Ravished By The Alphas

Chapter 7

Valerie

I didn’t know what to say.

What was allowed when speaking to an Alpha? Was I to wait until he addressed me? Could I speak first?

Surely, I couldn’t just say something like, “Can I call you Alpha instead?” Could I?

After a moment of my silent deliberations, the Alpha seemed to give up on any chance of a reply. “Nevermind,” he said. Then he turned to the glaring man in the passenger seat. “That’s enough, Ralph. You can rest easily now. This journey has been tiresome enough.”

I wasn’t sure what he meant, but Ralph nodded his head and his unfriendly gaze finally lifted off of me. Truly, he couldn’t have thought I would try to hurt the Alpha. What was he, a damned guard dog?

Outside, the landmarks had finally begun to change. A greenness began to take over the earth—a color I hadn’t seen since my parents were still alive. I gaped at the vast forest of trees awaiting us, a slight excitement beating in my chest.

Calm down, I told myself. You’re still a slave. Your life is still over.

But the truth was, I hadn’t seen trees in six years. And I would be lying if I said the sight didn’t fill me with gallons of joy.

The path to our destination—wherever that might’ve been—seemed to lie deep within the forest. We drove onto a road with manicured shrubs on both sides. Then came a large canopy of trees. They were tall—so tall, I couldn’t see the tops through the window. I leaned close to the glass, trying to take in every detail. Goddess knew if I would ever see them again. If the Alpha was anything like the masters I’d learned out, I would likely see nothing for the rest of my life but the same four walls.

Goodness, I had forgotten how lovely trees were.

They began to bunch closer and closer at the roots, until the sky was nothing but tree tops. They cast dancing shadows on the ground, darkening the long stretch of road in front of us. We followed until we came to a break in the trees, and a grand castle revealed itself to us.

“Saelmere,” I found myself mouthing. I ignored how my breath made fog on the glass. I had never seen anything so beautiful as Saelmere Castle. I hadn’t any idea that the Alpha still lived here—and I certainly never expected he would be bringing me to this place.

It was just as beautiful as I imagined.

The walls reached higher than towers, with dozens of arched glass windows, where light spilled through stained glass. The walls were made of earthy brick, where clumps of moss and thickets of vines had found their home and grown along the mortar for decades.

I had seen a place like this once before, in a picture book—long before the passing of my parents. A book that had all sorts of ancient buildings and beautiful castle structures. But by now, those books were probably burned or locked away from human access.

I never imagined I would see a castle in person.

The car came to a stop at a gate and a man skittered over. Not a wolf, but a man. A human man.

I stared in awe. I hadn’t seen a human man in several years. He was not shackled or chained, and he was dressed in fine, impressive clothing with a badge on his left shoulder. The sign of a servant. Servants did not usually fare this well.

This was the fate of humans who hadn’t been captured in the war. Humans who hadn’t the money to tribute for freedom. They were gathered up as slaves and put to work—paid not with money, but with a roof over their head and food in their bellies. The badge identified just who their master was, so they would be unharmed by other creatures.

It didn’t seem so bad, given the alternative.

The doors slid open and the Alpha climbed swiftly out of the car. I followed after, unsure of what to do with myself but to act as a shadow. Following silently and obediently behind.

As we approached the man, he bent an arm behind his back and bowed. “Welcome home, sir,” he said. I was surprised by how young he was. Somewhere in his late thirties, with charming creases on his cheeks and grizzled hair. When he came up from his bow, his eyes caught mine. A quick look of confusion crossed his face before he replaced it with a smile, turning to Ralph. “Welcome to Saelmere, Lord Beta. It’s been a long time since your last visit. You’re well, I hope?”

“Good noon, Victor,” replied the Alpha.

Ralph gave him a brief and quiet nod hello.

Then we ascended the staircase. The Alpha lead, with Ralph at his side. Then Victor followed behind them, and I trailed just behind him. The steps were marble and I did not have a pair of shoes to my name. I had outgrown them since my journey to the slave shop, and slaves were not given such needless things. Each step was cold against my feet, and as I glanced down, I noticed the swirls of marble in the stone.

Victor seemed desperate to get the Alpha’s attention. He was fumbling up the steps with a clipboard in his hands. “Sir, we need to talk about the budget for the ceremony. In terms of food, we were thinking…”

He rambled on, most of his words just out of my reach. The Alpha nodded along, but seemed less than interested. Instead, he stopped Victor’s rambling and asked, “Is Mrs. Manson on duty?”

“Yes, sir,” Victor said. “She’s training new servants, but—I must tell you, Your Majesty, some of them are very difficult to teach. One said she used to be an accountant, but she couldn’t even manage to count to one-hundred.”

He gave a light, awkward chuckle. It was clear Victor wanted desperately to impress him, though I personally didn’t find his story very funny at all. Most of us were not well-educated. In part, because we were taken to The Cell at such an early age. Instead of math, we learned how to was dishes properly. How to mop floors and clean blood stains out of rugs. And how to please in the bedroom.

Still, the Alpha smiled at his attempt at humor and replied, “Well, it doesn’t hurt to be picky.” Then he glanced at me over his shoulder. “Valerie. Are you good at mathematics?”

I jolted at my name, heat hitting my face. He remembered it? “N-no, my Alpha.”

The Alpha laughed and waved a hand at Victor. “Forget the ceremony. Is there nothing more important you’d like to report?”

“Yes, sir,” said Victor. “I’ve been eager to tell you. Lord Lane had returned. He’s waiting for you inside.”

Before another word was spoken, the large front doors of the castle swung open. “Why so late, Xavier? I’m starving.” A man had emerged and he stood there now with his arms slung around the shoulders of a woman. “It isn’t polite to keep your guests waiting.”