Chapter 5 Chapter 5
Days had passed, and nothing had changed. The man with no name had visited me several times to give me food and water, and each time he watched without saying a word. I also didn’t want to have a conversation with him because I thought he was one of the Drakos Pack.
Today was different, though. A group of ladies flooded into the room and surrounded me. One of the ladies knelt down beside me, smiling. I could see her smile reach her eyes, and they shone brightly.
“My name is Jess. I have been asked to come here and get you ready,” she said, reaching out to stroke my face.
I had no strength to argue, but I couldn’t help feeling wary of her words. “Ready for what?” I asked in a whisper.
Jess reached over me and undid the chains, which dropped to the floor. I felt instant relief around my wrists.
“Liberty, we need to get you ready for your initiation,” she said.
She extended her hand to help me off the mattress I lay on.
“Initiation?” I whispered.
“If you want to be free of this room, then you must join the pack,” she said simply.
If she was disgusted by the way I had been treated, she didn’t show it. In fact, apart from her sincere kindness, there wasn’t much to read from her.
I clearly looked confused as the other omegas started to laugh. “Come on, girl! A nice bath and clean clothes will freshen you up!” said a beautiful blonde omega. I didn’t know these ladies, but their kindness and warmth in their words soothed my already terrified soul.
“What if I don’t want to be part of your pack?” I asked.
The room went silent, and the ladies all stared at Jess, waiting for her to lead the conversation.
“Come with me, Liberty. The others can go away. I will look after Liberty myself,” she said, waving the others away.
Disappointment was palpable all around me, but before I could think about it, Jess grabbed my arm and led me from the room down a corridor.
I tried to peek out of the windows, but Jess pulled me along too quickly, and I was almost running to keep up with her.
“Drakos Pack isn’t the same as it used to be, Liberty. Times have changed,” Jess spoke urgently.
She stopped at a door at the end of the corridor and turned the knob. “You will find that the old Alpha was… well… brutal. His methods were frowned upon, not just by the pack but by his loved ones too,” she said as she pushed the door open.
The room she led me to was beautiful; it had a queen–size bed, and everything was adorned in reds and golds. The sun streamed through massive windows, lighting every corner of the room.
She sat on the bed and patted the space beside her. “Do you know the new Alpha?” she asked. I shook my head. “No, but I have heard rumors that he is as cold and merciless as the last one,” I answered.
Jess laughed. “Well, if that were true, you wouldn’t have refuge here, would you?” she said.
I sat next to her and dropped my gaze to the floor. “Not much refuge if I have been chained to a wall for days with only a cold mute of a man coming in to watch me, is it?” I whispered.
Jess shook her head, and a smile appeared on her face. “Maybe not, Liberty, but you are alive. You have been fed, and your sheets have been changed, if it was by… how you describe him… (she laughed) oh yes, a cold mute of a man,” she said, clapping her hands together.
“The bathroom is in there. There are clothes in the wardrobe; just help yourself,” Jess said as she threw herself onto the bed.
I sat there, free to leave if I wanted or to go into the bathroom and wash. I mean, where could I go? Alpha Jenkins was out to kill me, and my father and friends were no more. The sense of emptiness engulfed me as I stood and walked to the bathroom.
“I’m just here, Liberty, if you need anything,” she said with a wink.
As I lay in the bath, I could hear bickering in the other room. “Cold mute! I’ll show her!” This man’s voice boomed.
My cheeks flushed crimson as I realized Jess was talking to the man who had entered my room for the last few days.
“What are you going to do exactly? Storm is there and demands she change her opinion! Don’t be stupid; just go about your day and leave her with me!” Jess boomed back.
Her aura was not the normal aura; it made me question who she actually was.
As I got out of the bath, I assumed the silence in the other room meant that the man had left and the fighting had stopped. So I thought nothing of wrapping my body in a towel and walking back into the bedroom, only for Jess and the man to stop whispering and stare at me.
I froze where I stood, not expecting to see him. His scent wafted in my nostrils, and an unfamiliar purr sounded from Carissa as I felt the heat in my cheeks, so I glanced
Liberty’s Secrets
The man had such a cold expression that he didn’t even respect my personal space. He stood up from the bed and walked directly to me. “Remember, we are keeping you alive,” he said, gripping my face tightly.
I tried to step back, but his grip tightened, and I grimaced in pain. “Stop it!” Jess demanded.
She walked around the bed and pushed down on his hand gripping my face. “Can’t you see you hurt her?” she boomed.
Not even a flicker of emotion crossed his face. He glanced at Jess and then back at me, and without saying anything more, he turned and walked out of the room.
I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “Thank you,” I whispered.
She shook her head and cheeked my face. “I think you should know something,” she said, biting her bottom lip as she wrestled with her inner conflict.
“What?” I asked.
“Get dressed first, and I will tell you on the way to meet the Alpha,” she said, quickly rushing to the wardrobe and opening the doors.
Uncertain of what she wanted to tell me but holding back from pushing her further, I went to find an outfit.
After I had chosen a flowery dress and tied my hair back, I was ready. I didn’t know who this Alpha was, but I had to push the hurt I felt inside to one side and acknowledge him as my Alpha. I didn’t know if I could do this.
“Is it normal?” I asked as I finished braiding my hair.
“Is that normal?” Jess asked.
“Normal to lock a woman away and then initiate her?” I asked.
Sympathy passed through her, and I saw her reflection in the mirror before she replied.
“Liberty, your situation isn’t normal. How you would react was unknown. We all knew who you were and what happened to you. We know about your mother, so we needed you to calm down for a few days before we welcomed you into the pack,” she said confidently, but I felt as if she was hiding something from me.
A pang hit my heart at the mention of my mother, but I had cried so much in the last few days that I didn’t think I had any tears left.
“How could the new Alpha welcome me? I just don’t get it. I don’t think I will help his pack. I may even bring damage. Doesn’t he know this?” I said.
But it was a real worry, to be honest, as I had nowhere to go. Even if I was shackled to a wall forever, I would still die if I left. Jess shook her head and smiled. “I am sure the Alpha will welcome you. You are special, Liberty. You just don’t realize it now!” she said, rubbing my shoulders.
I didn’t know why she was so sure. Anyway, whether this new Alpha indeed welcomed me into the pack or not, and no matter how different he was from the old Alpha, the fact that his father killed my mother already made him my enemy.
As we walked down the grand stairs to the room I could only assume I was entering for initiation, Jess stopped me and said, “Liberty.”
When I turned to reply to her, a different man greeted us at the staircase. “Jess,” he bowed as he looked at me.
I thought that was strange, as I didn’t know him. As I stepped forward, Jess leaned over and whispered in my ear, “Good luck.”
The man led me to the room and opened the door. “Just wait in there; the Alpha will be right with you.”
I walked into the dark room and sat in the chair that faced a large oak desk. The blinds were shut, but I could see bookshelf after bookshelf lining the walls, as if there weren’t any walls at all and it was all just books.
I couldn’t help but want to know more about the new Alpha. After all, you have to know your enemy before you can put an end to him!
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