7. Meeting The Alpha

Elysia’s POV:

“Come with me please.” One of the girls said to me the moment Michelle was out of the room and I did as she said, following as she led me into a spacious bathroom.

It was bigger than anything I ever saw and had a bath in the middle of it that looked like it could fit five people. The bath had already been filled and once I got close enough, the sweet smelling mixtures that had been put into the water tickled my nose in the most pleasant way.

“Take off your clothes and get in.” The girl said again and I did.

Living with girls and sharing bathroom spaces with them for five years took away the urge to be decent around girls and so I had no problem completely stripping off in front of the girl. Although we were allowed to take our bath during the time in the scarlet room, we weren’t given any change of clothes and I had been in the night wear that I had been wearing on the night I had been taken away for all this time and it felt good to shed it off.

The water felt warm and I instantly relaxed into it, my eyes closing in bliss when the girl began washing my hair carefully.

“You have very beautiful hair.” She complimented and I flinched in surprise. I didn’t think she would talk to me and so I had not been prepared for it.

“Thank you.” I whispered shyly.

I had been told often that my hair was my best feature. I took my mother wild red curls and although it was beautiful especially when properly taken care of, there had been times where I hated it because it drew too much attention.

As someone, who enjoyed to hide or blend with the shadows having a hair full of red hair didn’t help always help. It’s why I was surprised how Michelle always seemed to skip me when she came to pick girls, in other situations I would be the first one to be picked because my hair always seemed to announce my presence.

“What’s your name?” I asked after a long silence but I got no response and I didn’t try again.

The girl attended to me finally rinsed my hair off and she began scrubbing me with the sweetest smelling soaps and soothing fragrances. She scrubbed through every inch of me, taking her time through the task.

Once she was satisfied that I was spotless, she helped me get out of the bath before wrapping me in a large fluffy towel and ushering me out of the bathroom and led me back into the room. The other girls were nowhere to be found but I didn’t ask any questions.

Oil was massaged into my skin and I looked on in awe as the light caught onto the sheen on my skin. The girl helped me slip into the most beautiful dress I had ever seen in my life.

The dress was a masterpiece of elegance. It cascaded in luxurious folds of rich, deep crimson silk, hugging my curves with a gentle embrace. The bodice was adorned with intricate lacework, delicate as a spider's web, with tiny pearls and crystals sewn into the fabric, sparkling like stars against the night sky.

As my fingers brushed the dress, I could feel the smoothness of the silk, cool and soft against my skin. It had a low neckline that hinted at allure, yet maintained an air of sophistication. The back of the dress dipped into a graceful V-shape.

The girl filled my arm with bracelets and cuffs that looked like they belonged to royalty, my fingers with rings and braces and then a beautiful necklace was placed on my neck, she slipped a beautiful sandals onto my dainty feet before moving me to the table at the end of the room.

My breath caught in my throat when I caught sight of my reflection in the mirror. My hair was yet to be done but I couldn’t recognize the girl in the mirror from across me. It had been a long time since I had seen my reflection in the mirror but I could tell that there was a huge difference between the girl I could remember I looked like and the one that stared at me in the mirror.

The girl dried my hair before oiling it and brushing it until it shone. Surprisingly, she didn’t put it up like I expected her to, instead she curled pieces in the front and let fluffed it until it framed my face perfectly.

“All ready now.” She said, stepping away from me and I gave her a grateful smile which she returned.

I don’t think I could make myself this beautiful even if I had been given everything she worked with.

As if on cue, the door was pushed open to reveal Michelle and when her eyes fell on me, she hummed in what sounded like satisfaction before beckoning me out of the room where I met with the other girls that had equally been dressed to perfection. We were led out of the house and into a car. It felt good to feel the wind in my face again and be outside of a scarlet room and although the ride wasn’t very long, it was smooth and uneventful which I appreciated.

My stomach churned as the thought of my destination refused to leave my mind but I forced it all down and hoped it was over soon.

My breath seized in my throat at the sheer beauty of the countryside mansion. Everything came together beautifully and I could tell that a lot of effort had been put into the house. It seemed befitting for a king.

