Chapter 32 Chapter 32
My arms flailed wildly in the air as the person pulled me behind the trees. My screams were reduced to nothing by the fabric that covered my mouth. The person's strength was greater than mine so my effort was meaningless. When the person came to a halt, he appeared in front of me to stop me from running away and handed over a small envelope to me. Behind the envelope, it said, 'I mean no harm. Be calm. Just open the envelope.' in the same handwriting as last time.
How could I trust this person? What if a bomb or something that could harm me that was inside the envelope?
Out of curiosity, I opened the envelope and slipped out a photograph. There was a child in the picture who was facing backwards and was running into the arms of two people whose faces were cropped out. The photograph looked old, like it was taken many years ago.
I lifted a confused brow at the person who nodded for me to continue. Lifting the photo up, there was a different note. 'Lift the paper up. And goodbye.'
"Goodbye?" I lifted my head to the person and there was no one in sight again." My heart started pounding really hard in my chest as I scanned around in search of the person. I'd have thought I had lost my mind completely if the photograph wasn't in my hands.
Why me?
I didn't bother to check anything else and ran non- stop to the pack house, panting to catch my breath.
For some reason, the first person I met was Alpha Keegan who was just about to step out.
"Where were you? What's wrong?" he asked, his frown was present on his face.
"I— I was just... there... someone followed me again. This time, the person gave me this envelope." I lifted the envelope to him, glad that it hadn't mysteriously disappeared.
With his eyes drawn in askance, he took the envelope from me and read through it, slipping out a photograph from it. "What's with the photo?"
"Uh?" He turned the last picture to me, revealing the image of a young child with deep blue eyes and ash hair, a bit chubby and extremely cute; the child was running into the arms of two people with their faces cropped as well. "Why did this person look so..." it felt like I knew the child or had seen this child somewhere.
"Don't be silly. It's obviously you." He rolled his eyes.
"Me? How? I was so fat and cute. How'd you know it's me? She's too pretty to have turned out to be me" I shook my head.
"We have every pack member's information here, your photographs as a child till now are in our files."
"It's really me?" I asked rhetorically, staring at the photograph again. "Wow, so cute, but if it's me, why would the person have a photograph of me as a child? What does this mean?" I lifted my gaze to him, knitting my eyebrows.
"I have no idea, but it could mean your life is in danger. Why didn't you go out with a guard?"
"Everyone was in training or was busy with something else, and I just wanted to explore the town in peace."
"From today, if you're not going to have a guard follow you, you'll not leave the pack house." He asserted.
"But Alpha,"
"No buts. Your life could be in danger." For a second,
it felt like I read worry for me in his eyes. There was no way he could be worried about my well-being, he probably just wanted to have the pack slave around to torture me.
"Okay Alpha." I agreed, grimacing to express my displeasure.
How could I possibly remain here? Alpha Keegan's presence was going to kill me.
I felt like exploring around and not being restricted to being here.
My welts and bruises felt like they were hurting even more. My natural remedies weren't working as fast as I expected and I was tired of wearing a sweater and sweatpants to hide my bruises. At least Alpha Keegan had mentioned that I received treatment from Crystal, that meant I could be treated properly for the first time.
To avoid the risks of being caught and punished again for receiving treatment as the pack omega - I had no right to treatments according to the stupid laws- I knocked on the Gamma's room door where he stayed in with his mate, Crystal.
I knocked again, hoping Crystal was going to come out instead of Mason. The door opened and I was glad she came into view.
"Hey Crystal." I grinned at her, nervous a bit. It felt like I was committing a crime right now.
"Ome- Jane, hi." She smiled, her smile was very warm and relaxing, melting my anxiety in a second. " Do you need anything?"
"Y-yes, please." I stuttered. "I need to receive treatment. My welts and bruises seem like they're getting worse everyday and my natural solutions aren't working. I know I'm not permitted to be at the pack hospital or be receiving treatments, but I'm badly hurt. Can you help me?"
"No problem. I'll be glad to help you. I'll meet you at the pack hospital." She was about to turn around. "No, please!" I held her hand back, letting go of her immediately she stopped. "Sorry for touching you."
"It's fine."
"I can't go to the pack hospital for treatment. I can be considered a criminal for doing that."
"Okay..." she trailed off, staring behind her. "I'll meet up with you in the Alpha's room."
