It felt like an eternity as such a sharp pain hit my brain, until finally Sara's eyes flickered open a few times and returned to normal. Before I could move my body, the door to my room was slammed open and I flinched from a loud noise. At that moment, I felt that I could finally move. We both turned towards the door and saw the angry Alpha watching us both. My hands were shaking, I just wanted to get away from this crazy girl.
'How dare you?! Who let you do this?' He roared. His eyes kept jumping from me to her. I think I saw a hint of worry in them, but his anger was too overwhelming to be sure.
'Sorry, Alpha, I…' But before she could finish her sentence, he shouted again.
'Do you know how it could have ended for you?!' He roared again.
Oh, so he only cared about her. It felt like something was clutching my heart. It was a faint feeling, but a feeling… Nonetheless... Something's not right, I can't feel anything. I'm not supposed to. I was snapped back from my thoughts when Sara spoke again.
'Brandon, I told you I was sorry… I just wanted to make sure she was innocent and get it over with. You know this is the quickest and probably the best way. She could join our pack and become…' Sara babbled on until Alpha Brandon stopped her again.
'Don't you dare say another word! Straight to my office now! That's an order!' He shouted again as he pointed his finger at the door to get her to leave. He kept the other hand clenched into a fist, probably to control his anger. I have to admit, he has his wolf side well under control as his eyes kept their human colour.
Sara lowered her head and stood up to leave. She didn't move or turn her head as she said softly:
'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you, and I meant what I said earlier…. I hope you will forgive me; it wasn't to hurt you.' Then she left the room with quick steps.
It looks like I can't even have a few quiet moments in this place. Here we are again, me and the Alpha. He was watching me closely, it felt like he was trying to figure me out, and that didn't make me any more comfortable. My head was still shaking inside and it was starting to get on my nerves. I probably looked like a vulnerable little girl. Fine, we can both play this staring game or whatever. Anyway, as soon as I looked up again, I saw sadness in his eyes. I was a little taken aback by this sudden change of mood. Is he going to apologise again? It was hard to understand.
'So, your crimes are no big deal, or you're innocent, huh?' He said, scratching his head.
'What do you mean by that? How did it help you to find out if I'm innocent?' I asked sarcastically.' I can understand that Sara has some kind of gift, but I still don't know what information she was able to get out of my head. It's a handy thing to have in a pack anyway. Why didn't they just start with that at the first interrogation?
'You should be glad you're still alive. If something had gone wrong, you both could have died in that ritual.' He said calmly.
How could he control his emotions so well? Most wolves I have known couldn't hide their emotions well, but this one is somehow different. Well, except for the shouting before…. And that answers my question of why they didn't use that ritual before to get the information from me. Still, why would Sara risk her own life for a stranger? I could have been a real badass…
'I can't decide whether to thank you now or try to look curious and ask questions about the ritual that nearly destroyed my brain.' I spat out bitterly.' All this shit has pissed me off enough already.
'Neither of those. I can probably decide your fate by tomorrow…' He stepped closer, leaned over and whispered in my ear: 'You'd better sleep well.' I didn't understand if it was his breath or if he was just kissing my earlobe. I turned my head too quickly; his face was now too close to mine and my breathing quickened. I wanted to break the contact so I wouldn't feel those strange sparks, but I only made it worse. His eyes were mesmerising. The feeling of my wolf's satisfaction and…. Lust?! I snapped out of that trance as soon as the thought crossed my mind, stood up quickly and stepped back.
Alpha Brandon chuckled.
'I can't decide if you're brave and stubborn or shy.' He said with a smile.
Either way, your reaction to me is normal and you'll soon understand. Whether it will be good or bad, we'll see tomorrow. Good night, Alice.' Said Alpha Brandon and left me alone in the room.
I sighed. I don't know what information they have and what Sara will tell him, but I don't need any of that. I will not trust them and I will not let them awaken my emotions. All I want to do is leave. I want to find a peaceful place and live a quiet life, or whatever I have left of it.
I don't want to break the laws of the Moon Goddess but I'm no match for him. I can tell by his behaviour that he has a good heart. He tries to be righteous at all costs, and that's how an Alpha should be, but….
I fell asleep with these thoughts, but the sleep was even more exhausting because my dreams gave me no rest. In one dream I dreamed of Alpha Daniel catching me, which was more of a nightmare, and in another I dreamed of an old, beautiful woman who kept smiling at me and asking me to choose wisely just before she vanished. I woke up in a cold sweat and couldn't stop thinking about what choice this woman was talking about. I didn't remember anything else from that dream, so I decided to forget about it for the moment and took a bath. It was only a dream after all. If the alpha's decision doesn't go in my favour, at least I will be glad I chose a bath over a shower in my final moments. It sounds silly, but it is what it is.
