Chapter Two

ELORA’S POV

At this moment, I should have moved my feet and run. But for some weird reason, my body froze on the spot. 

There was something in the way he looked at me that made my knees wobble. I was like this already when I caught his indifferent gaze. But when I heard his voice the first time, I felt that my heart stopped beating for a short while. 

“WHO are you?”

His deep, husky voice echoed through my ears. His demeanor was shouting danger yet I found it incredibly sexy. And yet, I restrained myself. I should not be blinded by how good he sounded. I knew too well how ruthless the Alpha King was.

Perhaps I zoned out with convincing myself how dangerous the alpha of the Royal Cavern was that I failed to realize that he was already a few inches from where I was standing. Once again, his pair of electric orbs bewitched me, keeping me motionless and out of words. 

“I won’t repeat my question. Answer me,” he said while lifting my chin. Damn! Why am I acting like this in front of this dangerous alpha? 

Gathering the remaining strength inside of me, I whispered audibly. “Victoria… My name is Victoria Collins,” I stuttered as I tried my best to keep on standing. 

Hiding my identity under a fake name was the most logical thing to do. While I was afraid of the things he could do to me once he found out I was lying, I couldn’t risk being found by my uncle. This was a risk worth taking given my current situation. 

“Victoria…” he repeated as he scanned me with his sharp eyes. Finally, he let go of my face. This time, the rest of the guards arrived. 

“Bring this woman to a better room. Make sure she will be cleaned, fed, and dressed nicely. From now on, she would stay with us,” he commanded with much authority. While some of the guards, including me, were shocked by his decree, no one attempted to question his words. With that, he left me with the rest of the guards. 

A few minutes later, I was led by one of the guards to what seemed like a guest room in one of their towers. My jaw dropped realizing that the room was twice as big as my uncle’s room back in our pack. It was so big and elegant that I almost forget that I was in dangerous territory. Sighing, I sat on the bed for a few seconds before letting my back fall on it. It made me groan in pleasure as I had never felt a mattress as soft as this in my entire life.

‘Whoa! Did you hear that, Elora? The Alpha King wants us to stay here and will look after us from now on. Isn’t he the sweetest?’ Arwen screamed inside my head. I could imagine her rolling in joy at the moment. I didn’t want to spoil her happiness but hearing the stories about the famed Alpha King, it would be hard for me to let my guard down in this simple display of happiness. 

“Don’t be too excited. Alpha King Dominic is a ruthless alpha. We don’t know what’s running inside his head.

‘What are you saying? Our mate is an Alpha King. Aren’t you happy that after years of living as a rogue, we finally had a roof on top of our heads and would never go hungry again?’

I rolled my eyes and sighed once more. “What I am saying is to not trust him that easily. You know what his reputation is, right? Not only he is known for his cruelty, but he is also a playboy. What made you think he would be loyal to us? Remember, we are nothing but a filthy rogue in everyone’s eyes.”

‘Well, you have a point there. I guess...’ Arwen didn’t say anything else after that, letting me immerse myself in my thoughts on how to protect myself while in Alpha’s Dominic territory.

My train of thought was interrupted when a maid came inside. 

“Greetings, Luna. Pardon my interruption. My name is Maira and I am the omega assigned to serve you.” She bowed her head as a sign of respect and continued, “It would be my pleasure to assist the future Luna of the Royal Cavern Pack.

Arwen felt giddy inside while my cheeks heated in shame. Did we hear what this omega had said? Did she address me as…Luna?

Seeing Maira with a still lowered head, I came to her and let her stand straight. “Oh, please! Don’t do that!”

“But—”

“No buts, okay? Don’t call me Luna, just Victoria,” I uttered while posing my sweetest smile. Maira was still surprised but no longer uttered a single word. Instead, she prepared my bath, gave me a set of nice, clean clothes, and brought a tray of food for me to munch on. 

The food she brought was a feast and I let myself indulge in it. All the while, Maira remained silent, not daring to move or speak without prior notice. Her presence made me feel awkward yet I let it slide. I wondered what the other members of Royal Cavern felt having me here.

After I was done, Maira dismissed herself. Bored, I decided to roam around. But a few minutes into strolling, I bumped into a woman that would soon become the thorn in my side. 

“So the gossips are true,” a beautiful woman muttered as soon as we bumped our way into the corridor. She twitched her lips while looking at me disgustingly from head to toe. For some reason, she hated me and I would soon know why. “You are still here.”

Her hateful looks were enough for me to avoid her but the woman had no plans of letting me go that easily. She grabbed my arm, with eyes full of rage. “You better stop thinking that you will become the Luna of this pack. Dream on but it will never happen!”

Frowning, I replied through my gritted teeth, “I don’t know what you mean. Who are you and why are you telling me this?”

The woman held my arm tighter, with her long nails already digging through my skin. “The name is Ashley Blake, the future Luna of the great Alpha Dominic.”

Arwen was ready to claw her face but I subdued her. While I didn’t like that someone was threatening us face to face like this, I also understand that I was stepping into the thin ice staying here in their pack. 

Surprisingly, Ashley let go of my arm but not before leaning her head into my ear and whispering something. 

