Enslaved by the Alpha

Chapter Five Pt 2: Crossing Boundaries

"Scarlett."

My eyes opened, gradually taking in my surroundings. I was lying on the pile of blankets next to Draven, my forehead against his chest with only a few inches of space between our bodies. He was staring at me by the time I raised my gaze and a frown weighed my lips.

Did I just fall asleep? How could I allow myself to lose all awareness like that? I've never fallen asleep around someone, what on earth was I thinking? How could I be so mindless?

"It's only been a half hour," he said. My eyes lowered to find all our clothes still intact and I returned my attention to him, a small smile crossing my lips.

I may have found trust, too.

"How did you lose your fangs?" He randomly asked, a bothered look on his face. My smile fell and my heart dropped alongside it.

"Punishment," I forced a swallow, sitting up and turning away to stare at the upcoming sunrise slightly showing through waterfall. "I almost did something bad."

He sat up next to me, his face hardening. "What did he do?"

"What?" I furrowed my eyebrows.

"You wouldn't just lash out, not at him. You're deathly afraid of him and I saw it the second I laid my eyes on you. He provoked you-how?"

I fiddled with my hands, hesitating my next words. "By living."

His hand reached out and grasped both of mine, preventing me from continuing to fidget. I dropped my line of sight to them, the truth falling out of my mouth thoughtlessly.

"I tried killing his mate so he'd die and I'd be free," I released a trembling breath, shifting my eyes up to his while unannounced tears fell from my eyes. His face filled with disbelief and he searched my expression, his mouth opening as if he was about to speak yet nothing came out.

"I'm not evil. This place is making me do bad things. I'm not-I'm not evil," I choked on my words.

"I know, Red," he spoke solemnly, rubbing my back softly. "I never believed for a second that you were."

I looked at him, my gaze falling to his lips. There was a weird feeling fluttering around in my gut and I had this terrorizing, involuntary impulse to kiss him. Even though I quickly grew to hate locking lips because it only ever pleasured the other person, the foreign sensation brainwashed me into thinking this time will be different. I only wanted it more.

What the hell is wrong with me?

Why am I feeling like this toward him?

"I went after your mother. Why are you not angry?" I clenched my hair between my fingers, resting my head against my palm.

He stopped his hand on my back and analyzed me, visibly stressed. "My parent's should know better than to cage another person like this, so they should be more than prepared to face the consequences. It's not your fault."

"Why are you being so nice to me?" My voice trembled in frustration.

"Because you're-" his answer ended abruptly, a deadly silence taking over.

Many moments passed until he pulled back his hand.

"I'm what?" I asked.

"You're my mate."

I froze. My world came to a standstill and my blood turned cold just hearing that four letter word, never in my life have I thought I'd hear any form of you in the same sentence as mate.

I'll never be free, a wolf cannot go without his other half.

I truly am trapped here.

"How long have you known?" My voice cracked. He turned away, the softness in his eyes hardening, mimicking Alpha Zeek's once more, then he clenched his jaw.

"The day I left an imprint on your arm. The pain we both felt from brief contact, I felt something inside me snap in place and everything I felt for you magnified. Pity, sorrow, care... attraction," his eyes snapped to mine.

I sucked in a sharp, silent breath, unable to look away. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because it changes nothing," he stated flatly, a distant look in his eyes as he peered out at the waterfall. "I'm still letting you go, so I didn't think it mattered. I couldn't be happy if you were miserable."

I reached out and put my hand on his knee, trailing my eyes gradually along his body. My hand squeezed him lightly as my eyes reached his face, finding him already staring blankly at me.

"It matters right now," I answered gently, sliding my hand toward the bulge in his shorts until he grabbed my wrist to stop me in my tracks.

"No," he said firmly, shocking me with his tone. "I didn't tell you to guilt you into sleeping with me. This isn't what I want."

"What? Then why did you?" I pulled my hand back and he seemed relieved.

