Chapter 4: You Must Be A Special One

Diane’s POV

I woke up to the sound of crashing and growling. It still distorted my mind as I adjusted my eyes to the brightness seeping through the window. Groggily, I sat up slowly huddling my naked self under the blanket like someone was watching me. I looked around and saw the whole place and my things scattered with Jayden in the middle of it all.

When he noticed that I was awake, he walked towards me as if he was stalking a prey. I gripped the blanket firmly and diverted my eyes away from him.

“I told you, Raven, he's going to reject me. He must have realized how weak I am. A powerful Alpha like him would never accept such a weak mate like me, who couldn't even help defend her parents and pack.”

“Calm down, Diane. You're not sure he's going to reject you yet, and whatever happens, just know that I always want what's best for you.” Raven said soothingly.

“Who are you working for and where is the rest of your group,” Jayden growled.

Shock ran down like blood in my veins, and the hairs on my arm crawled up. I kept my gaze away from him and did not answer.

“Are you not going to answer me?” He yelled.

My heart began beating so fast with fear. I was expecting him to reject me for being weak, but now I think he's mistaken me for someone else. Or maybe he does not remember what happened last night.

“Do you know how disgusted I am with you? Or were you thinking that you'd instantly become Luna because I slept with you?” He sneered. “Yesterday meant absolutely nothing. Don't let it get to your head.”

My jaw dropped at his words. Hearing him say those words was like a knife stabbed in my heart. My eyes threatened to betray me with the tears that sat at the corner.

“If you tell me where your accomplices are, and who you're working for, maybe I might let you live,” he growled, wrapping his hands around my neck.

I didn't fight him or struggle to break free when his hold on my neck became tighter. He lifted me up while choking the air out of me. It was only then I looked at him in the eyes with nothing but emptiness in mine. I could feel myself almost passing out when he dropped me on the floor.

I coughed as I massaged my neck which was bruised for sure. Even when he was choking me, I could still feel the sparks and tingling of the mate bond all over me.

“Get dressed! If you do not tell me the truth willingly, then I'll have it out of you.” He said coldly before turning away so I could dress up.

I stood up and wore the same clothes I was wearing last night. Once I was done, he dragged me outside, grabbed both of my hands and tied them with a rope.

I couldn't help but wonder what I had done to deserve this kind of cruelty. First, my parents and entire pack were wiped out by rogues. Next, I found my mate bleeding in the forest. I helped him; he recovered quickly. We both had sex, which was my first time, by the way, and now I’m being accused of something I have no idea about, tied up and being dragged to goddess knows where.

How did I get here? How did it happen so fast? I knew that life was going to be hard for me without the help and support of my parents, and I anticipated many bad things happening, but I didn’t expect them to start occurring so quickly. Just two months after my parents' death, I've already found myself in a complicated situation that might lead to my death.

The good thing is that I’ll get to meet my parents on the other side of life, but my heart is heavy because their sacrifices seem to be in vain. I could very well have died in that rogue attack if I had known that this was going to be my fate.

The walk back to his pack was quiet. The only sounds we heard were the breaking of twigs beneath our feet and the songs of birds. After two days of walking, we finally arrived at his pack. I was hungry, thirsty, exhausted, and my whole body ached badly. I had thought I was going to die before we reached his pack, and he wouldn’t have to worry about having such a weak mate like me.

When we entered his pack, a couple of guards bowed and tried to approach us, but he stopped them. It seemed he didn’t want to draw too much attention. His pack was large, with a grand castle situated in the middle, surrounded by water like an island. To reach the castle, one needed to cross a bridge that was heavily guarded by hefty-looking warriors, making it difficult for anyone to sneak in or out.

We entered through the back door behind the castle, where the land was dry. He took me to my cell, and we passed by lots of cells filled with rogues and maybe people who had crossed him. They all looked haggard and shifty. The sewage smell of the rogues filled the air, causing me to feel nauseous.

I noticed that the cells on the same row had a bit of distance between them, but you could see the occupants of the adjacent cells. He took me to the cell at the very end of the row and pushed me into it. Before I could react, he slammed the bars, locked them, and left without saying a word.

I collapsed to the ground immediately due to weakness and wanted to cry but I couldn't, I had no strength left for tears. At least they have a nice and clean cell, I thought to myself.

“This is not a cell. I don't smell any blood,” Raven said.

“Have you lost your senses so quickly, Raven? If this isn’t a cell, then where are we? Didn’t you notice the prisoners we passed by? And how will you be able to smell blood in a cell when the whole place reeks of sewage?” I asked her, irritated.

Before Raven could reply, I heard the door being unlocked. A female figure walked towards my cell with a plate in one hand and a bottle of water in the other.

“Well, are you just going to sit there looking like a lost fool?” The person in front of my cell said highly irritated. “Come get these things out of my hands, I've got other things to do than to serve a good plate to a rogue.”

I instantly scrambled up and grabbed the plate as she slid it under the bars and threw the bottle of water into the cell. She stomped away angrily, muttering strings of curses. I took the plate up and looked at its contents. It was a meat soup. It was filled with meat and I could hardly see the liquid in the bowl.

The smell of the food was heavenly, and it made my stomach grumble in delight. I sat down comfortably and didn’t waste time gobbling up everything, then washed it down with water.

“A rogue prisoner being treated like a princess,” I heard a voice snort. I flinched and looked up to see that it was coming from the cell opposite me. I couldn't see who was in it well enough, but I knew that it was a male voice.

“You must be a special one. Or rather you're a special one.” The person's voice continued and this time around, he stood up and walked over to the cell bars. I could see his dirty face now with a mass of long brown hair adorning his head.

“I am not special,” I mumbled. “Who are you?”

“You are not special, yet my cousin brought you in here by himself—something I have never witnessed in my eight years of being here. You're not special, and yet you were served my cousin's favorite meat soup, prepared by his own personal chef. If you're not special, explain to me how a rogue prisoner like you is receiving special treatment that even I, his cousin, have never received," he asked, maintaining his calm voice.

Before I could reply to him, the door opened again, and a male figure walked towards my cell. From the strong scent I perceived, I knew it was Jayden approaching, but what does he want now? Is he here to finally reject me? Will he kill me? I don't know what to expect from him because if the man opposite my cell is truly his cousin and has been here for eight years, then I'm surely doomed.