“Remember, be on your best behavior. I don’t have to tell you that the Alpha is not one to be messed with. Good luck girls.” Michelle said as she led us into the house, stopping in front of a large mahogany door.

Once she was finished speaking, she pushed open the door and it revealed a large dining room. A gleaming crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, casting a warm glow over a long, polished mahogany table set with fine china, crystal stemware, and silver cutlery.

Plush, high-backed chairs surrounded the table, upholstered in a sumptuous velvet fabric that matched the drapes and across the table was the biggest spread of food I had ever seen and as much as the delightful aroma tickled my senses and made my tongue water, it wasn’t the thing that held my attention.

It was the man sitting at the head of the table.

Alpha Asher.

His aura was powerful and domineering and he had an ageless beauty that was hard to describe. His jet black hair framed his chiseled face perfectly and at once I was drawn to his eyes. Cold, dark, ruthless yet alluring and piercing, it was hard to look away.

He sat with his spine straight, giving me a decent glimpse of the muscular body that sat snug under his fitted clothes. He was good looking, too good looking that it was difficult to see the monster that had lived in my head for years now.

The monster that had murdered my parents in cold blood.

He had his eyes set on my frame and they held something that I couldn’t recognize. My eyes moved to his fingers that were tapping impatiently against the table, the gold of the rings on his finger caught the light from the chandelier and seemed to tell a story of its own.

“Go on in.” I heard Michelle whisper from behind me and it seemed to snap me out of my trance.

All the other girls had moved to settle around the table and all eyes were on me as everyone waited for me to do the same. I moved with careful strides before settling in my seat, grateful for the space between the Alpha and myself. I looked to spare him a last glance but immediately looked away when I found his deep, dark eyes already on my frame.

“Welcome, please enjoy the dinner while we discuss lightly and the Alpha gets to know you. My name is Nikolai and I’m his Beta.” The man sat beside the Alpha said lightly, offering us a comforting smile.

He was equally good looking and had kind eyes but his aura was not as powerful as the man at the head of the table.

Gentle conversation flowed around the table as the girls introduced themselves, I did too when it was my turn but aside from that I focused on the food in front of me and kept quiet through the ordeal. It helped that the food was delicious and I focused on the plate in front of me, savoring the goodness.

“What pack do you belong to Elysia?” The sound of my name wasn’t the reason I choked on the food I had just swallowed.

It was the deep baritone of the Alpha’s voice and his sudden attention on me. It made something curl deep within me.

After a few gulps of water, I finally turned towards him and a shiver ran up my spine at his dark eyes watching me intensely.

“The Blood Moon pack.” I responded and his brows furrowed in thought.

The entire room had fallen silent as that was the first time he had spoken since we had entered the room. Nikolai had been doing most of the talking and interaction with the girls and the attention that was now on me made me want to disappear into the ground forever.

He looked like he was about to say something but he was thankfully stopped by Michelle opening the door that led and making her way into the dining room and I turned my attention to her, wondering how she managed to still maintain the air of confidence even in the presence of the powerful men in the room.

“Do you find any of the girls to your liking Alpha Asher?” She asked but the Alpha remained quiet. It didn’t deter her, a sign that she was used to this kind of behavior from him.

“It’s okay, if you don’t. We still have several girls for you and if you want I cou-“ she had been saying but the deep baritone of the Alpha’s voice cut her short.

“Elysia.”

The silence that followed his words stunned me for a moment, but it didn’t last very long. Horror filled me from the inside out and I dropped the fork that I had been holding, not caring about the loud clanking that it made.

“Are you sur-“ Michelle said but I was scrambling out of my seat before she could finish.

There was no way, I didn’t need him to be sure. There was just no way.

“Take the rest of the girls away and bring the red head to my chambers.” He instructed and moved to leave the room.

“No! No!” The scream tore out of my throat before I could control it. I made my way towards the exit but as I expected I didn’t make it very far.

The guards that had been standing by the door immediately seized me and they tried to contain me as I thrashed in their arms and flayed, screaming at the top of my lungs to be released. I clawed at them, screamed even more and struggled violently, with all the strength that I possessed.

I would rather die than be with this vile beast and have his babies.