Chapter Two

Warmth was the first thing she felt when she woke up. Someone was holding her. Had they caught up with her again? Was she back in the dungeon? No, that could not be,it was way colder and had a nasty smell.

"Mate." A thought crossed through her mind. She panicked.

She opened her eyes and saw that it was a little before sunrise. Had she been kidnapped ? She sat up immediately and run from the small bed she was in.

"Calm down. You're okay, you're safe." A wonderful voice said. She scanned the room frantically and saw the  source of the voice. 

His brown eyes had golden circles around them, his face reminded her of spring mornings and stormy nights. It was a forbidden mix that she found rather intriguing. His plump lips set in a line that was almost a smirk. He looked like he had his own sun that lit up everything. She wanted him to hold her some more. He had a very strong aura emanating from his very soul. It was rather intoxicating and addictive. He was obviously an alpha. She flinched at the thought.  No please no, not another alpha, she thought.

"What do you mean not another alpha?" He asked her pulling her from the train of thought. Did she say that out loud? She wondered.

He  wore a frown that made his beautiful eyes look fierce.

"I'm sorry, please don't hurt me...." She said and the frown on his face became deeper as if processing what she said. His features softened a little in a moment.

"I'm not going to hurt you. Who are you and why are you running out here alone? Where is your pack? Tell me so I can return you to them."

She looked up at him with wide eyes as fear gripped her body. She shook her head quickly.

"You are not a rogue, you barely smell like a wolf. You must have a pack though. Tell me who they are." He said calmly.

"Please don't send me back there. I will be on my way now...." She said.

He looked at her like she had said the stupidest thing in the world and chuckled.

"You are not well enough to go anywhere. The minute you step out of this place, you will be ripped into sheds  faster than you can say grandmother." He said seriously.

"Please. I will help clean around here..." As soon as she said that he growled. A low deep sound that shook her. Blood rose to her face and  ears.

"No. You can't stay here....."

She remembered the dungeon she had been living for the past seven years. The whipping she had gotten, the flooding water,the stench of the urine that was thrown at her in the first years. She would not forget the times she had been slapped her so hard her lip split  and the many instances she had been slammed to the wall. She fell to the floor and sobbed involuntarily. 

Suddenly a hand reached out to her and she whimpered.

"Shh. It's okay, it's just me." He said as he stroked her face wiping her the tears from her eyes. A spark of fire started from where he touched her and and she relaxed. "Can you at least tell me your name?" He asked looking directly at her and she wanted so bad to ask him to hold her forever. 

"Aliyah.." She whispered.  

"Hello Aliyah, my name is Divine, you can rest for now. No one will hurt you."

"Thank you......"

"No problem. My friends and I will keep you safe."

"Thank you."

She afforded a small smile and he nodded. He guided her back to the bed and covered her with a blanket. It smelled like him.

He sat beside her after a while then left the room, closing the door behind him.

"Well? How is she now? Who is she?" She heard someone ask.

"She is stable now. Her name is Aliyah." Divine said.

"Wow, beautiful name. Can we see her now?" Another voice asked.

Divine let out another growl. "No..... Not yet."

"Why not Vines? Mik and I won't hurt her..." Someone said.

"I know.... I just don't want her to feel uncomfortable. She is not ready." Divine said.

"Wow look at you being overprotective already over your......." Someone asked but did not finish. She heard shuffling of feet then silence.

His what? What were they talking about? She decided she had done enough eavesdropping and willed herself to sleep.

She closed her eyes and let sleep take her. Divine would not hurt her, she was safe and the thought relaxed her.

She woke up a some time later and she was in a different room,a different bed. His scent was all over it and very strong. It was where he probably slept. She wondered how she was still there and was calm about it. He was a stranger and they did not know each other well. A part of her was confident that he would never put her in harm's way, she realised it was her wolf.

How was that possible though? Her wolf had been dormant and distant for quite a while that she had forgotten what it felt like to shift.

Suddenly there was a small knock on the door and Divine walked in with some herbs in hand.

"How are you now?" He asked as he crushed the herbs in a bowl and added steamy water from a jug that was on the wooden table. 

"I feel fine. Thank you."

He shuffled towards her and put a hand on her forehead. "Well, you're not very feverish anymore. That's good."

"I had a fever?" She asked surprised. He got up and retrieved the bowl with the herbs.

"Drink this. The water only." He handed her the ash colored bowl. She took it and hesitated to drink. She put it up to her lips and drank a little. She coughed and scrunched her face at the bitter tasting water.

"Slower. I know it's bitter but you have to." He said looking at her like a child who refused to show where he got cut.

She drank a little more and gave back the bowl. "Thanks."

