Chapter 5 Help me

Elena POV

When I opened my eyes, I was lying on a soft bed. I stretched my hand to touch the bedding below me.

Silk. I rolled on it from side to side, relishing the caress of the material on my skin. It was worlds better than what I'd used even before I became a slave in my old pack.

Old pack.

Just two words, but they sent my heart into a frenzy. It pounded fiercely against my ribs as if it were looking for an opening to leap out of.

I was free. I would no longer be called a murderer. I would no longer have to endure beatings every day. I would no longer have to pick between starving and eating moldy bread.

I was free.

My enthusiasm dampened a little as I realized Alpha Draven might not want me. Even though I'd pretended not to notice, I had seen the look in his eyes when he had walked up to me.

Surprise.

He hadn't been expecting to find a mate. Or maybe he just hadn't expected his mate to be a slave.

Even when he'd protected me from Carter, there hadn't been any softness in his eyes as he'd looked at me. It had seemed like something he would do for anyone who needed it.

But I would do everything in my power to stay here. His defense of me against Alpha Carter proved that he was not the same kind as him. He would not abuse me, even if only to keep up appearances.

I felt a mild warmth in my chest. Happiness, I thought at first. But then the heat increased, almost to the point where it felt like I was being burned alive.

I ran, barely making it to the huge mirror in the room before I crashed to my knees.

For a while, I just stared blankly at the reflection in the mirror, my eyes widened.

My glowing eyes.

I looked down at my chest, not daring to breathe as my gaze traced the faint markings on my skin. They glowed, the lines all leading to a single point on my chest where the pain was coming from.

"Help." I choked out, on my knees, barely able to force the words past the invisible hand that seemed to be clutching my throat. "Help me."

A tear rolled down my cheek as I realized I was really going to die like this, barely a few hours after getting my freedom.

The door was kicked open with a deafening crack, splinters flying everywhere as Alpha King Draven stormed in.

He scooped me into his arms in two steps and started soothing me with his pheromones. The relief was instant.

I could finally breathe, and I could feel the burning sensation at my chest begin to recede until it stopped.

I glanced at the mirror, mand y skin was back to normal.

I sighed and moved out of Alpha King Draven's arms, pushing away strands of sweaty hair from my face.

I caught a glimpse of my dirty clothes as I did so, and my lips twisted. I tried to check if I smelled discreetly when I noticed he was watching me with a dark look on his face.

"I'm sorry for dirtying your clothes, Alpha," I said, lowering my head. "If you'll give them to me, I promise to wash them clean before returning them to you."

"Is this an attempt at getting me naked?" He said, his voice cold.

"No," I said, flushing deeply when I raised my head to see that he had lifted an eyebrow and was staring intently at me.

"What was that?" He asked as he stood back up. "Why were your skin and eyes glowing like that?"

I shook my head and replied honestly, fear creeping into my voice. "I don't know, Alpha, I've never experienced anything like it before. I can't explain it."

He glanced at me silently for a moment. "Draven."

"What?" I asked, my brows drawn closely together.

"You can call me Draven." He replied irritably as he started walking away. "Come with me."

I tried to thank him as I followed behind him, for the honor of being able to refer to him by his first name, but he just kept on walking as if he couldn't hear me.

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Draven led me into the woods.

We walked for a while without running into anyone else, and a tiny part of my mind wondered if he'd brought me in there to kill me.

I tried to estimate the possibility of being able to escape from him if that was his intention, but quickly gave up when I realized I was in a foreign place with no knowledge of my surroundings.

Being very weak from constant starvation was also another reason why I wouldn't be able to outrun him. Though I doubted I would have

been able to, even at my peak.

Still in the middle of my musings, I was startled when a cabin came into view. Thin curls of smoke drifted from the chimney and dissolved into the morning air.

I glanced at Draven; he was still walking forward with purpose, so I followed him. Right as we reached the entrance of the cabin, the door flung open, and a representation of what I could only call a witch doctor stood there.

She bowed deeply to Draven, and he bowed slightly in return.

This witch doctor was different from how I had expected all witch doctors to look. The one at my old pack had been half bent with age and frequently had sand in his hair.

But this one was young and in the prime of her life. Her dark hair was braided with silver and red threads, her robes loose and flowing down to the ground. I could see faint sigils running down her neck and arms, pulsing with light as she moved.

"Alpha." She greeted with a smile. "I see you've found her."

I watched Draven's face contort for a moment before he replied. "Yes, as you said I would."

Her smile widened, and she ushered us in. It smelled like herbs inside, but there was also a slight smell of smoke in the air that left a bitter taste on my tongue.

Rows and rows of bottles, jars, and strange ingredients rested on the wooden shelves. The witch doctor turned back to us. "I presume you have something you want to seek my opinion on, Alpha?"

"Yes," Draven answered solemnly, then he explained what he had seen.

The witch doctor circled me curiously, murmuring incantations. I stood still, waiting for her to finish.

When she stopped, she stretched out her hand to me. "Give me your hand, child."

I put my hand in hers, curious about what she was going to do. She covered my hand with her other hand and started murmuring incantations again.

A few seconds later, she gasped and jerked back, away from me, chanting louder as she rubbed her hands against each other.

My hand was still outstretched in her direction as I stared at her with widened eyes, but my heart had already dropped down to my stomach.