Chapter 6 Slave

Atasha’s Point of View

THE banquet ended quickly as Alpha Gregory was truly upset about what had just happened. His disgusted stare towards my face made me want to run and hide, but there was nowhere to go. I can't blame him, though. The Alpha's plan was ruined by his son. To control the damage that Elijah and I did, he then declared to the crowd that everything was a huge misunderstanding.

Some groups were muttering some words as they heard from the strange blonde-hair werewolf Zach that I was from their rival pack. I remember all the looks that were thrown at us, but Elijah didn't seem to mind it. He was still holding my waist and slowly walked away from the crowd.

I was still bewildered that the soon-to-be Alpha declared that he had already found his mate–his future Luna, and that was no other than me. My heart could not even stop from thumping so loud by just remembering his words while we were on the stage. It was so sincere and brave that it sent a euphoric feeling that I couldn't comprehend. This is the first time I attended a banquet and the first time that a werewolf has kissed me on the lips. This was like emotional torture for me; if Astrid is here, what is she going to do?

Elijah was still holding my hand when he dragged me back into his room. He immediately locked the door, and I was only looking at him, waiting for the words that would come out of his mouth.

He sighed in relief, hid one hand inside the pocket of his pants, and gazed at me with his piercing eyes.

"I bet you're confused," he uttered huskily and walked towards me.

I could have sworn that I felt as if I was being electrified by his intense gaze. It was too much to handle that I had to look away. I breathed hard and reminded myself that I had to be in the right mind right now and that there was no room to fancy this man who seems to be bringing another nightmare in my life!

"What was that all about?" I asked as I gathered all the remaining courage I had. I swallowed the lump in my throat and fisted my hand to chuck out my fear. “Is this a kind of suffering you do to your slaves? Do you see how mad everyone in your pack is? Especially your father?”

“They are not important. Also, why do you even care?” he asked in his cold tone of voice.

I gritted my teeth and gazed back at him. His brows were furrowed, and his jaw slightly clenched as his piercing eyes continued to look at me.

"A-Am I really your mate?" I asked him with a voice crack. Regardless of his response, there’s a small voice in the back of my head that would like to ask him, even though I already know what the answer is.

A ghost of a smile was evident on his reddish lips. He licked it before he spoke, “No, you're not . . .”

I chuckled a bit, shook my head, and looked down on the ground. I’m fucking stupid; of course, he is lying. I’m not even sure how I came up with the idea to ask that question.

“You're just a mere slave, not my mate. What happened at the banquet was all part of my plan.”

“As I expected from the son of our rival pack’s Alpha . . .” I whispered as I looked at him with disgust. “W-Why did you do that? What are you planning? Y-Your father was furious —”

“I don't care about how he feels. I want him to stop manipulating my life. Listen.” He held my shoulders and breathed heavily. “Go along with this, and I can assure you that I will protect you no matter what happens. You can avoid the sufferings you could get as a slave if you cooperate with me. I need you to act in front of everyone. You will be my contracted Luna, Atasha.”

As he spoke those words towards me, his eyes were flaming with wrath, which made me uneasy.

I was still in disbelief when I heard how a son acted this way towards his father. He is ruthless. He didn’t understand that his father was only doing this for his own sake. Whose father is so cruel that they manipulate their child’s life?

“Elijah, your father, only wants the best for you. I think this is a bad idea!” I burst it out and looked at him directly. I couldn’t tell his reaction by looking at his face. He turned around and removed his shirt.

My face turned a crimson hue as I scanned his broad shoulders, biceps, and all the way down to his lean, sculpted V-shaped back.

“Notice the tattoo on my back?” he asked. I came back from my senses and looked at it. “It’s a moon with a king’s crown. What does it mean?” He turned around and slowly walked towards me; his hands snaked to my waist, and his eyes melted me with the look of sorrow. Why do I feel like I've seen this before?

“I’m also a slave of my father . . . and we’re just the same.”

He then picked up his shirt, walked away and closed the door. After he left, I immediately sat down on the edge of the bed near me. The room felt bigger now that he left. I caught my breath and slowly got up and opened the windows to get more refreshing air.

No matter how I tried to clear my head, even the fresh night breeze didn’t help. I sighed and decided to fix myself in the mirror. My mind couldn’t help but to remember Elijah’s face and what he said.

I only finally came to my senses when I discovered that the scar from my neck, which the pack doctor had predicted would heal in two weeks, had already disappeared.

***

THE next day was like a nightmare to me. Simply sitting at a dining table together with Elijah's parents made me want to vomit. I couldn't stand the face of the werewolf who slaughtered my entire pack and brought me to this hell. Thinking also of working with Elijah makes me upset about this situation.

