Chapter 4

RILEY:

"You're kidding, right?" I ask, apparently expecting the man named Xavier to say he is. But he doesn't say anything.

I shake my head. A part of me wants to believe he's telling the truth but another is pointing out the fact that he could be playing games with me. Even Damien too.

"How can you all be wolves? I mean, take a look at you," I point a hand in his direction, withdrawing it almost as soon as I do so. "You look as human as you can be. Hell, you look like every human out there."

"This is the form we make use of to blend among your kind. No one knows of our true identity except us. And we intend to keep it that way."

I give him a side-eye. "But you've just told me what you are."

"That's because it seems you'll be here with us for a while. Since that's the case, why not get to know about us?"

He confirms my fear. Damien doesn't want me out of here. He wants me rot in here for the rest of my life and he's going to find a means to make that happen.

How could someone I just met two days ago suddenly take total control of my life?

"Damien said I can leave after saying the correct words that will make me free from him. Do me a favor and tell me what those words are. I know deep down that you don't want me here and neither do I want to be here any longer than this. When I leave, I promise not to tell anyone what you are or even mention anything about this place."

Those were the words I could say to plead to Xavier. Those were the words I hoped would help me get through him so he could help me out here. I don't want to be here with these strange people longer than this.

"I'm sorry but I can't," he straight-up refuses.

"Why?"

"I am not permitted to be personal with you, Riley, is it?"

"You can't be personal with me but you can know my name? How does that make sense?"

He shrugs. "I guess you'll just have to accept whatever comes with this. Besides I know you don't believe me yet. You don't believe I'm not human and neither do you believe Damien is. Right now you're looking at me like I'm crazy and I understand."

"What did you mean by me being the future Luna?"

"You're Damien's mate. And since you're his mate, it means you're going to be his Luna. I believe you're going to make the pack stronger than it is."

These terms… I just won't understand.

"So you mean everyone here isn't human?"

A wry smile makes its way to Xavier's lips. "None of those you'll meet here are."

"Not even the maids?"

"Not even the maids."

I find myself this close to having a panic attack. And from the way I am feeling, it leads me to throw various questions at him.

"Where is this place? Where am I? Will I be locked up in here until I get the stupid right to walk out of here freely? Am I going to be used as a sort of sacrifice for a ritual?"

"Calm down, Riley—"

"Don't tell me to calm down!" I'm up on my feet. "Don't tell me to fucking calm down! I'm in a bloody shithole and you just want me to sit and relax like everything's fine?"

"I never said I—"

"No, just tell me what you mean!"

"Let me answer your questions!" he kind of snaps back. But it wasn't a snap enough to make me cower in fear. It was a snap to get me to shut up.

He then begins to speak, looking apologetic as he does so, "First, I can tell you for sure that this is a house as everyone else calls it. And where are you? It's a room that was assigned to you. Will you be locked in here until you gain the right to walk free? No, you won't. Starting today, you're free to roam around the premises and even beyond the gates."

He pauses, looking me straight in the eyes for a few seconds as if to check if I was following him. Well, I was.

"And last, the only rituals we do here are for new mates. It doesn't even involve anything like a human sacrifice. Just the mates sealing the bonds with each other."

"I can see you found a way to navigate out of answering my first two questions the right way," I say, pointing out the obvious. "You can't even let me know where I'm being locked up. Whether it's out of the country. Or whether it's somewhere close to home."

"You're closer to home than you'll ever be. My kind doesn't reside in a spiritual realm or something. We reside among yours."

"That didn't make me feel better. Instead it only made me scared for the others out there that don't even know of your existence."

I can't begin to imagine what others would think when they find out that all along, they've been living among beings that are not ordinary. The thought alone is kind of scary.

"So, making out in public like no one else is there is what you mean by sealing the bonds?"

"It's a lot more than that. In time you'll get to understand it."

"I don't want to."

"Hmph," he hums in response.

"What is this 'mate' thing anyway?"

"It's complex," he says. "But first will you do me the honor of walking out of here with me?"

My mind is suddenly filled with the possible fear of him hurting me once I'm out of here. Damien said it himself that his people want to hurt me because of what I did. Now I don't think it will be ideal to leave this place with someone I'm not even sure about.

"Don't worry I'm comfortable in here,"

He gives me a weird look. "But you sounded like you were eager to leave this place about a minute ago."

"Yeah. But I've changed my mind," I tell him.

He seems to catch on to my words. "You're scared of me, aren't you?"

"Shouldn't I? You're not ordinary just like you said. Which means you might be dangerous."

"If I wanted to harm you, Riley, wouldn't I have done that the moment I got in here?"

"That's what they always say before they end up killing their victims."

"Who?"

"Serial killers."

His expression makes it seem like I've said the most adorable thing ever. "Just come with me. It will do you a lot of good to get some fresh air," he urges me.

"You mean getting a chance to breathe the same air with monsters?"

"When you get to find out more about us, you'll know we're not what you think we are. I can promise you that."

After those words, he turned and then started heading toward the door to leave the room. I don't follow him because I'm still thinking whether or not it's okay to do that. I don't trust him. And I sure do not trust the process of taking a walk with him.

"Are you coming?"

He was by the now-open door and the sight of it was tempting. It was giving me a change of thought about how good an opportunity it would be to leave this room. And maybe even better to find a way out of this place for good.

That thought alone gave me a glimmer of hope but I decided to mask it. I won't want Xavier seeing through my intentions. Instead I comport myself and begin to head toward the doorway where I'll possibly be getting a chance to escape from this place eventually.

Once I step out of the room with Xavier leading the way, I first realize there were two guards guarding the entrance into the room. Now that's some real confinement I was in.

Not just there, guards seemed to flock around the more we walked through the building that seemed like a mansion. It is a mansion because we had to walk down a flight of stairs just to get to the lower ground that would later lead us out of the building.

Once Xavier opens the main door that takes us out of the room, I knew this was my chance to make a run for it. And that chance is what I'll take.