THE BROKEN ALPHA GODDESS

Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

VANESSA

A beautiful summer holiday and a planned trip to the beach, had me starting my day with positivity, hoping to impress my mother with my new learned trick.

“Essa! Time to go, we are running late for the beach.” I heard her voice as she approached my bedroom.

“Mom!” I squealed, feeling hyper.

“Essa you naughty little girl, your Dan is waiting, let's go.” She said drawing closer to me.

“Mom, I want to show you something," I said taking a long lap away from her to avoid being caught.

"What is left for you to show Essa, let go already, your Dad is waiting out there." Mom looked interested but she was a professional when it came to hiding her emotions.

"Patience Mom, I think I have mastered the invisibility cloak spell, cause I plan on pranking Dad."

Mom smiled proudly and said, "Really? Show me what you have got."

I squealed and regained posture closing my eyes in the process, I joined my hands together and interlocked my fingers.

The spell needed a lot of concentration and I had to give it my all.

"Αόρατος!" I chanted the spell in Ancient Greek and felt a light spark between my interlocked fingers.

I opened my eyes to see my mom's furrowed brows, her lips stretched into an impressed smirk and then she spoke.

"Amazing my child."

"But where exactly is my baby girl?" She took slow strides towards where I stood and I took it as an opportunity to run away from her.

I went behind her back and frightened her with a loud boo.

"Oh, Mother's! Okay, Essa, that's enough. Time to show yourself." Mom said walking around my room trying to feel my presence.

I giggled copping out of her every move. I was having a lot of fun seeing her struggle to find me.

Tired. I stopped to catch my breath, Mom was still oblivious of where I was and I wasn't ready to show myself either. I noticed the dressing mirror and saw my reflection on it, my heart sank immediately.

"Mom!" I called in a dull tone, all my excitement vanishing into thin air.

"Sweetheart, where are you? Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?" She asked, realizing I wasn't cheerful anymore.

"You can stop acting now, I know the spell didn't work." I rolled my eyes and dejectedly crawled on my bed.

"Essa." Mom sighs and joins me on the bed. "You were amazing, and the spell did work, well…. You didn't bother to make it last, and what did I say about concentration?" I stared up at her pretty face and she brushed my tears off.

"Take it deep into your heart," I replied, resting my head on her shoulder.

"That's right my child, but guess what ?" She slowly pulled me away from her shoulder and stared into my eyes.

"What?" I curiously stared back at her.

"My baby got the spell good, without having to dig deep into her heart. Essa you mastered the spell just fine, all you have to do next time is concentrate, and the spell won't wear off."

"You think so?" I asked, brightening up.

"I know so." She replied.

"Thanks, Mom. I love you." I hugged her tight sniffing her floral aroma, it was the one thing I loved most about her.

Suddenly everything disappeared and turned dark, I couldn't see anything.

“Do you think she will survive? There are so many cuts and bruises. I think we need Dr. Richard, he will know what to do.” I heard a distinct voice amidst the darkness.

“Miss to goody shoes, Alpha Stan will have our heads for helping this rogue slave and you know. Let her die, and cut us some slack.”

“Words Genevieve, watch your mouth. The Alpha heir brought her here, we have some leverage to do something, I am not going to sit back and watch her die.”

The Alpha heir? Was Kyan finally back? Was he the stranger who saved me?

“Soothe yourself, I am out of here.” and the clicking of heels followed.

I slowly opened my eyes and tried to adjust to the bright light. “Hmmm…” I groaned as the movements I made caused a severe ache to spread across my body.

“Oh praise the Goddess, you are awake.” A young lady in a nursing uniform gasps, as she notices my eyes are slightly open.

“This is a miracle.” She said and gently helped me adjust my head on the pillow.

I had never been to the infirmary before, even after spending thirteen years here. It was absurd but also the reality of my life.

Each time I was tortured, a first aid kit would be given to me to tend to my injuries. Though I wasn't so lucky all the time if Alpha Stan was in a bad mood, I would have to depend on my weak healing abilities and those were the worst.

“Can you speak?” The nurse asked, bringing me out of my thoughts.

I opened my mouth to say something and the deep pang I felt around my mouth made me think twice.

“It's okay, you don't have to try. I am glad you are awake, Dr Richard will do his best to fix you up and you will be back in shape.” The nurse smiled charmingly.