I bit my tongue to discard my rage as I knew there was a right time for it. I looked around and saw how lavish their lifestyle was. It was ultimately the opposite of how our small pack lived in the woods. There was a giant portrait of their family hanging on the wall. The ceilings were filled with ancient paintings that looked like their ancestors. There was no doubt that they were filthy rich. What destroys me is that this is because of their wrongdoings and their cruelty against our pack.

The Alpha who's greedy of power while his son is—

“...we’re just the same.”

Those words from Elijah entered my mind for a second. He was also a tremendous liar. Not at all, Elijah. You are born with a silver spoon in your mouth, whereas I am not.

I then looked at him, and he acted like nothing happened yesterday. A heavy silence engulfed the whole dining room, and the only thing I could hear was the sound of their utensils as they ate.

Elijah was seated beside me and almost done with his food. I couldn't believe he still has the appetite after the problem he created last night.

“Our marriage should be arranged soon," he said, breaking the silence on the table as he stood up. I looked at him, and he was eyeing his father sternly.

I heard Alpha Gregory heaved a huge sigh. I glanced his way and saw the dismay and anger in his eyes. He turned to me after a few seconds. “It's not something you can decide with. First off, I need to see if she is worthy of being part of this family.”

My forehead creased because of what I heard. What was he thinking? I then looked at Elijah, whose jaw keep clenching out of anger but still trying to hold back.

"Listen, father, she's my mate. I don't think proving herself is a must at this point. You want me to be the Alpha, correct?"

“I apologize for bursting your bubble, but it is a must to prove that she’s capable of leading, El.” Alpha Gregory wiped his mouth using a table napkin and looked at his son dangerously. “I will give her a test to see if she’s deserving to be your wife, and make sure that she can shift to a strong werewolf as I need a strong Luna for you who will lead our female members and would bear pups for the future of this Pack," he said and then looked back at me. "If all else fails, then you must marry Margaux."

My heart sank, and my hand began to quiver against my bouncing knee as I tried to calm myself down. It was Alpha Gregory's gaze that was sending me a threat that I couldn't ignore. If it all fails, does it mean that I will be free? But knowing the Alpha, as long as I'm here in their domain, my life will be in peril.

He wants to see me shift into my wolf form. How could I possibly do that? Never in my adolescent life had I experienced the shifting. I was cursed by the Moon Goddess, and I don't possess any wolf inside of me!

My eyes glanced at Elijah, whose tiny beads of sweat had started to form in his forehead. His jaw was clenched sternly as his hand began a fist. I sensed that he knew that I couldn't shift, probably he would surrender now to his father. I think this is the best decision for us.

“Go along with this, and I can assure you that I will protect you no matter what happens.” I then remember these words coming from him last night. I didn’t know why, but whenever I think of those words from Elijah, my heart feels so heavy. It gives me a bit of a sense of hope. If I sided with him, his father would punish us both once he finds out about this stupid plan, and of course, I would take more harm than Elijah because I'm just a slave.

As I stared at Elijah, his words lingered in my mind once again.

“...I’m also a slave of my father, and we're just the same.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. It took a few seconds for me to gather the courage to hold his fisted hand. His gaze went down to our hands. I heaved a huge breath and stood up, still looking at him with small courage that was backing me up. I then faced his father, ignoring the fact that my knees were quivering so severely.

“If that is the only thing that will put you at ease, then I have no reason to decline. I accept that test, Alpha . . .” I said, raising my head with confidence. “I’ll prove to every one of you that I am worthy of being Elijah’s Luna.”

I heard Elijah's mother gasp. Alpha Gregory seemed to be surprised by my statement but cleared his throat after a while. He then nodded his head. “What a courageous slave . . .”

“She agreed. Let her prepare herself for that test, whatever that is. Give her a month to study—”

“Five days,” Alpha Gregory stated as he cut Elijah's words off. “I will give her five days to prepare.”

Elijah cussed out of frustration. He looked at me, and I could see how worried he was. By his stare, I knew that he was aware that it was impossible for me to be able to prepare for the test . . . and for the shifting for only five days.

But we were already in this situation, and I didn't want to be a laughingstock by everyone only because I didn’t try hard enough to deal with Alpha Gregory’s condition.

“Sure thing, Alpha. I appreciate you being considerate,” I uttered, trying to hide how nervous I was right at this moment.

The truth was, I had no idea where this sudden burst of confidence had come from. The feeling I had was as if my intuition was telling me to continue with this, that even though I was aware of my inability, I had no choice but to prove my worth.