CHAPTER 5: US CONCUBINES

LILITH’S POV:

Alpha Kain Gerard is just as the rumors say, even worse.

His cold dead cruel eyes stared down at me as though my worth was nothing more than a piece of copper he could easily crush between his fists.

Those eyes are the last thing staring back at me as I’m being dragged very disgracefully back to my room and tossed in like a rag doll.

Once the doors are shut, the next sound that follows is the door being bolted together, sealing me in.

Shit.

My pride is wounded with nothing worthwhile to show for it, while that pretentious narcisstic prick entertains himself at my own expense.

What I would give to smack that look off his fucking face.

I sigh, falling back onto the soft covers of my bed, feeling heavily exhausted.

Now that the adrenaline rush is gone, I can feel the blood pumping in my head, followed by the mindshattering headache seeking to ruin my mind.

The pain of the bruise is more evident than ever.

Damn those little rats that should never have been let out of their houses.

Damn that cocky Alpha.

Damn everything.

I need to calm down, and think of a new way out of this mess, get back into his good grace once I’m out of here.

And possibly deal with the amount of stigma I’m going to face in this place.

I pull my clothes off, going into the shower to take an exceptionally long bath, washing away all that blood and dirt on my skin, scrubbing till I feel perfectly sane again and less things bother me.

Relieved, I step out in a bathrobe, humming to myself just when the doors outside click open.

I can hear it perfectly with my wolf ears, the footsteps , before whoever it is walks in, revealing Ariel.

The shy girl from earlier today.

“G-good evening.” She greets timidly, in her hands there’s a tray of snacks.

I raise a brow at her now, feeling suddenly cautious.

“Uhm, I brought you some snacks, seeing as you’ve probably not had anything to eat all day.”

Curious girl.

My eyes move to the tray in her hands suspiciously, stepping closer to her.

“Did Alpha let you come in here? I didn’t think he would be kind enough to remember that.” I point out, watching her every gesture, hoping to read what her true motive might be to suddenly decide to help me, especially after the embarrassment I had received earlier.

“No, he doesn’t.” She says, casually dropping right on my bed. “But don’t let him know I’m doing this.” She pleads with her eyes as though I had the intention to.

“Why are you though?” I ask, raising a brow again.

“Us concubines have to stick together, right?”

Clearly, she has very different values from Yvonne. I watch her carefully for a moment.

“Hmm, the other one didn’t seem so keen about me.” I point out the redhead that had harassed me earlier.

“Sorry about earlier, don’t hold it against her. You don’t really get to have a soft personality in a place like this.” She explains, excusing her attitude as simply a form of adaptation.

And then it hits me.

Right here, right now, a potential source of possible information walks right into my room, hoping to form some kind of sisterly connection.

It’s the perfect chance to get something out of her — anything useful about their Alpha, anything at all.

I drop right next to her, getting comfortable and crafting the perfect smile on my face

“Tell me more of this place…” I say sweetly, giving her a sense of what she wants from me.

She sighs now, recalling everything she knows in a brief second.

“Well, for starters, Yvonne isn’t the first girl that’s been brought to the Alpha… There were more before us, pretty dolls to add to his collection. But he killed them all brutally at some point for crimes they had committed.”

“When you say brutally…”

“Lynching, burnt alive…” She explains with a dejected look in her eyes.

Sheesh.

Clearly, he seems to have developed a hobby.

“Wow…” I gawk at her in disbelief, waiting for a punchline that never hits.

From her reaction, she seems to be the only sane one between the both of them.

“Fucked up, right? The best way to survive here is to remain hidden and not get in his way, or seek special favors from him. Right now, the only person that seems to have mastered walking around eggshells with him is Yvonne, and even she can be psycho.”

I nod my head, taking in all this info on him, but I need to know more, more about this infamous mad man.

Perhaps a secret weakness that could be explored?

A dangerous past triggering whatever he has become now?

“Has he always been this cruel? I mean, was there ever a time he was anything other than heartless?”

She takes her time to think, tapping on her chin while looking up in an endearing manner, before she turns back to me sadly.

“Not that I know off. Sorry, he’s always been the blood thirsty devil we all know.”

So, no weakness or sad past.

He was like a full-proof tank without an Achilles heel, or a single crack in sight. But there has to be something, some kind of dirt he’s hiding underneath all that hatefulness; a shred of humanity.

I had spied on countless packs for Alpha Arden and not one of them was void of a weakness — be it a simple insecurity or flaw, there was always something.

Alpha Kain won’t be different.

“Whatever you do… don’t anger him, stay out of his way if you want to live here long enough and hopefully, he forgets you exist and lets you be.” She warns me cryptically, it’s almost cute.

If only I could though, sit idly like a good girl and steer clear from his lane, then maybe I would. But there could never be any of that for me.

It’s the line of work I had chosen to serve my Alpha and protect my pack, to protect my sick little brother, and make something of ourselves, so we wouldn’t be looked down upon.

I admit that I had failed to see the actual risk in all of this, but it’s already too late to back out. Alpha Arden hated quitters after all.

This is my chance to prove myself to him and everyone else from my pack.

I will see this through.

“Thank you for the advice, Ariel.” Too bad I won’t use it. “Thank you for the snacks as well, and for keeping me company.”

She blushes slightly, turning away.

“It’s nothing.”

“I do have to ask. From your warning, you don’t seem interested in Kain.”

“Actually, he scares me. He’s brutal and heartless, and he looks like he likes the taste of blood.”

“You might not be wrong there.” I recall our exchange.

“I much rather prefer to hide in Yvonne’s shadow where he never notices my existence again.” She says, avoiding my gaze.

Probably, she feels like I would possibly judge her but it’s much more far from that. No matter what the means, survival is survival. I understand that at least.

I want to at least offer some sort of condolence to her, understanding a bit of her struggle when there’s a sudden knock on the door.

She jumps on her feet, suddenly remembering she’s actually not meant to be here and breaking the solemn mood hanging in the air.

Before she can begin panicking, however, the doors pull open and a different man walks in.

He’s handsome, I notice. Almost as handsome as Alpha Kain with dark blue eyes that seem much warmer compared to the number of people I have come across since arriving in this pack.

He’s a perfectly crafted Adonis with chiseled sharp features and a pointed nose; lips almost pink and soft waves in his chestnut brown hair.

“Beta Ivan.” Ariel says first with her cheeks now rosy and quaint, and her voice at a higher pitch than before.

She seems less tensed than only seconds ago.

“Ariel… what are you doing here?”

“Uhm… just…” She’s unable to give a complete answer, quickly fiddling with her thumbs.

I see right through that subtle blush and sudden shyness instantly.

The beta remains oblivious, turning back to me with an indifferent gaze and uninterested look, much different from the hateful ones I’ve received. Yet not as friendly as Ariel’s or Kierra’s either.

“Miss Lilith.” He calls my name with extreme formality.

I’m at least grateful it’s without demeaning titles.

“Yes?” I answer.

“Alpha Kain has summoned you.” He responds stiffly.