Library

Search

Home / Werewolf / THE SLAVE WHO REJECTED THE ALPHA / Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

All Chapters of THE SLAVE WHO REJECTED THE ALPHA : Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

74 Chapters

61

At some point, in the middle of crying, I fell asleep, my exhausted body giving in without me realizing it, my mind finally shutting off after insisting for so long on feeling.I woke to the sound of footsteps in the corridor, several of them, hurried, cutting through the silence of the early morning in a harsh, disorganized way, and for a second it took me a while to understand where I was, the blanket still heavy over me, my face damp, my breathing uneven.The door opened suddenly.I lifted my eyes, still confused, blinking against the light that invaded the room, until I recognized the figure standing there.Rose.She was at the door, her chest rising and falling far too quickly, her eyes shining with tears that threatened to fall, her hands close to her face, trembling, as if they did not know where to rest.“What happened?” I asked, my voice hoarse, still heavy with sleep and with everything I had cried before.“Oh, girl…”She closed the door behind her in a hurry and came to me,

62

Valassan stared at me from afar, his eyes narrowed, assessing, not hiding his discomfort, or perhaps the challenge.Rose appeared running right after, her breathing failing, her hurried steps echoing across the courtyard. “Melany, please!”For a second, no one moved.The soldiers exchanged quick glances among themselves, the formation still firm, but marked by obvious hesitation, tense fingers on their weapons, not knowing whether they could shoot or whether they should wait for a new order. Some adjusted their posture, others looked away for a second, seeking a confirmation that did not come, trapped between the command already given and the unexpected presence I represented there.Behind me, the humans’ silence was even heavier. I felt their eyes on my back, and it was not hard to imagine what they were thinking. I was a useless interruption, a weak attempt before something inevitable, someone who had placed herself in the wrong place

63

The order spread with delay, as if it needed to cross an invisible resistance before being accepted. One by one, the barrels of the weapons began to lower. Some soldiers exchanged quick glances before obeying, others simply gave in, as if that were the only possible way out within a scene that had already slipped out of control.Behind me, the murmur returned. It was not full relief. Not yet. It was the beginning of it, mixed with the fear that everything could change again at any second.I did not move.My eyes remained fixed on the spot where Ravok had been, as if the space still held his presence, as if it had not truly ended. Because it had not.He had not gone back.He had only… allowed someone else to resolve it for him.And that was worse.The woman’s hand was still in mine, firm, warm, alive. I squeezed back, but my chest did not follow the gesture. The feeling was not victory.At some point during the week

64

The image of that day came before I could avoid it, and, for a second, I was back in that lake, swimming downward in search of her body. I clenched my jaw, looking away, walking a few steps to the side of the dome, where the light did not reach as strongly.I ran a hand over my chin, breathing deeply, putting it back into place. When I turned again, there was no trace of it left on my face.When I opened my mouth to answer, the door of the dome opened, letting in a rush of footsteps and voices that cut through the moment before it could resolve itself. The counselors came together, in a group, as they always did when something escaped the routine — and the simple fact that none of them wore a cloak said enough about the haste with which they had been called.Saulo came in front, adjusting the sleeves of his still-misaligned tunic, his quick gaze sweeping over the space before stopping on me. “Has something happened, Your Majesty?”I cleared my throat, straightening my posture almost b

65

“Melany.” Her voice came lower now, less light than before. “We are going to be late.”I did not turn immediately. My eyes remained fixed on the closed doors, absorbing it. Only then did I turn and follow Rose.But this time, the day no longer felt so light.We went outside in silence, leaving the weight of the corridor behind, but not completely. The morning air was fresh, carrying the damp smell of earth and trees, and for an instant it felt possible to truly breathe there.Rose walked ahead, already with the smaller basket in her hands, choosing the fruit carefully, while I followed a few steps behind, carrying the larger basket.She picked some oranges, turning them slightly before releasing them from the branch, as if every movement needed to be precise. I watched more than I helped, my mind stuck somewhere else.For days, no room in that wing had been occupied. And I knew what those girls were, knew where that l

