Trapped in the Den of Alphas

Chapter 12

Eden's POV

I fix my hair into a tight knot at the base of my neck and look back at my tired eyes in the mirror. After Conall left last night, it was impossible to fall asleep. I’m practically wrapped in the man’s scent and it’s fair to say his presence here certainly left an impression.

Who does that asshole think he is? Who the hell died and made him king of this run-down castle?

Today is the day that I find out.

I fix a determined look on my face and head out into the corridor, making my way to Mateo’s room, which he happened to point out to me yesterday in passing.

I can already hear the men downstairs eating, but something tells me he won’t be joining them this morning. I lift my hand to rattle the door, and I’m greeted immediately with a weary voice. “Come in.”

I swing the door open and see him lying face down on the double bed, his sheets covering his body up to the waist. His head swings around, and a crooked smile appears on his face. “Morning,” he groans, lifting his arm to give me a meager wave.

“Goddess, look at you,” I tut, closing the door behind me. “You’re a mess!”

“Yeah, thanks for that,” he retorts, laughing just a little before wincing in pain.

I walk over to his bedside, casting my eyes around the place as I move.

The room is definitely bigger than mine, but it’s not much more inviting. The old paint is still peeling off the walls, and the furniture is still tired-looking. “Yeah, I know…it’s not quite the Palace of Morween, is it?” he taunts.

I ignore his joke and come to a stop, examining the soaked dressings that are covering his wounds. I can already tell by the scent in the air that they have been doused in Emerdas sap, which I guess is somewhat of a relief.

“Well, at least someone had the decency to fix you up last night,” I mutter, dragging a chair over to sit beside him. “Who was it?”

“I don’t know,” Mateo answers with a shrug. “I was out of it. Probably Jarek, though. He’s the only one here who knows about medicines and s**t. I guess I’ll have to thank him.”

“This should never have happened. What they did to you was terrible! Why aren’t you angry? That asshole Conall ordered your punishment!”

“Eden…”

“I mean, where does he get off handing out these kinds of punishments to his own men? It’s disgusting! Does he get some sort of joy out of watching someone else’s misery?”

“You must stop trying to battle Con, Eden; it’s a battle you’ll lose. Trust me. Let it go and stay away from him.”

“What? But it’s not right.”

“Maybe not…but this decision wasn’t up to him anyway. The code is the code, and that’s all there is to it.”

“Code? You are trying to tell me that a man like him isn’t able to overrule some silly code?” I question, straightening up in my chair.

“Eden, listen. When a lot of men, a lot of men like us, live under the same roof, we must have a code. A set of rules that we stick to no matter what. The rules apply to us all. As do the punishments, whether we like it or not. We can’t pick and choose.”

I stare at him as I begin to piece the puzzle together. “So what happened last night…you already knew that it was coming? You knew the minute you brought me here?”

He nods his head.

My shoulders slump, and I take a deep breath. “Mateo, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”

“You’re sorry that I bashed you over the head and made you a slave?”

“Hmmm, well, when you put it like that, maybe you deserved the lashing after all,”

He grins in return.

“So why did you bring me back here? If it’s against this code or whatever?”

“There was nothing heroic in it, Eden. I’d like to say there was,” he admits with a shrug.

“At least you’re honest,” I answer, folding my arms over my chest.

“The truth is, I’d have been punished either way. One of our rules is that we don’t expose ourselves to others, especially elves. I broke that rule the second I shifted in front of you—”

“But you could have killed me.”

“Then I would have been breaking an even bigger rule.”

I scrunch my face in confusion.

“We aren’t the monsters you think we are, Eden. Not anymore…” he adds quietly.

I must admit that everything I’ve learned in my life and everything I’ve seen in this house so far has taught me otherwise. However, I keep my mouth shut on the subject for now, having caused enough drama for one day.

“Well, for what it’s worth, I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

“Ahh, it wasn’t so bad. I was pretty wasted,” he laughs, his body bobbing up and down.

“Yeah, it smells like it!” I answer, pinching my nose for dramatic effect. “The stench of alcohol in here could kill a little wood elf like me stone dead!”

He raises an eyebrow at me. “You aren’t fooling anyone with that wood elf story. That freakout last night could rival the fiercest Luna. I kid you not.”

As soon as the words are out of his mouth, his eyes turn sad, and his smile disappears.

My curiosity gets the better of me, and I can’t help but press further. “Luna…that’s a female leader, yes?” I ask for clarification.

He nods his head cautiously.

“Did you ever meet one?” I whisper, my eyes opening wide.

He snorts just a little. “Meet one? My mother was the most badass Luna you could ever meet.”

“Your mom? But wouldn’t that make you—”

“An Alpha,” he answers for me.

I blink a few times before swallowing. “Mateo, if you’re an Alpha, then maybe you could take over here. Perhaps you could do something good—”

“Eden, you don’t understand,” he states exhaustedly, shaking his head.

“Then help me to understand. Why is Con the one in charge?”

“Because he’s an Alpha too,” he snaps back, clearly irritated by my probing questions. “We all are!”

My mouth drops open a little in shock. Of course, I knew these men were powerful, but every one of them an Alpha?

How is it even possible?

“You are all Alpha males, yet he is in charge? I don’t get it—”

“Every pack needs a leader,” he explains plainly. “Without one, we fall apart.”

“You all chose him as your leader?”

“Not exactly.”

Before he can elaborate, the door knocks loudly from behind, causing me to jump in fright.

“Come in,” Mateo calls out, wincing again.

The door opens, and one of the men walks inside, his eyes flicking between Mateo and I from beneath his glasses.

“Jarek, hey man,” Mateo says, moving to sit up.

“No, don’t get up. I just came to check if you need anything?” Jarek answers with a look of genuine concern.

“Wouldn’t mind a couple of your magic pain pills, Doc,” Mateo answers with a weak chuckle.

“Coming up,” he answers, his eyes then gravitating toward me.

“Jarek, her name is Eden,” Mateo says.

I’m surprised when the man nods at me, his face not entirely filled with contempt. “I’ll go get those pills.”

He makes for the door, and I stand up, ready to join him. I do have places to be, unfortunately. “I’ll stop in with some lunch for you later if you’d like, Mateo?” I offer with some uncertainty. “If they’ll let me touch the food, that is.”

“Wouldn’t count on it, Eden! Also… please don’t do anything f*****g stupid while I’m out of it.”

“I can’t promise anything.”

I give him a small smile before leaving, walking past Jarek on the way.

“Hey man, I meant to say thanks for the bandages.”

“Bandages?”

The door closes behind me, and I walk over to peer over the balcony’s edge. The breakfast table is now empty, but I can see a mass of plates has indeed been left behind just for me.

Here we go again…