| CHAPTER 3 : GRACEFUL BEAUTY AND PERFECT CHARM |

I didn't sleep the whole night. Scared to even blink.

I sat the whole night stuck to the floor like a statue with my hands curled around my knees. My gaze would flicker around the room to King Alpha's sleeping figure. He seemed nonchalant and slept the moment his head hit the pillow leaving me on the floor.

The cuffs were longer than the previous one, so it made lying down easier, not that this is what I preferred from the thousand more things in this world.

My eyes flitted to the King Alpha who was still sound asleep. The sun rose. I rubbed my eyes to clear out any ounce of tiredness, cautiously gazing at King Alpha to see if he was awake or not. I cleared my throat to make some sort of noise.

When he didn't move, my eyes dropped to the cuffs on my hands.

I have to get out of here.

I turned the cuffs around my semi-bruised wrists to see if there was any way I could get them to open. Following the line of the metal chain engraved on the wall, I silently stood up, firmly holding the chain in my hand and gave a hard pull.

The chains rattled making me whip around with wide eyes to see if it had woken King Alpha or not.

He hadn't even moved an inch.

I shortly sighed before pulling at the chains again. A few more tries and a frustrated huff of breath came out my—

"What are you doing?"

I jerked around with wide eyes, my mouth dropping open.

King Alpha blankly gazed at me with his icy blue eyes, out of his bed, leaning against the bedpost, with his arms crossed across his chest.

The chain which I held dropped from my hands as I stood up straighter.

"I'm trying to leave."

Not even a nerve changed on his face except for the mock amusement shining in his eyes, "You're failing."

"It's gonna take time if a human is bound by cuffs meant for werewolves," I replied bitterly giving him a small glare as I grabbed onto the chain once again.

He didn't respond as I turned around, ignoring his gaze on me, and pulling at the chain once again as if it would just magically cave out of the wall.

After a few more tries, I was starting to feel pathetic as King Alpha witnessed my useless tries. I dropped the chain, turning around and huffing before leaning against the wall in a stubborn-tempered manner.

I stared right into King Alpha's eyes, forcing myself to not look away from his mocking blue eyes.

Even Collin had blue eyes. But Collin's eyes were gentle and held laughter and affection all the time. I had blue eyes too, but King Alpha's eyes held mock, taunt, and mostly coldness since I met him.

He tilted his head to the side with a small look of curiosity, "Do it again."

I furrowed my eyebrows, "Huh?"

"You did magic. Do it again."

I almost laughed in disbelief, "Magic? Sure give me a wand and I'll poof us to fairyland."

He gave me a flat look.

"As if I can do magic," I muttered, "I'm not a magician or a witch."

"I know," He stated, "I know witches are dumb but you're dumber than a rock."

I tried not to appear affected by his mock and plainly glared.

"Do it again, Ezlynn." He said, ignoring my glare.

A shiver went down my spine at the tone of his command. Every part of my body pulled together invisibly reaching out to him, to his command. A weird feeling evolved from my chest spreading throughout my body, rushing in my veins, flowing quickly, making me cry in fear.

"What's happening to me?" I cried out wrapping my arms around myself.

"It's the Alpha wolf's command. Any supernatural creature can't deny it. You did."

"Yes, because I'm human." I was exasperated feeling the effect of his command dim down within seconds.

"But the command still affected you." A small frown etched on his eyebrows.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said choosing not to think about what he was saying.

His frown depended into that of anger, curiosity and thinking while I tried to get my body back to normal from what just happened all the while staring at him warily.

His face went blank before he silently pushed himself off the bedpost, walking over to a wardrobe at the far end of his room. He took out some clothes, slinging them over his shoulder, before walking my way.

My shoulders stiffened as he neared me, my body leaning away warily as he stopped in front of me. Without saying anything he grabbed my hand making me flinch and my heart to beat painfully in my chest.

A flicker of emotion entered his face as his eyes widened slightly upon holding my hand, but it diminished just as quickly as his other hand hovered over the cuff. He inserted a small key before the cuff snapped open, my pained wrist relishing in the free cool air. He opened the other cuff too before, taking the clothes off his shoulder and handing them to me.

"You smell like trash. Go take a shower." He said blankly, "And don't even try to escape, It's no use."

Saying that he walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him and locking it.

