Chosen By the Ruthless Alpha

Chapter 17: Taste

All of a sudden, I felt the warm touch of his palm. I jolted and looked at him, utterly surprised to see his apologetic gaze.

"I'm sorry for minding your business, but you have to understand that I have to. It's my job."

His words were nothing but trash in my ears. I didn't care about what he had to say. "Eat the oatmeal yourself. I'm not hungry."

After spouting that, I retreated back to my bedroom, making sure my door was locked. Then, I strode to my bed and looked out the window. The calming scene made my mind wander.

'What if I escape right now?' I thought and walked next to the window. The outside world was inviting. I wondered how long it would take me to get away from here, but there was only one way to find out.

I hitched the window open, and the cool breeze came in. I silently made my way to the sill and pulled my feet outside first. I skilfully landed on the grass right after.

"Ha..." I heaved, feeling nervous but determined to sprint.

"Aubrey, don't do this!" I heard Ariana speak.

But I didn't budge and only said, "No, I will do this..."

Then, I took off in a sprint to the forest. For the first time in a while, I felt free. The wind blew past me, and the dancing leaves swirled around my speedy feet. The clicks and rustling of my movements echoed along the forest.

Admittedly, I was feeling nervous, but I couldn't back out now. I just had to transform into my wolf form to be faster. However, before I could even shift to my wolf form and let Ariana take over, a grey wolf appeared right in front of me, blocking my path.

Fuck!

I hastily came to a stop and was about to turn left to avoid passing by him, but another wolf appeared on the side. So, I turned around, and then I saw another pair of huffing creatures. In less than a second, I was surrounded. About ten wolves circled around me, all of them looking vicious and ready to attack.

At that point, I knew that my case was hopeless. Maybe this is my end...

All of a sudden, a familiar voice rang deep in the forest. Chills ran down my spine as a tall man approached my spot. Other werewolves made their way to let him pass, and I came face to face with none other than Alpha Parker. My heartbeat raced both in instinct and fear. I was so confused that I wanted to disappear.

"Where the heck are you going?" Alpha Parker's hostile voice echoed.

I heaved and my frustration kicked in. "You... I don't want you!" I admitted, causing his vicious guards to growl ferociously. Still, I kept my expression the same as Alpha Parker. I matched his tone and even hitched my stance.

"What do you mean?" he asked, feigning calmness as he stepped forward. When enough distance covered us, he yanked my wrist with gritted teeth. "Aubrey, it seems like you're more stupid than I thought. You're mine, whether you like it or not. I don't care if you don't want a mate. You have no other choice."

His words invoked something within me that my fear dissipated. "I don't care... I don't want to be here. Just let me go! Let me go!" I yelled and tried to pull myself away from him. However, he didn't even budge. Perhaps, I was too weak and was no match for his strength.

My tears began to fall from my eyes as I resorted to another way to try and get him off of me. I hit his chest with my fist and began to bawl. I didn't even feel ashamed even though we were practically surrounded by his army.

"Just find someone else, please. Let me go! You don't... You don't deserve me!" I broke down and didn't notice that he was taken aback by my words.

Aubrey, for the love of God, stop this!" He angrily spat and started to drag me away from the woods. At first, I tried to fight his grasp off, but in the end, I simply gave up.

In the middle of our walk back to the pack house, my knees collapsed due to exhaustion. I was tanked, both physically and emotionally. Just when I thought he'd leave me alone, he crouched down and lifted me off the ground.

He carried me on his back while his men followed us from behind. I could only let my body slump over his shoulder. I was still sobbing, but not as bad as the tantrum I threw earlier. I have never cried that much before, so the embarrassment quickly sank in.

As I looked ahead, I saw that we are closely approaching the pack house. I failed to escape for now. I just hope I can move faster and plan ahead next time. With these plans in mind, I felt my eyelids getting heavier with each passing second. Then, I dozed off, tired and drained.

...

Prying my eyes open as I feel the cushion enveloping my back, I met the gaze of the man that laid me down. I saw my reflection in his dark eyes and instantly realized how messy I looked. My eyes were puffy, and my hair was absolutely frizzy.

As I watched my reflection, his eyes closed, and I quickly propped up. I momentarily forgot that I was looking into Alpha Parker's eyes and not into a mirror. He pulled away and then sat on the edge of the bed, still facing me with an indistinguishable expression.

I didn't know what to say, so I was thankful that he chose to break the silence himself.

"Aubrey..." he called my name and I kept my eyes on him. As usual, his voice sent butterflies in my stomach even though I hated the thought of being his mate. I didn't say anything else and just looked at him with a blank stare.

He continued his words, "You know, I nearly lost my mind when I heard you left, but I felt even more lost when you said those words to me earlier." My breathing hitched. I didn't know how to feel, but my heart was leaping again. Why was he speaking in such a tender way?

I looked away, trying to clear my head so his words wouldn't affect me. "Can you please leave? I'm tired."

"I will leave, don't worry, But I want to ask you something first," he said, and I hemmed.

"What is it?"

"What do you mean by I don't deserve you? Does this have something to do with... your past?"

My world came to a stop. Just when I thought I wouldn't cry anymore, his nosiness caused bad memories to flood my mind again. I gulped the ball of apprehension inside me and shook my head. "It's nothing—" I was cut off when he moved closer.

"Aubrey, I'm your mate, and there's a reason for that. The Moon Goddess wouldn't just throw us together at random. So, please be honest with me. It's fine if you don't want to share it now, but I hope you won't run away recklessly again. It's dangerous, and I don't want you to suffer any longer..." his words caught me by surprise. I was drawn by his sincerity, albeit it might be fake. As I savoured his comforting words, I felt tears running down my cheeks.

For the second time today, I cried. The only difference is the comfort I relished in the next moments, because Alpha Parker, the supposed vicious leader of the Blue Moon pack, pulled me into a tight embrace.