The Alpha

Chapter 5

Scarlet's POV

Sunlight filters into my room and I lay my arm over my eyes with a groan. Wait a minute? Where is the Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

sunlight coming from? And... am I in a bed?... I remove my arm and peek out with one eye as I adjust

to the bright light that surrounds me. Suddenly I'm sitting up, both eyes wide open as I take in the

gorgeous room that I'm in. How did I get here?

Long velvety drapes frame a huge arched window. The walls are a light gray and are adorned with

canvases displaying beautiful abstract designs that bring in some color. There is a large white dresser

with a gigantic decorative mirror hanging above it. I'm sitting in a king-sized bed with deep, wine

colored sheets and a lavender duvet. There is a sitting area with two comfy-looking white armchairs

with a small round table sitting between them, a vase of pink roses positioned in the center. The

exquisite hardwood floors are covered by a Persian rug that lies in the middle of the room.

I throw the covers back before dangling my legs over the edge of the bed. Stretching and flexing, I take

stock of my injuries. My body aches but not as bad as I expected it to. I carefully step down, my feet

landing on the rug before I walk over to one of the doors to the room. Opening it, I find a large walk-in

closet, complete with a tufted stool and a full-length mirror. There are about a dozen outfits hanging in it

along with several pairs of shoes. However, it is still mostly empty. I leave the closet and open the door

next to it, finding a beautiful bathroom with a walk-in shower and stand-alone bath big enough for two

people. I turn to the mirror above the sink and my eyes widen. Walking slowly closer I examine my dull,

dirty red locks and the pallor of my ivory skin. My eyes are sunken and I look sickly compared to my

normal appearance. I've always been on the thinner side, there isn't exactly an abundance of food in

The Scourge, but now I look almost skeletal.

Turning around, I examine my back. It has clearly been cleaned of any blood and the wounds are now

mostly healed with thin strips of gauze over them. I wonder who did this. Why am I not in the dungeons

anymore? I reach my arms around to try and peel the gauze off, but I struggle to reach. With a sigh I

turn around, trying to figure out a solution. I spot another small door and open it to find towels. A

shower would be nice and would help with removing my bandages. Quickly picking out an outfit from

the closet, I go back to the bathroom and adjust the water until the room begins to fill with steam. I

climb in and the hot water instantly relaxes my sore muscles causing me to exhale in relief.

I take my time as I lather up my hair and body, standing under the shower-head as water runs down

me. I don't know how long I'll be able to access such nice accommodations, so I might as well make it

count. When I walk out of the bathroom, toweling my hair off, I freeze mid-step. Sitting in one of the

armchairs is my mate. He instantly sits up straighter as he sees me and I narrow my eyes at him.

"What are you doing here?"

The corner of his mouth quirks up as he gestures to a tray of food on the table beside him. My eyes

widen at the smorgasbord lied out in front of me, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits, fruit, the

works. My eyes dart to him then back to the food before I sit down in the chair opposite him and begin

digging in, moaning in satisfaction. His eyes darken at the sound before he regains his composure. "Be

careful," he begins. "You eat too much too fast after not having anything you're going to end up

regretting it later."

I nod and place the food back down on the table, forcing myself to take my time. My hands begin to

fidget in my lap as I look down at them, chewing slowly as I can feel his eyes on me. Finally, I can't take

the silence any longer. "So... umm... thanks for the food," I reply as I pick up a strawberry and take a

bite.

"You're welcome," he says simply, continuing to stare as if he finds me somehow fascinating.

I nod while I avoid his gaze. Instead, I choose to observe my fingers as they twist around each other.

He still doesn't speak so I let out an exasperated sigh before turning to him. "What am I doing here?

How did I get here?"

"I brought you here. You are in a guest room of my penthouse," he answers. He seems to be watching

me, figuring out how I'll handle the situation. I'm not sure what to think of it. Is this a game to him?

"Okay, but why?"

"Because I wanted to."

I scowl at him. His short responses are making me increasingly more irritated. "Well it wasn't long ago

that I was in the dungeons getting tortured because that's what you wanted. Are you always this

indecisive?" This time his eyes narrow at me. So, he's getting angry now? I can't help but to let out a

scoff as I swiftly stand up from my seated position. I begin pacing across the room as I try to wrap my

head around everything that has happened lately. "Do you just always do what you want without any

regard for the consequences?"

