Alpha Adryan
fifty eight

She moans in pain as she sits upright on the bed. It took her a fewminutes to collect her bearings, at first she thought that someone hadstruck her hard across the back of her head with a heavy object orsomething which subjected her to almost seeing stars. It took her awhile to recollect her memories, remembering that she was poisoned.She suspected that the water she had consumed from the bottle mostprobably had been poisoned.

Lifting her head she stroked the part where her head hurt the most,pressing her fingers lightly onto her temple, she winces as painimmediately flares up. At this point, she couldn't even comprehend if itwas physical pain or psychological pain she felt.

A few minutes pass by as she sat on top of the soft mattress, as shelifted her head and took in her surrounding she couldn't tell where shewas, or exactly what this place was.

The room was huge, painted a royal blue in colour, and curtains anddrapes covered the whole expansion of a wall, possibly to cover thewindows and give it a sophisticated look. Small antique-like sculpturesand fixtures. Even the furnishing had a sophisticated touch to it, with ahigh queen-sized bed with a thick comforter and soft plush-like pillowstopped off with a canopy giving it a regal look. The lights were dim butbright enough to see her surroundings and not hurt her eyes with itsbrightness. A huge chandelier hung right on top of the high bed.Everything around her looked like something out of the Victorian era, aplace built for Kings and Queens.

Confusion clouds her senses as she places her feet on the ground,getting up from the high bed she woke up in, she looks aroundconfusedly around her. There were two wooden doors with intricatedesigns climbing up the wood, plus another door; which she was sureled to a built-in closet.

Moving towards one of the wooden doors, she twists the knob, it twistsopen to reveal a huge bath, just as regal as the room. She manages toget a glimpse of the Jacuzzi but closes the door immediately after sinceshe was looking for something else

Turning back around she catches the glimpse of a wooden door off tothe side, approaching it she grabs a hold of the knob, twisting it downbut nothing happens, no clicking open of the door is heard which leadsher to panic as she comes to the conclusion that someone had lockedthe door from outside.

Panic-stricken she tries to turn the metal around again but it stilldoesn't budge a bit. Running towards the huge windows, she movesthe curtains covering them away only to see bars made of steel runninghorizontally and vertically across them, basically barricading her.Looking outside, she replaces darkness spread throughout the expanse ofher vision, she was kidnapped during the day, it's probably been a fewhours since she's been gone seeing how it was nighttime now.

Now she knew two things, first that someone had kidnapped her onpurpose, and secondly, they didn't want her escaping in any way, hencewhy the windows were barred and doors locked from outside. Why elsewould a huge, elegant-looking room have barricades in the form ofsteel bars on the windows?

Not having any other choice she resorts to calling out to someone,hoping that anyone walking past the room would hear her open thedoor, the chances of that happening were slim but she was willing totake the risk.

Banging on the wood of the door she tries calling out, "Hello, anyonethere?". Banging in between she continues on her pursuit. "Hello, Isanyone here? I'm locked inside, I need to get out.” She gets tired afterbeing at it for minutes and being gone unheard didn't help either.

She hadn't felt so helpless in such a long time, tiredly with shouldersdropped back in defeat she leans her head on the door, sighingdishearteningly as she stares down at the ground just in time to see ashadow appear through the tiny gap separating the door from theground.

She immediately steps back, letting the person behind the door toopen it first. She hears the jingle of keys and the satisfying click of thedoor being twisted open leading her to sigh in relief.

The huge mahogany door opens, and she comes face to face with aman who looks to be in his late thirties or maybe in his early forties, shecouldn't tell; from what she could tell that the man wasn't asupernatural being, she couldn't get anything from his scent becausehe basically smelled like a human being and not a supernaturalcreature. This piece of information mildly astonishes her seeing thathumans were not supposed to know about the supernatural beings, letalone stay among them. She was sure she wasn't in the human territorysince she could feel the magic around her, something was preventingher from using magic, or else she would've escaped this place easily.The man standing in front of her was wearing a butler's outfit leadingher to believe that he was the servant that worked in this huge palace.The man had black hair with some strands turning grey, paired withgreen eyes that looked lifeless and hollow.

"Ma'am please follow me, Master is waiting for you at the dinner table,”The man says monotonously stopping her from asking him anyquestions seeing how he even refused to meet her eyes, keeping hisgaze glued to the floor.

