Their Hunted Princess

002

Ellie's POV:

My eyes flew open. For a few seconds, my vision was blurred out of focus. I slowly became aware of the grass clutched tightly under my fists, the soft and fragrant breeze that ruffled my clothes with a tang of iron under it, and the clear afternoon sky over my head. Everything was too clear, too bright.

Where...am I?

I sat up and winced. My hand flew to my throat and I gagged, a sharp pain exploding in my throat. I looked down and for a second I could wear I saw blood soaking the front of my shirt and coating my hands. Dark and thick, flowing with a glossy sheen.

I blinked, and it was gone like it never was there. My shirt clean and pristine. I swallowed, as much as it hurt my throat. My head felt like it was being hit with a stone hammer. My entire body hurts.

What is going on? What did I do? The last thing I remembered was coming out here to pick some wild herbs for my wounds. Did I somehow fall asleep?

I slowly got to my feet and looked around me, my face scrunched in confusion.

"Ellie?" A loud voice shouted my name. "What on earth are you doing here?! You have duties, and you come here to waste time?! Are you mad?!"

I turned to the sound of the voice to see Elsa.

The moment I laid eyes on her, a scream tore out of my lips. She jumped, startled by the sudden scream. "Ellie what the f**k?"

"Get away from me!" I screamed on top of my voice.

A cold hand grabbed my heart and squeezed. I couldn't breath. I couldn't think of anything aside to get away from her. She took a step forward and it felt like a knife had been slashed across my throat. I stumbled back, turned on my heel and ran.

She screamed my name, but I didn't listen to her. Every instinct I possessed told me to run. And never come back.

This hadn't ever happened before. Sure I and my sister hated each other to the last bit. But I have never felt so deeply terrified of her as I did right now.

I ran all the way back to the pack house. By the time I arrived, my clothes were drenched with sweat and I panted like I had just ran a marathon.

"Really?" An unamused voice said behind me. I jumped three feet in the air an spun around to see Elsa. She looked impeccable, not even a single hair out of place even though she had just raced after me. "What? Did you have a dream that I killed you or something?"

The moment she said those words, an image fluttered across my mind. Elsa, blood streaking her cheeks and face, holding a knife and laughing.

"Argh!" I cried softly and doubled over. My throat began to burn again. I grabbed it, trying to soothe pain to no avail.

Did I have a nightmare? I don't remember any nightmares.

She reached to grab my wrist. I pulled back. She let out an annoyed sigh. "Look, you're going to help us get ready for the blood moon. I don't know why you're acting so strange."

By "us" she meant the alpha candidates. All the eligible female alphas that will be mated or chosen by the first alpha. Also the girls that I served day and night as their personal maid.

"Don't touch me." I hissed.

She drew back as if I had splashed hot oil on her. "You f*****g b***h, something must be wrong with you. Have you forgotten your place?! Who are you talking to that way?!"

"Elizabeth." A deep, rough voice spoke. Like distant thunder over a snow storm.

Shudders ran down my spine and I froze. Shadows loomed behind me and my skin prickled. The air suddenly felt cold. I turned around slowly. My eyes met that of my father's. Cold, steel gray eyes like a cold winter morning. I quickly bowed, cursing myself for daring to meet his eyes.

"Alpha Winter," I greeted, my voice trembling slightly.

"Daddy! You came to visit me?" Elsa said cheerfully.

"Come with me, Elizabeth." He said.

I looked up at him, my eyes wide with shock. I didn't hear him right, did I? Our father hasn't laid eyes on me since I turned ten and was sent off to the pack house to serve the alpha candidates as the lowest maid. The last words he said to me were; "be grateful to your mother that I was able to pull strings so you didn't end up as a public toilet."

Suddenly he comes down here to find me?

My heart started to race.

Something felt wrong. Like I was forgetting something. First I'm terrified of my sister, and I have an image of her standing over me with a knife. This could be a nightmare, maybe. And next my father...he comes down here?

Alpha Winter is a terrifying man. Tall like a tower and huge, with long white hair and soulless dark eyes. He's the second alpha of Stone Haven pack, but not any less terrifying than the first. I have never for one day seen him as my father. After all I was an omega and he was an alpha. We never had any reason to be close.

An alpha. Hold on... I know another alpha. Which one?

Who? WHO?! His name edged the corners of my mind, just there and just out of reach.

I tried to recall who it was. My head exploded into sharp pains and I grunted under my breath. Something felt so out of reach. I could brush it with my fingers, but I couldn't quite grab it.

"Elizabeth," Alpha Winter snapped. I realized I had taken too long to answer him.

"Daddy," Elsa moved to him and latched on his arm. She turned on her charming smile. "Ellie has a lot of work to do. She's been slacking off and—"

He gently removed her arm from his, like she was a delicate egg. "Not now, Elsa. I'm not here for you."

She gasped and stumbled back. One warning look from him, she quickly collected herself and bowed. "As you wish, daddy."

"You?" He faced me.

I bowed again. "Yes, alpha Winter."

He turned on his heel and walked off, the sight of his fur lined coat billowing in the wind.

Elsa grabbed my arm. "You remember your f*****g place. You brought shame to this family, filthy little omega runt. I'm sure daddy wants you back at the mansion to serve as a slave. Don't ever try to forget that."

I stared at her, and all I could see was her bloody face with that wicked smile. I subconsciously touched my throat again, the pain coming back.

"Whatever." I snapped and smacked her hand off and raced up to meet with Alpha Winter.

The carriage ride back to my... I mean his house was silent. We got to the mansion and were ushered in by servants. A tall middle aged woman walked up to us and bowed. I recognized her as Madam Rose, the one servant who had been kind to me. I waved and she smiled.

"Give Elizabeth a room. Clean her up and send her to the training grounds in one hour." Alpha Winter commanded, a bit of his alpha voice slipping into the command.

I gasped, shock shooting through me like an electric current. "What?"

He turned to me, his cold eyes reflecting the true essence of his name. Winter. "I was not speaking to you. Behave yourself and do not cause any trouble. I will see you in an hour."

The training grounds? A room? Cleaned up?

Before I could utter anymore questions, he turned and walked away. I felt eyes on me and looked up. At the stairs stood my mother. She stared at me long and hard, her beautiful face cold and unreadable framed by long black hair which was the only similarity between us. She turned away.

"Welcome home, princess," Madam Rose said to me with a smile. She looked happy to see me, and I couldn't get why she would be happy. My birth threatened all of their lives, and she's smiling so warmly at me. "Come. I have just the room for you."

I wanted to tell her that I wasn't a princess. Instead I followed her wordlessly.

What is going on? Did I somehow die and wake up in an alternate universe?