The Autistic Alpha

17: Change?

There was nothing anyone could say to convince her that what had happened wasn't her fault. She knew it was her fault. Who was she? A Fae princess? Who was she even kidding? That was the dumbest thing she had ever said to herself. If she was truly the princess, heir to her father's throne, her father wouldn't marry another woman in the name of wanting a new heir. That was how pathetic it was. He wouldn't have taken all her happiness when she needed it. And now? He had locked her up in a marriage just for an alliance with this unknown pack. They weren't even a royal family.

Imogen couldn't sleep ever since the night before. What she had done haunted her. Even if she wanted to believe the fact in front of her was a lie, Selene's voice made her believe. Ever since she had stepped into this house, Selene had been cold. The only moment she broke that facade was the time she said she liked her. And now she was far more broken than a cold figure.

"Why? Why?" That was the same question she had been asking herself since last night.

She turned her head to the side of the bed, staring at Blake as he was still fast asleep. Selene's words echoed in her head.

'That's his wolf speaking to you.'

Unbelievable, but it was real. She had seen and connected every little detail. The red eyes, the way he spoke when he was without those eyes. Now it all made sense. The part that didn't answer her when she was in the thick forest was the real Blake. The one that shunned her in front of the house wasn't him. That was his wolf.

Ever since the day she had been born, her mother had always taught her to be right. And now? She was wrong. She broke someone and lied about it.

With a deep exhale, she tapped him slightly. Her fingers trembled. Her eyes closed. She had been crying—again—and wiped her face before she tapped him.

"Wake up," she whispered.

Blake turned slightly. It didn't take long before his red eyes returned again. And she knew it wasn't him. If she wanted to get out of here, it would be through this other part of him. If she also wanted to set things right, it would be through this wolf part of him. And that was how hard it was.

He growled. "Living under the same roof isn't enough?" Cold and low, his voice was a touch of the frigid air.

She swallowed hard, allowing the lump in her throat to settle. "Look, I'm sorry. It just happened. I didn't know it would happen. To be honest, I didn't believe you were an autist. Or that your human side was."

"You should be happy that he wants you. If not, you would be dead."

"At least I'm not. What's your name?" She shifted close to him—really close she could feel his breath on her thighs.

He tilted his head backwards. "Brax." He turned his head to the side.

"If you want me to leave, you would help me. I want to borrow your phone. I need to call my sister. And I need you to forgive me. Please." She pouted.

"I forgive you. On some note, yes," he blurted. "That's the phone there. I don't really know how to operate it. And I am not interested in knowing, that's why I didn't learn it. You can do anything you want."

Before she could say anything else, he lay flat across the bed, snoring again.

Her lips parted, but the words felt stuck down there again. Amused. Was that how his own forgiveness worked? No threat. Just straight up 'I forgive you'? It all felt like a dream. But if she really wanted to survive here, she needed to understand who he was—the difference between the animal part and the human part. She wasn't a werewolf; she would have understood what it all was and how it worked.

Playfully, she patted his head before dragging herself out of bed again. If she had been forgiven, there was no reason to stick around. It should be a straight-up clearance.

From the tiny table, she took his phone. And to her surprise, he really didn't know how to operate a phone. There was no lock. No games. She dialed Moira's number from memory, waiting for her to answer the call.

"Hello?" Moira's voice came through the phone. "Who is it?"

"Moira, it's me. I got lost. Thankfully, I was saved in time." She admitted. "I need a favour from you."

The phone went silent. None of them said anything. It was as if Moira was contemplating whether to help or not.

"Okay, ask anything. I will do it if I have it."

Imogen stared at the phone in her hand, wondering if she was speaking to the same Moira—the one she knew wouldn't help her in situations like this. Every time she asked for help, it was a story. Even coming to the pack to help her out of the woods was unbelievable.

"Don't ask me how I changed. I know you would be thinking about it," Moira's voice stopped her train of thought.

Imogen chuckled. "Sorry. I wanted to ask if you could visit. I have a lot to talk to you about. And I need to leave this place." She breathed.

The phone went silent for a brief moment again. "Okay. I would come. Not very early though."

"Thank you."

Imogen ended the call instantly. She hadn't really thought about the fact that Moira wasn't the kind of person to help her when she called her some days ago. Maybe she had really changed. People do change.

She stood up, walking out of the room. She was about to take a step when she spotted two pairs of glowing eyes down the hallway the moment she locked the door. The person had closed both eyes the moment he felt noticed.

Pacing forward, she made her way down the dark hallway. She was able to navigate the dark room all thanks to her night vision.

"Who's there?" she called as soon as she got to the sharp corner.

The whole place went silent for a moment, then the eyes glowed again—shiny orange eyes. She turned sharply. And to her surprise, it was Selene.

"Why are you here?"

"What if I had killed you? You should be vigilant."

"At least you didn't kill me. So why are you here again? It's barely been hours since you left." She tilted her head to the side.

"I wanted to check on my son. At this point, Brax would be hypervigilant, so I stayed here."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know. I just reacted from the girl's pain." She breathed the last words.

"It's nothing anymore. He has forgiven you."

"He meant it?"

"Yes. Although he jokes around a lot, he is very dangerous. I mean Brax." Selene paused. "He kills. And he is the very opposite of his human self."

"So... he meant whatever he said?"

"Yes. He meant every word. Laughing or not, he is always serious. And you get along easily. If you do change your mind about the marriage, you can meet me so I can teach you how to reach Blake. The human self." She whispered.

That was it. She turned sharply, heading out of the villa. And Imogen? She gaped, mesmerised at the sudden change. Just an hour ago, she was the one who came to command her. Now she changed?