179- The Alpha’s Prisoner
POV Elowen Grimwald:
“Where did you come from, and who sent you to my lands?”
I woke with a start, the voice resounding with the force of thunder.
I remained curled up, but used one arm to cover my breasts and rubbed my eyes with my free hand, trying to bring clarity back to my vision.
Once again, I was facing the sexy and cruel wolf.
His magnetism wrapped around me with brutal force, making every centimeter of my skin register a rise in temperature that defied logic. The air grew scarce, and my creature— which had seemed dead inside me— purred softly in my chest.
I prayed he wouldn’t hear it.
“I come from the Twilight of the East pack.” A spark of surprise crossed his features. “No one sent me to your lands, and I didn’t even know they had an owner.” I was honest.
My answer left him pensive, and I wondered why.
My mind turned into a tangle of confusion and doubt.
Was it better to keep talking? Or to beg for his mercy and forgiveness?
“And why aren’t you with your pack?” His tone vibrated, laden with distrust. The male wore garments similar to those I had seen on him the first time, but in darker shades, which still emphasized his defined muscles.
“I ran away…”
My revelation made him narrow his eyes suspiciously.
“If your story were true—which I don’t believe—you’d be a fugitive. No one runs from their own pack without a death sentence. What did you do, traitor?” It was clear that he abhorred me and believed he was dealing with the filthiest of his kind.
It hurt to see the distorted image he had of me, even though he didn’t know me. In the picture he painted, I would eventually agree with him anyway, because my only plan was to play innocent until I managed to escape.
If I revealed that I was searching for my sister, there were two terrible possibilities: she could be imprisoned like me and suffer even more because of my supposed crime, or she could have done something worse, complicating my situation even further.
“I didn’t do anything…” My voice cracked as I forced myself to cry, though I barely had to try.
Tears tend to come effortlessly when the past still torments us. Everything I had been through joined with the terror I was living inside that cage, amplifying the disaster of my life.
“And you expect me to believe that, you mutt?” he asked with scorn.
“It’s the truth, sir.” He turned his back on me, ready to leave me there for countless more hours. Something urgent swelled inside me. “Thank you for the food and the water, it’s very merciful of you…” I continued, using my sweetest forged voice.
His steps paused briefly, but his eyes did not meet mine again. He left.
Nothing softened that heart?
In Twilight of the East, I would be serving as a prostitute for those abominable creatures, and in this pack—whose name I didn’t even know—I was a traitorous spy, trapped in a cage without any dignity.
It was an impossible mission to decide which scenario was worse.
I closed my eyes, resting my face against my knees once more, wishing to sink into deep sleep again.
I used to dream every night, but in that overturned cage, not even that was left to me. My sleep was filled with nothing. It wasn’t restorative either. At least the hours passed without me feeling the weight of their slowness.
I was almost asleep when I heard the sound of footsteps outside.
It wasn’t the alpha; the steps echoed softly. I crossed my arms over my breasts and stared at the door.
The servant appeared, but without food or water this time. In her arms were what looked like two white towels. The dim corridor light, reflecting on her firm-featured face, conveyed serenity.
“Listen to me carefully, prisoner.” But her voice had nothing serene about it.
“Yes.”
“At the exit of this basement, experienced guards are ready to neutralize any threat. Your physical strength doesn’t compare to mine, so don’t try to attack me. If you do anything against me, my alpha will be informed, and this may be the last bath of your life.”
I was going to get a bath? Was that really it?
My lips parted, and my vision blurred with a fresh accumulation of tears.
I could hardly believe it.
I stood up abruptly, gripping the bars, staring at that woman as if she were an angel.
And, in fact, she was.
“Is that what I understood?” She rolled her eyes.
“What did you understand?”
“That I’ll be able to take a bath? Or… go to a better cell?”
“This is your prison; you’re not leaving this place, girl. I’m authorized to accompany you for a bath. Meanwhile, the cage will be repositioned and the mattress returned. If you tear it again, I also guarantee it will be the last one you have in your life. Do not test Aldren’s patience.”
Aldren? That was the alpha male’s name?
“Aldren…” She seemed to regret having spoken. “I promise I’ll behave. I promise. Can you… tell me your name?”
“Nerin,” she replied curtly, pulling a bunch of keys from her pocket.
I would need to crouch to pass through the small opening locked by a massive padlock. I watched her, anxiously waiting to stretch my body fully and free myself from those bars, even if only for a short time.
Her skin, though marked by time, remained firm—like her. Her black hair, cut in a short, masculine style, framed a face that never promised easy smiles but radiated strength. Her rigid posture and the way she moved showed meticulous care, like someone who had spent her entire life devoted to serving others.
Her words, though delivered coldly, carried the weight of someone who had known cruelty and still chose to preserve a thread of humanity.
Kinder than I had expected, she extended a hand to help me out. From her arms, she handed me a robe and waited for me to put it on before giving me the towel.
I was grateful to be dressed when I saw the size of the guard stationed outside the door.
My heart threatened to leap from my chest. The biggest twist of my life was crying with joy over being able to take a simple bath. I was led through the corridors until I entered a modest bathroom that, to me, felt like a luxury at that moment.