Rise of The Abused Wolf

Three(Aurora)

"No need to be thankful." The man huffed coldly.

Remaining quiet, I couldn’t stop the slight disappointment I felt at the man’s reaction. What did I expect? I didn’t know, but something about his icy response cut deep.

Opening my mouth, I attempted to say something, anything to break the sudden silence, only to stop as we emerged from the forest. Just beyond a hill, I could barely make out a large castle with green flags with serpents on them waving proudly in the breeze.

With eyes growing wide, I realized that the place this man was taking me was to the dwellings of the alpha king himself.

The alpha king was a powerful man that not many in the land of Altaire were allowed to ever lay eyes on, especially a low-grade omega like me.

Beginning to struggle, I tried to break free of the man’s grip before he could go any further.

"What’s wrong with you?" He demanded, sitting me on my feet and placing his blood-covered hands on his hips, instantly staining the hem of his white shirt.

"I appreciate your help, but..." I floundered, not quite sure what I was even trying to get at. "But... I... where are you taking me?" That sounded better than insisting that I couldn’t go to the castle of the alpha king when I wasn’t even one hundred percent sure that was where he was taking me.

"I told you that I’d be taking you to get your wounds checked." The man responded simply, seeming flustered. "What’s the problem?"

"I can’t enter the palace of the alpha king." I whispered, feeling shame rush through me. "I’m a lowly omega that doesn’t deserve that honor."

Growing quiet, I bit my lip while peeking up at the man to see his reaction. It wasn’t often that I even needed to address something like this. Back in my stepfather’s pack, everyone knew my position and easily took advantage of it. To them, my mother and I were pariahs that had no right to even be there, let alone be related in any way to their alpha.

"Is this truly the time to even be thinking about something like this?" The man sighed in frustration while running a hand through his messy auburn hair. "You’re covered in wounds and blood, and you’re barely even dressed."

Shocked by his words, I looked down at myself and realized for the first time that I had forgotten about Austin ripping my shirt open, leaving me in nothing but rags.

Shrieking, I quickly wrapped my arms around myself while fixing my wide-eyed gaze on the man’s.

"LOOK AWAY! " I yelled as he continued to watch me with a blank expression.

As I turned to shield myself, I heard an irritated grunt escape the man as he was lifting me into his arms once more.

"What?"

"Shut up." He growled as he began to move towards the castle once more. "I promise you, no one is interested in looking at an underdeveloped woman."

Underdeveloped? Was he kidding me right now? Sure, my breasts weren’t huge, but they sure as hell weren’t underdeveloped.

Again, as this thought raced through me, so did a surge of disappointment. Was I actually disappointed that this man I just met didn’t find my breasts attractive? Did I truly fall for him at first sight? There was no way something like that could happen, right?

When we arrived at the castle, two guards were standing at the entrance at attention. Instantly, fear over their reactions to this man bringing a stranger into their domain ran through me.

Once again, I opened my mouth to protest, only to stop as the guards began to bow in the man’s presence.

"What?" I whimpered as realization began to race through me. "You..."

"Sorry I didn’t introduce myself sooner." The man said, smirking at my shocked expression. "I am, Lux Winston Tutor, the ruler of this kingdom."

"Ruler..." I managed to squeak my eyes growing wider and wider.

Did he really just say that he was the ruler of this kingdom? It means that he was the mysterious alpha king.

Taking Lux in, I couldn’t find anything about him that screamed ruler. He wore simple clothes: a white tunic and black pants with a tan leather vest. His black boots were simple, and the belt that he wore around his waist only sported a simple buckle.

"I’ll explain later." He promised as he made his way into the massive castle and began to carry me towards a small wing just to our left.

As we passed, a few maids turned their attention towards us, instantly stopping what they were doing. Their wide-eyed expression showed me that they weren’t used to seeing their king doing something like this.

I didn’t know why, but that realization alone made me feel something stirring within, sending my heart beating rapidly.

"Thelma," Lux called, drawing the attention of a pretty maid with red hair and green eyes. She seemed to be no older than 17 or 18, and her porcelain skin flushed red the minute she looked at Lux.

"Yes, sire?" She asked shyly while quickly peaking at me before turning her eyes back to Lance. "What can I do for you?"

"I need you to find clothes for this woman." Lux commanded evenly.

Seeming disappointed with Lux’s request, Thelma gave a small nod before turning and quickly scurrying away.

Satisfied that she would complete her task, Lux began to move once again until we finally arrived at a room that reeked of herbs and alcohol.

Shoving the door open hard, Lux startled a man who looked to be in his 50’s with salt and pepper hair and dark eyes that widened and then narrowed as he realized what was going on.

"When will you learn to properly open a door?" The man demanded, crossing his arms across his chest. "You nearly gave me a heart attack."

"No time for your nagging old man." Lux said, placing me down on a bed and then turning his full attention to the man that I could only assume was a healer. "This woman needs medical attention."

"Hm?" The man murmured, turning his gaze to me and taking in my state. "What happened to her?" He asked as he moved forward so he could get a better look.

"I don’t really know. You should ask her." Lux sighed, stepping aside so that the healer could do his job.

"Young lady, care to explain?" The man asked, pulling a pair of spectacles out of his jacket pocket and placing them on the rim of his nose while bending down closer. "How could someone manage this much damage?"

Opening my mouth, I considered explaining, but then thought better of it. Would it truly matter if I told them everything that happened back at my stepfather’s pack? I was already receiving enough kindness from Lux and just couldn’t bring myself to admit just how lowely and pathetic I was. I mean, what kind of werewolf goes through something like this while remaining human and not shifting to fight back?

In our world, weakness was something to frown upon, and for some reason, I found myself not wanting that from Lux. If I could I would erase my entire past and start fresh if it meant he wouldn't look down on me.

"Can she talk?" The healer asked curiously.

"I can talk." I responded. "I just don’t really want to talk about it."

"Why?" Lux asked, causing me to flinch. "Are you truly trying to protect those who did something like this to you?"

Startled, I turned and looked at Lux, who actually seemed to be seething with rage. Was this man getting angry on my behalf? Was there maybe a chance that he felt something towards me? I couldn’t be sure, but just the thought that maybe he did sent my heart into somersaults.

Trying to remain calm and not get ahead of myself, I pushed my thoughts away. Right now, the only thing I needed to worry about was getting fixed up. Once that was taken care of, I could speak to Lux about my feelings. Worse, if that happened, I would get rejected. At best, he would feel the same.

"I'd stop those thoughts immediately." Lux hissed, his eyes growing dark.

"What?" I asked in confusion. Could he hear my thoughts?

"I'm simply showing pity towards a wounded creature I found in the forest." Lux said, dashing away any and all hope I may have had that he felt the same. "If you think you're worthy of me, you're sadly mistaken."