The Alpha's Cursed Slave

Letter

I stared in the direction of the forest for a few minutes until the sound of falling drops interrupted my thoughts. The familiar smell of Lorcan soon dissipated completely. With a smile, I rolled down the window and lay on the bed, listening to the raindrops on the roof. I closed my eyes, letting myself rest a little from the chores I had just done. Feeling a little more refreshed after resting for probably fifteen minutes, I got out of bed and went to the first floor. There I found my mother comfortably ensconced in the guest room, reading a book. Outside the window it was a little darker than usual at this time of year because of the rain, which seemed to be going nowhere. Leaving my mother in the guest room, I went into the kitchen to make some warm tea. This weather brought chill and cold into the house, although the burning fireplace warmed the house a little. I sipped the hot tea looking out of the kitchen window. My eyes caught a quick twinkle at the window. My hearing instantly strained to hear what it might be. Heavy footsteps stopped at the door of the house. Mail fell through the letter box. It was probably the postman wanting to share the news with the world. I got up from the kitchen table and picked up the newspapers and a few letters from the corridor floor. I put them on the table because I knew it was all for Dad or Mum. Mostly bills or advertisements for jobs in werewolf towns. I made myself comfortable in my chair and continued to sip my mint tea. I glanced at the mirror, which read well after 4pm. My ears heard footsteps creeping in the house. Soon my mother appeared at the kitchen door with a slightly sleepy face.

"Did we get the mail?" Mum's eyes were glued to the kitchen table.

"Yes, would you like some tea?" I smiled and picked up the cup to show her the tea.

"Sure." Mum smiled and took the newspapers from the table.

I quickly stood up from the table and made a hot cup of tea for my mother. I could see from her face that she had fallen asleep reading a book. She made herself comfortable in the chair near me and put the newspaper in front of her. Then she picked up a handful of letters and read them one after the other, silently pursing her lips. I averted my gaze without interfering in her affairs and looked out of the window. I could feel the fatigue weighing on my shoulders little by little. I had not slept for a day, for freedom and for getting in touch with my true nature. I blinked densely as I watched the water droplets slide down the kitchen window.

" You've received a letter." Mum's voice reached my ears.

"From who?" I turned my head in my mother's direction and raised an eyebrow.

" It doesn't say anything, just your name" Mum pushed the letter in my direction.

I took the yellow envelope in my hand and turned it over. There was only one name on it in handwriting and it was mine. There was no addressee to return the letter to, it would not reach the recipient. I glanced at my mother, who did not even bother to look in my direction. She was reading something intently in the newspaper in front of her. I hurriedly finished my tea and, after emptying my cup, hurriedly made my way to my room. After climbing the stairs, I opened the door and put the letter on little table near my bed. I glanced at the clock on the wall, which was already showing after five o'clock in the evening. I knew very well that I was already late to meet Lilly at our favourite place. I quickly pulled my warmer clothes out of the wardrobe and put on a bright yellow raincoat that my mother had once given me. I braided my hair into a long ponytail and hid it under my hood. I threw a small black bag on my back and headed straight for the door. I was almost reaching for the doorknob when my mother's voice interrupted me.

"Don't stay long." The anxious voice reached my ears.

"I'll be back before dark." I smiled and waved.

I closed the door behind me and quickly descended the steps. Cool raindrops hit my face, making me smile. A slight breeze blew, which was strangely warm. I followed the path towards the place where Lilly and I were meeting. I could feel my she-wolf relaxing in the air. Soon, through the raindrops, I could see a familiar silhouette lurking in the distance. She was standing under a tree whose large branches and dense leaves protected her from the rain falling from the sky.

"Wonderful weather, Amelia?" Lilly's voice reached me.

"Of course, sorry I'm late, I had to help my mum." I smiled as I looked at Lilly.

"It's okay, don't worry." Lilly sat down on a blanket near the tree.

I followed her lead and sat down next to her. For a few minutes we just sat in silence and listened to the subdued nature that was just raging this year. Loud gusts of wind and slow swift washes on the ground.

"How are you?" Lilly said quietly.

"I'm fine." I smiled, resting my hand on my chin.

" You seem lost in your thoughts." Lilly playfully tapped me on the shoulder.

" I don't understand why Lorcan keeps showing up." I sighed, glancing at Lilly.

" You could say you're lucky." Lilly shrugged.

" I think it's something else." I said and turned my eyes to horisont.

"Then what?" Lilly thought to herself.

