0004.

HAILEY’S POV

I opened my eyes to find myself in a dark place. I tried raising my hands to rub my itching eyelids but noticed it was bound to something. I tried raising the second one and it was the same which made me realize my hands were tied and it made me panic as I became fully conscious.

Where was I? I looked around trying to catch a glimpse of something but everywhere was dark and it gave me chills.

Then all of a sudden, the light came on and I saw someone standing right before my face which made me fret and jerked backward. I almost fell but the chair I was tied to was so heavy that it prevented me from landing on the ground.

“Hey! You are finally awake. I have been waiting forever,” a female voice said to me which made me look closely. It was Matilda. She was holding a bloody meat cleaver and immediately I swallowed as I noticed how sharp it was.

“What is your bloody name?” She asked and I hesitated before saying. “ Hailey.”

“Hailey. You know you deserve to die right?” she said not sugarcoating her words or trying not to sound scary and I nodded without wasting any seconds.

“I'm sorry, " I whispered. I never intended to do this. It was all a misunderstanding. I woke up and found myself in bed with Alpha Zac,” I explained, fearing for my life as I was sweating profusely and she laughed.

“Are you trying to say that Alpha Zac drugged you and slept with you to bring you here? Is that what you are trying to say,” she asked, anger flashing through her golden eyes.

“No, no. He isn't the one. I mean someone set us up,” I quickly said, trying not to make her lose her temper.

“Then who did?” she asked in anger.

“If it's someone that set both of you up. Tell me who did. I will make sure to make him/her pay,” she said and I became very scared.

She looked serious which meant that if I told her it was Alisha, she was going to kill her to pacify her anger, and she didn’t look like she cared what my pack reaction to it would be since my pack and theirs were yet to settle the dispute between them. No, I couldn't rat out Alisha. Even as I hated Alisha for what she had done to me, I couldn't bear her being killed for it.

“I don't know, I don't know. Please believe me,” I begged.

“Believe you?” she said as she started coming closer to me. One of the guys around rushed forward to meet her and said.

“Alpha Zac said no one should hurt her, remember.”

“And so?” she yelled and stabbed the knife into the guard’s stomach and removed it. I gasped with wide eyes as I watched the guard slump to the ground dead with lots of blood pumping out of his stomach. The other guards all moved away from her.

“Please don't kill me. I will do anything you want. Please don't kill me,” I started begging for my life.

She came close and held my hair tight as she smirked.

“Of course, I won't kill you and the only way I wouldn't do that is if you leave this place tonight. Disappear like you never came here, okay,” she said and forcefully pulled her hand away from my hair which made me groan as I felt pain in my scalp.

“I promise you I will leave right away,” I said immediately.

“And don't ever mention a word about what happened here or what you saw. Not to your father or anyone or I'm going to hunt you and make sure I kill you,” she threatened and quickly I nodded in agreement.

“Take her back,” she commanded as she started leaving. The lights went off and a cloth was pressed over my nose and I passed out.

*

I woke up a few hours later to find myself on the bed in my room in Alpha Zac’s mansion. A knock came on the door immediately which almost made me jump out of my skin. I started shivering as I refused to go see who it was.

The knock came again and again and again until the door was forcefully pushed open.

“Why did you keep me waiting?” the older maid who had shown me the room earlier that day asked in anger but I couldn't say a word.

I looked around and found everything to be in place. I was still putting on the gown I wore when leaving with Alpha Zac.

“Was it a dream?” I thought as I looked at my hand, there were signs of it being bound, and even my feet too.

“Have you gone deaf,” someone barked, bringing my senses back and I found the maid standing before my bed in rage.

“I'm sorry,” I said immediately, the aura around her getting me more than scared. Everyone in the mansion was just so scary and it was so hard for me to digest it.

“It’s dinner time, come downstairs. Don't keep the Alpha waiting,” she said and left.

I sighed in relief as she disappeared. I was still very much shaken but at least I felt safe as it didn't look like I was in danger. I climbed down the bed and headed to the door after putting on the footwear I found in the room.

As I descended the stairs, I heard happy laughter coming from the living room. On getting down, I saw Alpha Zac and Matilda sitting in the dining room, they were having dinner and that was where the laughter was coming from.

I looked at Matilda and how scary she had looked when I was abducted flashed through my eyes which made me shiver. I remembered her killing the guard and swallowed hard in anxiety. My heart started racing and my legs shaking and I couldn't move.

Even though she looked like she could not kill an ant at that moment while sitting with Alpha Zac in the dining room, it still gave me the chills.

“What are you doing there? Go join them,” I heard the cold voice of the maid say behind me. I turned around and found her staring angrily at me which made me pick up the pace and start heading to the dining.

As I sat on one of the chairs when I got to the dinner table, I made sure not to lock gaze with either Alpha Zac or Matilda who continued chatting away like I wasn't there.

I couldn't eat and when I couldn't bear staying there any longer, I stood up to leave.

“Are you done eating?” a soft voice asked me. I looked toward it, it was Matilda. There was a look of concern on her face which made me look like I had been imagining things.

Was I dreaming? Matilda, whose angry face was still flashing in my mind now looks like she cannot hurt a fly. Was she really the one who killed the guard? How did I witness that? Was it a dream or I was hallucinating? These thoughts ran through my mind.

“Are you okay?” she asked me and I nodded and immediately started leaving. I needed to know what was wrong with me.

I had almost ascended half through the stairs when someone approached me and held me, stopping me from moving forward. I looked up and found Matilda standing before me, there was this evil smirk on her face.

“You look so relaxed. Have you forgotten you promised me that you are going to leave this place tonight if I let you go?” she said coldly and immediately I started panicking upon realizing it had never been a dream- I had been drugged and abducted before being returned to the room.

“Did you think it was a dream? Ain’t you going to keep to your words or do you want me to push you down the stairs,” she whispered and immediately I felt like my soul had gone out of my body.

“No, I'm going to leave right away. Let me pack a few of my things,” I said hesitantly.

“Do it quietly. Don't allow anyone to know you are leaving. Leave tonight as agreed when everyone has gone to bed. I know Zac is not going to let you leave so don't allow him to know about it. Don't even act suspiciously,” she warned and immediately let go as she started descending the stairs.

I held the stair railings to catch my breath before I quickly started rushing up to the room I was staying in. When I got in, closed the door, and relaxed on it breathing heavily.

So it wasn't a dream. I thought as I continued breathing heavily. Quickly without hesitation, I walked to the closet and brought out my bag, arranging them.

It was past 8 pm, I had four more hours before midnight when I was going to be getting the hell

out of the dawned place.