Enslaved By The Ruthless Alpha

Chapter Four

HUNTER'S POINT OF VIEW

“Hunter wake up! Wake up, please!”

A hand roughly shook me awake. Startled, I sat up with a gasp, blinking in the bright sunny room. Were we under attack?

My Luna, Lucia, was sitting on the edge of the bed. Tears sparkled on her pale cheeks in the sunlight, and I immediately knew something wrong had happened.

“What’s happened? Talk to me, Lucia. What happened?” I dropped my bare feet to the tile floor, ready to run, ready to fight anyone who had made her cry. “What’s wrong? Did anyone hurt you?”

Lucia took a deep breath and exhaled.

“Something terrible has happened.” She wiped her eyes. “But before you freak out, I want you to know it will be fine. I know how to fix it.”

Rather than be comforted by this statement, I felt deepening fear. There was nothing scarier than the words she said to me.

Lucia had always been courageous but had a knack for trouble. Everything she did somehow always got her into a mess.

And she looked terrified and unusually guilty. Whatever she did, I could tell it was really bad.

“What has happened?” I demanded. "What did you do this time?"

“Still worried about me hurting your precious breeder?” She let out a bitter laugh. “I wish that was the problem.” She said, lowering her head.

“What is it, then?”

Lucia ran a hand over her eyes. “She ran away,” she whispered. “The servants found her room empty and most of her belongings gone. The guards have searched everywhere but she is still nowhere to be found. I think she escaped at midnight. I'm really sorry and I will do everything to find her and bring—”

For a second, I couldn’t understand the words that Lucia said. Or maybe I didn't want to understand them.

How on earth could Amelia do something so dangerous? Why would she run away from the comfort of the palace and the good life I offered her?

Pregnant and alone. Where could she go to as a slave? And how would we find her? I gave her everything she needed and provided a comfortable life for her. The least she could do was lay low. Instead, she decided to run away from me.

Turning away, I started to pace compulsively as I struggled to make sense of all my worst fears coming true.

I had feared something like this would happen. I had dreaded the day we would be stuck in such a terrible situation. I tried so hard to protect Amelia but I failed her.

I tried to control my shaking hands, but I couldn't. I tried desperately to think of a way out, and my mind was blank. There was only one way out in situations like this.

“But I told you, you don’t have to worry!” Lucia blurted out. “I have a plan. And this time, it's not stupid. I will find her.”

I stopped abruptly, paying attention to what she had to say. “What is it? What exactly do you plan to do?”

“I’m going to declare her missing and offer a reward to anyone who brings her back.”

My eyes went wide as I stared at her. Was she out of her mind?

"Are you losing your mind? Is that why you waited till now to tell me about her disappearance? Do you have something to do with this? No! You're not doing anything and I want you out of here!" I said firmly.

“There’s no choice now, and we can't do anything else about this. Even you must see that,” Lucia argued, blinking fast as she clasped her hands tightly in her lap. “She could be anywhere right now. The fastest way to get to her is to declare her mis—”

“That will only put her in danger.” My voice was hard, and my anger was evident. “Once news gets out that she is pregnant with the heir, her life will be threatened. They are a lot of enemies in our pack and other packs who would want to hurt her. You wouldn't know this or you don't care because you want to get rid of her."

Lucia shook her head desperately. “But I know how I could—”

“You can’t,” I said coldly. “And even if you could, I wouldn’t let you. Amelia was put under protection in this palace but she somehow managed to escape. You made life unbearable for her. You are responsible for this!"

“I am your Luna. I should be the one to give you a child but you decided to buy a slave to do that. Do you know how your actions humiliated me? You say you don't care about her but it's quite obvious that you're falling for her. You're falling for a slave!” she bit back.

“Because from the day you became my Luna, you’ve done nothing to give me a child. You have failed again and again to see that I need a son.” I fired. I was not wrong in anything I said about her. "I don't care what you think about Amelia and I. Get out of my room."

“You mean I’m useless and stupid.”

Controlling myself, I clenched my hands at my sides. I didn't want to say more hurtful words to her. It was already bad that we were dealing with Amelia's disappearance.

"Leave now."

“No! It’s my fault, Hunter, and I can fix it. Listen, I am sorry about what I...”

But I didn’t wait to hear whatever cockamamy sob story she wanted to feed me this time. No one was going to find Amelia, and I had to do it. I grabbed my black leather jacket and headed for the door.

I didn’t look back. I walked out of my room and went down the open-air hallway to the moss-covered, crumbling concrete steps of the aging building where all the pack guards resided.

"Lucia is wrong. I'm not falling for Amelia. I only care about my son." I told myself fiercely as I raced down the steps. But something within me disagreed greatly.

"I love you, Hunter." The words would never stop replying in my head. I still saw the brightness of her eyes as she waited for me to say something. "Do you love me?"

Ugh. Furiously, I pushed the memory away. To me, she was just a breeder and I couldn't afford to fall in love with her.

Or maybe I was already in love with her and I didn't even realize it till she disappeared.

At first, I had tried to convince myself that she wasn't beautiful and I didn't enjoy her company. But Amelia was beautiful in her own way.

Her brown eyes were large and luminous. Her skin was smooth and creamy. Each time she blinked, I caught the weary gray shadows beneath her eyes. Her lips were full and pink, but her lower lip was always chapped as if she spent hours chewing on it in worry. Her brown hair, which looked thick, tumbled down her shoulders.

She was beautiful in her way—innocent, full of energy, and with overblown curves. I cut off my thoughts, stopping myself from exploring further.

I had to find Amelia and make things right. I closed my eyes to think for some seconds. I had prepared for any sudden misfortune but I didn't know it would come this early.

"Guards!" I barked, signalling the guards stationed at the pack house. "I need every one of you in the meeting hall. Now!"

"Hang on, Amelia," I whispered to myself. "Hang on, I'm going to find you and make up for everything I have done."