Chapter 21

Chapter 21


Dera

I would probably not understand what this was but resting my head against his chest was really calming and the smell of honey and cinnamon was rather dominating. I could not understand why I was attracted to this man and why I was desiring him against all odds but I wanted to be here, at this moment. I did not try to fight or resist his embrace and he did not bother to break it. 

This was the longest hug definitely in the books. 

I was somewhat hoping that we could be this way forever and never separate. That which was short lived because soon enough, I started hearing the sound of someone in the corridor. I thought that it might be Amara or someone she had asked to look after me, so I pulled away and Alpha Eric did not seem offended at the slightest. 

Instead, he was looking at me with kind eyes and I had to remove my eyes the moment I noticed he was looking at me. I kept my face away, trying hard to resist the urge and the temptation to want to look at him. That had been something my father made certain that I learnt as he said it was disrespectful for a woman to look into the eyes of a man. I recalled the day like I was still in it. I had been really young and one of my brothers had a little fight with me. He had torn the head off my doll and I had been merely trying to demand why he did that. 

Our noise had brought my father's attention and soon, he said as there and he caught me glaring at my brother with so much anger and hate. That was when he suddenly slapped me and I was shocked.

"But dad, he started it!" I had cried out.

A little me had been so unlucky to have missed my mother's signal when she wanted me to keep my mouth shut so that I would be able to wriggle out of this one untouched. But then, the mistake had been made and my father slapped me again.

"Don't talk to me girl unless I asked you. You're becoming really ill mannered and it is all your mother's fault for failing to raise you properly as early as I desired. But, we'll fix that now. You know you're a woman. You're never allowed to speak up to a man and you should never look a man in the eyes. That's a mortal sin against the moon goddess herself and it can create problems." He told me.

I was already crying but in that moment when he had blamed my mother, I felt for her. I had caused her to be insulted again by him in our presence because of my behaviour and I was really apologetic. My father had never failed to make good use of every opportunity he had to mock and blame her. It was as if everything wrong that happens on earth was all her fault. I did not want her to be blamed for my mistake too.

"I'm sorry, dad." I apologised to him.

"What did you just call me?" He demanded, his eyes really red and his nostrils flaring so much that they literally scared me as I answered him in a voice that sounded really scared.

"D-dad." I responded.

"That's nonsense. Henceforth, you would address me as Alpha. And woman, I want you to keep dolls away from her. I want to raise a model woman and I don't want her wasting time with frivolities." He said to me and my mother. "Come with me, son."

He started leaving with my brother who made certain that he stuck his tongue out at me. I was pained but I later had to try and mend my behaviour. My mother did not blame me but she did not defend me either. She too was a victim of my father even without being a partaker in the conflict and she had to live by his rules.

Back to the moment right now, Alpha Eric was trying to get me to stop referring to him with the 'Sir' word. He wanted me to call him Eric and had asked me certain questions before the servant came. I was both relieved and unhappy when I saw her. I was relieved that I would not have to start relieving the memories of what I knew again because thinking about Isaac was enough pain. But as I watched him leave, a part of me was sad. I had a feeling he was leaving because of her and I tried not to show that I wanted him around. I smiled at her and I asked her if she needed me to leave the library and she said not at all. Apparently, she had come to check on me and see if there was something I needed. 

Apparently Amara had asked her to make certain that I was okay at all times. So I smiled and told her that I was fine and I just wanted to read a book or two. She smiled at me with such kind eyes that I felt really safe with her.

"Is there something you would like to recommend to me?" I asked her.

"What's your favourite?" She asked me.

"Well, I used to enjoy romance fantasies and stuff like that. I don't think I can handle anything hurtful or thriller-filled." I said to her,

She smiled at me again as she nodded her head. I did not want to think about it but I was hoping this was not some sort of pity party. I might have been hurt but I mean, I had turned into a model person and I had been really respectful to my husband and all around me. I have never had any reason to disrespect anyone at any time.

"Well, I think you would love this story. It's about a princess who was taken away by a prince and eventually, they fell in love." She said as she handed me a book.

A princess taken away? I mean, I was already beginning to project into it as I thought about Alpha Eric and I. He was more or less like the kind of prince that I would want to take me far away where I would be totally smitten by him and I thanked her. She decided that she was going to leave me to enjoy the book and I nodded. There was a couch in the library longer than the others and I went there to sit as I folded my legs underneath me and I started reading. It had been a while since I read a book but I quickly started going through this one and in the shortest time, I was done.

'Wow, it's been ages since I last saw you read. Seems like you're still got it. But you know this was a short story. Wanna bet on whether or not you can read a bigger one in a short time?' She challenged me and I giggled.

Tia has always been my comfort and friend since the time Amara had been away. But she was actually right that we have not set eyes on a book in a long time because, far be it for Isaac that you are trying to gain any form of knowledge. In his defense, it was an insult as the woman's duty was to serve. He even blamed my father for ever allowing me into school at all. So, I had to stay dumb so he could trust that I would never plot against him.

Well, Tia had challenged me and I did love me a really good challenge and I started glancing around as I asked her for a book that I would read. That was when I saw these set up the shelf and I went to get the ladder. I climbed up and was going through their titles when I saw a particular red one. I must be acting dumb because why on earth did I start reaching for it when I was well aware that I was on top of a ladder. I guess I forgot for a bit because when I stretched and I reached for the book, the ladder gave way and I started falling. I could already imagine the fall when someone caught me.

It was the smell of honey and cinnamon. I had caught that smell but I thought it was because he had been here and was also close to me. But now, here I was in the arms of Alpha Eric and our eyes were looking at each other. I was hyperventilating and could literally not hold myself anymore.

The look in his eyes was charming but then he leaned over and he kissed me on the lips. Just as I had read in the first book. The princess had actually fallen from a tree while trying to escape from the prince when the wood gave way. He had caught her and then kissed her right there. |

Having the same thing that happened in the book being recreated with me by Alpha Eric dared have me thinking that this was definitely fate. Well, it was wishful thinking by my person and I needed to come off it.