He just nodded. "The fever will be completely gone by daybreak." He studied her for a moment. "I will ask you something and I want you to answer me truthfully, got it?"

She nodded. "Sure."

"When I found  you, hurt and sick you were still in human form. Why didn't you shift?" He asked looking at her intently.

Her eyes went wide. Suddenly there was a knock and she thanked heavens for it. Did she want to tell him all about it?

"Those are my friends,  they wanted to see how you were doing. Can they come in?"

She looked at him as if pleading not tonlet them in.

"They won't hurt you in any way." He assured her.

She debated with herself, she did not know these people but if they did not enter,Divine will ask her about the shifting thing. "They can." She finally said.

"You may come in." Divine said.

The door opened and in walked two good looking guys. One of them had really blue eyes that contrasted to his dark hair,he was a bit shorter than his friend but his height would still tower over her if she dared to stand. He had a sharp scar from the bottom of his ear that extended to his cheek a bit. The other had brown eyes and had a kind face. He and Divine could have been related.

They stood with Divine and she was caught off guard. His face was shining. He was the only face she could see.

"Aliyah...." She heard him say and realised he was talking and she had not heard him. She was busy staring. She blinked and refocused.

"This is Orion and Mikhail. They saved you too." Divine said.

"Thank you...." She said shyly.

"It was our pleasure. Don't be scared. We don't bite. " the one called Orion said.

"How are you feeling now?" Mikhail asked.

"Are you still seeing things?" Orion asked again.

"I'm better now. Thank you so much. I'm sorry for the trouble." She said sincerely.

"It was no trouble at all." Orion said while Mikhail nodded.

"Well, we will let you rest now. I will check on you later." Divine said getting up.

"Can I talk to you please." She said looking at Divine.

"Sure." He hang back as the other two left the room.

"You're my mate aren't you?" She said and he gasped.

He looked at her with both fear and excitement.

"What makes you say that?" He asked slowly.

"I know. My wolf knows.  Your face keeps standing out and....."

"I don't know what to tell you, you don't even know me."

"I'm sorry Alpha....." She started to say.

"Don't call me that..." He said suddenly.

She flinched. 

"I'm so sorry. Please  Divine is fine. Those two call me Vines anyway."

"Divine. D. " she said quietly as if tasting the name on her tongue.

"Yes." He said smiling. "Can we talk about this when you feel better?" He added.

"We sure will." She said.

He nodded with a small smile and left the room.

Why did he not like being called alpha? He was one after all. He must have figured that she was his mate too but why did he ignore it when he asked.

Was he disappointed to get her as a mate?

She thought hard about telling him why she did not shift.  Was she ready to recount what had happened to her? Was she ready to relive those horrible days? But she had to trust him, after all if he was her mate, he deserved to know those things. On the other hand she did not want him to see her as weak. She had no idea what kind of man he was yet. She hoped he would give her a chance to get to know each other better.

She drifted off to sleep.

She opened her eyes as a cranking sound was heard. She sat up and someone splashed cold water on her. 

"Why are you still asleep this hour?!" The harsh voice said. She wanted to say sorry but a sharp pain hit her back suddenly. She screamed.

'I'm sorry please stop. Please. Please." She cried as more whips landed on her back.

"Aliyah! Aliyah it's okay, it's just a dream. You're okay." A voice said.

"Please I'm sorry, don't hurt me please."

"Ali, it's okay, I'm here.... I'm here." She opened her eyes and Divine was holding her.

"Divine....." She said. There was a wet patch on his shirt. She had obviously cried on it. "I'm sorry..." She said and more tears came.

"It's okay. I'm here. They can't hurt you." He rubbed her back while rocking her in his arms. "It was just a bad dream."

She nodded and calmed down a few moments later. He definitely was going to press her about what happened to her. She wanted to be selfish and just tell him everything so he would protect her and keep her safe but she wanted to be strong and fight this on her own too. 

She started dozing off again.

"Ali, before you sleep again, you have to eat. I brought food." He said.

On the table there were bowls of food and soup.

"Thank you."

"I didn't know what you would like but I made mushroom soup."

"Thank you."

He stood up to leave.

"Please don't go yet." She said.

"I'm here. I just wanted to get you the soup." He said.

She nodded and he got the soup and handed it to her.

She ate most of it and  he insisted she eat a fruit. 

"Can I ask, do you have nightmares often?"

She looked down. "Sometimes. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. You can't help it." He told her she could go back to sleep and he sat at the edge of the bed. 

This man who barely knew her was treating her well and being concerned about her. She wanted to pinch herself to wake up. 

He stood up to leave, he must have thought she was asleep.

"Divine...." She called out.

"Yes..... Sleep. I will be back." He told her.

"I can't shift."