" I think it has to do with his alpha side." I wondered aloud.

"More details please?" Lilly rolled her eyes.

" Lorcan is an alfa, he has a power gene in his life. Anyone lower than beta, omega or human must obey him. They feel weaker than an alpha." I told Lilly in detail.

"And you?" Lilly wrinkled her forehead.

" I don't belong to either of those species. I didn't grow up with werewolves and I wasn't assigned to a certain level. Nor am I human. I'm free and I have an opinion." A calm tone was heard in my voice.

"Do you feel no fear or respect for Lorcan? " Lilly yawned.

"I feel that he is a year older than me, but my she-wolf is not afraid of him." I shrugged.

Lilly didn't say anything, just stared with me at the rain, which seemed to have only intensified. We were both lost in our own thoughts. I can't help thinking about my mother's voice full of pain before I go outside. I know that she is extremely worried about me. I can feel her heart breaking as she watches me go out and come back late. I know that she is well aware that soon she will have to let me go for good. I am not very young for my age, soon to be an adult. Nevertheless, in my heart I still do not want to leave the place you have called home all your life.

" It's going to be weird, you know?" Lilly said suddenly.

"Mmm?" I turned my head towards Lilly.

"It will be strange not to see your face every day after so many years of knowing you." Lilly smiled broadly.

"I promise, you'll be the first to know before I get back." I smiled broadly and hugged Lilly tightly.

I could feel tears gathering in my eyes, though I could hardly control them. It was hard to know that my remaining days could be counted on fingers of my two hand. I looked away from Lilly and smiled a little, not wanting to poke my red eyes.

"Maybe..." Lilly's voice floated through the air.

"Maybe I'll meet your dad?" I finished the sentence for her.

" Yes, it's been over two years." Lilly sighed.

Lilly's dad has been in werewolf s*****y for two years. He was elected without regard to the fact that he has children. I imagine he'll be very useful to the werewolves. Lilly's dad was a great builder. He renovated the whole house that he and his family moved into with his own hands and, of course, furnished it. I was by Lilly's side and supported her all the time. It was hard to see her heart break as she said goodbye to her dad for the last time.

"Of course I will tell him that you love him." I said, patting Lilly's shoulder.

" I'll probably be on my way." Lilly stood up.

" Okay, bye." I stood up and hugged her.

I knew very well what a sensitive subject Lilly was about her father. From a very young age she was her daddy's child. She always went with him everywhere, whether to work, fishing, to the grocery store or anywhere else. I watched Lilly disappear behind the wet buildings of the village. The wind blew harder, making me cringe and rub my hands together a little. Outside, it was slowly getting darker, and I sat and enjoyed the silence around me. I leaned my back against a tree and closed my eyes, completely relaxed. My body did not feel the cold wind, nor the cooler air which was becoming more brisk. You could say that I am kind of hardened to this kind of weather. Maybe it's just because I absolutely love the rain. I allowed myself a moment to not think about anything and just be myself as I am. My eyes went wide when a letter flashed through my mind. I instantly remembered the letter lying in the bottom of my backpack. Unzipping my backpack, I pulled out an envelope with my name on it. With a light movement, I opened the envelope and pulled out a folded piece of paper from inside. With one easy movement I opened it and saw the sheet filled with a full page of fine handwriting. The first words...

"Amelia, I've only seen you a few times. I know I have no right to watch you, but I couldn't help it. I don't want the person who will belong to me in nine days to get into trouble or be killed. I want you to stop climbing on big rocks and wandering in the woods at night. I am not restricting your freedom, not yet. But I do want to limit the number of disasters you can get into. Be safe Amelia.

Lorcan"

I could feel my she-wolf anxiously growling at the letter I received from Lorcan. I have no idea who he thinks he is, but he won't stop me from spending my last days of freedom as I wish. It's very strange that he didn't mention my wolf form. I really hope that my scent does not give anything away. I probably spend too much time with people and wash a lot, so he still thinks I'm human. I smiled at the thought that my secret is still safe for a while. I folded the letter and put it back in my backpack. In one movement, I threw it on my shoulder and pulled it towards the house. Outside, it was starting to drag fast. I counted the steps and finally, at three hundred and six, I was at the door of my house. When I opened the door, I immediately took off my wet shoes and looked into the kitchen. My dad and mum were having a quiet dinner. The clock on the wall read well after eight o'clock in the evening. Without saying a word, I stumbled up the stairs to the second floor and changed into my wet clothes. Finally, after a hard day, I got comfortable in my bed and closed my eyes. I felt damn tired after such a day and night. My body needed rest and finally my eyes closed easily.

