The Alpha’s Slave

S POV

We reached Amelia’s family house on the outskirts of the kingdom in just an hour. In my late teens, my parents and I often visited her parents here, so I knew the way well, making navigation easy for us.

I needed to know why Catherine fired her. But whatever the reason it was, I knew Catherine would be the one at fault. I didn’t believe a single thing that came out of her mouth because I knew there would be more to the matter. But whatever it was, Amelia was coming back to the castle with me that night or tomorrow morning. She is greatly needed there so there was no way I was letting her stay here.

“We’ve arrived boss,” one of my guards who was driving said, looking at me through the rearview mirror.

I jerked my head in response as he tried to find a space to park. The compound was modest, revealing a mix of worn-out cobblestone paths, surrounded by a low fence draped in ivy. The absence of a dedicated parking space or garage forced my driver to choose a spot between two slightly overgrown flower beds. As the engine hummed to a halt and we stepped out, the scent of blooming jasmine mingled with the faint echoes of the distant city sounds.

I was a bit surprised they didn’t hear the revving of the car engine as we arrived and came out to open the door without us knocking. One of my guards knocked on the door of the building. It was a small, welcoming bungalow. It had quite big windows with their louvres slid down, casting streaks of golden light from inside all around the building. Beautiful, colourful flowers adorned the space, making it feel cosy and pretty. With all the flowers planted here and there, one could easily tell they loved flowers and the serenity that nature offered, just like I did.

My guard tapped the door again.

“That’s enough,” I urged him to stop. It was rude to continue knocking after the third attempt. My parents taught me that. If they didn’t answer, then we could assume they weren’t around or didn’t want to let us in. Which I knew wasn’t the case. I was sure they heard the knocks and were on their way.

Because it was a long trip, I didn’t go by myself. I brought three of my guards along, leaving the other two who usually watched over my castle and patrolled with dogs at night, just in case intruders might try to trespass.

There was no one to guard the cell room where Brianna stayed, so I ordered them to lock it and give me the keys which they did. I knew what Catherine was capable of doing, so I couldn’t risk her getting in there to harm Brianna while I was away. I knew she would want to do that. I wasn’t treating Brianna as my prisoner. I was only doing that to protect her. Everything I do is to protect her and I hope she understands.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

If everything goes well this night, then I might return immediately and unlock it. Then I will bring her some snacks and continue reading that adventure book to her. We’re almost at the end of it. I knew she enjoyed it whenever I read to her, even though she won’t admit it. She enjoyed it and it made my heart flutter to know that.

I sighed just as the door opened, and Amelia’s dad appeared.

“Sebastian, my son,” he exclaimed with a surprised look. He grinned widely, making his wrinkles more noticeable, and his teeth shone in the yellow lights inside.

“Good evening Mr. Harrison,” I smiled back, appearing composed. “It’s so nice to see you again.”

He stood tall, like an Iroko tree, with a sturdy, lean physique. His salt-and-pepper hair was slicked back neatly, and he wore a beige collared t-shirt tucked into dark brown slacks. Despite being sixty, he looked more like forty-five, and I admired that about him.

“Great to see you too, my son!” He gave me a bear hug that nearly left me breathless, a mix of his familiar musky scent and what seemed like a spicy aroma, maybe from cooking filling my nose. I held on and hugged him back, gasping a bit. “What brings you to my humble abode at this ungodly hour? Is everything okay? A heads-up would have been nice, we could’ve whipped up some preparations for our favourite visitor.”

He pulled away, his expectant gaze pinned on me. This wasn’t a planned visit. If not for Catherine had fired Amelia without telling me beforehand, I wouldn’t be here. And there was no need to tell them I’d be coming. If I did, they’d turn it into a royal feast and cook meals large enough to feed the entire kingdom for me and Mrs. Harrison would charm me into eating it all with her sweet talk – something I wasn’t ready for.

I nervously scratched the back of my neck, hesitating to spill the beans about Catherine firing his daughter for reasons unknown to me. From the way he was, it was obvious he didn’t know. Amelia hadn’t told him yet. Or maybe she didn’t come back here.

“Is Amelia around? I just need to tell her something important…that I forgot to tell her back at the castle before she came to visit you guys.”

He looked at me questioningly, his brows drawn in together. In his mind, he must be thinking about what it was he needed to tell Amelia that couldn’t wait till she came back. But he shrugged it off. He smiled and gave me a friendly punch on the chest and I could have sworn my heart stopped for a moment from the impact, a slight wince escaping my lips.

“Look at you. The last time I saw you, you were as skinny as a stick, now you look like someone cast a muscle growth spell on you.”

Mr. Harrison and his wits – the old man never ran out of it. I burst into a rather awkward laughter, glancing at my guards who were holding in their chuckles behind me.

“Mu little girl is around,” he said, his hands casually on his waist. “She came back earlier this afternoon with a few of her things, saying she was on break and decided to come stay with us. Hope nothing is wrong?” He arched an eyebrow.

I breathed out in relief knowing that Amelia was around. Otherwise, I wouldn’t know where else to go in search of her.

“Everything’s okay, Mr. Harrison. I just came to tell her what I needed to tell her because I wasn’t sure how long it would take for her to return to the castle.”

He shrugged. After extending his greeting to my guards, he ushered us into the house to the dining room.

Dinner was almost ready. Bowls of rice, eggs, roasted chicken, veggie sauce, and salads, along with plates and cutlery, were neatly set on the table. The tempting aroma wafted through the room, enough to make one’s mouth water.

“Daddy, what’s taking you so long? Who’s at the door?” Amelia asked loudly, holding a bowl of rice. Her voice could be heard 0from the living room.

Turning her gaze towards the direction we were coming from, she gasped at the sight of me, her mouth hanging open in surprise. The bowl she held slipped from her grasp, landing heavily on the table, causing a slight rattle and a few grains to tumble off. If she weren’t near the table, the rice might have spilt, and the porcelain bowl could have shattered.