Chapter Three

 

NOELANI POV

I stretched slowly, the softness beneath me was foreign but oddly comforting. The sheets were warm, the mattress cradled my sore body in a way I hadn’t felt in a long time. For once, the pain wasn’t unbearable. Just a dull throb echoing through my limbs, not the sharp agony I was used to waking up to.

My eyelids flickered open. But before I could fully take in my surroundings, everything that occurred the day before was recollected. I bolted upright, my heart leaped into my throat.

Neither was I in chains nor was I on a cold floor locked up in a cell. Instead, I was in a room. Dimly lit, warm, and clean. The room was decorated with muted pink tones and thick curtains. I found myself on a queen-sized bed and a duvet that covered my legs. I lifted the duvet a little and saw my left ankle bandaged in a solid cast, and my back.

I winced, rolling my shoulders slowly. My back felt stiff and stitched up. I used my right-hand fingers to trace the stitches as far as I could reach. It was carefully done. They must’ve reopened the wound to dig out the silver before sewing me shut again.

Why would they do that? Why help me at all?

It wasn’t the dungeon I expected to wake up in. It felt wrong. It felt…safe, too safe and that scared me more than the pains ever did.

I scooted away from my position on the bed as I pushed myself to my feet, ignoring the stabbing pain that shot up from my left ankle. My ankle throbbed under the cast as I limped forward, toward the door.

Maybe I could slip out, anything but the windows.

When I touched the knob it stung and burned me, the excruciating pain made me yank my hands away from the knob wincing in pain. The door was laced with silver. I knew this felt too good to be true, it dawned on me. Captivity in comfort.

I gritted my teeth and tried to turn the door knob again. I've been through the shackles of silver pain for years, this wouldn't be worse. It was Locked.

Damn, what's the point of lacing the door with silver, and it's still locked?

I stared at the faint burn forming across the skin on my palms, my breath shaky. I was trapped neither in a dungeon nor a cell, but still trapped.

My body stiffened as footsteps echoed from outside the door. I quickly limped back toward the bed, barely making it before the door creaked open. Two young women stepped in and both wore fitted black and white maid uniforms and leather gloves that went past their wrists.

One carried a tray with steaming soup and bread. The other pushed in a cart lined with medical supplies: gauze, vials, syringes, IV drip. Neither of them said a word. The taller one with long brunette hair, placed the tray on the bedside table without meeting my eyes. The other lady with short blonde hair started prepping a syringe like I wasn't even there. I watched them both as they removed their leather gloves, jaw clenched, pulse hammering.

"Please what’s going on? Why am I here” I asked with desperation. Hoping for an answer. My voice was almost like a whisper considering I haven't said a word in a long time. The one with the tray blinked just once but said nothing. The other tightened the cap on a vial and turned away, silent as stone.

I curled my fingers into the sheets, trying to stop them from shaking. My back ached. My ankle burned. I needed answers and they ignored me.

“Please answer m–”

“Don't strain your voice. I have no idea on what's going on either, I'm just following instructions” The taller lady replied before I could finish my statement.

I looked at the blonde lady but our eyes didn't meet, her head bowed as she concentrated on the vein on my right arm.

“I will be injecting you with your medications now. If perhaps it hurts…sorry…in advance” She said as she held the syringe in one hand and flicked it with her fingers to re-suspend the solution.

In a matter of seconds she had injected me with the medications leaving the IV drip on me.

“Here's your breakfast, carrot soup” The tall lady said, I replied with a sour face and looked away from the bowl of soup she held in front of me. “The doctor said no meat for now, so you'd have to endure and drink soups till you recover. Now would you like to feed yourself or you prefer to be fed?” She asked, the bowl still in her hands.

“I'll feed myself” my voice came out as a whisper when I replied to her.

I took the bowl from her and she handed the tray to me, the spoon already inside the bowl of soup. I lifted a spoonful of the soup and pretended to eat, so they would be on their way out. But no, they both stood there watching me.

“We are not leaving till you finish the soup” The taller lady spoke, I mentally groaned “It's not as bad as you think, we have the best chef” I nodded, blew away the steam from the soup and ate it.

Minutes passed and I was done eating. I had to eat fast because their gaze made me quite uncomfortable, they neither spoke nor moved. They stood still and watched me till I was done. The taller lady took the empty bowl from me while the shorter lady packed up all the medical supplies except the IV drip she left hanging by my side.

As they turned to leave, a tall, tan-skinned man walked into the room. His steel-gray eyes were sharp and commanding with a perfectly straight nose and well-shaped lips that framed his face making it both sharp and captivating. Black long hair that stopped just at the middle of his neck, some strands of hair brushed against his face. His crinkled white shirt clung to his sculpted, muscular frame. His presence radiated a deafening dominant aura of authority.

The two maids bowed their heads with their hands in front of them once they sensed his presence. With confusion clouding my thoughts, while I sat on the bed I bowed my head just as they did. I sensed he was their alpha, and I was in his park, so the least I could do was respect him for keeping me alive.

“Leave us” He commanded. Beneath the authority of his voice held a deep, smooth, velvety richness that sent a shiver down my spine.

In a matter of seconds, it was only us both. He stood away from the bed, staring down hard on me. I couldn't bring myself to look back at him.

“Thank you” I mumbled beneath my voice, there was no doubt he hadn't heard me clearly. He's an alpha. “Thank you for sparing my life” I said a little louder and looked up at him.

I was taken back with the look of disgust he had evident on his face.

Did I do something wrong?

With fear of the unknown, I scooted and limped away from the bed standing on my good foot with my other injured foot raised not too high away from the ground. He moved two steps back like I was a plaque.

“Do you know who I am?” He asked as he tucked his hands into his pockets.

“Yes, the alpha of this pack” I replied. That was the only idea I had as he emitted the aura of an alpha one could sense from miles away.

“Nothing else?” he asked.

I didn't dare ask what else he meant, so I kept quiet, my head still bowed.

“Your wolf, you don't have contact with her, right?” he asked. The questions were getting a little on my nerves. If he has something to say he should have said it but he just kept asking questions. I had a lot of unconnected dots with what's going on and hated the fact Lana cut me off because his questions left me unsure of his intentions.

“No alpha” I don't

“When you have her back, mind-link me and we will discuss. For now it's of no use” he said and with that left the room shutting the door lock behind him. I scurried towards the door and banged against it ignoring the incense burning pain from the silver.

“Let me out!” I yelled “Let me out of here!” I yelled again. The feeling of being locked up crawled on my skin after years of being wild and free.

The door was suddenly pushed open and he was right in front of me glaring hatefully at me. With fear, I stepped back, but didn't back down this time. I lifted my neck and looked back into his eyes with anger.

“Sit back down and keep quiet” He commanded through gritted teeth.

“No…I'm genuinely grateful you didn't end my life. But I don't like to be locked up and if you wouldn't grant me that then I would love it if you let me leave your pack back into the wild” I replied, not yelling but disregarding his commands. I wasn't sure if it was bravery or madness, but I found myself talking back.

He growled, closing the distance between us with a single step.