Questions ….
He leaned forward again, his gaze intense. “You should be asking yourself why you were in those woods in the first place. What were you running from? Or perhaps… who were you running toward?”
His words hit me like a punch to the gut. He was right-why had I ended up in those woods, alone and vulnerable? The events leading up to my escape from the mansion flooded back into my mind. The betrayal, the lies, the fear that had driven me to flee without a plan, without even a destination in mind.
“I wasn’t running toward anyone,” I finally said, my voice barely above a whisper. “I was running away. From my pack, from the lies they’ve told me, from the life they forced me to live.”
“And now that you’ve run, what do you intend to do?” George asked, his voice softening slightly. “You can’t keep running forever, Ashley. Sooner or later, you’ll have to face what you’re running from.”
I swallowed hard, the weight of his words sinking in. He was right-I couldn’t keep running. But what was I supposed to do? Go back to the pack that had betrayed me? How could that even be an option? Of course, they would instantly kick me back out. Or was I supposed to face the wolves who had lied to me my entire life? I didn’t even know where to start.
“I don’t know,” I admitted, feeling a sense of defeat wash over me. “I don’t know what to do.”
George stood up, towering over me as he looked down with something that resembled pity in his eyes. “Then maybe it’s time for you to stop running and start fighting. You’re stronger than you think, Ashley. You just need to figure out what it is you’re fighting for.”
His words hung in the air, heavy with meaning. Start fighting? But for what? For whom? My mind was a whirlwind of confusion and doubt.
George turned toward the door, pausing with his hand on the doorknob. “Get some rest,” he said without turning around. “You’re safe here for now. We can talk more when you’re ready.”
“Wait, I still have a lot of questions. How do you know my name and so much about me? Who exactly are you, and what are your intentions? It’s very questionable why you decided to help me, even to the point of bringing me to your own house.”
“Like I said, get some rest. You need it. We’ll talk more when you’re ready.”
With that, he left the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I sank back onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling as the events of the past few days swirled in my mind. Was George right? Was it time for me to stop running and start fighting back? I had way too many questions running through my mind, but did they really matter at this point?
Even though I didn’t know the answers to all that was bothering me, making me so unsure of what the future would hold, I knew one thing for sure-I couldn’t stay here forever. Sooner or later, I would have to make a choice. And when that time came, I needed to be ready.
But for now, all I could do was close my eyes and let sleep take me, hoping that tomorrow would bring the clarity I so desperately needed, even though I still didn’t know whether it was night or day.
Some hours later, I woke up to the intoxicating aroma of food that had been brought in for me. Although I was asleep, I still felt the essence of everything around me, likely because my wolf was unable to settle in this new environment just yet. The moment the tray holding the food was brought in, my eyes instantly opened as I took in the delicious aroma.
“Oh my, you’re awake,” the lady who had brought it in exclaimed as soon as she noticed me staring at her.
“Would you like to have it now, or should I just place it over here?”
“Oh yes, I’ll have it now. I’m a bit hungry,” I responded, sitting up to get ready to eat. She brought over the small table in the room, which had wheels underneath for easy movement, and placed the food on it alongside a tall glass of water before proceeding to leave.
“Thank you very much, ma’am.”
“You’re welcome.” I stared down at the food as my stomach grumbled lightly.
“Wait!” She turned back to face me, and so I continued, “I’m sorry to bother you, but I have no idea what time it is right now. I honestly can’t tell whether it’s morning or nighttime.”
“It’s currently 9:38 a. m. We’re in the morning now.”
“Oh, I…”
“I guess it’s because of the curtains. Here, let me help with them,” she said, going over to draw back the very thick curtains. I watched her every move as she did this, paying close attention as I studied her. I couldn’t help but notice a bit of similarity between Madam Mortica and her. I teared up, remembering all that had happened in the mansion.
Madam Mortica and I didn’t really get along, but it was extremely painful just thinking about the fact that she unfortunately had to lose her life like that. I have no doubt in my heart that Veronica was solely responsible for her death, and this made me even more worried for both Simon and Lucas, who had now chosen to be tied to such an evil and vile woman. I could understand her displeasure with me in the house, but why she had to take away the life of an innocent woman just to have me out of her way was something I could never bring myself to understand.
“There we go,” the lady said, raising the curtains and hanging them on their built-in rack. The bright, shining light of the day instantly peeked into the room, and I was so blinded by it that it took a little while to get my eyes used to the daytime again. This further made me question whether it had actually been a couple of hours since I last fell asleep.
The woman finished up and then made her way out, leaving me to enjoy the delicious meal that was just sitting right in front of me, waiting to be devoured. I took a good drink of water before starting off with the food. As soon as I took the first bite, intrusive thoughts soon came to my mind, and I looked down at the food with caution.
