Haunted by the Mysterious Alpha

CHAPTER 7

Emily’s POV.

My heart ached as though he took a part of me with him, the thought of never seeing him again rippled me into unequal halves.

His scent still hung in the air; that intoxicating smell of musk and honey. His face was engraved in my heart; his beautiful brown eyes and how they looked at me with zest and something primal. His wet hair and how they clung to his face. There was no denying the desires I felt for him, no denying the fact that he felt them too– everything that coursed between us, unspoken but palpable How his hands moved so delicately but with ferocity on my skin, setting wildfires I never knew existed.

The heat between us had been undeniable, a magnetic pull that neither of us could resist yet he’d left without a goodbye, just like my father. A cold reminder that I was utterly alone on this settlement.

Slowly, I gathered myself off the floor and staggered, my gaze fixated on the trail of his footprints on the sand. The wind whipped my face and sent an icy shiver down my soaked body.

My gaze darted to the river; that which was once turbulent and had almost claimed my life was now a gentle rumble with no hint of what just happened some minutes. I glanced at the bridge and scanned the entire parameter but there was no sign of the bird.

In the sky, the once scorching afternoon sun has dimmed into a facade of yellow and the sky was now a tinge of red.

Slowly, I turned and ventured back into the forest, my steps a stumble as I waddled, the once illuminated forest was now a shade of darkness. I hugged myself against the chilly wind.

Minutes later, I arrived at the hamlet to the sight of Randolph and my father's men combing the settlement as they searched for me. “I want every hut ransacked, the backyards and the washrooms. She’ not in Cathena and so she must be around here. Look for her! ” Randolph clamored.

“I do not think she's here,” the chubby lady said. She was back from seeing my parents off.

“So what are you saying?” Randolph asked.

“The forest. Tell the men to check the forest. She wouldn’t be the first to try to escape the hamlet via the forest,” she said.

Randolph turned to her and simply shook his head. “She won't go into the forest, she has been having nightmares of running around a forest since she was a child,” he said. The woman scoffed and shook her head.

“You underestimate the princess. What was that? She won't go into the forest because she has been having nightmares of running around a forest since she was a child?”

“Do not mock me!” Randolph growled.

“Of course I will mock you if I choose to. I mean, one minuted she is left in your care, the next minute I come back from the trade fair and she’s gone!”

A frown pulled closely Randolph’s brows. “Why didn’t you tell me that earlier, you watched me send some men to comb the trade fair when you could have just told me to search the forest?!”

The woman shrugged. “Why do I have to tell you? Like I said, you underestimate your princess and that’s not my fault. Pray you find her sooner or later or else you’d be the one writing a letter to Alpha Thane telling him exactly what happened to his daughter!” she blurted.

In stealth, I watched them argue as it dawned on me the trouble Randolph could have landed himself if I’d not returned. I suddenly felt sorry for the troubles I have caused. Exhaling, I grabbed my dress and just as I was about to step out, someone clamored in the background.

“There she is!”

All eyes darted to me. Slowly, I stepped out into the open. “Hello, Randolph...everyone!” I said and let go of my dress.

A growl tore from Randolph’s lips and his hands clenched into fists. “Where have you been?”

“How long have you been standing there?” the chubby woman asked and crossed over to me. Her face scrunched as she looked me up and down and took in my soggy clothes. “Did you go swimming in the river?” she asked.

I wanted to answer and she asked another, “In your dress?” she asked again.

My gaze darted to Randolph and I saw him scrutinizing me, he knows I can’t swim.

I wanted to tell them about all that happened at the river, but at the same time if I have learned anything since my ball, it is that I can’t trust anyone to reveal too much to them. Often it didn’t end well with the belief that I have gone sick.

Until I uncover the identity of the stranger, until I have unraveled that magnetic pull I felt towards him, I’d rather keep it a secret.

Dragging a breath, I lowered my gaze to the floor and avoided their gazes. “Yes,” I lied.

The chubby woman tutted. “Tsk! You just got here and already have proven to be a pain in the as$. I mean, look at you! Who goes swimming in a dress as heavy as yours? Do you want to catch a cold or something? Do you have a death wish?” she shrieked.

My mind drifted back to that moment I was in the stranger’s arms, to the moment he lifted me off the waters and gathered me in his arms...how it’d felt when he settled his lips on mine and gave me back all that the river took from me. It’s confusing how I could recollect those moments even though I was unconscious when it happened. Yet I yearned to relive them over and over again, especially his touch which still lingered on my skin.

