04

Chapter 4

Three men stood in the throne room, their scent different from every other member in the room. The aura they exuded posed a threat to every single member of her pack. Aurora could feel the tension in the room the moment she stepped in. Her body shook at the attention she received from everyone.

"Here she is, the bride to the alpha king," her father said to the men. They hadn't looked at her yet, and she wasn't ready to meet them. However, she had no choice. She looked beside her and saw Alpha Nathan with his son standing with no emotions on their faces, while Rebecca clung to his arms like his mate, instantly causing her heart to tighten.

Suddenly, an eerie sensation swept over her as she sensed penetrating gazes fixated upon her. The men in the room were unabashedly staring at her, their distinct scents permeating the air—a melange of rain-soaked earth, musk, leather, and cypress. These were aromas she had never encountered from werewolves, and their potency was undeniable. However, there was an inexplicable uniqueness to these scents; these werewolves, unlike the anticipated alpha presence, did not exude authority as she had expected. Notably absent among them was her betrothed husband, the alpha she had expected to see at the forefront of the group.

A voice broke through the charged atmosphere, introducing itself as a representative of Alpha Adam. "Hello, Aurora. It's indeed a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Unfortunately, Alpha Adam couldn't be present to personally escort you to your new home due to pressing alpha duties. Therefore, he has delegated us to ensure your safe journey home, which will commence tomorrow."

One of the men said, sounding powerful, and...

"My name is Oliver, Beta to the Steelheart Pack. I have been sent to bring you home. With me is Kennedy, the Gamma, and Orion, one of our greatest warriors. The alpha wanted to make sure that you are in safe hands, and you should have no fear coming over to your new home with us," Oliver said, giving the young lady a once-over look. She looked short for her age but chubby, and she had not looked into his face since he started talking. She had been staring at the ground, but that was okay; she would have to deal with the alpha king on that.

"We depart early tomorrow morning. Let no harm come near her, nor any single mark be on her body. The alpha will not be happy to see a single mark on her; he loves his woman clean and not tampered with," Orion said. Aurora gave him a quick look; that was fascinating, but still, that wouldn't stop her from escaping.

"Marissa, take her in and make sure she's well taken care of," her father said with a hiss. It was obvious he wanted her out of his way, and she felt her heart tighten again.

"I will send you the money once you send your account details to us. The alpha will definitely love her, we hope so," Oliver said. His words made Aurora freeze in place. She had thought she was just being married off to pay a debt, but that wasn't just it; he was selling her off too for money. She couldn't take the pain anymore, and quickly she didn't care if her stepmother was with her; she ran off from their presence to her room. The guards were trying to catch up with her, but she cared less; she wanted to be alone and cry her heart out.

As she bolted the door with anger, she fell onto her bed without noticing the presence in the room.

Her body racked with sobs as she felt an unimaginable pain. There was no way that she could heal from all of this. She heard the banging on her door, obviously from her stepsister or stepmother, but she couldn't care less; she just wanted to be alone.

"Stop crying and let's think of getting you to escape since everywhere is guarded," Aurora heard a voice say to her. She looked up with her messy face and swollen cheeks, which had changed colors to pure red.

"Elena!" she said, throwing herself on her, as Elena rocked her like a baby, humming her favorite rhythm.

"How am I going to escape? There's no hope left for me. They are going to sell me off, not just marry me off. I feel like a slave; no image is left of me," Aurora said as her sobs broke her.

"No, you are not a slave, Aurora. You are a wife to the alpha king, a powerful wife to the alpha king. If perhaps you did not escape, don't ever think you are a slave. You are literally the reason why our packs are not divided; because of you, our packs are safe, and you paid the price for it. Now, rather than sitting down here and crying over this, let's escape out of here. I can easily distract the guards; I'm so good at it," Elena said, quickly using a wet cloth to wipe off her face and patting her.

Aurora gave her a low smile; she felt better, and for the thousandth time, she was glad to have Elena in her life.

"So what's the plan?" Aurora asked.

"Our plan still remains the same; you escape through the windows, all I have to do is distract the guards and create enough time for you to escape," Elena said, walking around the room for a while. The knocking on the door stopped, and Aurora, acting out by running into the room, gave them the impression that Aurora was not in her right mind to plan any escape, and this was the perfect timing to escape.

Elena came towards her and whispered some words into her ears, and she listened to the plan. It wasn't going to be easy, and the chance of getting caught was high.

"Let's do this!" Aurora said, nodding at Elena.

Aurora watched as Elena stepped out from the room, and she quickly hid behind the door to grasp what was happening.

As Elena walked toward the guard standing at the door of Aurora's room, she changed her face to one of fear and helplessness and said, "Help, Aurora is in trouble. Her window is making a funny sound as if someone is trying to break in. Please, I need your help, and I think one person can't handle this; it requires your attention."

Quickly, the guards looked at each other and gave her a meaningful stare before hopping out to the room. Immediately they stepped into the room, Aurora quickly stepped out and closed the door on them, locking them in her room. Without thinking twice, they both rushed out to her escape zone. All they needed to do was clear out the guards standing by the hallway which leads to the window, and the plan was so easy and smooth, but something happened.