“Wanna know a secret? The great Alpha King only shared his bed with me. In fact, I am on my way to his chamber to satisfy his need for my body. If I were you, I will leave this instant. You will only embarrass yourself if you continue to stay. You are not needed here.”. 

‘That filthy bitch! How dare she talk like that when she was nothing but the alpha’s slut?!’ Arwen yelled in my mind. She was furious and I couldn’t blame her. In fact, I felt the same hearing the woman’s insults. 

“What? You don’t believe that I am the Alpha King’s lover? How pathetic! If that’s the case, why don’t you come with me to his room so he can confirm how I was able to satisfy his—”

“Shut up,” I yelled, not thinking about the consequence of what I did. The woman looked at me with disbelief. Perhaps she wasn’t expecting me to retaliate like that. 

“Did you just tell me to shut up? How dare you!”

“Yes, I did,” I said without backing down. “You call yourself the Alpha King’s love when you were nothing to him but a slut ready to warm his bed. At least I didn’t have to use my body to gain favors from him. Who's more pathetic now?”

I didn’t know what had gotten into me but her words triggered me. Gone were the days that I would cry into my bed when someone insulted and degraded me. The wild forest had taught me to stand up for myself, and I couldn’t be any more proud of what I achieved. 

“You ugly, good-for-nothing rogue!” She raised her hand, ready to slap me in the face. But before her hand hit me, a familiar voice asked from behind.

“What the hell is going on here?”

Ashley looked alarmed and in a blink of an eye, her demeanor changed into a gentle sheep.

“Oh, nothing. I just greeted our guest.” With that, Ashley strode away but not before throwing me an I-will-get-you-next-time look. 

I was left alone with the mysterious man who looked very familiar. After a few minutes of staring at his face, I finally remembered where I met him. He was the one who grabbed me yesterday!

“Do you need someone to show you around?” He asked in a gentle voice. Unlike yesterday, he seemed kinder and harmless but my lips remained shut. He might have sensed my discomfort. With that, he smiled and said, “My name’s Hunter, the royal beta. I am sorry about yesterday. I can show you around if you want,” he added.

Who knows how many sluts the Alpha King was having, and I didn’t have much energy to deal with them one by one. So, I accepted Hunter’s offer. In return, he gave me a nice tour. But the smile disappeared from my face the moment when I noticed some carvings on the wall. It was a list of all the pack names and their current alphas throughout the continent. Curious, I began to read through them quietly. But my anger rose when I read a familiar name I detest. It was my Uncle Lucian’s name, sitting proudly next to my beloved Moon River Pack!

“Remember this, Arwen. One day, this bastard will pay for what he did to my family.”

‘Yes, Elora. We will give your family the justice they deserved from that prick!’ Arwen answered inside my head.

“Is something wrong?” Hunter asked. He probably noticed my dark expression.

I didn’t say anything to him and just shook my head. After thanking him for the short tour, I decided to go back to my room. I could only count on myself and Arwen. No one should know about my true identity or else, I would die before I could exact my revenge.

Tired, I decided to calm myself under a hot bath. I was in the middle of taking off my shirt when I heard something that freaked me out. 

“Where have you been?” Alpha Dominic’s voice roared like thunder ready to strike me.

But somehow, I felt giddy and excited hearing his dangerous voice. However, I decided to keep it within me. My body was shaking, not because I feared him, but because I was furious hearing about his sexcapades with Ashley. How could he be this demanding if I knew that he was fucking another woman every night?

Feeling hurt, I decided to ignore him. Big mistake, for I saw Alpha Dominic flushed in rage. He walked towards me and pinned me against the wall. 

“When I asked you something, rogue, make sure to provide me an answer!” I flinched for a moment with his use of Alpha's voice but that didn’t bother me for long. He wasn’t my alpha so I have no obligation to follow his lead. 

“Oh, baby.” The mood inside the bedroom changed for the worse when Ashley stormed in with fake tears flooding her eyes. 

“Ashley,” Dominic became alarmed hearing his woman’s distress so he released me and opened his arms to her.

I smirked, losing every inch of respect I had for my so-called mate. He wanted me to obey him when he couldn’t even show respect to his mate. What an asshole! 

Ashley started sobbing like an amateur actress while pointing at me. “That woman! She called me a slut and insulted me when all I want is to be friends with her. Oh, baby! She humiliated me in front of Beta Hunter!”

Ashley buried her face in Dominic’s chest. By the looks of it, Alpha Dominic seemed to buy her mediocre acting. 

“What can I do to make you feel better, Ash?” Alpha Dominic asked lovingly. 

Ashley looked into his eyes, pleading, “You have to punish her for me. I’ve never felt so low in my entire life. I can’t believe that I had to experience all these just because I serve you. I deserve better than this!” 

“Alright,” the Alpha replied.

What the heck? Is he that stupid to believe her words without even taking my side? 

Alpha Dominic kissed Ashley’s forehead while looking at me with anger in his eyes. “From now on, you will become an omega and Ashley’s personal maid. I hope this will teach you lessons about humility and respect, ” he added. Meanwhile, Ashley posed a victorious smile.

Damn! What did I put myself into?