༺═──────═༻

A continuous routine had followed up where King Alpha wakes up, leaves the room for almost the entire day and comes back exactly at 7.

A maid comes every night to give me food on a plate and picks it up in the morning. I was still cuffed to the wall with King Alpha not trusting me.

He had given me a blanket one day when I woke up shivering cold. No word was conversed between us neither did he ever properly look at me.

For the starting few days, I used to flinch or stiffen whenever he came closer but now, I didn't even bother to move from my same dull position whenever the door opened.

I mostly sat in the same position, leaning against the wall near the fireplace, staring out the open balcony towards the sky, watching the day change to night, night to day and the cycle repeats.

I missed Collin, Jade - my best friend, Ava, my apartment, and even the bakery. Days passed by me just remembering them, wondering what they might be doing right now or how were they.

I stopped eating after a few days, my appetite was not intact with my body anymore. King Alpha gave me unimpressed looks in the morning when he sees the plate untouched or me lying on the ground almost as if I'm dead.

Who knew I would get homesick so soon within two weeks? Or was it five days? Who knows?

My black hair was in a mess and there were probably eye bags under my eyes from being sleep-deprived. My mind always remembered the looks of my room, hallucinating me into thinking this room was the one back at my apartment. My hands would reach out to touch any part of it but just as I raise my hand, my imagination cuts off reminding me of reality. A dull ache remained in my chest.

I have never been detached from my home or Collin and have never experienced being all alone by myself; the effects of it tolled all over making me want to scream out but my mouth and throat were too tired to move.

Finally one night, King Alpha crouched in front of my body lying still on the floor. This time, instead of the maid, he placed a plate of food beside my head. My gaze didn't flicker from the balcony I was staring at.

King Alpha lingered in front of me, unusual. He gazed at my face with me paying no attention to him.

A few moments passed before a sigh came out of the Alpha's lips.

He shuffled a bit before his hands were on my wrists and then the cuffs. Raising my confusion, he clicked the cuffs open, throwing them aside, metal clanging against each other.

"Sit." He instructed.

My body or mind gave no response at first.

"Sit." He repeated - no, commanded.

My body involuntarily pushed itself off the floor getting into a sitting position, facing him.

"Eat." He ordered in the same commanding tone.

My hand raised despite my trying to ignore his order and reached for the plate of food. I ate quietly, my stomach hungrily begging for more making me realize how empty and hungry it was. King Alpha sat there the whole time watching me eat with an expression I didn't know as I haven't looked at his face yet.

My body strengthened slightly, making me more alert when I was done eating. I pushed the plate away, finally raising my eyes to meet King Alpha. He gave a small pleased satisfied look quickly overtaken by an unimpressed look.

"You humans are seriously so fragile. I can plaster the words 'weak little kitty' on your foreheads."

"Wouldn't that be an amazing sight?" I replied sarcastically.

"Imagine billions of you people with that plaster." He gave a satisfied smile with me giving him a flat look, "Anyway, good night or whatever."

He picked up the cuffs reaching for my wrists.

I jerked my arms behind my back taking the Alpha by surprise. It was a bold move, I know. I stared at him, wide-eyed, afraid to be cuffed back to the same depressing spot but mostly afraid by the slow questioning brow he raised at me.

"I don't want to be tied back," I said, finding my voice hidden deep in my throat, straightening my back and looking into his eyes.

"You're gonna run away." He stated.

"I won't."

"You will."

"I won't."

"You will."

"I won't, I promise." I put on my best promising face.

He frowned at me, considering my words.

He dropped the cuffs finally, making me release a small breath of relief.

"You better keep your word." He said oppressively before turning around and walking over to his bed.

I leaned back against the wall in relief; legs stretched out in front of me.

After a moment of staring at the walls, my eyes slid to King Alpha, his eyes closed but not yet sleeping, facing me.

The low light defined his face further, making him look more dangerous than he already was. His features were strong, chiselled, and carved into sharp edges.

His eyes flew open, startling me, making my eyes flit away, embarrassed that I had been caught staring.

A few seconds later, my eyes slid to him again only to find them wide open, making my heart jump in surprise.

"Since how long have you been this "King"?" I asked, unexpectedly.

I expected him to scoff at me or plainly ignore me or snap at me to shut up, but his eyes looked up for a moment in a thinking manner before looking back at me, "Six hundred...five hundred years," He shrugged, "Somewhere in between."