One way or another, I had managed to find myself in the house of a stranger who brought me into his home for reasons best known to him. This was someone who knew a little too much about me for my comfort. Not only did he help nurse me back to health, but he also offered to help me get back on my feet.
“What if he had ordered this food to be poisoned or something?” I thought aloud, leaning back to let my thoughts register in my mind properly. But then again, what did I have to lose at this point? I had nothing, so if this was going to be my last meal, I might as well enjoy it and go in peace. This time, without caring about the possibility of danger, I ate until I was satisfied. The meal was satiating and very tasty, so I could at least say that my last meal was pleasant, if that was the case.
I stood up from the bed, feeling the weight of lifting my legs. They felt so numb and tired. However, I still forced myself to take a few steps to regain my strength before going over to the window. I looked out, trying to see if I could recognize where exactly I was, but the land seemed strange to me. From the looks of things, we were in a tall building that seemed quite superior to the others around, so it was either George happened to be a very influential figure in the pack, or he was the Alpha himself.
It didn’t take long before a knock came on the door, and I responded for the person on the other side to come in. Just as I had guessed, it was George, and he walked in very casually. I walked closer to the bed and sat on it while he took a seat in front of me. I tried to put a name to his status based on his dressing, but it was too hard to read. He wore a suit that seemed very luxurious, but I just couldn’t figure out what position he could possibly be holding.
“I see Maria has brought you breakfast. You haven’t eaten in a while,” he said, looking over at the empty plates on the tray.
“Wait, what do you mean by ‘in a while’? How long was I unconscious for?” He shut his eyes briefly, as if regretting that he had let out more than he should have.
“George? Please answer me. How long has it been since that night?”
“Calm down, Ashley. It has just been two days.”
“What? Why didn’t you tell me that? You made it seem like it was just a matter of hours.”
“You didn’t ask. Besides, how was I supposed to tell you that you have been unconscious for about two days when all you kept doing was asking questions like a detective?” I pursed my lips into a thin line, and he shrugged in response.
“Sorry,” I finally muttered, looking down to avoid his gaze.
“So, you had questions for me the other time. Let’s hear them, detective.” I sighed, sitting upright as I began.
“Look, I’m not trying to make this all about me because clearly, you already know a lot.”
“Of course, but what I do not understand is why exactly you were chased out of the royal house by the kings when you are their supposed mate.” I let out a deep sigh as I contemplated whether to tell him everything or not.
“Well, the thing is that I was chased out because there were accusations made against me about the many issues currently going on in the Kingdom. Both their highnesses chose to believe the false witnesses and evildoers who framed me for everything. It didn’t matter how much I begged and tried to make them believe me-they just didn’t. Before I got into the mansion, I was originally taken from my pack house, where I lost both my parents, and was forcefully acquired by Alpha Klaus. I obviously couldn’t go back to either of the pack houses because I had no place in them anymore, and that’s why I just kept going wherever my feet could take me until those thugs found me, of course.” George remained silent for a while as he reflected on all I had said.
“So now you don’t have anywhere else to go?”
“Yeah, but it’s fine. I will…”
“You can stay here.”
“What? I don’t think it’s a…”
“Unless you’d prefer roaming about and risking being taken by perverts or slave traffickers, then I’d advise you to stay here.”
“And how can I be sure you’re not like any of them?”
“Well, you don’t have a choice now, do you?” he said finally, getting up and making his way out.
“If you need anything, just reach out to any of the maids around and they will attend to you. If you want to take a walk outside, you are free to; just make sure that you are comfortable and okay here. Take care, Ashley,” he concluded, leaving me alone in the room once again.
I sat there for a while, absorbing George’s words. The room was quiet, save for the soft ticking of a clock somewhere in the distance. I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling settling in my chest. George had been kind to me, but his kindness came with a heavy dose of mystery. Who was he really, and why was he so willing to help me? My mind spun with questions. I needed to gather my thoughts. I needed a plan.
With a deep breath, I stood up from the bed, my legs still shaky but slightly more stable than before. I walked over to the window, pulling back the thick curtains George’s maid had drawn earlier. The sunlight streamed in, almost too bright after days of darkness. Outside, the landscape was unfamiliar-endless fields and forests that stretched as far as I could see, with no signs of life except for a few birds circling high in the sky.
I was in a place far removed from anywhere I’d ever known. A part of me wondered if that was a good thing. Maybe here, I could finally find some peace. But another part of me-a stronger, more defiant part-knew that peace was not what I was after. George had told me to stop running and start fighting, but the truth was, I didn’t even know who my enemies were anymore. And that terrified me.