Chapter 7 Shortcut
1341 Words
Elena POV
“Go ahead.” Jessica said. “I’ll follow along in a little while.”
The man groaned and rubbed his face roughly with his hands. “Don’t tell me you actually believe her lies? You think we wouldn’t have heard about it by now if Alpha actually chose a mate?”
“Besides,” he gestured roughly in my direction. “Why would he choose someone like this when he could have literally any woman he wanted?
You think he would really pick her over lady Vanya?”
“She needs help.” Jessica said softly. “And I’m going to help her. You can leave if you don’t want to come along.”
“Suit yourself.” The man threw his hands in the air as he walked away. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Jessica watched his figure fade into the distance before she turned to me smiling. “Where did you say you wanted to go?”
*********************
“I don’t think this is the way to my room.” I said to Jessica as she walked I n front of me. “I’ve not seen anything resembling the hallways Draven and I took earlier.
Jessica stumbled, almost tripping over and I quickly threw out my hands to support her. “Are you okay?”
A strange look was on her face when she turned to look at me. “You call him Draven?”
“Yes.” I flushed slightly. “He asked me to call him by his name.”
“You’ve talked to him?” The look on her face turned even stranger, her eyes widening. “Face to face?”
A crease formed between my brows. “Of course I’ve talked to him. How else would I have become his Luna?”
“Never mind.” She shook her head, smiling brightly again. “We’re almost there, this is a shortcut.
“Okay.” I breathed, relieved.
“We’re here.” Jessica announced a few minutes later as she threw open a large door.
I entered, looking at the wide swimming pool that spanned almost the same length as a small river, then turned to Jessica. “This isn’t my room.”
“I know.” She said, walking slowly towards me.
I moved back step by step until I was almost at the edge of the pool. “W-what do you mean you know? Weren’t you going to take me to my room?”
She narrowed her eyes at me. “How did you do it? How did you get him to choose you?”
I looked at the pool behind me, fear creeping its way up my spine.I didn’t know how to swim. I hadn’t learnt before my mother’s death, and after, I no longer had the opportunity.
The pools at the pack were meant for pack members, not slaves like me.
“Tell me!” She moved closer, barely inches away from me. Her eyes had turned red and she held tightly onto my shoulders. “How did you seduce him?”
“S-seduce him? What are you talking about?” I said. “Please let go, I don’t want to fall in the pool.”
“I heard he left the pack yesterday to go do something important.” She said, a bitter look coming over her face. “Who would have thought it was to pick up trash like you?”
“I’m not trash.” I said firmly. “Don’t call me that.”
“You are whatever I say you are.” She sneered at me, the action twisting her features.
I froze for a second as a thought flashed through my mind. “Are you his lover?”
“His lover?” She laughed, but it that sounded more like crying when it came out from her mouth.
“He won’t even allow us get close to him, yet he let you call him by his name?” She poked her finger at my chest. “Just what is so special about you?”
Us? So there was more than one lover?
I grabbed her finger. “Whatever issues you have with him, you should take them up with him, not me. And if you really want to know why he chose me, it’s because I’m his mate.
His true mate.”
The blood drained out of her face and she looked at me from top to bottom as if she was just seeing me for the first time. “You’re lying.”
“You can go ask him yourself if you’re so curious.” I said, sidestepping her. “But leave me out of it. I don’t need any trouble.”
“Just where do you think you’re going?” She dragged me back by the arm and I lost my balance. I pulled her with me as I fell, the both of us landing straight inside the pool.
Somehow, she managed to disentangle herself from my flailing arms and quickly put distance between us.
“Help me.” I yelled, panicking as I swallowed another mouthful of pool water. “I can’t swim.”
“That’s your problem.” She said, with a dark look on her face when she got out of the pool. “So figure it out yourself. I’ll come back for you in an hour or two.”
My arms ached as I struggled to keep my head out of the water. “I’ll be dead by then!”
“That’s kind of the idea.” She said, walking away. “You should blame it on yourself, it’s not my fault you were unlucky enough to meet me.”
I’d never imagined I would die due to drowning, but as the cold water seeped into my lungs, I thought it was fitting.
Maybe the coldness of the water would take away the fiery heat, of the hell that had been my life.
“Al-Alpha.” I heard Jessica’s voice. It sounded muffled as if I was merely dreaming it.
“What are you doing here?” Draven asked, his voice cold.
“I-I was cleaning the pool.” She said.
“That’s not your job.” Draven said.
“The person in charge was sick so I offered to cover for him.” She said.
“Just you?” Draven asked. “Did you bring someone else along?”
“No.” Her voice shook. “It’s just me here, no one else.”
“Okay.” Draven said. “You can leave.”
“What is it?” Draven’s voice sounded again. “Why are you blocking my path?”
“T-there’s a dead rat in the pool Al-alpha.” Jessica said. “You can’t go in yet.”
A sob escaped my mouth as I sank, water quickly rushing in to take its place.
***********************
I opened my eyes to see Draven’s face right above mine as if he was leaning in for a kiss.
“What are you doing?” My voice sounded hoarse, my throat raw.
He moved back, a muscle ticking in his jaw. “What did it look like I was doing?”
I wanted to say ‘kissing me’ but it felt wrong. Who would look so angry when kissing someone else?
“Is this how you usually dress up in your pack?” He asked, looking away from me.
“Y-yes.” I said, looking down at my dress in confusion only to see that the material was completely clinging to my skin as if it had been spray painted on me, and I wasn’t wearing a bra.
Letting the pack know I needed new ones wasn’t an option either since they would only mock me. I’d survived the years by picking the dumpsters for clothes people threw out.
“Don’t look!” I quickly crossed my hands over my chest, covering the hard things that seemed as if they wanted to poke through the dress.
- Writer