"Because you asked," he responded.

"No other reason? Simply because I asked?" I frowned, confused and slightly upset. He doesn't owe me an explanation for anything just because I asked for one. I never get answers.

"Simply because you asked," he repeated in confirmation.

"C-Can we go?" I looked down in discomfort.

He moved to his feet and held his hand out, his fingers hardly in my peripheral vision. I took his hand and he pulled me up, signaling ahead to let me go. Hesitantly, I started walking.

We emerged from behind the waterfall and my gaze quickly moved around, awed by the beauty of it all. My eyes widened when the foot holding most of my weight suddenly sank in wet mud, slipping right into the water. I threw my arms, twisting my body and clutching onto Draven. Instead of stopping myself, I dragged him down with me, the both of us smacking into the water within a second of each other.

I thrashed around trying to surface, panic surging me the more I failed. Hands soon wrapped around my body and I wrapped my arms and legs around his torso, clinging to him, pure fear racing through me.

He pulled us ashore despite me hanging off his chest and sat up against the rocks, panting heavily due to the extra work he had to put in. I refused to let go, squeezing him tightly with my face buried in his neck, my eyelids still clenched shut.

My heart beat so fast it ached and I trembled against him, breathing harshly in an attempt to calm myself from the fear still surging through me.

"It's okay," he said, wrapping his warm, massive arms around me in a hug that shockingly comforted me. One arm draped across my lower back while the other curved upward, his hand cupping the back of my head and his thumb caressed my hair. "I got you, Red. You're okay."

After calming, I loosened my hold and leaned back, hovering my face inches above his.

"I can't swim," I whispered, mortified.

He flashed a tiny smile, moving his hand beneath my hair to cup my cheek, a few singular strands sticking to my face under his warm palm.

"I gathered," he replied.

"I'm sorry for pulling you in. I just panicked," a frown crossed my face and his smile faltered.

"Don't ever apologize for your survival instincts," he responded seriously, "whether you pulled me in against my will or I had to dive in by choice, I was getting in that water either way."

The impulsive thoughts I had in the cave returned at his words and I ran my hands up his pecks, over his collar, and around his neck, feeling the tightness of his muscles. This made the urge stronger and I parted my lips, straining to fight the feeling I was losing the battle against.

"Draven," I strained in a humid whisper.

"What's wrong?" He frowned.

These feelings are controlling me.

"We need to go back," I pushed away and moved off of him, shocked by my own actions.

Why did I almost kiss him out of want, not obligation? Anything s****l is all for their pleasure, never mine, and yet I wanted to be the one to initiate it.

What the hell is wrong with me?

He arose from the ground and I refused his hand, standing up on my own. Nothing else was said, which I was grateful for, then we continued our walk back, now soaking wet. Alpha Aston has to know I'm gone by now and he's going to torture me for leaving the yard, especially alone with his son after he told me to stay away from him.

What am I getting myself into?

A lump formed in my throat and I bit my bottom lip, dreading what's awaiting me back at the pack house.

"Stop!" He grabbed my shoulder and I stiffened, turning to face him with startled eyes. His hold lightened. "Let me sneak you in. It's my fault you're out here."

I saw his hand open for mine and frowned in contemplation, placing my hand in his. He wrapped his fingers around the back of my hand then steered off the path we took here. I walked after him, following his tracks as we came up on the yard by the back of the house.

He suddenly came to an abrupt stop and I hardly stopped myself from hitting him, peeking my head around to see what happened. Two guards were patrolling the back, strolling past our spot behind the trees, bushes, and leaves. They continued until they rounded the far side of the house, vanishing from our sights.

Draven began tugging me along quite hastily at that moment and I stumbled behind, the two of us coming to a halt beneath the familiar balcony with a black swirly railing.

"I'm going to hoist you up. The door is unlocked, you can just go inside. I'll meet you in there," he explained, releasing my hand and staring down at me expectantly.

