Enslaved by the Alpha

Chapter Five: Crossing Boundaries

"Get out of my face!"

I stumbled out of his office and he slammed the door, hitting me in the back and sending me soaring to the floor. My head hit the white wall across the way and I laid there, still bloody and quivering. My skull throbbed and I took ragged breaths.

Weakly, my hands pushed off the red carpet covering the floor and I stood, allowing the wall to help me wobble to the closest bathroom just down the hall.

I stumbled in and closed the door, turning on the sink and filling my mouth with cold water to stop the remaining bleeding. While my gums soaked, I took handfuls of water and rubbed off the drying blood on my healed bite wounds.

Once all trace was gone, I spit out the water and splashed my face to clear my racing thoughts, taking calm, slow breaths.

I reached out and turned off the water, taking another breath before stepping out and wiping my wet hands over my eyes to disguise my tears. And next thing I knew, my body collided into someone else's.

"I'm sorry!"

I looked up and frowned, realizing it was Draven. His expression softened upon realizing it was me and I glanced over my shoulder worriedly, relieved to see Alpha Aston's office door still closed. My gaze returned to him and he frowned.

"Have you been crying?" He asked, analyzing my face and my chest tightened. It must be the swollen, bloodshot eyes that gave it away.

"And why are you covered in water?" His gaze roamed my figure and I shook my head, attempting to move by until he grabbed my wrist.

A gasp left my lips and I lost my balance due to the jelly feeling in my legs. His back hit the wall behind him from the unsuspected impact of my body, causing my lost balance to turn into a fall as I toppled over his legs. He wrapped his arms around my waist to stop me and pulled me into his chest. My breasts landed on his abdomen muscles, enhancing the cleavage I already had by pushing against them.

I stiffened, waiting for the pain from before-it never came. Then I became way too aware of our positioning and widened my eyes. The thin bralette, my shorts, and his gray sweatpants were the only things between our naked bodies, making the same unfamiliar fire ignite under the skin on my cheeks.

"Are you alright, Bambi?" He grinned, his chest vibrating against me as a chuckle left his lips. I stared, compelled by the sound. It shouldn't sound so calming, especially coming from him.

Looking down embarrassedly, I nodded and pushed away. He let me go and hooked his finger under my chin, gently lifting my head. My smile fell and his followed.

"Pain is temporary, remember that," he said, "and don't hide your smile, it's beautiful."

He lightly pushed up on the underside of my chin then moved by. I twisted my head to watch him walk off, the corners of my lips lifting into a smile.

The door to Alpha Aston's office then opened and he walked out with his mate, both sets of eyes landing on me standing here. My expression dropped seeing them and I turned away.

"Don't," he demanded, stopping me mid-step.

"Go find her something else to wear, honey," he told his mate. I heard departing footsteps soon after.

A lump formed in my throat hearing him walk up behind me. His hand grabbed my shoulder and I flinched away with a grimace, watching him step into view through the corner of my eye.

"Stay the hell away from my son."

I turned to face him, strangely bothered by his order. "He comes to me," I replied, biting back harsher words.

His face contorted from blank to annoyed. "I know. I've spoken to him since your little necklace encounter," he replied in a snarky tone. "You're going to reject him. You two will never work. You will not talk to him, look at him, or stand within a certain radius of him, understand?" He snarled in rising anger, his grip on my shoulder tightening and I winced, my irritation fueled by his attitude and lingering pain.

"Reject? That's all I've been doing, it's not going to make one hell of a difference if it hasn't already!" I glared, receiving one hard smack across the face. My hand shot up to my stinging cheek and I bit my tongue.

"You clueless, stupid parasite," he scoffed, spinning on his heel and strolling down the hallway saying nothing more. My eyes followed him, a deep frown tightening my lips.

𓃥

"Do what you need to and hurry the hell up," the warrior groaned exasperatedly, shifting on his feet and sharing a look with his companion. They shook their heads and rolled their eyes.

"I told you I can't!" I snapped in frustration, moving my gaze over the three rabbit's sitting across the lawn. My head began to spin and I felt weak, averting my attention to the warriors. The rushing of their blood made me squirm in an attempt to distract myself.

"You feed every morning and afternoon, why are you making it complicated? Who wouldn't want to? I don't want to stand here all damn day with you, just go get a bunny." The woman signaled to them, her patience spiraling and fast.

"I can't," I hissed, gritting my teeth, and their faces hardened in anger. The man moved to advance on me and all my frustration withered instantly.

"You little b***h, you think you're entitled to-"

"Take another step and watch what happens," Draven's voice threatened behind them.

The man froze and the woman turned, bowing their heads with nervous frowns. I watched Draven come into view, walking up to stand between me and the guards.

"Would you like to repeat that?" He questioned, folding his arms with a glare directed at him.

The man shook his head frantically. "No, sir."

"Then go! Both of you!" He growled. The warriors took off without back talk, leaving me alone with him. My mind drifted to what his father said and I felt uncomfortable, awkwardly looking over at the area the rabbits once sat.

"Hey, are you okay?"

I turned, scanning the yard to ensure Alpha Aston was nowhere in sight before settling my gaze on him. "Yeah... I'm okay."

He looked around the yard after, redirecting his attention onto me. "You seem uneasy. Are you sure?"

I stared at him, a frown stuck on my face and silence filled the air around us. How does he read me so well? It's unnerving.

"I'm fine," I snapped, immediately regretting my tone the second the words left my mouth. However, he never appeared angered or offended like I was expecting.

Could he really be different?

