Felt

**Estelle's POV**

I groaned as I woke up. My eyes shot open when I realized the place I was in. It was a shabby camp. They were other slaves in the apartment too, and the joy I momentarily felt died down. 

How stupid I was!

I remembered making a sound when those wolves wanted to grab me and recalled how Alpha Cedric looked back at me with shock written all over his face. Even though he hid the shock and surprise under his calmness, I saw right through it. I was thinking he would take me, but before I could hear anything else, I was knocked unconscious. My father didn't help her, and neither did my mate.

I felt hurt and devastated. I really should stop putting my hopes up over every little thing.

Looking around, she saw diverse kinds of slaves. Some were old men while others, children. The ones that were older than me had been taken by the other masters and were kept away from us. One woman was crying quietly because she lost her child. It was heartbreaking seeing this kind of woman who was used for sexual purposes crying. I wanted to comfort her but I couldn't and it brought tears to my eyes.

I don't want to stay in a place like this. Most of the people here were used as sexual resources, and I wasn't ready to be one of them. The next thing that came to my mind was how to escape from this hellhole. I used her eyes to scan the room like a spy and saw a door leading out of the place.

I scrambled to my feet as quietly as possible, careful not to make a sound and tiptoe towards the door, praying vehemently not to be caught, but it seemed luck wasn't on my side because I saw a few shadows I assumed to be the guards. I decided to try my luck and still push through with this.

Just when I thought I was almost there and reached to open the door, the guards with the gas masks appeared from nowhere and grabbed my wrist.

“Where do you think you're going, mute?” He asked and I frowned.

I controlled the urge to kick him in the shins, judging from the fact that they weren't the only one in the room and if I tried anything dangerous, they might just kill me.

I tried to yank my hands away from him, but his hold on my wrist tightened as he dug his elongated claw into my skin, drawing out blood in the process. I hissed in pain and they burst out laughing.

“What an imp! She can hiss, but she can't speak. What a waste of time!” One of them snapped and it hurt me.

“Let's take her,” Another said, and they grabbed me, taking me out of the prison.

***

They brought me to the door leading to the throne room, and I suddenly felt a pang of hope again. My mate was definitely going to save me this time. Maybe that was why he had ordered the guards to come get me.

The door opened, and the guards threw me in, bowed to the Alpha and left, but not without glaring at me. I stood to my feet and looked up to see Alpha Cedric seated on his throne with a glass of wine in his hand. My eyes met his, and I shuddered under his icy look.

“You're still alive,” He commented dryly. I swallowed, my throat suddenly feeling dry. I nodded slowly. “Good. I'm not going to have much time to teach you how to obey me and your duties. You're already in my slave's role, so you should know what's expected of you.” There was anger in his voice and a deep frown etched onto his features. He took another sip of his wine.

I felt like I had stepped into a more dangerous place, because of how he looked at me like he would kill me soon.

He stood up from the throne, dropped the glass of wine he was holding, and walked up to me. I was terrified and tried to move back but he continued coming closer and I had no choice but to stop. He looked at me for a while and sighed.

“Since you're mute, I'm not really going to waste my time with you. The only thing I'm grateful to the moon goddess for is that you can hear me and so, I wouldn't have to stress myself while talking to you today,” He paused and moved closer then bent to look into my eyes. “You're the only one who isn't affected by my Aura, and the reason for that is simply because we are mates. I can't believe it, but we are mates,” He said with much difficulty.

I was a little delighted to hear what he had just said. If I was the only one who could break through his aura, then I was exceptional indeed. I felt happy to be the only one who can get close to him and know he was the only one who could cure my “stealer” pheromone. I believed we were destined to be together and as if he heard my thoughts, he shook his head.

“This isn't how it should be. We aren't meant to be,” He said, and my heart broke. “I don't want a weak werewolf to be my mate, it can't work that way,” He said and moved away from me.

I could sense the hurt in his voice and it broke my heart the more. It wasn't my fault that I became mute, it was never my fault. Who was I kidding thinking I could be accepted like this? He thinks I'm weak and I don't blame him at all.

If only I had a voice, I would have comforted him and assured him that I could get stronger for his sake. I tried to touch him, but he yanked my hands away.

“Leave now!” He ordered, his eyes flashing between white and yellow.

I could tell he was furious but I didn't want to leave him in this state, and so I followed him, but the next thing he did shocked me to the bones. He turned angrily and grabbed me by the neck, lifting me off the ground.

“You're stubborn!” He growled as his grip tightened around my neck while I gasped for breath.

Alright, I'm in real shit now.