My eyes widened, "That long?"

He nodded.

"How do you become an Alpha?"

"You earn it." He shifted until he was properly facing me, head on palm, with elbow propped, "There were challenges. I defeated every werewolf, every alpha and every other creature who challenged me to the throne. It took a hundred years before I had to forcefully command them to obey me or face consequences."

I furrowed my eyebrows, "Throne? As in the whole royal King and Queen kind of throne?"

He nodded.

"Where's your crown or soldiers or dungeons then?"

He scoffed, "This isn't the 1500s. Dungeons, no. Crown, yes. There aren't soldiers, but wolves positioned as my...you could say knights"

"So there were previous Kings and Queens too?"

He nodded.

"What happened to the previous ones?"

He shrugged, "They can rot in hell."

The blankness in his voice stunned me.

"What about you?" He asked surprising me, "How old are you, stupid human?"

"Eighteen."

A humourless chuckle came out of his lips, "You've barely begun your life."

I glared at him, "There's nothing much you can do when your brother and you are the only ones earning in the house."

"What do you do then?"

"I bake."

He snorted, "Sure. Do you wish to roam the world?" He asked confusing me with his question.

I pondered over it before shrugging, "Maybe..."

"Too bad that'll only remain a wish," A dark grin curled up on the corners of his mouth. "Pray to whoever your god is. Since I'm about to kill you this week."

༺═──────═༻

I pulled on the chains vigorously again and again when King Alpha was out for the day. He chained me once again not trusting me to keep my word. I had to get out of here despite my wrist screaming in pain or my arms aching from pulling too much.

I will not let my life end by someone as heartless as King Alpha.

Since he left, I had been trying to pull myself free determined on getting out of here no matter what the cost was. The chains were strong metallic. Not even the cuffs were weak.

King Alpha always kept the key to the cuffs in his wardrobe which was on the other side of the room far away from me.

The day passed with me pulling, taking short breaks in between because of my wrist hurting, but to no avail. When it was time for King Alpha to return, I sat back in my position, pretending as if that was the only thing I did the whole time.

But I knew he wasn't stupid.

His eyes roamed over my red and purple bruised wrists, no doubt clicking the pieces together and figuring out my daytime activities. He only gave me a glare before walking into his bathroom and coming out without a shirt, going to his bed, and paying me no further attention.

The next days, continued the same way, I pulled every day, getting more and more desperate to be free. My wrist went numb from the pain, but it didn't matter. When King Alpha said he was going to kill me this week, it meant I had only two days left to set myself free.

My breaths rasped as I pulled the chains in frustration.

Why wouldn't the hell they just break?

My frustration grew into that of anger and then rage, my hand movements faster on the chains like a madwoman. My focus wasn't on the chains anymore, it was on the mild desperation spreading inside me, earning for freedom.

The anger caused rapid movements, making ugly cries of frustration erupt from my mouth, wanting to break everything in my way. I tugged on the chains as if my life depended on it which it actually does.

The rage shot like a bullet from the pit of my gut to my hands until I was yanked back and thrown to the floor.

Confusion enveloped me as I opened my eyes, which had closed on their own accord when I fell, to see the cuffs dangling on my wrists...but not engraved to the wall.

Short series of breathy laughter came out of my mouth as I shook my arms around, not stuck to the wall anymore.

"Yes!" I exclaimed, climbing to my feet.

Hell knows I managed to do it; it was like a new power had just shot through me.

Take that, you mad dog!

King Alpha won't be back for a few hours as the sun was just beginning to set. I had enough time to plan my escape and run out of here.

I ran towards the balcony, peering down, estimating the height. There was no way down, not even a pipe or a line of bricks.

I tried the door and much to my bad luck, it was locked. My eyes scanned around the room to look for a key or any sort of thing I could use to pick the lock.

I walked towards his dressing table, checking all the drawers until I found a long pen sort of thing with a sharp and narrow point. Grabbing it, I tried it on the lock. After many attempts and much time, I heard a satisfying click, swinging the door open.

Before I head out the door, a dagger caught my eye placed on a table with many other kinds of stuff.

I knew better than to walk out all alone without any form of protection, so I grabbed it. The dagger felt cool and utterly familiar in my hand as if I'd held daggers my whole life.