“I am Mary, by the way, you might not know me but I am quite familiar with you. We have never really gotten the chance to talk, but I have always been the nurse assigned to bring you a first aid box. The warriors just never let me see you, they consider it ominous.”

“I love your eyes, they are very unique. Is it just me, or my seeing them for the first time? I thought they were brown.”

My eyes widened as distress slowly settled in my being, did I lose my contact lenses in the fight.?Oh, Goddess! Alpha Stan will kill me.

“Forgive me if I am blabbering too much.” The nurse said noticing my state of panic. “I don't tend to have mute patients all the time. I will get the doctor now, I will be back soon,” she said and scurried off, not without passing me her smile.

Slaves were not allowed to exchange words with the higher ranked, especially not rogue slaves and this nurse was risking a lot just by talking to me.

My origin as a Rogue slave started the day I was taken, I was tagged not because I came from the Rogue community, but because I wasn't born in this pack.

The higher rank included The Alpha, his Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Elders. For the lower ranks the Sergeants; Head warriors. Epsilon warriors are defenders of the pack. Omega born were the pack's slaves but they still had privileges to work and earn, to attend school and make a name for themselves. They could build their low rank to either that of the Sergeants, Epsilon, or Elder, but nothing beyond that.

And as for the Rogue slaves, we had no privilege, our lives did not even belong to us. Over the years of my captivity, I could sadly say I was the last of the rogue slaves to be taken from the rogue community.

Alpha Stan wasn't able to conquer any more packs for himself as time went by, he was forced by the Elders to sign a peace treaty and so Blood Lake has not had any Rogue slaves in the past years. His reasons for keeping me alive are quite obvious now.

The nurse returned, and her face and demeanor were gloomy. I knew she came to deliver some bad news. I was used to that so I only waited for her to spill.

“Urm…Dr Richard isn't available at the moment, but it's okay. I am here for you, I will tend to your injuries if you don't mind.” I nodded, having no choice.

“T–Th–Thank…Y–You.” I forced the words out and the nurse gave me a pitiful look. I didn't need her pity, and I wish I could tell her,but I didn't have the voice to oppose.

**********************

One week later…

After seven long days of bed rest, it was time for me to return home. I was grateful for the few days I spent away from Alpha Stan, the cruel warriors, the torture, the plantation, and my dark dungeon room.

“How are you feeling today Vanessa?” Mary asked in a low tone, wary of the other nurses finding out we were now friends. Well, that was what she referred to our relationship. I knew better than to accept it.

“Good.” I also replied in a low tone.

“I am so glad. I am sorry you can't take my clothes back home, but I promise to find a way to bring them to you.”

“No Miss Mary. Thank you, for I truly appreciate your kindness, but I cannot take anything from you. Your chances of facing a penalty for associating with me are grave, the Alpha heir is your only hope for not being expelled. Think about yourself, I can manage from here on.” I said gradually getting up on my feet.

I wasn't completely healed, however I felt much better than I had ever been in thirteen years.

“Here I got you an extra contact lens, just in case you lose this one,” Mary said in a hushed tone, slipping the small plastic into my hands.

I had no choice, I had to confide in Mary about my lenses, rubbing it off with a lie to keep my real reason a secret, it was the only way I could save my head.

If Alpha Stan was to ever find out I lost my lenses, he would make sure to strangle me dead as he did twelve years ago, and this time he would make sure I died.

“You are a pure soul Vanessa, I wish you the very best.”

“Thank you.” I smiled, genuinely appreciating her efforts, and then I went on my way.

The walk back to the abandoned dungeon was excruciating, coupled with my limping stance. By the mercy of the Goddess, I got home. Unfortunately, it was at the expense of my wounds reopening.

I arrived in my small room and instead of being greeted with the damp smell of the dungeon, mouth-watering aromas filled my nostrils.

I met my termite-infested table filled with food.

Food that wasn't the leftover of the kitchen chefs, food that wasn't either tossed in the recycle bin or mistakenly spilled. This wasn't food that I spent hours trying to gather, it was just there lying effortlessly on my desk.

Vanessa from a week ago would hurriedly devoured every last meal on that plate, because I had a reason to live.

Now, I didn't. So all these might as well be poison.

“I know what you are thinking, but you should eat up, so we can talk.” I heard behind me and I slowly turned to see the stranger who saved me.