Chapter 03

**Audrey’s POV**

I slowly trudged beside Robert who had his arm wrapped around me, to keep me steady as we walked out of the forest. I wanted to fall against him, to hug him, to hold him around me, but the pain in my legs kept snapping me back to reality at every step I took.

“Is your house very far from here?” I asked quietly, feeling the pain on my foot slowly crawl upwards until it began to grip slowly at my knees.

“Just a little bit far from here.” He drawled quietly, looking down at me with hooded eyes.

“Could you walk a little faster?” I asked him, thinking that my father and Alpha Valentino could be looking for me and could appear behind us at any moment. I couldn’t help but look over my shoulders at every minute because I knew that they hadn’t stopped looking for me that quickly.

“Are you running from someone, or something?” He asked, turning to look down at me quizzically. I immediately nodded my head in negation and kept my mouth shut as we continued walking slowly deeper into the forest.

It was already fully dark outside, and I was quickly becoming dizzy from lack of food and from the pain in my leg. I didn’t know for how long we walked, but at a point I knew I couldn’t move any further.

“Are you okay?” He asked worriedly, but I was too weak to even answer, I immediately fell to the floor as my legs could no longer hold me up any more.

In my subconscious, I felt him pick me up bridal style in his arms, and I snuggled into his warmth, allowing his sweet smell to envelop me.

I tried staying awake, to maybe know where he would take me to, or to find out if he was working with my father and Alpha Valentino, but I was too tired to stay awake, too weak to, and his strong sweet masculine scent was too heady. It was quickly clouding my senses. 

I closed my eyes briefly, reveling in the sweet feeling coursing through my veins at his touch, and allowed the darkness to envelop me…

**^**

I woke up to the smell of delicious food wafting through the air and into my nostrils. Feeling my stomach rumble loudly in hunger, I sat up slowly on the wide plush bed and gasped.

Wow.

I looked around the room in awe. It was a large antique room sparsely decorated with white and golden furnishings. It had beautifully decorated high ceilings with a massive chandelier hanging from its center. All in all, it was insanely beautiful.

Where the Fuck was I?

And where the hell is the Robert guy?

Quickly sitting up, I picked up the plate of food which had been so fancifully kept on the bedside table beside me and gobbled up its contents like a starved maniac; as soon as I was done eating, I slowly walked into the bathroom, careful not to sprain my injured foot; and gasped again.

The bathroom was massive! It was ginormous! It was beautiful with all the modern skincare facilities you could think of in it. Wow. I stepped into the bathroom slowly, carefully, mesmerized by its beauty.

Regardless of how beautiful it was, I didn’t waste my time in it. I quickly had my bath, towel dried my body and walked out of the bathroom slowly.

As soon as I got out of the bathroom, I noticed a petite girl standing confusedly at a corner of the room.

“Hi.” I called out to the petite girl as soon as I walked towards her; and couldn’t help but notice that she was was dressed like a maid. In response, she looked up at me and smiled. A small cute smile.

“Good morning.” She greeted me with the small smile still tugging at her lips. “I was told to bring you clean clothes.” She said pointing to some clothes discarded carefully on the bed. “They may not really be your size, but they’re good enough.”

“Thank you,” I whispered gratefully, running my hands slowly through the pieces of fine fabric lying on the bed.

“Would you like to try them on now?” She asked, looking me down. She was seemingly too excited to see me try them on that I felt slightly bad that I wouldn’t do so in front of her.

“No, I’ll try them on later,” I replied quietly, “but please where is Robert?” 

“Who is Robert?” She asked immediately, looking skeptically at me.

“Robert, the young man who brought me here last night?” I replied fearfully. I prayed silently that my thoughts weren’t true about Robert and these people.

“I do not know any Robert in this pack.” She said quietly. “And I do not know who brought you here yesterday.”

Her reply made my heart race, for immediately I began to feel quite uneasy. My palms began to sweat too. I was absolutely scared.

What if Robert and I were attacked but I couldn’t remember, the same way I couldn’t remember attacking my mother?

What if Robert had handed me over to my father. Or to Alpha Valentino himself? Oh no he wouldn’t put me at harms way, he was my mate for fucks sake!

“Are you okay, milady?” The girl asked, coming to stand in front of me as she waved her hands in my face. I couldn’t speak, I couldn’t find the right words to say, so I quickly nodded my head affirmatively.

“Where am I ?” I asked her, looking around me, “what pack house is this?”

“We’re at the Blood Crest pack my lady, is there a problem?” She asked, staring quizzically at me. As soon as the words left her mouth, my heart sank in my chest. 

No! Robert had betrayed me!

I slowly sank to the floor, rocking myself as fresh tears sprang into my eyes. I had been tricked!

“Ma’am, are you okay?” The girl tried asking, but I ignored her as the tears in my eyes blurred my vision.

Suddenly, Robert’s sweet smell assaulted my nostrils, making me look up at the direction of the door. As soon as I looked up, he waltzed in, clad in a white dress shirt and a loose fitting trouser.

“Robert!” I cried out, sitting up on the floor.

“Good morning, Alpha.” The maid greeted with her head bowed in respect; then she scurried out of the room so quietly, her movement seemed mouselike.

Alpha?

Robert? Alpha?

I looked up at Robert to find him staring intently at me, a bemused expression on his handsome face.

“What’s happening Robert?” I asked tentatively. My heart beat ferociously against my chest. I felt like I had been swayed. Like I was a pawn in some stupid game of chess. Looking up at him, I saw the smile on his face fall slowly, until I was looking into his stormy eyes.

“Stop calling me Robert, I am not Robert!” He growled, his eyes suddenly looking so dark, it was difficult to look into them.

“Who are you then?” I asked slowly. My voice is quiet.

“I am Valentino Zale, the alpha of the blood crest pack.” He said slowly, his gaze steely. I gulped as a lump had immediately formed in my throat.

The Fuck! I had been tricked! I had literally walked from the frying pan into the fire…