She just nods her head in reply, causing him to turn back towards thedoor with his back facing her, he walks back outside the door, and shefollows after him this time with no questions asked.

Walking down the dark hallways sent a creepy feeling down her spine.The hallways were spacious and huge in size with the same antique-likedesigns the rooms seemed to have, matching the theme perfectly withthe antique fixtures present here and there. The dark painting hung onthe wall. The hallways were dimly lit which brought forth an eeriefeeling inside her. The man of whose name she didn't know walks downthe hallways, not even turning back to look if she was following him ornot. What she found more strange was the strange marks around theman’s neck, it appeared to be old and healing but it still left a few scarsin its place.

The nameless man continues to walk for a few more minutes, andtaking a sudden turn he stops walking. She comes to a stop beside himto see a huge dining hall spread vastly before her. The dining hall wasjust like she had imagined, huge just like the rest of the place, withcrimson red and antique gold shaded designs adorning the walls,making her gape at its beauty.

While admiring the beautiful but dark theme of the place, she failed tonotice a figure sitting at the head of the long mahogany table, Whenshe finally takes notice of them, she replaces them already staring back ather.

"Place take a seat miss" The butler beside her speaks up, but she neverbreaks her stare that was fixed on the man seated at the head of thetable. There was something about him that set her mind into some kindof alert mode. She felt like she was supposed to know him for someunknown reason.

Finally breaking her stare, she goes to take a seat at the other end ofthe table, directly opposite to the stranger, just when she's about to sita voice stops her.

"Come closer love" his voice that of a deep baritone, his voice startledher for a moment, his voice was deep but raspy at the same time, it feltlike he wasn't someone who spoke very often. There was justsomething so eerie about him

She was hesitant in following his order but did it anyways not wantinghim to think that she was intimidated by him, she doesn't know what hewas capable of. She might use her powers if he tried anything on her,thus catching him off guard.

Now that she noticed, there were food items of various kinds placedbefore him and where she was supposed to sit initially, seeing howthere was a plate placed in front of the seat beside the stranger.Quietly, she sat beside him, she was thankful because she didn't have tosit too close to him since he was sitting at the head of the table. Takinga seat on the soft cushiony chair, she stares at the food placed beforeher, the aroma of the various dishes was heavenly and made herstomach rumble lowly. When the stranger's lips tilt slightly upward, sherealizes that he had probably heard her stomach aching for food; a faintblush appears on her cheeks.

The piece of steak placed on her plate was calling out to her, but shewas hesitant. She didn't make a move to lift up the silver cutlery thathelped in cutting into the meat.

“It's not poisoned if that's what you're thinking" the stranger speaks upagain causing her head to snap towards him. He just basically replied toher unvoiced question.

Why would she ever eat something her kidnapper was giving her?Besides, wasn't he the one to poison her water in the first place?!

She was a hundred per cent sure that this man was behind thekidnapping, even though he was an imposter in her mate's body. Sincethe butler had called him his master and this man seemed to look ather knowingly, which confused her all the more.

"Who are you? And why am I here?" She immediately questions him,not being able to hold back her questions and confusion anymore. Thepounding she felt when she had woken up had lessened, but it stillmade her jumpy and disoriented.

Hazel eyes stare back at her, appearing more green than brown;glinting with some unknown intention. The lavender colored eyes shehad seen were gone...

"Curious little one, aren't you Jade?" he asks her with a secret smileappearing on his face. he cuts his steak perfectly with the knife andfork, she watched as he took a bite of it, waiting for him to speak, giveaway anything.

"How do you know my name?" she asks him curiously.

"I'l answer two of your questions after you finish eating your dinner. Idon't like my guests sleeping on an empty stomach.”

"Such hospitality” she mutters under her breath, but her words seem tobe heard by the stranger as he smirked at her words while cutting intoanother piece of his steak.

Feeling hungry herself, she slowly cuts into the steak placed on theplate before her, taking a sceptical bite at first, almost moaning outloud at how it tasted heavenly to her taste buds, catching the smugexpression on the stranger's face she knew that he knew how much shefound the found delicious despite her containing her moans ofappreciation.