A soft humming made my eyes open wide. They immediately met the brightness of my room which signalled the beginning of the day. Strangely enough, even my wolf didn't mind a night's sleep yesterday and let me rest. I lazily groaned and sat up in bed. The sound reached my ears again and my eyes went straight to the window. Another pebble reached my window, causing my forehead to twist and I reluctantly got out of bed. I walked over to the window and opened it. Then I looked around for the owner of this horrible sound that was preventing me from sleeping as much as I wanted. My eyes rested on Lilly, who waved enthusiastically at me as she stood under my window.

"Good morning, my dear." Lilly exclaimed.

"Why are you so early?" I said, rolling my eyes.

" Today is your eighth day, we can't waste any time." Lilly stamped on the spot.

"What's the rush?" I said with a grin.

"We'll see." Lilly stuck out her tongue.

"Give me five minutes." I smiled as I closed the window.

I quickly took off my nightgown and pulled a pair of white shorts and a black long-sleeved sweater out of the closet. I untangled my hair, which looked like it had been ruffled by the rain from the night before. I tidied up my hair as much as possible and walked straight through the door of the room. I went down the stairs and looked into the kitchen, where there was nothing. I paused for a moment and listened to the sounds in the house. I could hear the clock ticking on the wall, water dripping from the tap, a branch of the wind knocking on the living room window, but there was no sign of a human presence in the house. I put on my black sneakers and opened the front door. Lilly's wide smile greeted my eyes.

"What's with the happy face?" I wrapped my arm tightly around Lilly.

" You'll see, come with me." Lilly coddled me as she released me.

Lilly took my hand and pulled me along the familiar path towards the village school. I followed Lilly slowly and saw her face smile more and more. I put one foot in front of the other to keep up with her. Before my eyes, I saw a large school park planted with all kinds of trees. My eyes caught sight of many balloons tied to the trees and a large sign with the letters "We will miss you Amelia". I could feel tears gathering in my eyes. At the beginning, there was a group of people standing at the entrance to the park. As I walked closer, I began to recognise each person standing there. My mother was standing with a beautiful blue dress and my father was standing next to her in a suit. Next to Dad stood his brother Thom and their little girl. My eyes met several classmates with who I obviously did not get along well. Nevertheless, I could see tears in their eyes. They were Amber and Ashley. I was in contact with them until I met Lilly. As time went on, it turned out that they liked to talk about me. Now I could see that they regretted it all and understood my plight. I could also see George standing with the same guys. They did not dare to look me in the eye, but I could feel the fear coming from them.

"Darling, we've thrown you a little farewell party. " Daddy stepped in front of everyone and hugged me.

" We wanted you to remember the place you came from." Mum hugged me around the waist.

" This is wonderful." Tears gathered in my eyes and one ran down my cheek.

"We're sorry." George's weak voice reached my ears.

" We were wrong." Amber and Ashley's voice rang out.

After each person gave a little speech, we headed down the park path. Next we saw a huge decoy placed on the ground and a mini-sketch made. There were all sorts of food, cakes, biscuits and several large thermoses for tea and coffee. My head was spinning with all the people around me talking, laughing, chatting and spending time together. I got down on the ground and looked around me. I was surrounded by people who have been by my side for most of my life, or at least know me a little.

"Whose idea is this?" I raised an eyebrow at Lilly, who was sitting next to me.

"Your mother, of course." Lilly whispered.

" It wasn't necessary at all." I rolled my eyes.

" There are people who won't forget you." Lilly smiled.

"I know I won't forget you either. Why is George here?" I sneered at the guy standing there talking to the others;

"I'm not kidding, no one invited him here." Lilly rolled her eyes.

I squinted my eyes and looked in the direction of George who was talking to the blond guy. I tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear and strained my hearing. Soon George's words reached my ear.

" I'm not lying, he did visit me." George whispered.

"What did he need?" Blondie blurted out.

"In your opinion, why would I be here, certainly not for her." George threw a glance in my direction.

I stood up quickly and walked towards George with a quick step. I saw him set a normal expression on his face as if he hadn't just spoken about anything and smiled broadly at me.

"Hi Amelia." George said patronizingly.

"Why are you here?" I stared at him with my eyes open.

