His House
1066 Words
CHAPTER FOUR
Harper’s POV
The first thing I felt was softness.
It was so soft that, for a few seconds, I wondered if I was still dreaming.
Slowly, I opened my eyes.
A white ceiling stretched above me, decorated with elegant patterns that looked far too beautiful to belong in an ordinary room.
I blinked several times before pushing myself into a sitting position.
The mattress beneath me sank gently, softer than any bed I had ever slept on.
My gaze slowly wandered around the room.
The bedroom was enormous.
Sunlight poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows, making the polished wooden floor shine. A crystal chandelier hung above me, while expensive paintings decorated the cream-colored walls. The furniture looked as though it had been chosen from the pages of a luxury magazine.
For a long moment, I simply stared. “…Where am I?”
The events of yesterday slowly returned, the hockey game, the laughter.
My torn trousers. Tyler…
I felt my chest tighten as his words echoed inside my head.
You were just a truth or dare.
My fingers instinctively grabbed the blanket covering me.
Then another memory surfaced.
Strong arms catching me before I fell.
A calm voice. Xavier.
I frowned. “I fainted…”
Looking down, I noticed that I was no longer wearing my torn clothes.
Someone had changed them into a loose, comfortable nightdress.
My injured knee had also been cleaned and carefully wrapped with a fresh bandage.
Whoever had treated it knew exactly what they were doing.
I slowly moved my leg.
It still hurt, but nowhere near as much as before.
I looked around the room once more. “This can’t be a guest house…”
Everything about this place was too expensive.
Even the bedside table beside me probably cost more than everything inside my hostel room.
Just then, voices drifted in from outside the bedroom.
“They said she’s awake.”
“Good. Alpha instructed us to bring breakfast the moment she opens her eyes.”
Alpha?
I frowned. Did I hear that correctly? Alpha…What kind of title was that?
Before I could think any further, I heard footsteps approaching the bedroom.
Without thinking, I quickly climbed out of bed.
My knee protested immediately, but I ignored the pain.
There was no way I wanted strangers walking in and finding me sitting comfortably in a room that clearly didn’t belong to me.
My eyes landed on another door near the corner of the bedroom.
I hurried toward it and carefully pushed it open.
It led into a small dressing room connected to the bedroom.
I slipped inside just as the bedroom door opened. “Miss?”
One of the women sounded surprised.
“She was awake a moment ago.”
Another gasped. “Where did she go?”
“I’ll inform Alpha immediately.”
“No.” A third maid stopped her. “Search the room first.”
I held my breath.
Their footsteps echoed around the bedroom.
One of them even walked close enough that I could hear her breathing through the slightly opened dressing-room door.
For several terrifying seconds, I was certain she would find me.
Instead… “She isn’t here.” “How is that possible?” “We have to find her before Alpha does.”
Their hurried footsteps faded away.
Only after everything became quiet did I finally let out the breath I had been holding.
I waited another minute before carefully stepping back into the bedroom.
The door was now wide open, the hallway outside was empty, this was my chance.
I quietly slipped out.
The corridor seemed even bigger than the bedroom.
Elegant paintings covered the walls while expensive carpets stretched beneath my feet.
Fresh flowers filled crystal vases placed along the hallway.
Everything looked too grand, too perfect.
I followed the hallway until I reached a large staircase overlooking an enormous entrance hall.
The moment I looked down… I froze.
Xavier stood in the middle of the hall.
He had changed into a simple black shirt and dark trousers, yet somehow everyone around him seemed smaller.
Several men stood before him, listening carefully as he spoke.
His voice wasn’t loud, he wasn’t shouting egg every single person gave him their complete attention.
He finished speaking.
Immediately, every one of them lowered their heads. “Yes, Alpha.”
None of them questioned him, none of them hesitated.
They simply turned and carried out his orders as though obeying him was the most natural thing in the world.
A maid hurried toward him.
She stopped several steps away before lowering her head respectfully. “Alpha, breakfast has been prepared.”
“I’ll eat later.”
“Yes, Alpha.”
She left immediately.
My eyes widened. Alpha… They were all calling him Alpha.
Nobody called someone like that unless… No.
I shook my head. That couldn’t be right.
My gaze slowly swept across the mansion again.
The marble staircase, the polished floors, the expensive decorations, the countless servants, the guards standing at every entrance.
My heartbeat became uneven. “This isn’t a guest house…”
The words escaped my lips before I realized I had spoken them aloud.
He lied to me.
Almost immediately, guilt settled inside me. No…
Maybe he hadn’t wanted me to feel uncomfortable.
Maybe he only called it a guest house because he didn’t want me to think I was invading his home.
Maybe he doesn’t want me to know about his title of a thing
After everything he had already done… After carrying me here… After treating my injuries… I was still causing him trouble.
My fingers tightened around the sleeve of the oversized shirt I was wearing. “I have to leave.”
The decision came almost instantly.
I couldn’t stay here any longer, I quietly stepped away from the balcony before anyone noticed me, I didn’t want to face Xavier.
If I thanked him, he would probably insist that I rest longer.
If he insisted… I wasn’t sure I would know how to refuse him.
It would be easier if I simply left.
I began searching the mansion as quietly as I could, opening one hallway after another while trying to find an exit no one was using.
If everyone was gathered downstairs around Xavier…
Then perhaps there was another way out.
All I had to do…I had to escaped before anyone realized I was gone.
- Writer
