The Royal Alpha: Aden

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 4

Just when she had nearly accepted that there was no escape from the death waiting for her, the door suddenly flew open, battered inward by a powerful force from outside. Damien appeared instantly, drenched from head to toe.

In an instant, Laura collapsed onto the rough wooden floor, gasping for air.

She watched as Damien struck the man hard across the back of the neck with the edge of his hand, rendering him unconscious. It was then that Laura finally managed to break free.

Before the half-naked man collapsed onto the floor, already unconscious, Damien caught him and held him up. Every movement he made showed extreme care and gentleness, as if the man in his arms was of the utmost importance.

He laid him down gently, then turned his gaze back to Laura, who remained on the floor with her hands still pressed to her throat.

Damien—bent down and supported her by both shoulders, helping her to stand.

"You are alright now. You are safe."

Damien spoke softly as he guided her over to sit beside the fire. Tears welled in Laura’s eyes, but peace had finally settled upon her, for she knew that just as he had said, she was truly safe at last.

As her breathing slowly steadied and calmed, she glanced again toward the man lying on the bed.

Damien followed the direction of her gaze.

"He is my master."

Laura’s mouth fell open at his words, yet she felt no surprise.

"I saw him yesterday at the market. That is him, isn’t it?" she asked quietly, her eyes still fixed on the sleeping figure.

"Yes," Damien replied with a slight nod.

"Master?" Laura whispered, lifting her eyes to look at Damien, who was now hanging the soaked clothes he had removed, one by one, to dry near the flames.

"How? Who is he really?" Laura asked, her brow furrowed. She found it hard to accept that a man who appeared to be nothing more than a vagrant and a drunkard could be called "master."**

Damien raised one hand and ran his fingers through his damp black hair, streaked with strands of gray.

"Well—" He seemed reluctant to go into long explanations, and instead let out a soft sigh.

"You see, I am not even sure if it was the right decision to bring you here. He was furious with me last night. He tended to your wounds and healed you with his own hands before he left to go about his usual routine—wandering around with his bottle of wine in hand."

"He treated my wounds?" Laura asked in near disbelief, her voice barely above a whisper. "That is why there is hardly any trace of pain left on me even now, when I woke up this morning."

Damien nodded slowly in response.

"But even until now, I still do not know if he is comfortable having another person staying here with us." Damien added.

"So... he is my new master then?"

"Did he buy me?"

"I bought you," Damien corrected gently.

"Well—I bought you for him."

"I thought he had taken an interest in you, so I arranged to purchase you." Daniel explained.

"You thought? Does that mean there is no certainty that I am allowed to stay here?"

"Wait—it is not like that at all. You see, Master is a good man. I am certain he will be happy to have you here with us."

Laura fell silent, and once again she buried half her face against her bent knees.

"After what he did to me earlier—when he almost broke my neck—it was clear as day that he did not want me here at all," she whispered to herself, her voice soft and quiet in her own mind.

She fixed her gaze upon the dancing flames, remaining in that same position. After all the chaos and fear she had endured, this small fire was the only source of comfort left to her.

Its warmth wrapped around her entire being, as if whispering that for just a little while, she could finally rest and find peace.

Before long, the gentle darkness and calm feeling pulled her under completely—until she suddenly jolted awake when she nearly lost her balance while sitting.

She had fallen asleep right there, in that very spot.

Her eyes opened wide immediately. Sunlight was already peeking through the door and the cracks in the walls, signaling that the night had passed, and the storm was finally over.

Her knees trembled as she stood up, likely from the numbness that had settled in after staying curled up in that same position for so long. But she paid it no mind anymore.

The man who had looked like a hermit was no longer on the bed, so Laura moved freely toward the door. She opened it slowly, leaving just a small gap at first to peer outside. When she was certain that the man she feared to see was nowhere in sight, she pushed the door fully open.

The first person she saw was Damien, just like the day before, chopping wood.

His well-defined body glistened under the sunlight, every muscle clearly tensed and working hard with each swing of his axe. Laura found herself wondering if Damien had built such a strong physique from chopping wood every single day.

