The Alpha’s Slave

BRIANNA’S POV

His surprised, pitiful gaze lingered on me and at that moment, I wished I had a shell I could coil back into. I wished I hadn’t told him. I could have just collected the book and when I got back to my chamber, left it there.

“Didn’t you go to wolf school?” He leaned in closer to me, his thick, sleek brows drawing in questioningly.

“I’m sorry,” I turned away from him and tried to put the book back on the shelf. “I shouldn’t have told you that.”

“No,” he reached out and stopped me. “It’s okay. You can tell me. We’re the only ones here. You don’t have to be ashamed… or afraid of anything. Okay?”

Ashamed? I wasn’t ashamed. I just wish I hadn’t told him. I didn’t want him to know anything about me. About my background. My childhood. Everything I had been through. He was my master and telling him all that was unnecessary.

Seeing how reserved I was, he collected the book from my hand, kept it precariously on top of the arranged books and tried coming closer. But from the way he kept hesitating, I could tell he was reluctant. He was unsure if I’d let him. His sharp, assessing eyes were still implanted in me. But I tried not to look.

“You have nothing to worry about or be afraid of,” he reached for my face and gently pulled it so I could face him. “You can tell me. But if you don’t want to… it’s okay. I will never force you.”

An extremely soft smile graced his tempting lips and a faint light twinkled in the depths of his black eyes as our eyes met. He was trying to make me loosen up. To make me feel comfortable and safe around him. But I was finding it extremely hard to be.Please check at N/ôvel(D)rama.Org.

My heart was already pounding in my ears. I was softening. Weakening on the inside. Shrinking from the effect of his watchful smile and nearness. I didn’t know what he was doing to me. But it was gradually working. Should I tell him… can I trust him?

“It’s okay,” he shrugged and let go. “I understand if you don’t want to talk about it.”

He grabbed the book from where he left it and proceeded to put it back in the space he took it out. I bit hard on my lower lips till it throbbed like my pulse as I watched him, still pondering on whether to tell him.

“I never finished wolf school,” the words rushed out involuntarily from my depths and I momentarily squeezed my eyes shut, scolding myself for saying that out loud.

Hearing that, he tucked the book in quickly and walked back to me, his interest aroused.

“Why?” He folded his arms, gracefully leaned on the gigantic, sturdy shelve and watched me keenly.

“My parents died while I was seven…” I bowed my head and my body sank in despair as I revealed that. “My mother died on the delivery bed and my father from PTSD as a result of the shock. There was nobody to see me through school, so I had to drop out.”

I was the only child of my parents. They were the best people and couple I had ever known. My father was a blacksmith and a beta while my mum was a fruit seller and an omega. We didn’t have much like the rest of the other kids’ parents back then. But we were content. We were happy and that was all that mattered.

But the cold, wicked hands of death snatched them from me while I was just seven. My mum miscarried her baby who was supposed to be my brother and died on the delivery bed. My father developed PTSD from the experience and despite the therapy he received, died two weeks later.

I wished those days never happened. Wished those moments were an illusion. A bad dream. But they weren’t. I was so young then it all seemed hard for me to understand. For weeks or rather months, I tried to bring myself to accept their death. To accept the tragedy. To accept my reality. They had left me alone in this world. And they weren’t coming back.

I was almost taken to a wolf orphanage because I was still little. But my mum’s sister – Aunt Gigi came just in time for me. She was married with four children. But she still took me in, treated me like her own and made me the salesgirl in her jewellery store. It was there I started selling trinkets. But I never went back to school. She and her husband were paying their children’s fees and couldn’t afford mine. I understood perfectly. And gradually, forgot about going back to school.

It was there that Hermes saw me and picked interest in me. Aunt Gigi was happy and urged me to go with him because it was the dream of every parent to see their Alpha King pick interest in their daughter. We both didn’t know he’ll turn out to be the complete opposite of what we and the rest of the pack members thought of him.

To this day, I haven’t seen Aunt Gigi. Sometimes, I believe she thinks I’m living a life of luxury in Hermes’s castle. Not knowing I met death face to face several times in that hellhole.

“I’m so sorry,” Sebastian strengthened up, closing the gap between us.

“You shouldn’t be,” I was so assailed by the bitter, painful thoughts I almost didn’t know tears were streaming down my cheeks. But I wiped them off the moment I noticed. I didn’t want him to keep seeing me like that. All broken and vulnerable. “It’s not your fault at all.”

He extended a comforting hand and patted my shoulders before disappearing behind me. He returned with a small white napkin in his hand.

“I can’t imagine how hard it must have been for you,” he handed me the napkin to my surprise. “Losing the people you love the most is something no one should have to go through, especially at that tender age. I went through the same experience. But as time went on, I mustered the fortitude to bear their loss. To be strong, knowing fully well they were in heaven with the moon goddess and wouldn’t want me to keep wallowing in grief.”

“Thank you,” I said as I took the napkin and wiped my tear-stained face, finding support and solace in his words and kind gesture. He was kind. Too kind for an Alpha King.

“I’m always here for you in case you want anything or need someone to talk to,” he hesitated before placing both hands on my shoulders and offering me a comforting squeeze, to my surprise again. “To make it up to you, I’ll help teach you how to read if you’re okay with the idea when I get back from my business trip.”

“Really?” I stopped wiping my face and raised my head to meet him, my moistened eyes widening in surprise.

“Yes,” he said, that soft, comforting smile still spread across his appealing face.

“But you’ll be too busy running the affairs of your kingdom and your wife, the Luna…” My voice trembled a bit. I didn’t know if he understood the direction I was heading.

“You don’t have to worry, okay?” He jerked his head at me. “No matter what, I’ll still make out time for you. And about my wife, I will talk to her.”

I stared at him for a moment, wondering why. Why he was doing this? Why he was too kind to me despite the fact I was just a slave?

“Thank you,” I squeaked. “That’s one of the best things someone has ever done for me. I really appreciate it.”

“No problem,” he huffed. “I have kept you for too long. And you must be hungry. You can go now. We’ll begin the reading lessons once I return from my business trip in three days.”

“Thank you,” I nodded respectfully before making my past him to the set of the most beautiful doors I have ever seen before me. As I walked, I could still feel his gaze on me.

As I held the handles, something suddenly popped up in my mind. The gown I wore to the cocktail party. I still needed to amend the torn edge.

“My king… sorry, Sebastian,” I turned and called out, almost forgetting he told me not to call him ‘my king’ or ‘master’. As I had thought, he was still looking at me. “Is there any chance I could… I could get a needle and thread for mending… to mend the gown I wore to the cocktail party yesterday?”

Remembering what happened at that party made me look away in agony, breathing out heavily. I never wanted to think of it ever again. I wanted to erase it completely from my memory. His eyes were sharp and very assessing. I knew he sensed my uneasiness.

But gosh!! I scolded myself inwardly again. What was I thinking asking an Alpha King for a needle and thread? This was something I should have asked the maids. Not him.

“You don’t have to worry about it,” he said and I managed to look back at him, noticing his sudden change of expression. “Just give it to any of the maids. They’ll know what to do.”

“Ok, thank you,” I jiggled the door handles and made my way out.