Chapter 4
Chapter 4
“What is that emel Carissa anked as I key with my eyes dones
1 grunted at her and tried to turn over as I slept. “Liberty, WAKE UP! Carissa shouted at me.
“How long have I been asleep?” I asked, rukking my eyes,
As I lifted my hands, I could feel the heavy chains tied around them. I suddenly realized I was not at home in my bed, and in fact, I didn’t know where I was.
I could hear Carissa groed in my head as I took in the cold, damp room. The window had bars on it that let in only a little light. The walls were bare stone, and there was no furniture in here, I was a prisoner. I cursed myself for trusting Thompson and renouncing my Alpha. I licked my dry lips.
I was so thirsty, but there was nothing in here, I was chained to the stone wall and lay on a mattress on the floor like a wild animal I didn’t recognize my surroundings at all,— and I searched for any links between my father and me, but there was nothing,
I sat there with only Carises to keep me from going mad. “At least we aren’t dead,” Carissa said positively,
“Could you fo?” I spat
As Carissa and I quarreled within my mind, we froze at the sound of the locks on the door being undone. As we shuffled back against the wall, fear scenting the air around ns, the door flew open.
In walked a tall man with dark hair and chiseled features on his cold, stony face. He was clearly muscular under his shirt, which clung to every part of him.
He set a tray down beside us, and my stomach grumbled at the delightful smell of the food. I looked down and saw a piping bot bowl of soup and some bread next to it, along with a glass of water.
He just looked at me with the deepest bine eyes that were as cold as ice. The stare he gave me made me quite uncomfortable, and I couldn’t help but look at the floor.
“Eat,” he simply said.
“How can I when I am chained to this wall?” I whispered.
He sermod taken aback by my question as he glanced at my hands and then back at me. “Would you not rather ask why you are chained to the wall?” be questioned.
I assumed it was Alpha Jenkins who had chained me up, so I didn’t question why. Though I thought I knew everyone in the pack, this guy was different; I had never seen
him before.
“No, I assume Alpha Jenkins ordered it,” I said matter–of–factly.
I couldn’t feel my pack since I had renounced them. I assumed that was why I couldn’t feel this man before me.
Something flickered in his eyes as if I had touched a nerve. He furrowed his brows at me and hissed, “You are no longer part of the Jenkins pack.”
His words sent a shiver up my spine and goosebumps over my skin, but I knew what he spoke was true, so I simply nodded
My calmness was a result of the numbness from all the pain I had felt. I no longer cared if I was locked up or where I was. I simply felt empty and lost within; how could this man understand that?
His aura was intense, and I shivered with him so close. I could sense the anger pleating beneath his muscles, and I assumed it was because I had renounced my pack.
“Pat,” he said, leaning in to reach for the chains,
His scent hit me, it was different from the rest of the pack. It didn’t smell anything like our pack, and I frowned. He loosened the chains enough so that I could eat comfortably.
He watcher as I ate, saying nothing to me, but his look of disgust as I devoured the bread and soup was evident on his face. As I put the spoon back in the bowl, he instantly took the tray away and, without saying a word, walked out the door.
His aura had unsettled me. I didn’t mind that he left, as he made me uncomfortable just by watching me in silence.
“Where are we? This doesn’t smell like home,” Carissa said.
Tignored her at first, but her endless chatter got on my nerves. “Shut up,” I snapped.
“Look, I know you are still feeling the pain from today, but I don’t think we are safe yet. I need you to snap out of this?” she insisted.
I shook my head. “I don’t care! I don’t even know if my father is alive?” I said.
Just then, the locks on the door moved again. The door flew open, and I rolled my eyes, half–expecting that cold, uncomfortable man to walk through the door. This time, however, it was Millie.
Carissa growled at the sight of her, and it rumbled through my chest. Millie was taken aback by the hostility that Carissa showed her. “Tell your wolf to pipe down; I come to belp you,” she sait
Liberty’s Secrets
I glanced at the chains on my wrists and then back at Millie. “Oh, really? You are so nice. Thanks!” I said, rolling my eyes.