"Oh, you’re awake now?"

He greeted her with a simple smile.

"You fell asleep very quickly last night. We were just talking, and then suddenly you were fast asleep right there. —That’s a good sign, it means you feel comfortable around the Master and me." Damien said with a grin.

Laura could not find the right words to reply. To be honest, she herself was still wondering why she had become so calm and at ease so quickly around these two men whom she barely knew.

"Oh, and by the way," Damien continued, pointing toward a path ahead. "If you take that road over there, not far from here you will find a small stream. You can wash yourself there, or do whatever you need to do. This place is far away from any town or civilization, so you can do exactly as you wish—there will be no one watching you."

"R-Really?" Laura murmured softly.

Damien went back to his work, while Laura began walking along the path toward the stream he had mentioned. She suddenly felt a wave of excitement and longing; after such a long time, she would finally be able to wash herself clean.

She wandered about, and this was exactly what it felt like to be truly free.

Fresh air swept in from the lush green surroundings, and she could feel the soft blades of grass brushing against the tips of her fingers. She could hear the sounds of small creatures all around her—creatures she knew were there, watching her from the shadows. She did not even realize that a small, genuine smile had spread across her lips until she caught sight of the stream Damien had told her about.

Its sparkling waters shimmered brightly under the morning sunlight, looking as if they had been created just to be admired.

She walked closer, sat down beside the bank, and watched her own reflection ripple on the surface of the water. Then she dipped the tips of her fingers into it.

The water was cold, and it felt so refreshing that it seemed to invite her to step right in and let it wash over her entire being.

And so she did not hesitate any longer. She quickly removed the simple dress she was wearing—somehow, she did not even wonder where this clothing had come from, as if it had always been meant for her. She let it fall onto the damp stones along the edge of the stream, and then she stepped down into the cool water.

She fully surrendered to this peaceful moment, something she had been denied for so long. Her body felt light as she drifted and floated upon the surface, as if this was the most precious experience she would ever know in her whole life.

But after a long while, the silence around her was suddenly broken. She was floating in the water when she stood up and looked around, searching for something she could not quite name.

She had the feeling that there was a pair of eyes watching her. She could sense a presence far away, observing her in silence. She looked closely through the surrounding bushes, but there was no one there.

Feeling as though she was being watched, she hurried to get out of the water. She quickly grabbed her clothes and ran back along the path that led toward the house where Damien was. She dressed in haste, paying no mind to how she looked, and focused only on running as fast as she could.

Now, as she fled from something she could not identify, her heart began to pound harder and faster. It felt as though something was chasing her, yet every time she glanced back over her shoulder, there was nothing to be seen.

When she could finally see the small house coming into view at the end of the path, something caught her foot, causing her to stumble and fall. Her whole body crashed down onto the muddy ground, scattered with stones.

A soft cry of pain escaped her lips as she clutched her injured knee—now stained with blood. The stinging sensation burned deep into her flesh, so intense that she could barely bear to touch it, her hands pulling away from the wound instinctively.

"What are you doing?"

Her eyes widened in shock as a man suddenly appeared before her. He stood right in front of her, and without any hesitation or warning, he reached out and took hold of her. Slipped her one arm around his shoulders to his neck, then placed one arm beneath her knees and the other around her back, lifting her up as easily as if she were no heavier than a piece of paper.

His eyes looked familiar, yet she was certain she had never seen this man before in her life.

He had thick, dark hair streaked with strands of blue, and heavy, sharp eyebrows that sat above piercing, cold eyes of a deep dark gray color—eyes that seemed to look right through her.

"Don't look at me. It makes me feel uneasy," he said sharply, his voice low and hushed, sounding almost like a growl.

She stared straight ahead, barely daring to breathe because of the heavy tension between them. This strange, awkward atmosphere sent a cold shiver down her spine—so much so that it actually numbed the stinging pain she had been feeling in her wound just moments before.

"Master!"

Damien called out loudly, running toward them as soon as he spotted them from a distance.

"Master?"

Laura repeated the word quietly in her mind, understanding what it meant. Then she looked back at the man, and realized his face was only inches away from hers.