He stands up, his face set in a stern, intimidating expression as he steps towards me. I instantly step

back. I don't know this man. I don't know anything about him. All I know is what I have gone through

since meeting him and so far our relationship doesn't look promising. This can't be my mate. "I don't

even know your name..." I state softly as though I'm talking to myself.

"I'm Alpha Ethan Kane."

My breath hitches and I gulp the air back down as I nod with widened eyes. This can't be happening.

I've heard so many stories about the merciless Alpha Ethan Kane. After what he just put me through,

his own mate, I have a feeling that most of the stories are true. And they aren't exactly heart-warming,

far from it. I take a moment to compose myself and find my resolve before I turn to him and look him

dead in the eyes. "I, Scarlet Denton from the packless, reject y-" I begin before he approaches me in

one large stride and grabs me by the elbows, pulling me to him so that our noses are mere centimeters

apart.

"No."

I stare up at him for a moment, searching his eyes as though they will give me answers. His eyes are

darkened as though his wolf is trying to come to the surface. Anger seems to be rolling off him in waves

as he holds me close enough to him that I can feel his shallow breath on my face. The sting of tears

appears in my eyes as I try to understand why he won't let me reject him. He clearly doesn't want this,

doesn't want me. "What do you mean no? Why not?" His gaze drops and his eyes move as though he

is desperately thinking for an answer. "Tell me Ethan! Why not?!"

"Because I won't let you go. Not yet."

"Not yet? So you will? When?"

"Are you really in that big of a hurry to leave me?!" he growls, his grip on me tightening.

"I'm just trying to understand! Stop speaking in fucking riddles and just explain why the hell I'm still

here? Tell me why you stabbed me, saved me, and then had be thrown into your damn dungeons! It

doesn't make any sense to me!"

He drops his hold on me and walks away a few paces as he scrubs his hands through his hair

agitatedly. When he turns back to face me, he lets out a deep sigh and reaches out his hand to take

one of mine. I instinctively pull away and watch as his eyes seem to flicker with pain and sadness and

what I think is possibly regret. "Please," he begs as he continues to hold his hand out for me to take.

"Can we just sit down for a moment and talk. I promise I'll explain everything."

I don't take his offered hand, but I nod and walk back over to my seat. He inhales and bobs his head as

though accepting defeat before he comes and sits opposite me. He leans back and drags a hand over

his face, rubbing at his eyes and I begin to see how haggard he looks. It doesn't seem like he's been

getting much sleep. "I'm not even sure where to begin..."

"How about from the beginning? Why did you and your men attack the packless?"

"We didn't—" he starts before I cut him off.

"You did."

He shakes his head in exasperation and continues. "Six of our men had been at one of the local bars

when they were brutally killed. We followed the scent back to that alley."

This time my head moves back and forth. "I knew those men you killed. None of them would have done

something like that."

He shrugs. "Maybe not, but someone from the packless did. We picked up multiple scents and all of

them led back there." I shake my head again, trying to make sense of this information before he

continues. "One of those scents had been all over you."

I tilt my head to the side and furrow my brows. "What exactly was the scent?"

He closes his eyes and his nose scrunches up as though he is remembering it. "Earth, sandalwood,

and whiskey." Suddenly, his eyes open and narrow at me. "It was male...". My brain seems to be

working a hundred miles a minute. That smell.... Where have I smelled that scent before?... "Were you

with someone? Do you have a boyfriend or something?" he asks out of nowhere, distracting me from

my thoughts. My eyes shoot over to meet his and see they are dark and his hands are gripping the

armrests tightly.

"What?! No!" I quickly respond, startled by his severe reaction. I've always heard that Alphas tend to be

more territorial and possessive. We haven't even accepted each other and he is already about to rip

the chair to shreds at the thought that I had been with someone else the evening we met.

"Then why did you smell like him? He had to have had his paws all over you..." His eyes roam over my

body as he pictures some unknown man touching me in the way that only my mate should. His lips

twist in anger and disgust at the thought and I know that I need to speak up before he does anything

drastic.

