The Alpha’s obsession

Chapter four

“I will not be a whore.”

“What?” He’d asked, “What did you say to me?”

“I do not deserve to be treated like this.”

He’d stood up behind his desk, nostrils flaring then clearly checking himself, relaxed and said through clenched fangs

“I have been more than generous all things considered,” he gestured widely. “You will do as I say if you value your miserable life,” he said with finality.

By the time she was halfway done cleaning the courtyard midday that day, she was sure everybody had heard about the incident at the Ceremony and her consequent rejection by the Alpha. And a Pack that hated her now hated her even more. She ran into some girls just as she was about done working. It seemed like they’d deliberately sought her out because they soon encircled her.

“I’m sorry but you’re in the way, I need to put this back in there.” She motioned to the barrel in the corner that caught rainwater with the bowl in her hand.

“Bet you do, servant. You’re only lucky they let you clean the floors around here.” One of the girls sneered

“And you still had the guts to show up to the Ceremony, steal from an elder and then have the effrontery to lie?” The one who seemed to be their queen bee was saying in her face. “I didn’t think you had it in you,” she added.

"You're my pack. Aren't you supposed to have my back?" Merliya pleaded tears gathering in her eyes at the accusation.

“You stopped being one of us the day you killed your family. But you know, scum should know their place or they’ll have to be shown. Get her girls!” And with this, they all jumped her. The assault ended only after she had been dumped headfirst into the large barrel of old rainwater, causing her to almost drown.

She went back to the servant quarter packed up what little luggage she had and left quietly as the sun was setting, no one would miss her anyway and she needed to be away from that Pack and away from her former Mate who had so scornfully rejected her. She wasn't going to wait for him to sell her. She headed to the small cottage her parents owned but no one knew about. The only reason she didn't go earlier is that she still harboured hope that the pack would realise she was innocent especially since there was no evidence she did anything to her family and she would be accepted but now all hope was gone and she had to find a way to survive.

Making her way to the main road through the woods didn’t take long. Just as she got to the road, she asked someone for a lift. As soon as he looked at her face though, he turned up his nose and a disapproving frown crossed his forehead

“No, not you he said.” Speeding off. That night, she tried without success to hitch a ride to the area where her cottage was, it seemed like no one wanted to give a ride to her. One person had seemed like she didn’t know her or her reputation but had said.

“I don’t think it’ll be very safe to give you a lift, good luck honey.” She guessed it must’ve been from how she looked. She was back to her old ensemble and she knew she seemed to be someone who escaped from somewhere.

By the time she was halfway through the trek, she decided to stop and sleepover in a motel with the little amount of money she had left in a small town on the outskirts. “A room, please.” She had told the attendant who eyed her wearily,

“Overnight.” She added holding up some extra money. Only then did the attendant make to check her in.

The next morning, she woke up and realized it was late in the morning. She instantly transformed into her wolf form and bounded towards the cottage as fast as her legs could carry her. Excited and relieved that she so on finally reached her destination. Just as she reached the clearing, it became obvious to her that she was too late. Her cottage was on fire.

“How!?” She asked herself as she sunk to her knees in absolute dejection, after transforming back into human form.

There was no other person who knew about this place, “Can't I catch a break?” she cried out loud had become too much to bear. She sobbed and quickly pulled out her phone and called the fire service.

"Hello, please help my cottage got burned down."

But it seemed they already knew who she was because they hung up.

She resorted to putting out the fire herself, bailing water from a nearby brook with a broken bucket she’d seen lying around the wreckage.

She did her best to put out the fire so it did not spread beyond the clearing into the woods around the cottage and when she was done, was so exhausted that she collapsed into a heap and sobbed some more until she fell asleep right there on the grass.

She reeled as she leapt back, instantly transforming and bared her fangs at her assailants who she had now recognised as rouge members of her Pack.

It was hard to see through the searing pain and some blood had begun seeping into her eyes so even though she heard movement from her right, could not move in time to avoid it. The lunge took her down and other wolves pounced on her, slashing and biting.

"Why are you doing this.” she cried.

"You disobeyed the beta. He wants to let you know what happens if you don't do as he says. You have till sundown to come back."

After thoroughly beating her enough that they were sure she wasn’t going to forget in a while, they left.

“Chloe,” she thought of her best friend who was mated and lived with another pack.

“Must call Chloe...reach network reception” she managed to think through the white-hot pain searing across her mind and body, remembering her best friend instinctively. They hadn’t seen each other physically in quite a while but they kept up over the phone and now she remembered she was the only one who knew about the cottage.

She then began crawling until she was sure she was back within range of reception and then managed to dial Chloe, mumbling into her phone as she breathed faintly, she faded out of consciousness for a moment.

“Liya? Liya? Can you hear me? What’s wrong?” Came the voice from the other end.

“Talk to me! Liya! Where are you!?”

“Cot-Cott...age” She breathed into the phone before passing out again.