A smile flitted on my lips. I looked up to the sight of Randolph and the woman exchanging confused glances. “Treatment will commence first thing tomorrow morning!” she said and grabbed my arm. She uttered profanity as she tugged me with her towards the decorated hut. I was back to the reality of my life where I was believed to be mentally sick. The tears pooled in my eyes and I fought them back as she hauled me across the hamlet into the hut, and shut the door. And her next line of action spilled fear all over my body.

Effortlessly, she hurled me against the wall and just as I collapsed, picked me up and tossed me against the wall again. “This will be the last time you ever leave the hamlet without my permission!” she landed a devastating slap across my face. I hadn’t even recovered from the first when she landed the second and then the third. A squeal arose in my throat from the shock of it all more than the pain. I plummeted on the floor but she wasn't done with me, she yanked me by my hair and dragged me with her to a dressing table!

“Stand!” she commanded.

I stood, a shivering mess as she brought out a knife from a drawer and crossed over to me. “Let me make this clear to you– you may be Princess Emily of Azalea out there, but here you’re just an omega and my patient. You do not breathe unless I say so, you do not leave unless I say so! This is my territory. I decide what happens and that includes your healing,” she growled into my ears as she cut my dress into two completely ignoring the zipper, and then my corset.

They fell with a soft thud on the floor and I sobbed.

She whisked me around. “Do you understand?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

“Good.” She walked to the drawer and returned the knife. “Get in the tub,” she commanded. I caught sight of a tub by the corner of the room, scurrying to it, I climbed into it and gasped as my skin came in contact with a warm water. “Scrub!” the lady commanded.

A sponge was floating on the water. I picked it up and began scrubbing all over my body, puffing as the woman emptied a pail of water on me. “Get out!” she screamed.

In the next five minutes it dawned on me I was no longer in a Azalea, no longer a princess but a patient awaiting treatment tomorrow. A helpless omega.

I stood in-front of the dressing mirror staring at the hideous dress I was now wearing. “I will take that too,” she snatched my necklace too; the only thing left of my identity. Fresh tears pooled in my eyes but I fought them back.

A knock sounded on the door and both of us tilted our heads in the direction. “Princess Emily? Can I have a word with her?” that was Randolph behind the closed door.

The hut was now dark, my host walked to a lantern on the table, lit it and then she answered the door. “If everything is decent, I will to speak with Her Highness?” voiced my father's gamma.

“Of course.” My host stepped aside and Randolph walked in. “I will allow you two some privacy,” she said, gave me a long look and walked out.

Randolph lingered at the door. “Are you okay?” he asked.

There were two beds in the room. I walked to the smaller one and sat. “Yes, I am.” I replied.

“What happened at the river?” he questioned and folded his arms. “We both know you can't swim so don’t repeat that lie.”

“What if I did in the shallow part?”

Randolph dragged a breath and took one more step into the room. “Princess Emily, do you realize I am responsible for your safety? Keeping sensitive information from me could cause more harm than good.”

Will it?

All I have done is to keep to myself my escapade this afternoon at the river and all of a sudden it can cause harm?

“I have told you all that needs to be said, Randolph, if there’s any other thing, I’d tell you,” I said. Our gazes met; his questioning and mine reticent. Randolph dragged a breath and just as he turned to leave, a knock rapped on the door. It was my host, she shuffled to the center of the room and stopped.

“It's time for bed,” she announced.

“Time for bed? Isn't it too early?” Randolph asked.

“Here we go to bed very early.”

“But she hasn’t even had supper!”

“And that is because we need her bowels empty for the first rounds of treatment tomorrow morning. Alpha Thane knows,” she said.

I hugged myself and lowered my gaze to the floor, only raising them at the receding footsteps of my father's gamma. I glanced at my host and she tossed a blanket at me. “Good night, Emily.”

She blew off the lantern and climbed into her bed. The next thing I heard were her snores which troubled my ears.

I lay down, pulling the blanket tightly around me, the chill of the room creeping in. The darkness was heavy, broken only by the soft, rhythmic sound of my host’s breathing. But sleep didn’t come easily. Randolph’s words echoed in my mind, stirring anxiety in the pits of my stomach.

.Was I really putting myself at risk by holding back?

Gulping, I dragged the blanket over my head and forced myself to sleep.