She hadn't noticed it at first but she did after she had finisheddevouring her food when she lifted her eyes, they met a pair of hazelgreen ones, staring at her blatantly, he had been staring all along at herand she had no idea, he watched her with fascination, his eyes lookedso unreal with how the green in them seemed to glow, it sentinvoluntary shivers down her spine.

"Staring at someone while they're eating is considered to be rude,” shetells him, looking at him square in the eyes.

"It's also considered a sin to look this pulchritudinous while devouring apiece of steak.” comes his swift reply.

"Pulchr-di? what? it sounds like some sort of disease" she triespronouncing the word he had just mentioned a few moments beforebut fails terribly at it. Her failed attempts at pronouncing had thestranger's lips tugging upwards yet again, which infuriated her to noend.

"Quiet the opposite actually. Pulchritudinous” he speaks slowly so shecould catch the word properly this time "It also means beingbreathtakingly beautiful” he finishes.

"Are you trying to flirt with me?" she asks him with her head cocked tothe side.

"Take it as whatever you may wish" he spoke in riddles, not exactlyagreeing with her but tip-toeing around it.

Just before she could reply to him, he swiftly motions his hand in theair, causing someone who had been standing all along in the corner tocome forwards so that they could be seen in the light, Jade wassurprised at the sudden appearance as she thought it was only her andthe hazel-green eyed stranger in the huge dining room all along.

The person was a young girl, probably in her early twenties, her brownhair appeared dull with blue hollow lifeless eyes that dared not stare atanything but the ground. Jade couldn't catch any particular scent fromthe girl that linked her to any supernatural, she comes to the realizationthat this young girl too was a human like the butler that had guided herto the dining room.

It all happened so, what the young girl next did make Jade's eyes widenin shock. The girl had her wrist outstretched, her other hand holdingonto a silver knife with razor sharp edge that glinted under the lightingof the room. The next thing Jade knows, the girl had sliced her wrist,slitting it open, letting her blood drip onto the silver wine glass withintricate designs on it. The girl didn’t even wince once while the sharpknife cut through her skin, what shocked Jade more was theinnumerable amount of scars visible on her wrist, almost like this wasn'tthe first time she was doing this, this wound was just adding up to thepast scars. she held her wrist above the glass until it was half full,bowing her head at the green-eyed man, she takes her to leave, leavingas quietly as she had appeared.

All along, Jade sat there baffled at the events that just took placebefore her very own eyes. Her eyes followed as the stranger lifted thesilver glass to his lips, sipping the contents inside like it wasn't blood hewas drinking but some expensive vine.

Jade felt her stomach churning, twisting and turning as she watchedhim drink it. She felt like she was going to puke the amazing piece ofsteak she had just devoured moments ago. Not being able to watch thescene before her for another moment, she stood up from her seatedposition abruptly.

The realization of the situation finally sinks into her mind.

She bolts towards the direction the butler had guided from, running asfast as her legs could take her, she ran blindly through the hallwayswhich were so dimly lit even to her enhanced vision, the wind howlednear her ears, as something appeared before her, or rather someone;halting her in her footsteps.

Her eyes widen when they meet a pair of hazel-green ones, turningback around the way she came from she tries to bolt yet again, onlythis time the stranger was quick in his actions, one of his hands hadcaught her elbows before she could escape, he had a steel-like grip onher arms, she struggled in his arms, trying to trash around and loosenhis hold but her tries were futile for the man was far more strong thanshe was.

"Leave me" she grits out while trying to pry away his hands from hers.The man retrieves something from his pant pocket, Jade hadn't noticedit yet in her struggle until she felt a sharp object pierce her skin. Sheinstantly felt her body giving up its struggle, her motions halting as thecontents of the syringe kicked into her bloodstream way too fast for herto comprehend.

"Leave..." her words come out slurred as her mouth and tongue startedfeeling numb too

Her body falls forward, onto the stranger's body. he catches Jade just asshe starts to fall sidewards.

"Shh, Shh, it's okay sweetheart" he coos at her like she was sometoddler, his hands stroking her hair as her eyes dropped shut.

Turning her sideways, he hooks one of his arms under her knees whilethe other supported her upper body, lifting her up bridal style, he startswalking with an unconscious Jade in his arms, towards the room shehad woken up earlier.