I looked between him, the ten foot gap between the bottom of his porch, and the ground we currently stood on.

"Those warriors will be back around in the next minute, we have to do this now," he added.

I hesitantly nodded and he twirled his finger, signaling me to turn. Obliging, I spun my back to him and felt his hands grab my hips, lifting my body into the air and my feet off of the grass gracefully.

Reaching out for the railing, I grasped onto the thick metal bars and pulled myself up. He let me go once I got a knee onto the wood and pulled myself the rest of the way, tossing my body over the railing and heading directly inside.

My heart was racing with adrenaline and I closed the sliding glass door, a huge smile planted on my face. My eyes roamed the room now that the rising sun was bringing light in here and noticed another room connected to his. I curiously walked over to the doorway, standing halfway on the carpet and halfway on the white, square tiles.

There were brown cupboards beneath a beautiful white sink surrounded by brown marble countertop. A large mirror hung inches above the faucet, two bulbs on each top corner. Next to the sink was the toilet, across from that was a textured glass door leading into what appears to be a shower.

"Very curious, aren't you?"

I twirled around to see Draven standing in the doorway, leaning on the doorframe with his forearm while his other hand remained buried in his sweatpants. His wet hair slicked back in a manner that clearly shown he had ran his hand through it numerously. A few loose strands refused to stay put against his head as they dried, curling from the root to hover over his forehead.

"Sorry, I..." the sentence lost itself in my mind and I closed my mouth, averting my gaze to the sink to avoid his stare. "Sorry," I finalized, hardly saving myself from the embarrassment.

His hand found my shoulder and caused me to jolt back, jabbing myself in the side with the counter. He let go upon seeing my reaction and I warily eyed him, a bit uneasy seeing as I am currently cornered between him and the appliances in the room. Every judicious piece of me didn't trust him despite all that he's done. And at the same time, I felt like these feelings of distrust were just feelings-not actual distrust, but an instinctive response. I'd like to think it's natural for someone in my position.

"I should go," my words came out a mumbled mess and I looked into his bedroom, surprised seeing him step aside and grant me walkway access.

Just like that? I don't have to repay him for what he did?

I quickly headed for the door, stopping when a loud knock hit the wood.

"Draven? Have you seen Scarlett? The warriors told me she was with you last, did you take her out of the yard?" Alpha Aston asked snidely through the door.

Backing away, my body smashed into Draven and I whipped around to face him. He brought his finger to his lips, silently shushing me then signaling away with his eyes. I rushed over to his bathroom, pulling the door until there was just a c***k.

He opened his bedroom door, holding it with his hand while he rested his other palm on the doorframe. "No, we didn't. I stepped in when your warriors threatened her safety, because having her unharmed is what you said you needed, is it not?"

His father clenched his jaw, clearly agitated by the fact we were together. But he's also annoyed that he can't do anything about it, his cover story would be exposed otherwise.

Draven cleared his throat like he was aware of his father's facade. "I was there to watch her feed and then we parted ways. She told me she was tired and went to sleep."

They shared a lingering look. "I will see her when she wakes. Until then, I suppose I should have a chat with my warriors about their little assault attempt. Thank you," Alpha Aston replied, his voice calm but his dead eyes seared into Draven. I felt the message they were trying to send from all the way over here and goosebumps spread over me.

He shut the door as his father turned away and I stepped out.

"You lied for me," I observed.

"I've done a lot more than that," he said, walking over and guiding me into the bathroom with his hand on my shoulder. I obeyed mindlessly.

"Here," he took a towel from his cupboard and set it on the shiny countertop. "You can clean up in the shower, I'm sure you want to wash off all that reminder. You reek of blood and me."

I smiled, flashing every tooth and the two I don't have without a speck of insecurity.

He returned it, gazing down at me with a foreign shimmer in his eyes. That look suited them much better than the cold, dull green I have branded in my brain.

I'm afraid I'm growing fond of him.