Chapter 4 In a strange land

/-Ayla-/

‘Exile her!’

‘She should be hanged!’

‘Throw her into the wilderness!’

‘A whore who thinks she can amount to much?’

I jolted awake violently, lips quivering due to the nightmare I have just had, an occurrence of the event that threw my entire world into chaos.

The event had already happened, but it wouldn't stop plaguing my dreams like a curse.

Magnus' betrayal, Selene's schemes and accusations, my father's indifference, everything just came striking back at once as if the weight of it all had been waiting for the perfect moment to crush me again.

I clutched my wildly beating heart through the fabric I was putting on, trying to breathe through the storm raging within me as tears streamed down my face like a torrential downpour.

Until my current situation begins to register.

Fabric…

Wasn't I in the wilderness, running for my life?

How…

So, I glanced around slowly, taking in the sight of the opulent designs in the massive room that was thoroughly unfamiliar to me. The silks, drapes, designs, everything screamed of wealth that I never enjoyed back in the palace.

But, how come?

I can remember the royal guards chasing me, and how they tried to kill me.

Then, that man…

A pair of golden eyes like that of hot magma emerged in my mind, and I paused slightly. Those eyes were unlike anything I've ever seen, with a shade I couldn't begin to name except that they were gold.

However, I didn't dwell on that thought for long as I threw the covers on my body to the side, before stepping down on the massive bed that could accommodate more than five women of my physique.

Was I in Magnus’ pack, the Blood fang pack? Had Magnus made that golden eyed man capture me in order to make use of me for his own pleasure?

No!

I would rather die than resign myself to such a terrible fate. Without wasting any more time, I quickly made my way towards the entrance of the room and pushed the door open.

Fortunately, I found no signs of anybody outside, making me heave in relief.

On tiptoe, my barefoot barely made a sound on the marbled floor as I walked along the brightly lit corridor and rounded a corner.

That was when I heard whispers behind me and I froze.

“Yes, she was brought in just last night.”

“It's the first time the Lord would bring in a woman, who is she?”

“I have no idea, but she was severely injured when they brought her.”

I had no doubt that they were referring to me, but who was this 'lord'? Magnus?

Curiosity got the best of me, and I peeked out while hiding the rest of my body in the shadows. Then, I saw two maids whispering to each other.

Their outfits were weird, and entirely different from the ones the maids would wear in the Florania palace. They were in a high collared woolen gray dress, layered with fitted black bodices and thick symbols bearing an odd looking sigil.

I furrowed my brows, it doesn't seem like the sigil of the Blood fang pack. Was I not in the Eastern lands?

When I noticed that the maids were approaching my direction, I quickly spun around to leave, but I had only taken a single step forward when I stumbled into a firm surface.

The inertia had me stumbling backwards, and my feet slipped. But, before I could really fall, my waist was grabbed by a muscular arm, and I was brought into a scented embrace.

“Going somewhere?” A deep voice rang in my ears, and a strange sensation, as though lightning passing through my flesh made me stiff.

Slowly, I raised my head and my gaze clashed with a pair of golden ones that left a deep impression on me.

“You…"

It was him!

The man I saw before everything went dark. The man who probably captured me and brought me here under Magnus' order.

I quickly pushed myself away from his embrace, and retreated backwards frantically. It was only when I had to raise my head to look at him that I realized how tall he was.

Not only that, but he had the most good-looking features I have ever seen in my entire life. Sharp cheekbones, gold eyes like magma, and those thin lips that were compressed into a thin line.

Yet, the icy cold aura he exuded was enough to have you ignore his good looks. There was an air of quiet dominance in the way he stood, something someone like Magnus could not even compare to.

An unpleasant memory was evoked by that thought, and I swallowed lightly.

“It's you! Where did you bring me?” I demanded, putting on a strong front, when all I wanted to do was just to flee.

The man lifted his brow as if I had said something that piqued his interest, then he asked, “Then, should I have left you there and watched as those mutts sever your head from the rest of your body?”

I choked on my next word, and found myself cowering under his cold and sharp gaze that seemed to see through my very core.

Yet, those eyes did something to me, something that scared me, something I thought I would never feel again after Magnus rejected me.

But, it was not possible.

Just as I parted my lips to speak, the man's countenance showed a subtle change as though he had thought of something, and he frowned, “Can you not feel it?”

I froze, a bad premonition emerging in my heart, “F…Feel what?”

No, it can't be.

Magnus already rejected me, it's not possible to feel the bond with someone else so soon. Someone I didn't even know, someone whose mere presence spoke of danger that chilled me to the bones.

I didn't know if it was because of the myriad thoughts that kept circulating in my mind, but a sudden dizziness clouded my reasoning and I staggered.

Then, he was there in an instant, stabilizing my weight with just a move. I tried to struggle, but the dizziness increased, and my world tilted before my eyes.

That was when I heard the man speak to someone, whom I didn't realize was present in the first place, “Didn't you say she was fine?” His voice was low, but sharp with uncontrolled irritation.

A feminine voice tore through my haze, “I apologize, Alpha King, but…"

The remaining sentence did not register, but I caught on two words, Alpha King?

Where on earth am I?

However, when I heard the woman's next word, my world stilled.

“Losing the baby must have taken a toll on her body. She should be fine after having enough rest.”

Losing the baby? What was she talking about? Why can't I understand anything?

She was not talking about my baby, right?

My body trembled violently, and my face went ghastly pale.

“My baby…"