Chapter 4

The journey to the Drago Pack territory took its toll on Taylor's health. They had had to travel through extreme weather to get to the territory and while the Beta and his guards were strong enough to come out of the whole ordeal unscathed, Taylor was not.

The trauma of seeing Logan lose his hand also added to her suffering and soon, Taylor became ill.

She lay on a rickety hospital bed in a bungalow that served as Drago's health center, her body hot and feverish.

A cool hand rested against her hot forehead.

"She's burning up again. The fever is back." The concerned voice belonged to Dr. Alice, the head doctor at the health center. 

"She'll need a fresh compress." She decided.

Alice expertly soaked a towel in a bowl of water and wrung it dry before lowering it on Taylor's forehead.

"She's been like this for a while now. I'm getting scared." Renee replied. Renee was Beta Adrian's sister who had been nothing but friendly toward Taylor since she had arrived in the territory. It had been Renee who had brought Taylor to the health center when Taylor had complained that she didn't feel too well.

"My brother's an idiot. He made her travel through poor weather." Renee ranted angrily.

Her words brought a tired smile to Taylor's lips and a warm feeling settled in her chest. It was finally nice to have someone who cared that much about her.

"I'm fine," She managed to croak out.

"She talked!" Renee exclaimed before Alice asked, "Are you okay now?"

Taylor pried her eyelids open and immediately, the concerned faces of Alice and Renee filled her vision. The women hovered above her, eagerly awaiting her reply.

"Not really. My head hurts a bit." Taylor said then smacked her dry lips together.

Alice offered her a paper cup full of water with a straw in it.

"Here, drink some of this." She advised.

With Renee's help, Taylor managed to sit up and get the straw in her mouth, drinking the cool water with steady pulls.

When she was done, she sighed contentedly and sat back.

"Thank you. I really needed that."

Renee smiled kindly at her.

"It's just water. It's not a big deal." Alice shrugged lightly, looking smart in her white laboratory coat.

"No, I mean thank you for taking me in. I've been going through a lot for a long time now." She confessed then blushed lightly when she realized she had almost told two strangers her secret.

Alice seemed to understand what Taylor meant, though. She looked at Taylor sympathetically.

"You've been having family problems, right?" Alice asked in a gentle tone.

Oddly, Taylor felt she could trust these women and she found herself opening up to them.

"My father only cares about himself. Sometimes, I think he forgets I'm his daughter." Taylor said ruefully.

"That's so sad." Alice said with a heart to her chest, her eyes filled with pity behind her glasses.

Renee was more vocal about her displeasure. She slammed a fist down on the white table beside Taylor's bed.

"Your Dad is a big jerk," She growled before tacking on, "No offense."

Taylor gave a little laugh as she toyed with the hem of her mother's dress. She observed that the dress needed a good wash and made a mental note to do just that when she got better.

"He wasn't always like that, you know." For some reason, Taylor found herself trying to defend the man her father had once been.

"After my mother died, he just changed. He grew even worse when he married Stella."

"Let me guess," Alice said with a smirk. "Stella made your life hell.'

Taylor returned Alice's smile with one of her own.

"That's one way to put it. Her son, Logan's a huge perv. He always made my skin crawl." Just thinking of all the times Logan had made passes at her had Taylor shuddering in disgust.

"My brother told me what happened to him. He deserved all that and more." Renee said with conviction.

"As horrible as it was, Hailstone Territory is my home and I miss it." Taylor wistfully said. She missed the green terrains and the land of her Pack and would do anything to go back there.

There was no way she could stay here for the rest of her life.

She knew her situation was dire; she'd been sold to the Alpha by her father but surely, if she kept away from the eyes of the Alpha, he would not remember she even existed. Then, Taylor could slowly pay back the money that had been used to purchase her by working where help was needed. After all, wasn't she here to be a maid, she reasoned.

"Now, if only someone can tell me where I'm supposed to work..." She mused.

"Earth to Taylor!" Alice loudly snapped her fingers, bringing Taylor back to reality.

"Looks like you spaced out." Renee commented.

"I was just wondering how much I would get paid as a maid." Taylor said.

"I have a plan," She continued eagerly. "And I'd love to get your honest opinions on it."

They settled down on her bed and waited for her to continue.

"I hope this so-called plan of yours doesn't include running away." Renee said, looking down suspiciously at Taylor's frail form.

"Not only are you not fit enough, the Alpha will find you and kill you." She stated bluntly.

Taylor winced at what Renee said.

"You mean if he finds me, right?" She asked hopefully only to see Renee shaking her head vigorously.

"I mean when he finds you. It's a given." She concluded.

Alice must have sensed Taylor's discomfort because she brought them back to the topic at hand.

"Enough of all this killing business. Taylor, tell us what's on your mind."

"I'm planning on saving all my earnings as a maid and giving it back to the Alpha so that he can set me free." She concluded with a smile.

Taylor watched Renee and Alice exchange confused glances.

Alice spoke up first.

"But you have to recover your strength first. Even then, it might take you a while to conceive, depending on your cycle."

Conceive? Cycle? They had lost Taylor. She was about to ask for further explanation before Renee let out a low curse.

"Shit. He's here." She muttered as she and Alice sprang to their feet and gave a little bow.

The "He" in question turned out to be a man who had walked into the room Taylor was inhabiting.

The first thought Taylor had of him was that he was insanely tall. He was above six feet tall and his body was built like a tree trunk. Attired in a plaid shirt that clung to his shoulders and a pair of faded jeans that emphasized the strength of his thighs, He cut a rather intimidating figure and Taylor knew instinctively that he was the Alpha.

When his blue eyes found her staring at him, Taylor felt tremors of fear run through her body but that wasn't all.

To her surprise, her body longed for the Alpha's and she felt instant attraction to the dangerous man.