"You're dehydrated and feeling unwell, that's a much better answer. I'm just going to pretend you said it," he countered, leaning against the tree on his forearm, tilting his head slightly, and scrunching his eyebrows. "So why can't you feed?"

My eyes darted around again, then I curled my upper lip to reveal my fangless gums. His eyes widened and he looked appalled like that was the last thing on his mind, standing upright and grabbing the underside of my jaw. I flinched, anticipating more pain or discomfort, yet his hold was gentle and warm as if he knew just how much suffering I endured earlier.

He tilted my head back and I closed my mouth, too humiliated to let him see up close. This didn't stop him from staring at my lips, a look of thought on his features.

I couldn't decipher what he may be thinking. I simply wasn't capable of reading him the way he can read me, which frightened me all the more.

"Follow me," he said, letting go of my jaw only to reach down and take my hand. I stiffened, allowing him to gently pull me toward the knee-high weeds standing on the perimeter of the yard, coincidentally forming the line I'm forbid to cross.

I glanced over my shoulder at the house then returned my line of sight on the ocean of trees ahead of me, starting to internally panic. My heartbeat sped up the closer we came to the weeds. It's been decades since I last stepped foot into open woods.

"Draven," I whimpered, tugging against him. He stopped from taking a step over and spun around to face me, his grip tightening in a painless way that tore my scared eyes from the plants to him. "I can't."

He cupped my cheek and caressed the top of my hand with his thumb, searching my eyes. "Can you trust me?"

Trust you? Are you out of your mind?

I swallowed to avoid answering, lowering my line of sight to our hands. His warm, calloused palm fitted mine as if they were two pieces in a puzzle. He could clearly snap every bone in my hand with one effortless motion, and instead he chose to do something much more difficult. He controlled his strength to soothe me, when it'd be easier to use his strength to inflict pain.

A breeze rolled through and I lifted my head to look as far as my eyes could see into the woods. All I saw was freedom sitting just beyond the weeds at our feet. My gaze bounced between the world in front of me and the world I was currently standing in, conflicted.

"Don't let go," I answered, looking up into his eyes, no longer seeing Alpha Zeek in those green irises.

"Never," he promised.

We turned toward the world I once knew and he crossed over the weeds. I inhaled shakily, throwing one last glance at the empty yard behind me before following him into the trees hand-in-hand.

There was a shift in me from the moment I stepped off Alpha Aston's yard. And though I knew I was still on his territory, it didn't feel that way. I felt free for the first time, even with Draven by my side. He didn't make me feel like a prisoner. He made me feel like another being.

He led me further, guiding me over small streams and down a hill. We rounded the side where a miniature pond came into view, slowing to a stop next to it. My mouth fell agape at the sight and I began to smile, amazed by the beauty.

The hill held a tiny waterfall that was a result of all the multiple little streams coming together at the end, flowing down into a pond that couldn't possibly fit more than twenty people.

He started pulling me again, leading me over the small path between the water and the wall of rocks along the hill. It appeared cut to create a wall around the clear water, hiding the area from passerby's.

My sight of the pond was suddenly blocked by the falling water and I looked up, watching it flow off the hill right above us. Gasping in realization, I spun around to confirm we were in a small cave behind the waterfall. My grin fell when I noticed blankets and pillows laid out against the back wall, forming a bed in the somewhat narrow corner.

"I come here when I just need to get away," he explained, "it felt like you needed to."

I wiggled my hand free from his and walked over to the layers of blankets lying on the cold, rock floor, sitting down in the center of the soft pile. He came over and took a seat about a foot away, carefully scanning my face.

"But that's not the reason I brought you here," he added, his tone stern. I looked at him, seriousness etched into his expression to match his tone. "I brought you here for privacy. If anyone saw what I'm about to do, I'd be shunned. Alpha or not."

Worry chilled my body and I fidgeted, analyzing him skeptically. My eyes followed his arm when it raised to his mouth, watching his canines extend and plunge into the center of his front forearm. He peeled his skin and the scent of blood flooded my nose, making me clench my jaw.

What the hell is he doing?

"You don't need your fangs," he said, holding out his oozing wrist as invitation. I couldn't resist the growing temptation and wrapped my hands around his arm, bringing his wound to my mouth and digging my nails into his flesh from the initial taste of heaven.

My full body quivered and my eyes rolled back, fluttering closed while the hot, nourishing liquid maintained a powerful flow into my mouth. The flavor of his blood was indescribably better than any animal I've tasted. With every passing second, I felt more and more addicted, quickly understanding why the King banished any vampire who've drank blood from another person. The taste is something to obsess over and I couldn't bring myself to stop.

His other arm draped around my body and pulled me closer, lifting his hand to stroke the hair on the side of my head. I leaned against him, loosening my hold on his forearm as my thirst began to quench.

My hazed mind slowly came down from the high and I forced myself to pull away, prying my eyes off his bloody arm and turning my head over on his chest to stare at him. He was already looking at me and I was quick to realize how close we've gotten.

I sat in his lap with my legs outstretched, only slightly bent at the knees, with my body laid up against him. My head rested over his collar and my back was lying on his abdomen. He had his wounded arm now resting over my stomach, sneaking the other arm behind my shoulder around the curve in my side.

Our current closeness felt more intimate than s*x. And, unlike s*x, I found myself enjoying it. The feeling confused me, mainly because I normally despise it. The intimacy of s*x always hurts and leaves me vulnerable, but the vulnerability I'm experiencing now isn't sided with pain. It's accompanied by a sense of security, a feeling I thought I lost ages ago.

If I can still find feelings of safety, what other lost feelings could I find?