Chapter 45 CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
MAEVA
“I thought she was an alpha.”
“I thought she is his mate.”
“What do you think she did?”
It’s all I’ve been listening to since Caius put me in this hole. I hate him and this time, my wolf is with me. She fells disrespected and no one disrespects us and gets away with it. When I plan different ways to hurt him, she doesn’t object like she usually does.
The cell opens again and the Beta walks in with breakfast. He’s cautious and taking light steps. At least someone still fears me.
“The whispers have to be driving you insane. Can’t you apologize?” he whispers.
I ignore him and take the food he offers. I need to build my strength for when I get out of here.
He sighs when he realizes that I won’t respond to him.
“I told him to reject you.” He says.
I look up at him and snarl. It’s what I want but it rubs me the wrong way that his beta told him to stay away from me.
“You’re supposed to be good for him but since you came, he’s been acting out of character. We need him focused on what is to come and you’re pulling his focus from that.”
“What did he say?”
He smiles a sad smile. “Nearly bit my head off for saying it.”
It makes me happy to hear that.
“I think you should apologize. Staying with this lot can’t be fun. I’ll tell him you want to apologize, it’s your choice whether or not you do it when he comes down here.”
With that, he leaves the cell and I finish my food. I mull over his words as I eat. Caius might really leave me down here and keep me from the action if I don’t apologize. He’s gotten thick skinned against me and doesn’t care about the bond anymore.
He’s showing me that the rumors about him actually have some substance to it. My stomach churns at the thought of apologizing for my freedom. This will go down as one of the worst things I’ve ever had to do.
Caius comes into the cell two hours later. I know he didn’t come immediately as part of his punishment and I hold my tongue so I don’t say it and piss him off more. This time I actually gag. I’m holding my tongue not to piss Caius off, if only Taron could see me now.
“Clayton said you had something you wanted to say to me.”
I look in his eyes and I don’t find any familiarity or fondness. The smile that was usually in his eyes when he talks to me is gone.
“I want to apologize for leaving the house when you told me not to.”
He nods and looks away. “Okay, apologize.”
“What? That was the apology.”
He chuckles and turns to leave.
“Fine. I’m sorry I left the house when you said I shouldn’t.”
When he turns back to me, I expect to find him laughing. I expect him to taunt me for finally apologizing when I swore that I would never apologize. His face is blank when he looks at me, like it makes no difference to him. If it makes no difference to him, why was he insisting on it?
“I guess now you want to be let out.” he says. It’s not a question so I don’t answer. “Clayton will show you your new room.”
“New room? I’m not staying with you?”
“No. you might not think so but staying in the Alpha’s house is a privilege. You haven’t earned that privilege. You’ll stay in the pack house with the rest of the pack members.”
“I’m not your pack member.” I say through gritted teeth.
“You’re not. But you’re not going back to your pack so you might as well get comfortable.”
“There’s nothing stopping me from escaping.”
The look he gives me chills me down. It’s predatory and there’s a promise of worse things to come if I ever try to escape.
“I expect you to. Please try to escape.”
His indifference rubs me wrong. Why is he acting this cold? Even when I didn’t want him, I was never this cold. He looks like he hates me. My wolf whines and pushes me to go to him.
“What about my pack?”
He shrugs. “That’s another privilege. Earn the right to communicate with your pack.”
“How?” I ask and he smiles for the first time but it doesn’t reach his eyes.
“I’m sure you’ll figure out something.”
He walks out after that and I sit fuming. It disgusts me that my anger is not because he’s preventing me from talking with my pack, it’s because he’s being cold to me. I don’t know this version of him and I hate it. I shake the stupid thought from my mind.
I should be happy that he’s being cold to me. It means he’s finally accepting that we can never be together. If only he can accept it fast enough to set me free before the blue moon.
Clayton returns a few minutes later with a guard who unlocks my chain. He leads me out of the cell and the disgusting remarks increase.
“I see why she’s getting released. If my mate had an ass…”
I don’t let the prisoner finish the sentence. I stretch my hand through the bars and pull him by his throat. His face slams against the bars and silence stretches across the cells.
“What did you say to me?” I ask with my Alpha voice.
He trembles and stammers out an apology. It feels good feeling powerful again. Caius has treated me like a powerless omega since I got to his pack so this feels like rebirth. I release him and he falls back. That’s when I notice that he doesn’t have chains on. I look around the cell and other prisoners look away. They don’t have chains on either.
I clench my fists as my anger increases. “Let’s go.” I say to the Beta and walk away.
The beta takes us out of the cells and leads us out of the building. The walk to the pack house is short but the whispers and looks we get along the way are a lot. Do the members of this pack not work? Why are all of them outside during the day gossiping?
“I had the room cleaned out and decorated this morning. I hope you like it.” The Beta says as he opens the door and waits for me to walk in.
To his credit, the room doesn’t have a lot of bright colors.
“There are clothes in the closet and some other basic things you might need. If you want something else, don’t hesitate to let me know.”
“What does he want from me?” I ask him.
“He wants you. He wants this bond even though you’ve said a hundred times that you don’t want it.”
“I don’t want it. We’re not even mated yet and look at the way he’s treating me.”
“He was treating you like the air he breathes and you kissed another wolf in front of him.”