Chapter 31
Alden.
My eyes fluttered open slowly to the darkness which enveloped me. My entire body felt stiff and sore as I tried to sit up, but ended up hitting the bottom of something. It took me a minute to figure out where I was... under a bed, and by the time I eventually slid out, I discovered the bed was mine. I had been tossed under my bed.
I sat on the bed, feeling weak with a throbbing headache, and soon, my memories came rushing back.
"Oh no!" I exclaimed, standing up and rushing to the door only to discover that it was locked from outside.
I struggled with the lock for a while, trying to force it open, and eventually, the handle came off which worsened the situation.
"Open the door!" I yelled, banging my fist against the door as hard as I could.
"Hello, is anyone there?" I screamed out loud, but there was total silence everywhere.
Feeling frustrated, I sat back on the bed, running my fingers through my hair. Shit! Liam had done this. Liam had done something so despicable. How could he? I had stood Ciara up. What would she think of me? Will she ever be able to forgive me?
I needed to leave this place immediately, and I needed to come up with a plan.
I could already hear the sound of music coming from the hall where the Masquerade Ball was taking place, and I suspected that they must already be having the partner dance.
I had promised Ciara that I would be there. I had given her my word. What was she going to do if I didn't show up? It was her first-ever masquerade ball at the Silver Crest Pack and I needed to make it a memorable one for her. Gearing myself up, I stood up and after positioning myself correctly, I rammed into the door. It shook and cracked a bit, but it still remained firmly shut. I did that a few more times, but all to no avail.
What if Ciara got tired of waiting for me? What if she was dancing currently with Blake, worst still; Liam?
That thought gave me more strength and closing my eyes tightly, I groaned out loud, summoning my claws and fangs, and I was in the process of completely shifting into my wolf form when I rammed into the door one final time.
At first, the door showed no signs of bending or breaking, but then, there was a loud rumble and the door came tumbling down, sending shards of wood flying all over the room. A piece grazed my arm, but I didn't try to treat it and instead, just brushed off the pain, shifting back to my human form.
On my way out of my bedroom, I bumped into my mother who appeared to be in a hurry. We both were very surprised upon seeing each other.
"Oh, Alden. What in the Goddess' name happened to you? Are you okay?" my mother asked, examining me all over.
"I'm fine, mother. What about Ciara? Where is she?" I inquired.
"She's in the hall. What happened? Why did you stand her up?" she asked.
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"Oh no. Does she actually think that I did that? Of course not. Listen, mother, it's a long story but I'll explain everything to you later," I said and tried to skip away, but she grabbed my hand and stopped me from going. "Explain it to me now. What happened, and why do you look like you just returned from the wilderness?"
"Mother-"
"Speak up. I mean, why are you even going to see her now when the dance is ongoing and the event is almost over? She went to the ball in the company of Liam and Blake is also there with a partner, so you'd look stupid amongst your brothers. It's best if you don't bother going. You can explain to Ciara later why you didn't show up, but in the meantime, I would love to know your reason myself," she said, her eyes unwavering with determination to get to the root of the matter.
"I couldn't come. Liam knocked me out and locked me up," I said, avoiding eye contact with her knowing she must be disappointed in me.
She cursed angrily under her breath. "Oh, that sneaky piece of shit! I knew something was up when he said you stood her up with that evil smile on his face. Had I known, I would have come earlier to get you out," she said.
"I am old enough, mother. You don't have to keep trying to help me out with everything. When I woke up, I got myself out, so I wouldn't have even needed your help in doing that," I said, motioning at the broken door.
She cleared her throat, not even in the slightest bit impressed. "You were able to break down a door to escape, but for some reason, you couldn't fight your brother when he was knocking you out? You two were born on the same day, which means you are practically the same age, so why? Why do you keep letting him treat you the way he does?" she inquired, visibly frustrated.
"I'm sorry, mother. It happened too quickly. We'll talk later. Let me go to Ciara now," I said.
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"No, today is already over. Your aunt, Alice, is around and she'll be ready to say a lot of mean things to you, plus Ciara won't be willing to speak to you right now and you'll end up making a fool of yourself. I already planned on getting you two closer during this ball and even went the extra mile of getting Blake to be with his first love, but Liam just had to ruin everything. I will never forgive that brat. As for you, make sure you don't tell Ciara how you were locked up by your own brother. No woman wants a weak man," my mother concluded.© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.
"And who says I'm weak? I'm not, mother. I just don't believe that everything has to be aggressive, and also, why shouldn't I tell Ciara the truth? Are you suggesting that I lie to her? I don't think that will be necessary considering that we've chosen to remain friends and what you term as weakness doesn't actually matter anymore," I explained.
"Oh, spare me that gibberish. You two can't be just friends, I'll do everything in my power to ensure she chooses you, okay? Don't think I'm doing too much. Every mother in my shoes would act the exact same way. You and I know that I won't be alive to protect you forever. I am simply trying to secure your future here by making sure you are the next Alpha, so please, stop frustrating my efforts and make yourself a more worthy choice for her," my mother said, and in a way, it sounded more like a command.
I was going to respond to her, but my heart began to beat differently, like its other half was missing and it was pulling me in a certain direction; one I wasn't sure of yet, but I was curious to know where that road led. "Mother, I'll be right back," I said, then ran as fast as I could in the direction my restless heart pointed at, and I only stopped to catch my breath when I was close to the fountain.
I looked around and there was no one in sight. I was beginning to question if I had wasted my time and energy in going there, when all of a sudden, a familiar scent hit my nostrils and just then, I saw a muscular man dressed in warrior clothing drag Ciara by her hand and she was able to free herself from his grasp as soon as they got to the fountain.
"Quit being stubborn. You must come with me to the Moonstone Pack now!" he yelled at her.
I had never seen that man before, but Ciara seemed like she knew who he was. What was going on? Was he someone from Ciara's past? I was about to turn around and leave in order to give them some privacy, when the man said something that shook me to my bone, and for a moment, I lost the ability to walk away.