"The Alpha's room?"
"Yes, I'll need to examine your whole body without your clothes on and since you stay in the Alpha's room, I'll meet you there."
"But what if Alpha returns?" I curled my eyebrows upwards.
"No, he won't. Mason and Alpha Keegan left to attend to something important. I can treat you in my bedroom, but it's not mine alone, my mate will return anytime soon; whereas, Alpha Keegan is going to take a lot more time and won't return until midnight or even tomorrow morning." She clarified.
"Oh..."
"Yeah, so I'll grab what I'll need and meet you there."
"Thank you!" I grinned and turned around, exhaling deeply. I had expected her to overreact about it getting her in trouble or something like that.
I left for Alpha Keegan's room and sat on the couch, waiting for Crystal who arrived a few minutes later. "Sorry for the delay." She said as she shut the door. "
Now get rid of your clothes." She opened the large briefcase she had, revealing so much medical equipment.
I pulled the sweater and sweatpants from my body, suddenly feeling insecure that I was half-naked. I felt too skinny and was afraid I looked unhealthy.
"Whoa!" Crystal's eyes widened. "Didn't you apply any treatment? They've only gotten worse." "I'm sorry." I lowered my head.
"Sorry? I feel sorry for you." She ran her hand over the bruise on my shoulder. "Life must be so hard for you." Her face suddenly became cheerless and she started applying whatever it was she was applying to my body.
"I'm accustomed to the hardship." I chuckled, hissing as she rubbed something a bit minty on my skin. "I'm sorry. I don't want to hurt you even more." She had nothing but pity in her eyes for me. Was it a new nature she developed or had I never noticed that there was also another less mean member in the pack that showed pity for me? How could she sound... sweet, to me? "No, there's no point in that. If I'm hurt even more, you'll be pleasing the Alpha."
"Uh? What's that supposed to mean?" her eyebrow quirked.
"I mean, Alpha Keegan would want me to be hurt even more."
"Nag, he wouldn't." she sounded certain and continued applying whatever she was applying on my bruises and welts.
I chortled, shaking my head. "You're the Gamma's mate, you wouldn't understand what it's like to be in my shoes."
"Could you perhaps explain what you mean?" she squinted her eyes. "Is there any form of abuse you're facing by the Alpha that no one is aware of? Believe me, I'll never stand against abuse and I'll do everything in my power to make sure you escape from it freely."
"Not exactly from him, but the pack prison, the whippings, the punishments- it was all the Alpha's order. He ordered Liam to worsen my whippings everyday."
"Yes, I know the result of Liam's one-time whipping was outrageous, but-".
"One-time? I was whipped every day."
"No way, that's not possible." She chortled like I didn't know what I was saying.
"I was whipped everyday. My skin burns. I was starved. I had nothing to eat or drink, everything was all based on Alpha Keegan's order. I know I have no right to be mad at the Alpha, but I can't help myself with the hatred I feel for him now."
"You're mistaken." A frown appeared on her face. " Mason works closely with the Alpha and knows of every of his intentions. Alpha couldn't take what was on with you and he ordered Liam to end your whipping after the first day. You were also ordered to going be placed on a 2 meal per day schedule rather than 1 per day, and Alpha always tried his best to reduce your punishments."
"That's not possible. Shane always mentioned how all of my punishments were all Alpha Keegan's order. My starvation, whippings, the bench of shame, everything, it was all Alpha's order."
"No, Jane. We all know Alpha Keegan is terrible, but I've been working with him for so many years and know that he's not a complete monster. He still has a soft spot in his heart, whether or not he's aware of it."
"But he-"
"Alpha Keegan didn't cause any harm to you. He was very bothered about your well-being and was always looking for ways to save you from the prison. He just didn't want to break the pack rules to avoid people breaking them as an excuse for following his lead. He's also experiencing the mate bond relationship with you because he didn't accept your rejection and it's affecting his choice of his punishments to you, and no werewolf, including Alpha Keegan, can bear to watch his mate be in so much pain while the bond still lasts."
The door opened and Alpha Keegan walked in. Crystal's eyes widened; she probably just realized that she wasn't supposed to tell me any of that. I didn't pay attention to the possible hell she had now put herself in but rather to the fact that I was half-naked and Alpha Keegan's eyes were directed at me.