#Chapter 2 First Kiss

Ellie's POV

My body sinks further down like a sack of Crusaders' bones but I do not. I feel extremely light. I feel essence burst out through the top of my head like the beginning of goosebumps. If I have a halo, I should begin to pray.

I am looking down at my actual body in the pool but somehow I am way up in the sky and still feel like I have another body but it’s one I can’t see.

The most peaceful and beautiful feeling of calm and placidity envelops every part of me up here. None of the distress and pain I felt earlier is here.

As I keep watching, I see the man dive down to get my body. His eyes get even redder as he takes me to the edge of the pool.

Oh Goddess, what’s the Alpha King going to do to me?

I’m freaking out, but now I’m just a puff of air that has no control over my body.

Is this what death feels like?

I see him pull me up with ease like I weigh nothing more than a toothpick.

The Alpha King rests me on the bank. It seems he is trying to save my sorry ass. Then he begins to smack himself in the head, shaking it from side to side the way someone would to stay awake. His face contorts into what looks like extreme pain, and he desperately looks around for something. It seems like it’s something important.

Help! Is the Alpha King about to eat someone?!

I’m gonna cry. This scary guy is going to eat me!

His blood rinsed eyes rest on a silver dagger a couple of metres from the area he had been resting before I drowned.

Oh Goddess, this makes me shudder. He’s going to swing his knife and eat a wolf steak! Poor me, I’m that wolf steak.

I cover my eyes and dare not look any further. That would be a gory scene very unsuitable for a young girl like me -

However, to my surprise, he pulls himself out of the pool, runs to the silver dagger, picks it up and swiftly slices himself a handful of times across the top of his lower arms.

Hmm? Why would he do that?

Instead of yelling in pain like I definitely would, an immense look of relief floods his features and his eyes become paler. It’s like it relieves him of the wild rage and agitation that he has been feeling, one without an outlet.

He shifts his focus back to my body, then runs over and cups a hand beneath the back of my head, lifting my lips to his as he tries to resuscitate me.

Wh …what? He’s going to kiss me??!

I squirm almost into a ball in mid-air. I swear to the Goddess that I have absolutely no expectations of this scary, handsome man … Absolutely not!

This is my first kiss!!

When his soft, sexy lips get closer and closer to mine, I stare in awe and totally dare not move. It’s amazing, I’m watching how a handsome guy kisses me!

He’s getting closer and closer, only a centimeter from my lips …

Without warning, a sharp and immense suction sound starts and I am sucked right back into my body in an instant.

“Whew!” It’s so overwhelming to regain all five senses at once and my body takes over, coughing to expel the water out of my lungs.

My chest and lungs ache and throb and I am so, so cold. The tiles that make up the edge of the pool are cold beneath me and I shake uncontrollably from both the cold and my coughing.

Finally, I stop coughing enough to get all of the water out and open my eyes.

I don’t need to look around because he is right there. The Alpha King sits over the edge of the pool beside me, looking down at me with an unreadable expression, his elbow and left fist positioned on his left hip.

“Thank you… Thank you so much.” I say, in a shaky voice.

“Who are you?” He demands.

“The girl who almost died. I need a minute… Can’t think straight yet… I’m cold.” My head is pounding. I feel nauseous and my teeth are chattering.

“You should be, but you'll survive. Now tell me who you are and what you want.” His blood-red eyes have turned blue but they are no less intense. They are so majestic that I feel like I am peering into the eyes of a powerful deity.

I look down quickly unable to meet his gaze for long. I slow my breathing, ignoring the pain all over my body, and prop myself up on my elbows to begin explaining myself. My tank top is exposing every inch of my figure and my soaked shorts have receded up to the bottom of my hips so I feel almost naked.

“I’m the daughter of Markus Roze.” I know he will immediately recall this name. After all, my father was once loyal to him.

“Markus?” His brow straightens out and I see a calmer and more understanding expression come over him. The look he gives me feels intense and the cold kind of recedes.

“Ah, you must be young Ellie, right?” He reaches over and lifts my chin towards him, encouraging me to look at him.

“Yes, I’m Ellie.” I want to look away because despite the traumatic event that has just happened to me, I already feel aroused by his attention. He looks at me but then frowns again.

“As I recall, I gave your uncle quite a respectable sum of money, Ellie. More than enough to look after you for the rest of your life.”

He’s questioning why I’m here?

Huh … If I can live well on that money, do I need to get myself into such a mess?

If my parents hadn’t died, I would still be a little princess in my family. My parents wouldn’t let me get the slightest hurt.

A flash of anger and grievance unfurls in me which brings on prickly hurt tears.

“You think this is about money?” I sob. “Well, newsflash, it doesn't! It’s about how my aunt and uncle abuse me every day! They burn their cigarettes into me, slap and kick me. They treat me like a slave and you wanna know what's worse? Their son repeatedly touches and sexually harasses me!”

I am fully crying now, not trying to stop my tears at all. I don’t care. I have nothing left. I am still reeling from nearly drowning, and then the emotional upheaval from running away and now my strange feelings around the Alpha King.

I sit up, cross my legs and shuffle around to face him. I hold my arms out in front of me to show him and I keep wiping my eyes to stop them from blurring from the tears.

He is looking into my eyes and this time I see him soften. His eyes crawl down to my arms and he grabs my left one, pulling me closer to him so he can examine the circular scars on my arms. I can’t breathe all over again. His touch is such a shock to my system that it feels like fire rushing up my arms. He looks back up at me.

“This is why I came to you. I don’t have anywhere else to go. I can’t go back and I’ve spent all my money to get here, not to mention the hours I spent hiking and waiting for vehicles."

He is assessing my words and I still sense suspicion from him.

“You walked all the way from Queens?” he looks at me incredulously.

“If you were listening to me, I didn't really walk all the way here; I got lifts too. I have nothing to live off and nowhere to go. Can you take me in, please?”

He doesn’t answer, remaining aloof.

“It’s not like I'm a complete stranger, you knew my father,” I say, trying to be convincing.

He stares right into my eyes and then at the rest of my face, as if searching for the faces of my parents.

"Yes, I did. You do look like your parents."

There’s something in his eyes I don’t understand. But that doesn’t matter.

He yells out in an assertive voice, “Dana, bring some towels out please.”

Soon, Dana, the maid, brings us out a towel each. The towels are incredibly soft. I think of the dried-up and worn-out towels from my uncle’s house distastefully.

“And take her to dress, she will need clothes.” Dana nods and then looks at me expectantly to get up.

I follow Dana into the palace, and she guides me to a room. She brings me new, clean clothes and tells me that dinner will be ready soon.

"Feel free to come down to the dining room when you're ready."

When I get there, I see the Alpha King making dinner.

“Find a seat Ellie,” he says from the kitchen, without looking at me. "We don't stand while we eat here."

I sit down and soon enough, he brings out plates with different meats and salads. I practically drool at the site of it.

I am just getting some food onto my plate when the Alpha King’s Beta walks in and addresses him. He has brought an update on his work and the status of the war. It doesn’t sound good. I know the Alpha King has spent many years away in the war and his Beta is relaying that there’s need to get things under control again.

But if he goes away, how am I going to find out the truth of how my parents died?

As if reading my thoughts, I look up from my plate to find him staring at me. To say he is suspicious of me is an understatement.

So, I wonder what he will do. If he has to go away, will he kick me out? Or if he stays, will he actually let me stay here?

What will he do with me?