Chapter 27
Eve left right after that to heat up my breakfast and I returned to my room to get freshened and get dressed for the day. I was still reeling from the after effects of my conversation with Lauren but above all, I felt good. I never knew how satisfying and filling it would be to talk back to Lauren and I loved how I felt after it.
When I was dressed and ready, I made my way downstairs expecting to see Lauren but the dining room was empty save for a lone tray of food at my usual spot. I sat down and started eating and I didn’t know how hungry I was until the first bite hit my tongue.
Eve walked in with a jar of fruit juice and placed it right in front of me. I thanked her for it and she was just about to leave when I stopped her. “Have you seen Lauren?’ I asked and she shook her head.
“I came down and heard her muttering something about refusing to be disrespected but then she disappeared and I haven’t seen her since.”
“I hope she went home.” I muttered under my breath but Eve heard it because she laughed.
“I’m sure she wishes she could but she wouldn’t dare, the Alpha would kill her if he found out that she left you unprotected.”
“Speaking of the Alpha,” I cleared my throat so I would sound as uninterested as possible, “Have you heard anything about the rogue attack they went to handle? Or have you heard from him lately?”
She shook her head and I felt the hope in my chest deflate, “But that’s a good thing. If he was hurt then everyone would know. If we haven’t heard anything yet then it means they are fine and are probably busy with handling the rogue problem. These things can take days sometimes. because they have to clean up and scout the area to make sure that they didn’t miss anything.”
“You’re right,” I tried to focus on her words and not the worst possible case scenarios that my mind was conjuring, “He should be back soon.” “He will be, I promise you that.”
She gave me a small smile and disappeared back into the kitchen. I looked down at my full tray of food and realized that I had lost my appetite but I forced bite after bite into my stomach because I knew that was what Ryker would have made me do.
When I was done eating, I helped Eve clear out the kitchen and we went back to my room to continue our knitting lessons. I was yet to see Lauren again and I was grateful for it because it meant that I got to live out the rest of the day in peace without her breathing down my neck or criticizing me.
I wasn’t sure I would have the strength to stand up to her again if she tried to talk to me. Talking back to her the first time honestly felt like a fluke at this point and I don’t know what gave me the courage to do it but whatever it was, I knew I wouldn’t be able to do it a second time.
While we knitted, I couldn’t help but realize that I didn’t know anything about Eve. I didn’t know her family or why she was still an omega. All I knew was that she was a rogue up until she was twelve and she chose being an omega over death.
“Are you mated?” I asked and she honestly looked taken aback by the question, “I didn’t mean to be rude, I was just curious about you.” “I’m not,” she answered when she had regained her composure, “And before you ask, it doesn’t bother me. I am just a few months shy of twenty one and I have the rest of my life to find my mate.”
“Why did you stay here?” I asked and she turned to me puzzled, “You said the old Luna made you an omega but after they died I am sure Ryker would have let you go if you asked. Why did you stay?”
“The only home I knew before this was with a band of rogues who couldn’t care less if I was dead or alive. Here, I had people who cared about me and I had friends. Besides, the Luna died a few months after bringing me here. I was barely six and I would never have survived out there.”
“I’m sorry,”
“What could you possibly have to be sorry for?”
“The rogues and the Luna dying,”
She smiled softly, “That was not your fault and it doesn’t matter anyway. This pack is my home and I can’t imagine living anywhere that isn’t here.”
I had no further questions and we went back to knitting in silence. If she hadn’t told me herself I would never have suspected that Eve had such a hard life, she seems so gentle and quiet but then again, I should have known never to judge a book by its cover.
“One more thing” I said and I saw the corner of her l*ps lift up but she
turned to me, “When I first came here, there were a lot of se rvants. What happened to them?”
“The Alpha sent them back to the pack house,” my surprise was etched all over my features, “You were terrified of everything and everyone and he wanted to make it as comfortable as possible for you so he restricted the amount of people who could come in and out of here.”
“He sent them away because of me.” I knew it was st upid of me to repeat that knowing fully well that was what she said but for some reason, I needed to be sure.
“I don’t think there is much he wouldn’t do for you.”
I didn’t know how to respond to that and thankfully I didn’t need to because the door to my room flew open and Lauren walked in. I wasn’t expecting it to happen and I jumped slightly but Eve grabbed a hold of my arm to calm me down.
Lauren looked down at me where I was knitting and a mix between a frown and a sneer grew on her face. “Get up, we need to go.”
“Where are we going?”
“I don’t have time to explain, get up now.”
“I’m not moving until you tell me where you’re taking me.” I stood my ground and crossed my arms over my chest, “Where do you want to take me?”
“Fine, stay there for all I care, I’ll tell Ryker that you refused to come with
me.”
I rushed to my feet at the sound of his name, “What happened to Ryker? Is he okay?”
“He mind linked me to take you to him.” She sounded exasperated, “Can we go now?”
Eve wasted no time in taking the knitting things from me, “I’ll clear up the room.”
I thanked her and rushed out of the room with Lauren. She didn’t cast me a sparing glance as I followed her down the stairs and to a waiting. carriage. It didn’t look like any of the ones I had seen in the house. It was pure black with minimal details and I just assumed that it was brought straight from the pack house.
I got in first and she took a seat right next to me. I didn’t recognize the man who closed the door either but then again, there are so many people
in this pack I have never seen before.
“Is he okay?” I asked and she blatantly ignored me, “Please tell me something.”
“You will figure it out when we get there.”
I tried to stay silent after that and instead focused on looking out the window to try to calm myself down.
We drove for what felt like hours after that and I realized that the track we were taking was unfamiliar. I have only been to the pack house a few times but I barely forget roads and I knew for a fact that I had never travelled this road before.
“Where are we going?” I asked and she turned to me with an annoyed look, “This isn’t the way to the hospital or the pack house.”
“Have you considered that maybe we aren’t going to the hospital or pack house?” she spat, “There are a bunch of other places where he could be so why don’t you stop being so paranoid and allow me do my job.”
I swallowed down whatever retort I had and nodded when all of a sudden the carriage lurched to a stop, “What happened?”
“If you shut up the maybe I can find out.”
Without another word, she stepped out of the carriage and I saw her go to the front. I sat back in my seat and tried to calm myself down and not think of all the things that could have possibly gone wrong.
I realized that she hadn’t returned after a while and I got out of the carriage only to see that there was no one around and fear gripped me. “Lauren,” I called out softly, “Where are you?”
I heard a twig snap behind me and I jumped but when I turned, there was no one there. My mind was screaming at me to get back into the carriage but I also knew that it would be easier to overpower me in a confined space. I am not a strong fighter and my only advantage is my speed. I heard another twig and the scent of rotten flesh filled my nose. I tried not to panic as I saw a pair of blood red eyes through the trees. I took a shaky step back as a lone figure emerged and it took all my willpower to not allow my fear show and the tears to start falling.
“I don’t want any trouble,” I took a slow step back, “I’ll just leave now and I can be out of your hair.”
The wolf in front of me was obviously a rogue. He had messy brown hair
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torn and dirty and it
looked like he was stuck in a half shifted form. He had long claws and hair sprouted from his upper arms and legs
“What’s a pretty girl like you doing out here all alone!” his voice smelled like decay and rotten food, “Why don’t you come closer so I can see your
He reached out to touch me and I waited for a split second before i turned on my heels and ran. I heard him chuckle from behind me
“Me and my friends love a good chase”
The idea of him chasing me was scary but that wasn’t what got my attention. It was something else that he had said- friends. What friends was he talking about?
