Chapter 5

MIRA’S POV

The leather seat of the car was so soft beneath me, I should be relaxing but I sat in a very stiff manner making sure to not move at all. The car drove slowly away from my pack leaving everything I had known all my life behind.

I could not say I would miss any of it though.

Asher, the alpha king sat beside me, his huge frame filling up the car and making it difficult for me to breathe. His eyes were fixed on the document in his lap, his expression entirely unreadable.

His scent filled the enclosed space, making my throat feel dry.

I pressed my back against the side window, keeping my eyes on his large hands. The wheels rumbled against the gravel road.

I felt when we left the pack borders because it felt like a part of me was being torn away. The pack bond had shattered as I left the pack and I had this tingling feeling at the back of my neck making me know that my pack bond was severed.

Every minute I spent alone in the car with Asher felt like a countdown. I was entirely convinced he was waiting for the car to reach a completely isolated part of the road so he would order the driver to stop, drag me out into the dark trees, and snap my neck for the insults I had hurled at him on the cliff.

My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped animal.

Hours passed and the car never stopped on the lonely roads but I could not bring myself to enjoy the road trip or sleep from the exhaustion I was feeling.

By the time we reached the borders of the royal pack, I had given up entirely. My energy was completely spent from the hours of panic.

I stared out the glass window as the car pulled into a massive pack yard. Towering grey walls surrounded the perimeter, guarded by heavily armed royal warriors.

We were at the palace already.

I braced myself for the worst. I fully accepted the fact that Asher would call his guards, point at me, and command them to throw me into the deepest, darkest dungeon beneath the castle floor. I was an omega who had insulted the king; I did not deserve a trial in his eyes.

The car door opened and Asher stepped out first without casting a single glance back at me. I dragged my trembling legs out of the car, my bare feet hitting the cold cobblestones.

Two young female omegas immediately stepped forward from the shadow of the main stone archway. They did not carry chains, and they did not look angry. They bowed their heads respectfully toward me. "Please follow us, my Lady," the taller one said, her voice soft and entirely polite.

My lady? I looked around trying to figure out who they were addressing but I was the only person standing there. Asher had already left.

I looked around, trying to figure out was what going on and if there were guards around.

“Okay,” I nodded and followed the two girls through a series corridors.

The floors were covered in thick, plush rugs that felt warm beneath my bare toes. Everywhere I looked at screamed luxury. Silve crest had money and looked really good, but I had never seen a place as beautiful as this.

They led me up a grand winding staircase and stopped in front of a pair of heavy oak double doors. One of the omegas pushed the doors open, and I stepped inside.

“This is where you would be staying my lady,” she bowed.

The shock hit me so hard I completely stopped breathing.

The room was absolutely massive, bigger than any space I had ever seen in my entire life. It was larger than the entire omega quarters, hell even the alpha’s room back at the Silver Crest pack.

A massive king-sized bed stood against the far wall, covered in heavy purple silk sheets that shone under the light of a grand crystal chandelier. There was a massive stone fireplace where warm fire came from, making the room feel cozy.

There was a private bathroom with a large tub filled with steaming, lavender-scented water.

"This is where I will be staying?" I questioned in disbelief.

I stood frozen in the center of the room, my jaw slack.

This was not a dungeon cell. Before I could even ask them if they had made a mistake, the two girls hurried out of the room, closing the heavy doors softly behind them.

A few minutes later, they returned carrying large silver trays. The scent of roasted chicken, garlic potatoes, and fresh warm bread immediately flooded the air, making my stomach growl fiercely. They set the food on a small mahogany table near the fire.

“You should bath before you eat. Should we help you with your bath?” they asked.

“No, I am fine. I can handle that myself.”

“Alright then. You can choose from these dresses,” They laid out several fine linen dresses, a pair of soft leather boots, and a golden hairbrush. They bowed again and left me completely alone.

I stayed locked inside that massive room for three whole days. I ate every scrap of the rich food they brought me, and I washed the forest dirt from my skin in the hot lavender water. I dressed in a simple forest-green linen gown that fit my petite frame perfectly. But my mind never rested.

Every single second of those days was spent pacing the floorboards, thinking intensely about what I would do next.

I knew this luxury was a trap.

There is no way Asher had simply forgotten I was alive because he was busy with pack work. The moment he remembered the omega sleeping in his palace, he would come to my room and kill me to preserve his reputation.

I had to escape before he remembered me.

On the fourth morning, I finally gathered my courage and walked out of the room. The guards in the hallway did not stop me; they simply bowed as I passed.

I began taking long, calculated walks everyday around the inner courtyard and the outer castle walls. I kept my chin down, pretending to admire the stone architecture, but my eyes were scanning everything. I was scouting the entire layout of the pack. I looked at the shift schedules of the border guards. I counted the number of sentries posted on the watchtowers.

I searched frantically for the weakest spot in their defenses, the easiest wall to climb, or a blind spot in the patrol routes where I could slip away into the dark woods unnoticed.

I walked near the western border where the tree line came closest to the outside world. I stared calculating how fast I could run across the open grass.

"All the borders are tight," a warm, cheerful voice suddenly spoken from right behind my shoulder.

I jumped completely out of my skin, spinning around with my fists raised defensively in front of my chest.

A man was standing a few feet away, holding a clipboard. He had short black hair, warm green eyes, and a broad, welcoming smile that completely lacked the cold cruelty of the other royal wolves. He wore a simple grey tunic that showed off his powerful build. The dominant aura of a high-ranking wolf radiated from him, but it was not suffocating like Asher’s power.

“Who are you?” I asked defensively.

“Hi, I am Mason. The gamma.” He introduced himself.

He looked down at my defensive stance, his green eyes glinting with gentle amusement. He tilted his head towards the borders behind me.

"You can't escape, love," Mason said smoothly, his warm smile never fading from his face but there was something cruel dancing behind his eyes.