66

She met Ravok at a moment when she needed to be saved… and he opened the doors for her. Gave her shelter, gave her a function, gave her a place. And that changed everything. Because, at the end of the day, no matter how many scars she carried, no matter how many things she had seen that most could not endure… she was still a she-wolf.His species.She belonged, somehow.I did not.I was human, and that was not just a difference. It was a line. A line he had never stopped seeing, the race he saw as inferior. I swallowed hard, my eyes still fixed on the movement outside.And, for one uncomfortable instant, something crossed my mind with a clarity I did not want to face.Maybe… even Rose saw it that way.Maybe she did not say it.Maybe she did not even realize it.But still… she saw it.Hours later, breakfast was ready. The sun had already risen enough to cross the tall windows and light t

67

I held it for a little longer than necessary, feeling the almost insignificant weight of that glass contrast with the gravity of what it carried. Small, discreet — easily ignored by inattentive eyes — but potentially decisive.I hid everything close to my body, arranging them beneath the cloak with quick, contained movements, as if every second of hesitation could compromise everything. When I stood, there was no room left for doubt.I opened the door cautiously, controlling my breathing as the crack widened enough for me to pass through. Outside, the corridor stretched out, plunged into an irregular gloom, broken only by the flickering light of distant torches that cast unstable shadows on the stone walls.The castle, which during the day seemed full of voices and movement, now appeared far too empty, silent to the point that every step demanded lightness.I followed the corridors until I reached the meeting dome, guided more by memory than b

68

Ravok did not answer immediately.His gaze lowered, slow, assessing exactly the point I had indicated, as if measuring not only the truth of the injury, but everything that came with it — the hour, my presence there, the way I placed myself before him. When he looked at me again, there was something denser in that silence, something that did not translate into direct suspicion, but was not acceptance either.He was too smart to believe my story.Still, he did not challenge it.Instead, he stepped back and opened the door wider, freeing space for me to enter, in a gesture that seemed too casual to be completely innocent.I passed by him, feeling the closeness in an uncomfortable way, aware of every detail — from the warmer air inside the room to the weight of his gaze following each movement of mine.The room revealed itself to be spacious as soon as I entered, marked by a methodical and rigid organization. Dark wood dominated the

69

Slowly.They traced the side and moved toward the inner part of my knee, where the skin was more sensitive, more exposed. The movement was not abrupt, nor accidental… it was firm enough to be felt completely.My reaction came before I could control it.I pressed my legs together slightly, an almost involuntary reflex, trying to contain the sensation rising too fast, too hot.Ravok did not comment.If he noticed — and he always noticed — he did not show it. His face remained concentrated, his eyes lowered, still tending to some insignificant wound.But his fingers did not retreat immediately.They remained there for one instant longer, holding the touch… before only then returning to the safe path of the scratch.He only looked at me when he finished.The touch ceased, but the sensation still seemed trapped on my skin, as if it had not gone away with his fingers. For an instant, the silence stret

70

My breathing failed, caught halfway, while something tightened hard in my chest. I pulled my hand away for an instant, but it returned, almost on its own, resting there for one second longer than it should have.“I…” I began, but the word died before it could take shape. Because there was nothing to say. There was no justification that fit that moment, no strength enough to hold any sentence until the end.A tear threatened to fall, but I blinked to contain it. I stood and ran to the door, this time without looking back and without allowing myself to feel pain for him. I reached the key in the door lock again and removed it. I opened the door carefully so as not to make noise, because now I truly could not fail anymore. I stepped out and closed the door behind me, turning the key firmly until I heard the click of the lock.I grabbed the cloak from the corner, putting it on in a hurry, hiding everything that needed to be hidden — includin

PREV

...

NEXT

SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP

DMCA.com Protection Status