It was still early when I came out of the bathroom. I sat down on a chair by the window and watched the sun rise into the sky until I heard a knock on the door and Shawn came in smiling.
'Good morning princess, how are you? I heard some nasty things happened...' He said the second part more seriously.
He's nice, so what's the point of being grumpy to him. Besides, I decided not to bring up the subject of my sentence.
'You know… The life of a prisoner is always full of surprises.' I shrugged my shoulders and giggled.
He looked surprised when he saw me relaxed and giggling, but then he shook his head and smiled.
'I guess you're right, but you sound way too happy about it.' He raised an eyebrow, but then just shook his head and said: 'I brought you breakfast, and then you will meet the Alpha, He handed me a plate of sandwiches and I took it.
'Thanks. No drinks?' I asked, pretending to be sad.
'Good point. I forgot these.' He scratched his head uncomfortably. 'Let's see… I'll give you the option for that mistake.' He said proudly.
I laughed and raised an eyebrow as I waited for him to continue.
'I can get you any drink you want, or you can go with me to the kitchen and we can have a cup of coffee together since I haven't had time to drink it yet.' He said with a smile.
That surprised me and I asked before I could think.
'Aren't you afraid that I might try to escape?'
'Nah, in case you haven't noticed, you're in a Black shadow pack. I think you're smart enough to know that it's not easy to escape from here. And I'm the beta, so I think I might be able to handle you. Still… I hope you wouldn't break my trust in you so quickly.' He pretended to be hurt by the thought itself when he said the last part.
My eyes widened at the name of the pack. I didn't have enough time to think about it properly. I knew there were two or more packs close to each other on this side of the mountains. One is a medium sized pack with about 50 to 100 people and the other is the largest in history with about 250 to 450 people in it, not sure about the others. Yeah, with my luck I should have guessed I would fall into this one. Still, there are many rumours that the members of this pack are ruthless, but from what I've seen, they looked more like a pack of softies from day one. No torture except from their Delta Liam and this girl named Sara. But both times their actions were unauthorised from what I understood. Weird.
'What can I say, I'm very lucky.' I said with irony in my voice and smiled. 'I'd be grateful for a cup of coffee.'
'Your wish is my command' He joked, indicating that I should go first.
I stopped in front of the door and pointed my finger at it.
'I'm not a masochist, so I don't want to be struck by lightning for a nice good morning.' I told him.
'Oh, right! I forgot, I am sorry!' He said and quickly grabbed my hand.
'Wait! What are you…' I didn't get to finish speaking as he just pulled me through the doorframe and then let go of my hand.
'As long as you're with me, nothing will happen to you, so don't worry too much. Let's go!' He winked at me and started to walk away.
I followed him quietly, trying to memorise as many details as possible. The corridor we walked through was nice and cosy, with small lamps on either side. The walls were painted light brown and matched the chocolate brown wooden floor. We walked down the stairs and turned around the corner, where I saw double doors open to the dining room and a kitchen next to it. The front exterior door at the end of the pathway didn't escape my attention.
It was strange that the pack- house was so empty in the morning. I wonder how many members live here and not in their own houses. Do they have a strict morning routine or training. I've never had the opportunity to come into this pack, so I don't know their territory at all. That's a huge disadvantage.
'Come in here! Don't just stand there!' He signalled for me to sit down at the table.
I nodded, followed him and sat down in the kitchen.
'Which coffee would you like: black or with milk? He asked simply.
'Black, thank you.' I replied and asked, 'Won't your alpha get angry that you let me out of the room?'
Shawn didn't pause for a second before answering.
'He probably will, but that's okay. It's going to be a long day, you need energy and a little distraction. Besides, I only wish him the best and what I am doing is only in his best interests. Do you want some sugar in your coffee?' He waited for my answer before handing me a cup.
'No, thanks. But I don't really think I'm one of the good things you do for your alpha.' I doubted him at this point.
'You never know!' He shrugged and began to drink his coffee.
I took a small sip and looked through a large window at the end of the table. Strangely enough, it felt too cosy. The view was beautiful. Although it was getting cold, you could already smell the coming spring. The grass was getting greener by the day and this forest looked even denser than on the other side. Suddenly I felt a dull ache in my chest, I gulped and froze for a moment, Shawn didn't miss it.
'What's wrong? Are you in pain?' He asked worriedly. 'Michael said your blood was clear of wolf's-bane. Is it something else? Has Liam done something else?' He looked a little confused and angry now.
'No, no, it's nothing and he hasn't done anything else either. I haven't seen him since that day. Don't worry, your prisoner won't die yet.' I giggled to ease the tension.
'I don't think it's my place to say this, but I know you are not going to die. At least not in the meantime. Alpha has other plans for you.' He smiled cheekily.
I smiled back with a fake smile, thinking that I wouldn't like the other plans either…