The throbbing pain in her head was the first thing she felt when she woke up.
Her eyes fluttered open, weakly, unsteady, as she tried to adjust to the bright light.
Just one glance at the ceiling made her realize she was in anywhere but Blood howl pack. Unlike the cracked plasters that were peeling off and filled with cobwebs in her previous storage room, this was all shiny and decorated with gold leaf, literally screaming luxury. When did it become her turn to sleep in such a luxurious environment? She must be dreaming—or dead.
The air she breathed was fresh, the bed soft and the sun fell against her face from the floor to ceiling windows adjacent to her bed.
"Ah? She's awake. Inform the alpha king."
Amaris tried to see who the speaker was, but immediately groaned in pain. It was then that she noticed that her neck was in a cast, same with her arm, her body was filled with gauze and bandages like one who just survived a nasty plane crash. Maybe she just did. Well, pain was good. At least, it proved that she was still alive.
"Easy now, the alpha king will bite our heads off if anything happens to you. He seems to think highly of you, leaving all his business trips to his son, forcing him to take a break from school. He never left the palace since the two weeks you have been unconscious. He even used lots of precious herbs to cure you, and invited the high priestess of the radiant wolf pack known for their healing abilities to help you. It's a miracle you're still alive. No, he worked the miracle."
The chattering woman helped her sit up, and she finally saw her. She was dressed in a nurse's outfit and looked pretty young.
Just then, a man dressed in rugged jeans and top walked in, his blue eyes piercing. He looked about thirty to thirty-five. His black hair was slightly long, styled back in a fashionable way. He had slight stubbles of hair on his face, giving him the handsome ruggedness of a mature bad boy.
"Little one, how are you feeling?"
'Little one? How old could you possibly be?' She thought, nearly sneering at him.
Amaris found herself smiling and bowing her head to acknowledge the alpha king, too accustomed to hiding her real thoughts in the face of power. And this man screamed raw power, and danger, more than any she had ever known. And trust me, she had met lots of alphas to know the strong and the trash. But the man before her wasn't just strong, he was in a different league altogether, more deadly than the ones she was accustomed to.
"No, don't do that, your neck isn't in the best position now." The man said, surprisingly soft. Not what you would expect at all from a man of his standing.
"Thanks for saving me back there." Amaris muttered, wondering why exactly he even bothered.
"It's nothing. You're lucky I went to investigate vampire activities at the forbidden lands, even luckier that I was tracking the bear hoping to get some bear skin, which made me see it, about to sink its teeth on your neck."
He suddenly made a growl sound and clawed at Amaris's face, making her heart skip a beat. She could almost envision the bear about to eat her, especially since the alpha king was describing it in such vivid details, causing her to be terrified all over again.
The man laughed, enjoying the look of horror on her face.
"You don't need to worry now, no bears will get you now. The doctors said you will be as good as new in a few days. You can rest easy, I made sure no scar will be left on your pretty face. It's all healed now."
At the mention of face, her left hand which was not in a cast immediately went to her face. The memories of her face being torn with Marissa's long fingers were very vivid, making cold sweat appear on her body.
'It's smooth, flawless. Thank goodness, the wound is gone.'
"You can stop checking, all your flesh wounds have healed, remaining the bones, and some torn ligaments."
A long silence stretched between them and the man sighed heavily.
"How did you end up like that?"
Amaris took a deep breath. Sincerely, she didn't feel the inclination to explain anything, but seeing as he saved her life, an explanation was the least she could do.
"I'm an orphan picked up by someone in Blood Howl pack, and was raised as an omega servant. Being wolfless made me an easy target. However, the night you found me, an incident totally destroyed the little balance being maintained between me and the rest of the pack. I turned eighteen and discovered that my mate was the alpha's son. He instantly rejected me. The beta's daughter who wanted him decided to get rid of me as a double measure. So…" She trailed off, leaving him to fill in the blanks on his own.
"There are old wounds on your body, including multiple scars. They have been torturing you for years."
Amaris nodded and the man clenched his fists, trying to control his anger.
His eyes darted to the tattoo on her upper arm, a crescent moon surrounded by thorns, floating atop an icy sea with a hint of fire reflecting against the moon. He finally asked the question that had been plaguing his mind ever since he found her.
"The tattoo on your arm is dope, where did you get it?"
"Oh that? I was born with it. It has been there for as long as I can remember."
The man's heart rate accelerated.
'She's an orphan, abandoned since childhood, and the seal has been there all along. Could she be the one?'
"What's your name?" The man suddenly asked.
"Amaris."
"I'm Alpha Harvey Griffith, alpha king of the northern sea territories, and the alpha of Frost moon pack. From now on, you can treat this place as your home. My son is a bit older than you are, and he will be home soon. You will definitely like him."
Her heart accelerated at that moment, she was no stranger to the name Harvey Griffith. Her heart pounded as she thought about it—she was in the home of the third most powerful man in the world.
"This is…"
"Frost royal city, welcome to Ice castle." The man said, offering her his hand.
*****
The past two days passed by in a whirl, and Amaris was caught up in a string of activities. After spending two more weeks sick, she could now walk without crutches or the nurse's aid.
Alpha king Harvey's first call was changing her wardrobe, with the aid of a professional stylist. Her room was now decorated in a beautiful blue color to match her eyes, turning her into an overnight princess.
She could only pray to the goddess and hope that Harvey didn't have ulterior motives for treating her so well. If he did, she would very well be damned, because he already had her real good. Who knew being pampered could feel so good?
Then came the gruelling classes which kept her busy from dawn to dusk. The alpha king was determined to make her take the school exam in a month, insisting that she would catch up with the aid of private tutors.
Amaris couldn't be more grateful, she had always secretly read books in her previous pack, having someone wholeheartedly make efforts to help her future made her very touched.
"The young alpha is back!" The loud shout immediately caused a commotion in the castle and everyone rushed out, as if they were about to welcome a celebrity.
Curiosity got the better of Amaris and she found herself going downstairs to the foyer, where two rows of maids dressed in black were standing with their heads bowed, ready to welcome the alpha prince.
"Welcome Alpha." They chanted, nearly bending 90° the moment he entered.
The sweet scent hit her nose even before she saw him. Wildflower honey, patchouli, vanilla, and rosewood all combined into an amazing scent, which was both calming, heady and addictive, drawing her inexplicably close to the source.
A shadow loomed over her and she looked up, her eyes meeting his.
"Mate!" The words were out of her mouth before she could control it. The both of them stiffened, and time seemed to stop.