Chapter five

When the carriage stops the next time, Alaric opens the door and waves me out first. The warm breeze blows against my lower dress as I look at the light outside. I climb out onto the stone ground, looking around at the large courtyard we are in, my eyes better adjusted now. There are three big archways that lead to each tower just behind them. The main courtyard has a few barrels, a holder full of different weapons and little else but some bushes and a tree. Alaric climbs out of the carriage after me and closes the door before quietly talking to the hooded man. When he is done talking, he steps back as the hooded man directs the carriage around, back out the gated entrance we came in.

“Alpha Alaric! You’re back!” A female happily shouts, and I turn to see an elderly lady walking over, stopping when she gets to us. The female has on a grey dress with little flowers stitched into the corset part at the top and the skirts swamp down around her legs. Her skin is lightly tanned, and she smells like spicy cooked bread. Her grey hair is up in a complicated looking braid, spun into a bun but she seems kind, at least until she looks at me. Her eyes widen for a brief second. “Who is this?”

“Mary, this is Elodie. Alpha has decided she will live with us for now,” Alaric explains, and Mary smiles, coming over and slowly running her eyes over me.

“I can see why. Can she cook? Clean? Be of any use outside the bedrooms?” Mary asks Alaric, as my cheeks light up at her suggestion of why I’m here.

“I tried her cooking, it was lovely. But she will be helping me with the dead horses during the week also,” Alaric explains, and I hide my smile. I can’t wait to help with the dead horses. I never had much time to go back to the forest to see my old childhood friends. My old pack always kept me busy doing everything, and anything they didn’t want to do.

“Brilliant, I have needed someone to help me with your alphas for a while. I do hope Alpha keeps her around for more than one night like all the others before her,” she says, though the long sigh that escapes her lips suggests she thinks he won’t keep me around. One night? Where would I go next?

“We will see, won’t we?” Alaric muses, his eyes drifting to me for a moment before going back to Mary. “Alpha is on his way back; he wants her in his room for when he returns. I must go and help with our new pack members. Can you take her?”

“Of course, Alpha Alaric.” Mary bows before grabbing my upper arm and gently pulling me towards the middle archway. I look back to see Alaric watching me go, his eyes locked on mine for a long moment, and every step away from him just makes me more nervous. I turn back to see where Mary is pulling me to only when Alaric leaves.

“I can walk on my own. I’m not a child,” I tell Mary, trying to keep the frustration out of my voice. She isn’t going fast, due to her age, but she is short and strong with her grip.

“I’m glad to hear it,” Mary huffs, letting go of my arm and giving me a strange look. “Alpha doesn’t usually like the ones who talk back.”

I don’t reply to her, knowing she might just be trying to make me more nervous than I already am. I don’t know Alpha—not like she does. I don’t know her at all, and I have a feeling she is so used to females coming and going from here she makes a point not to make friends. We walk up to the double doors of the tower, which are made of dark wood with two metal handles in the middle that curl downwards at the ends. Mary pulls a silver key out and unlocks one of the doors before pushing it open, and I follow her in. The inside room is a dome, with a spiraling staircase that stretches all the way up to the top, where there is a loft room I can just about see. On the other side of the stairs, there is a fireplace, a large sofa and one bookcase rammed with books. The room is spotless; there is not a single book out of place, and they look color coded to perfection. Alpha scent fills the space and there is no way to deny this is his home.

“Light the fire for when he gets back and make yourself comfortable,” Mary commands as she opens a curtain on the only window in the room, letting in the bright sunlight from outside. We never had sunlight like this before because we always had the tall trees of the forest blocking it out. I was always in the shadows, searching for the glimpse of light that broke through trees.

“Are you leaving?” I ask Mary as she walks around me to the door and pauses at my question.

“Yes. Don’t worry, he never kills what is his. The brothers aren’t as heartless as it is rumored, they are,” she says, looking back at me with a tiny bit of sympathy in her eyes. “I’ve known them since they were young wolves. They look after their own, and you can trust me.”

“So, he might let me leave?” I enquire.

“No, I never said that, Elodie,” she says and walks out, slamming the door shut. I hear the key being turned only moments later, locking me in. My heart races in my chest as I rush to the door and try the handle, just in case, but it doesn’t turn. I’ve traded one prison for another, but at least I might be able to escape this one. Maybe. I walk over to the window to look out over the views of the ocean.

There is a beach just below the tower, at the bottom of a ragged cliff. The waves look harsh as they blast onto the sand, but there are no clouds in the sky, no sign of a storm coming this way. The ocean is just angry like me, I guess, though I don’t know the entire difference between anger and fear anymore. I was born with both emotions, and they have both been my close friends for so long that they have mixed together somehow.

I look over at the fireplace and cross my arms against my chest. I’m not lighting any fire for someone that just wants to use me for sex and throw me away. I don’t want to be forced into anything. I look around the room, searching the bookcase but not picking up any of the books because they look old, priceless, and I’m not risking breaking one of them. My heart feels like it never stops pounding as I hear a key turning in the door, and I quickly turn around, walking to the middle of the room as the door opens.

Alpha is back.