Cara’s POV
I screamed and kicked all the way to the cottage, my throat raw from shouting, but Gareth was unfazed.
When we reached the cottage, he dropped me unceremoniously onto the floor. “You will stay here, where you belong. No tricks. You’ll wait for your master to come back. That’s your job in this pack: to make him happy,” he said with finality.
“Why are you doing this? You were kind to me at the bar! This isn’t you. You don’t have to serve him blindly!” I cried, my voice breaking.
For a brief moment, I thought I saw a flash of pity in his eyes, but it quickly vanished. His expression hardened again. “He gave me my life. Made me who I am. Why wouldn’t I serve him blindly? Goodnight, Cara,” he said, locking the door with a click.
I collapsed, weeping for my pathetic life, the memories of my parents flashing through my mind, the pictures of my parents who had been murdered in cold blood flash through my head. That fateful night had changed everything.
I cried harder, clinging to the few happy memories I had left of my parents. and eventually, exhaustion claimed me, and I cried myself to sleep
********
Morning came far too quickly, though the events of the night had kept me from sleeping soundly. My body ached from being tossed around by Garreth, and my eyes were swollen from crying all through the night, then finally crying myself to sleep. The first rays of sunlight filtered through the small window of the cottage, a pale reminder of the freedom just outside my reach.
I lay on the hard ground that I was abandoned yesterday by the beta, the cold reality that I was nobody came crashing down on me, causing me to start another bout of fresh tears.
The door creaked open, and Debby stepped inside, her face unreadable. She carried a tray of food, but unlike her usual warmth, today she seemed distant.
She looked at me, lying on the ground for a little longer before she looked away. Her eyes flitted to the door nervously, and I quickly noticed the presence of warriors stationed just outside. They were standing guard, as if I were some dangerous criminal, rather than a weak omega who had spent months helping this pack.
“Debby,” I whispered, my voice rough from the previous night’s screaming. “Please, tell me what’s going on. Why are they treating me like this?, ”
She avoided my gaze, setting the tray down in front of me. “I don’t have time to talk, Cara,” she said quietly, her hands trembling as she placed a glass of water on the table. “You need to eat.”
“Debby, please!” I pressed, desperation clawing at my chest. “Why am I being treated like a prisoner? What does He want from me?”
Debby glanced over her shoulder at the warriors, then leaned in close, her voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t know everything, Cara, but the warriors… they’ve been told to keep you here until the master returns. No one knows where he is or why he’s left you marked. But Gareth… he’s dangerous and blindly loyal to the master. Cara. Be careful around him.”
I opened my mouth to ask more, but Debby quickly stood up, her hands fidgeting nervously as she glanced at the door again. “I have to go,” she said, her voice tight. “I’m sorry.”
“Debby please, I…” my words stucked on my throat, seeing Garreth walk inside with a twisted smile that made me sigh to my stomach.
“I brought food for her,” Debby told him, glaring at him.
He nodded at Debby, and just like that, she was gone. The door slammed shut behind her, leaving me and Garreth alone. ” How was your night, singing beauty, I heard your vocals all the way from the pack house” he said, squatting near me.
I trembled away in fear, now knowing that Garreth is dangerous, and he is very dangerous to the core.
“You know, you could have appreciated your pathetic life that was given to you by Alpha, but you chose this to be what you want, ungrateful Omega” he continued, exhausted and tired, I could only glared at him with hatred in my gaze.
“Beta Garreth, it is all set”, the cold voice of one of the warriors sounded from outside.
“Don’t worry, Cara, I will come back, though we are all waiting for someone…I hope you will be happy to know that your mate is coming home” he promised with a smirk before leaving. I heard the lock click into place.
I stared at the tray of food, my appetite completely gone from hearing that my mate was coming back today. The warriors outside the cottage were pacing back and forth, their eyes constantly darting toward the door, keeping me under constant watch. My heart pounded in my chest, a mixture of fear and frustration building inside me. I had to get out of here. I couldn’t stay locked away like this, waiting for him to come back, to return, and decide my fate.
I paced the room, frantically searching for any possible way to escape, but the cottage was built like a fortress. The windows were small, barred from the outside, and the only exit was through the front door, where the warriors stood watch. It seemed hopeless.
Just as I was about to give up and fall into despair, a loud commotion echoed from outside. Sound of the pack bell rang out aloud, startling me from my despair. Shouts filled the air, and the ground seemed to shake beneath my feet. I rushed to the window, pressing my face against the glass to see what was happening, my heart pounded over my ribcage.
The warriors had turned their attention toward something in the distance. I couldn’t see what it was, but it was clear that whatever was happening had them distracted. Some of them made their way to the direction of the pack.
Now. This was my only chance.
My pulse quickened as I listened carefully. What I could only hear was “we are under attack” from the warrior hearing their voices grow more distant. All of the warriors stepped away from their post, probably to go and face the incoming danger, That was all the opening I needed.
The doorpost was empty, and the warriors were busy occupied with whatever happened. This was my chance to escape this hell hole before the devil himself returned.