"Wouldn't a formal thank you suffice?" George rolled his eyes.

"Tell me, why are you here?" I said quietly, rolling my eyes.

I could feel my blood just boiling. I had heard his conversation with the blond perfectly and I wasn't that stupid. Yesterday I was a laughing stock and today he came to a party about my departure. He certainly did not come here to mourn with the others or to rejoice in my last days.

"Derek leave us alone." George looked at the blonde.

Derek soon walked away, joining the other people. George looked me intently in the eyes but didn't say a word. The tension just boiled inside me, and my wolf sat there chattering his teeth to find out more. George took me by the hand and led me a little further away from people's ears. I was sure I would hear something that no one else should hear.

"That was Lorcan, okay?" George whispered softly.

"What?" I said, raising an eyebrow.

"After our encounter at Sleepy Lakes, he appeared to me before I could get to the front door." George turned his eyes away into the trees.

"What did he need?" I kept asking George.

"He told me not to lay a finger on you or he would make my life a living hell." said George in a trembling voice.

I saw him turn white and start to chew his lower lip. The smell of fear was strong and tickled my nose. For a few seconds I was lost in my own mind, wondering why Lorcan was behaving this way.

"Lorcan said the least I can do is apologize to you." George sighed.

"I understand." I said and turned on my heel to head towards the rest of the guests.

"Amelia, wait." George called out.

"What?" I turned to look over my shoulder.

" I'm really sorry, I shouldn't have done that, I was a real bastard." I could see the pity in George's eyes.

"It's all right." I smiled and walked on my way.

I knelt next to Lilly, who was holding a piece of cake and eating it with gusto. She swallowed a big mouthful and turned to me with big eyes and nodded to George. I knew her question perfectly well, even if she couldn't speak at the moment.

"I wanted to find out why George is here, he's not the nicest." I rolled my eyes and smiled.

Lilly raised one eyebrow without taking her eyes off me and took another big piece of cake. I smiled, at the thought of her being silence, I could tell just by the expression on her face. Lilly wanted to find out the real reason George was here.

"It's because Lorcan threatened someone." whispered softly.

Lilly started coughing loudly when she heard Lorcan's name. She, like me, hadn't expected Lorcan to have interfered with George's arrival.

"He what?" Lilly put her hand over her mouth.

"Lorcan told him to show up here, or he said he'd spare him." I said, rolling my eyes.

"I can't imagine how scared George is." Lilly giggled.

"As for Lorcan, he's all white. You seem to be scared quite a lot." I smiled broadly and laughed.

"I wouldn't be too happy to hear her say that either." Lilly wrinkled her forehead.

" Let's forget about Lorcan for a moment. Today is my eighth day of freedom." I said in an ironic voice.

"Come on, I want to show you something." Lilly stood up and took my hand.

"More surprises?" I asked, following behind Lilly.

"I think you'll like this." Lilly smiled.

We took a narrow park path away from the people. We sat down on a bench with a view of the school windows and the path leading to the entrance. Then Lilly pulled something out of her pocket, clutched it in her palm and held it out towards me.

"I wanted you to know that your secret is always safe with me." Lilly smiled and put something in my palm.

I squeezed my palm and there rested a thin silver bracelet with a silver claw. I smiled broadly, knowing that Lilly was someone I trusted one hundred percent.

"She's amazing." I smiled broadly and hugged Lilly.

I held out my hand and with a few easy movements she put the bracelet on my arm. The bracelet slipped off, lying lightly on my arm.

"I guess it's time for us to go back." Lilly cast a glance at the people milling about.

We got up from the bench and walked slowly towards the guests, who were gathering for some unknown reason. After a short walk, I could see my mother's eyes full of panic, which were darting around the park. Suddenly her eyes rested on me and she smiled weakly. With a quick step, she walked towards me.

"We have a guest." Mum whispered more softly.

"What?" Lilly's eyes scanned all the people standing there.

I looked at all the people and my eyes stopped at the black eyes looking in my direction. A familiar smell reached my sense of smell and I furrowed my eyebrows. I knew exactly what kind of guest had just visited us. I followed in my mother's footsteps and we soon approached the people gathering. I could feel a burning gaze fixed on my chest. The people spread out and a tall man standing in the middle of everyone caught my eye. None of the tens of thousands of people could mix this werewolf with anyone.

"You?" I rolled my eyes and glared angrily at Lorcan.

"Mistress Amelia, we need to talk." Lorcan's commanding tone reached my ears.