"Ethan, I help out at the homeless shelter. I know all the packless. There is no telling how many people

I was around. Maybe I bumped into them or gave them a hug. I don't know, but I promise you that I'm

not seeing anyone."

He nods, seeming reassured by my response as his tall, muscular body relaxes back against the chair.

We sit there in silence as my mind goes back to working over the details. Suddenly, the answer hits me

like a freight train. Ray. That bastard. I immediately try to control my facial expression. I can't tell Ethan

who it was. I don't want him going back to my home and wreaking havoc like last time. I don't want any

more innocent bystanders to wind up dead on his quest for Ray. I'm going to have to take care of that

jackass myself. I don't want any more unnecessary bloodshed. While working this out, I forget that

Ethan is right there watching me, glaring at me. "What?" I ask innocently.

"You know something..."

I take in a deep breath to calm myself and steady my heartbeat. "I'm sorry, but I don't. I promise to look

into it when I go back home though..."

"What do you mean?"

I give him a confused look. "I'm going home...?" I state, though it comes out sounding more like a

question.

"No. You'll be staying here," he replies sternly.

"Umm... excuse me, but no I won't be. There are people who depend on me. I need to get back there.

They probably all think I'm dead right now," I insist as I stand up again.

He does the same and positions himself in front of me. "Scarlet, someone from The Scourge killed six

seasoned wolves in cold-blood. There is no way I'm letting you go back there. Once the threat has

been dealt with we can discuss the possibility of you continuing to work there or whatever." His tone is

firm, leaving me little room to negotiate.

"You won't LET me go back??? I'm a grown woman. I can do whatever the hell I please! You are not

my keeper!"

"Please Scarlet. I don't want to argue about this right now. Just let me deal with it and we can come

back to this discussion some other time."

"But..."

"ENOUGH," he barks, causing me to instantly close my mouth. I can feel his Alpha aura. It doesn't

seem to affect me the way it should, but I can still tell that I shouldn't push him further.

I huff in irritation. "So, what do you expect me to do all day then?" I ask with a sigh of defeat.

"For now, you'll stay here."

"What?! Why?!"

"Because you clearly know who the guilty party is and either you don't know it and could be in danger

or you do and you are lying to protect him. Either way, I can't trust you to be out there right now."

"Seriously Ethan, let me help. I know all those people that live there. Just let me do some digging. I can

get answers for you and no one has to get hurt."

"You go digging and you'll be the one getting hurt. That's out of the question. The answer is no. End of

discussion."

"No, it's not. You can't just go around telling me what to do."

"I just did." I glare at him harshly with my fists clenched by my sides. I can just imagine smoke coming

out of my ears with how angry I am right now. He must be the most stubborn, bossy man I have ever

met. Before I can argue further, he gestures towards my bedroom door. "If you need anything my

bedroom is at the end of the hall and my office next to it. Otherwise, if you go the opposite direction

you'll find the kitchen and living room. Feel free to explore, but you'll have to stay on this level. The

elevator requires an ID in order to function."

He presses a light kiss to my temple and I can't help but stand there dumbfounded. I hear the door

close behind me and heave out a sigh. I may not be in the dungeons anymore, but I'm still a prisoner. I

need to get out of here. I need to get back to The Scourge before he takes more men there and tears

the place apart.

Whatever I decide to do, I'll need to be quiet about it. If he figures out what I'm trying to do, I'll lose

even more of my freedom. I decide to stay in the confines of my room and walk over to the large

window. There is a hooked latch on it that I quickly unfasten and open the window up wide to find a

small Juliet balcony. This high up it's ice cold and windy. The people below look like ants and I breathe

in deeply to calm myself. I must be at least forty stories up. I look in both directions and see that there

is a small ledge that wraps around the building. It is only about six inches wide, but I can see a spiraling

staircase tucked into the exterior wall just a few yards away. A fire escape. I frantically look around to

see if there is a way for me to get over there without falling to my death. There are ridges along the

stone wall. I can hold onto one with my hands while my feet use the ledge. It will be risky, but as far as I

can tell, it's also my only way out of here.