When I saw how much my laundry was, my shoulders suddenly ached. When I returned to his room, I saw him standing looking at the mess I hadn't cleaned up. I don't want him to think I'm lazy and do it on purpose. So, I walked over to him and made a sign to say that I went back to my room to clean myself up first. I guessed that satisfied him a bit with my thoroughness, and I hope I didn't overdo it because he was rarely ever satisfied by anything. “It's good that you still pay attention to small things even after t
**Alpha Cedric's POV** I was too busy to listen to Scarlett discussing something when suddenly my ears got a sound that they shouldn't. “Alpha Cedric! Help me!” It was Estelle! Was she still around the palace? That naughty girl! Even though I had asked her to rush over to the training center so she could master some fighting techniques. If she could do it, at least I wouldn't have to worry about letting her out unattended. But suddenly my danger sense was on. The wolf soul that fused with my body said that I must save her! I was determined to fight the thought until I smelled Estelle! Yes, her scent! "Are you okay?" Scarlet panicked as she asked me. She was indeed very kind and reliable, a doctor who was always responsive when I needed something. Usually, I would respond well to her. But because Estelle's scent was getting stronger in my nostrils, I couldn't help but run as fast as I could. Estelle, what had happened to you? Why did you smell this strong? Didn't you get the su
*Estelle's POV* I couldn’t take it anymore! So, I approached him and swung my hips. I didn't even know what happened to me and why I did it. Even when he rolled his eyes, I did it anyway, like someone who was seducing a man. Was I trying to seduce him? Was I in heat? But damn he didn't respond at all even after I made a hand gesture asking for help. I needed his help because I just wanted to do it with my mate. If only I wanted to do it haphazardly, I would have chosen one of the wolves that had been chasing me. But I didn't because I still respected the concept of virginity for a mate. "No!" he shook his head, but he didn't push me. "I won't do it." "Please," I said again with my hand. "I need you. I can't tolerate this. I'm in a lot of torture." My pleas would be in vain if his bad temper turned against me and left me. Before that happened, I had to lock him up here and not let him go. But was it even possible? I saw him move, seeming to want to get out of the room. I ran to