“Liberty, I need to talk with you. I need you to listen,” Millie said as she sat on the floor opposite me.
“It’s not like I can run away, is it, Millie?!” I snapped at her.
“Look, I didn’t know Harris was my mate for sure until the day of the ceremony. I felt it. I wasn’t sure before. When I realized that, I wanted to reject him and told him to choose you as his mate. But now, it looks like everything is going the wrong way!” As she spoke, she frustratedly ran her hands through her hair.
“You were my best friend, Millie, and Harris is my love. You could have said something before the mating ritual so that I had time to accept it. All of a sudden, I was told that my love isn’t mine but yours, and you wanted Harris to cheat on me and claimed that I was his mate. How can I accept that? You made me feel so embarrassed, and Harris showed no respect for me. Now look, because I lost my temper, Alpha Jenkins has locked me in this place–probably to torment me and then kill me for hurting his mate, the pack’s Luna. Is this the result you want?” I said as tears stung my eyes.
As Millie began to speak, I cut her off by snapping, “Is my father even alive? Will the Alpha’s new Beta come here to beat me in front of the old one? Do you understand the pain I felt? The pain I feel!” I said as tears rolled down my face.
Millie shifted uncomfortably, and I realized she wasn’t telling me something. “What?” I demanded. I saw her flinch, then she anxiously played with her hands. “You’re not in the Jenkins pack anymore,” she said.
A nervous laugh escaped me. Why was everyone saying that as if I didn’t know?
“Yes, Millie, I know! I still feel the pain from when I renounced the pack in my heart!” I spat.
First that man, now Millie–seriously, they didn’t think highly of my IQ.
“No, Liberty, you misunderstand me. You are not in the Jenkins pack anymore. Thompson, Mary, and I got you out!” she whispered.
I listened to her words, and the cold air blew through me. If I wasn’t in the Jenkins pack, then where was I? I looked around the room and back at Millie. “Where am I?” I whispered.
“Liberty, don’t freak out. It was the only pack that we could find refuge in,” Millie began to explain.
I pulled at my chains, shaking them so the noise echoed around the room. “Refuge??? This is a refuge???” I screamed.
“Calm down, Lib,” Millie said.
“Calm down? Are you joking?!” I laughed bitterly.
“Lib, Harris made an effort you couldn’t imagine to protect you. This pack won’t hurt you. Alpha Jenkins won’t come here. He will think you’re dead anyway because of the broken bond,” Millie began to ramble on.
I realized then where she had brought me. I could feel the color drain from my face, and my head started to spin. “Tell me it’s not true, Millie. Tell me I am not in the Drakos Pack!” I whispered.
Anger surged through my veins. “TELL ME IT ISN’T TRUE!!!” I screamed.
Millie’s eyes glistened, and she couldn’t help but let a tear slip out. She wiped it away and nodded.
The grief hit me like a wave. My hands trembled; I couldn’t believe I was here. “Millie, why?” I stuttered.
“Lib, please, this was the only place that would give you refuge. The Alpha has changed since the old one. This one…” she began to explain.
I was astonished by her ignorance. “The new Alpha is no different from the last; he is from the same bloodline, which means he is as merciless as the last one!” I said matter–of–factly.
I sighed, knowing they had sealed my fate with this pack. There was nothing I could do but endure the torture that lay ahead.
“Your father is alive. He has had his title stripped, but he is alive. Jenkins doesn’t know we helped you. I can’t visit for a while; I just needed to let you know,” Millie said quietly.
I glanced from Millie to the door. “We wanted to let you know you were safe,” Thompson said, walking in and leaning against the door.
His presence repulsed me, and I shuddered at his voice. Carissa couldn’t help but lunge forward, taking control and showing her canines. The chains kept me in place, and Carissa retreated back into my mind.
“We have to go,” Thompson said as he held his hand out to Millie.
Millie looked like she was going to say something but didn’t. She dropped her head and followed Thompson out the door.
“You gave me to the pack that killed my mother! I will never forgive you!” I shouted as the tears flowed freely.
Liberty’s Secrets