I guess that's what happens when you try to stop yourself from stabbing Mrs. Stick Up Her Ass when she yells for no reason at all.

I hid the dagger beneath my shirt, tucking it into my pants.

I peered out the door, looking both sideways before stepping out. My back pressed against the wall as I tried to move along the hallways as quite as possible. I've seen enough werewolf movies to know they have great hearing abilities.

My hand was under my shirt and on the dagger as a sense of comfort that if anyone tries to attack me, I'll be ready. I hope I don't murder anyone today.

These hallways were long with doors every 10 feet. Yellow bulbs lit the hallways contrasting with the red royal wallpapers. This mansion looked like a place from the movies.

I didn't know if I was getting myself out of here or getting myself lost.

My heart beat rapidly in my throat as my ears forced themselves to be highly alert to any noise. My breathing stopped in between sometimes when I felt as if someone was ahead or behind me.

One hallway led to another and another and another until I was sure I'm getting lost. The mansion had ancient qualities yet seemed brand new with sparkly floors and polished artifacts. I tried not to dwell on every antique thing I saw, pushing my legs to get me stealthily yet quickly out of here.

After a few minutes, I am one hundred percent sure I'm lost. These hallways seemed never-ending and keep continuing one after the other. I don't even know how to get back to King Alpha's room.

Trying my luck, I tried another hallway, hoping to see any new doors like maybe the main one.

A door opened.

My breath hitched in my throat as I immediately pressed myself against the walls. No doors opened in the hallway I'm currently in, so it must be in the other hallway further to my right.

I stopped breathing, my heart beating like crazy despite me trying to be the quietest. My hand curled over the hilt of the dagger underneath my shirt. Blood pounded loudly in my ears as I tried listening for any more sound. I hope whoever that is doesn't decide to walk into the hallway I'm in.

Seconds passed. My body stayed motionless.

No one appeared.

Taking the risk, I crept towards the end of the wall trying as hard as possible to not make any sound. Slowly and hesitatingly, I poked my head out, pushing my black hair aside.

The hallway stretched miles further with nothing but air. An eerie silence descended upon my surroundings. After scanning the hallway properly from corner to corner with my eyes, I finally let myself breathe.

I released my death grip on the hilt of the dagger and turned around. My eyes made contact with a feminine chest.

A gasp erupted from my mouth as I staggered back. My eyes snapped to the girl in front of me.

She smiled. Her wide blue eyes along with her golden-brown hair lay perfectly on her features. She was tall, graceful and extremely beautiful.

I pulled out the dagger, and pointed it at her, taking a step back.

Her eyes zeroed on the dagger in my hands then back at me, not seeming the least bit bothered by the dagger pointing at her perfectly shaped nose.

I swung the dagger in her direction. Confusion enveloped me when the dagger hit nothing but air.

Warmth radiated behind me.

I swirled around to see her calmly standing with the same gentle smile, not a feature or strand of hair shifted.

"Wha-you were just—"

"You must be Ezlynn." Her velvety soft voice complimented her looks.

"Who are you?" I asked taking a step back, "Wait, how do you know my name?"

"I'm Katia. Pleased to meet you." Her smile shone like the sun. Something highly disturbed me looking at her perfect features. I'm not even exaggerating. Her golden hair flowed down in perfect waves, her wide blue eyes shone along with her perfect smile. The short blue summer dress she wore complimented her long flawless legs.

I kept the dagger pointed at her, "Are you a werewolf too?"

"I am indeed. But you don't need to worry. I won't harm you."

"That's what they all say."

"Where were you heading to?"

My body froze.

I was obviously planning to escape.

Should I tell her?

She's a werewolf though.

Would she call King Alpha?

She doesn't look like she's a loyal pet to King Alpha. She looks much more independent. My mind whirled with doubts and confusion, not being able to decide whether to trust her or not.

"Would you join me for a late evening snack?" She asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Snack?"

She nodded.

Something lured me towards her. It might be her unbelievable graceful beauty or her perfect calming charm.

Whatever it was, I knew I didn't have a choice for her question.

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How are you people doing??

Nothing happens in the beginning few chapters but I swear IT GETS BETTER AFTER A FEW CHAPTERS!

I hope you people are having a great time and please vote and comment!

Date: 9th July 2021