Enslaved by the Alpha

Chapter 11

"There are vampires here for you," she sneered in contempt, her voice hoarse from crying. "They said their names were Anna and Maximus, or whatever."

I sat upright and put my hand on Draven's arm to grab his attention. "That's my sister and her fiancé."

"Your sister and fiancé?" He expressed in shock, watching me nod then turned back to his mother. "You may leave now, thank you," he answered kindly despite her hateful stare. She glared at him, glancing at me with the same murderous glint before taking her leave with wisely sealed lips. There was something off about her.

Draven returned his undivided attention to me. "Just stay here for right now. I'm not sure I can trust them."

"What? What're you talking about 'you're not sure you trust them'? They're not with the King, they're the ones who let me go. My sister would never betray me, neither would Magnus," I defended, knitting my brows in slight offense.

"That's exactly why I don't trust them. Out of all the places they could've taken you, they left you on the border of my territory knowing my men would notify me of a trespasser and that I'd look into it," he answered firmly. I let his words sink in and frowned, unfamiliar with this stern Alpha side of him.

"What are you trying to say?" I asked. He scanned my expression and contemplated his next words carefully, almost as if he was afraid to upset me.

"Valentino seems to be an extremely thorough man. He didn't strike me as someone who'd slip up, especially not when it involves losing his only shot at getting what he wants. They wouldn't have been able to sneak you past him so easily, not unless he wanted them to. He wanted us to reconnect, and they're here to see if we did."

A lump formed in my throat and my stomach clenched with uneasiness. "They wouldn't choose him over me, they're family. Annette wouldn't—"

"That doesn't matter, Scarlett, don't you know that?" He furrowed his eyebrows as confusion filled his face.

"Know what?" I questioned faintly.

"Vampire's have undying loyalty to their maker. And since they can't reproduce, they only have one true maker—the King. It doesn't matter who turned you, it only matters that they couldn't have if it weren't for him. The main difference between werewolves and vampire's is free will. We choose how we live our lives, your King chooses how you live yours," he explained, recoiling slowly in preparation for an explosive response.

I simply stared in disbelief, utterly speechless. How can a young werewolf know so much more about my species than me? As much as I wanted to believe otherwise because of that, I couldn't help but think back on my life only to realize he's right. All I've done, all anyone has done, was for Cyprian. Whether he asked, demanded, or forced, he got what he wanted and never anything less.

"I'll be here when you get back," I faltered, too stunned to find my confidence. He flashed a half smile then slid out of bed, leaving me sitting alone in the weirdly familiar room. Then it finally hit me.

I'm in the Alpha's house, and this is the Alpha's room.

When it came to the title transition, I never understood how it worked. All I knew was that the retiring Alpha and his mate moved into the pack house so the new Alpha and Luna could move into their own home, repeating that cycle until the house became inhabitable after hundreds of years. From there, they'd build another and continue on.

This room is the first place Alpha Zeek took me after my arrival. How could I not forget? It'll forever be the worst memory of mine, even if there were other days that were so much worse. That was the first worst night of my life and nothing could ever beat that. I can't imagine anything worse than realizing you're about to be a puppet to your enemy for however long you're permitted to live.