Chapter 5
Chapter five
Lyra
Wren escorts me through the two-storey house, and for once, I don’t have to walk on eggshells.
I feel slightly more at ease with this Alpha, but just about. He’s kind enough for me to feel comfortable in his presence, but in the end, he’s still an Alpha—still the enemy.
He’s still my enemy.
It’s a survival instinct. I have been taught to fear men of his designation for many years now, and I would be wise not to let my guard down around these three males.
In the end, they are dangerous. Any mention of the Arena, and they could very well inform their king and turn me in for the handsome reward.
Gage is the most dangerous of all of them. Malakai is a close second, but it’s the former who truly holds all the power. The other two listen to him and heed his orders, so I would be wise to keep out of the Alpha’s mane.
It’s just too bad that I can’t stop thinking about that glorious mane in question. That fine head of shining, tousled brown hair I could really sink my fingers into.
Focus now, Lyra. They are the enemy. And you are in constant danger the more time you spend with them.
Now I breathe in, then out, focusing on Wren’s back. That tight shirt does him wonders, and then my gaze snags on those strong arms.
It was those very strong arms that healed me. Just as he heals injured birds.
What was it that he called me again? Little sparrow?
Am I just another injured bird in his eyes?
I have noticed that I’m not so intimidated by him as I am with other Alphas. For one, Wren has a soothing voice and a gentle demeanor. He hasn’t stopped smiling at me since I woke up from my coma.
The only time his facial expression changed was when I was hanging out of his bedroom window.
The Alpha was terrified. Terrified that I would fall and break something.
Possibly even die.
I can’t even count the number of times an Alpha has shown me any ounce of care or kindness. Perhaps I am safe around Wren.
Maybe.
It’s best to still be on my guard. No getting attached to the handsome Alpha with the dimpled, lopsided smile, period.
Still, how does he get his dirty blond hair so neat and shiny? He has it swept sideways, a stylistic choice, I’ve noticed, and again, I would love to know what that hair feels like between my fingers.
I don’t think I’ve ever touched an Alpha before.
At least not without a blade.
And that is the biggest threat here. Losing myself to them. So, I can’t have wanton thoughts of needing to touch them.
Or having them touch me…
“Here we go.”
Finally, I glance up at a nondescript door at the end of the hallway. When I glance around, I find identical doors.
So, I take it this will be my room.
I’ve never had my own room before. Even at the orphanage, I shared a room with my sisters. And then at the Arena, I stayed in a holding cell with various Omegas.
That’s when my gaze lands on a door opposite my new room. A linen closet—a room filled with all their dirty clothes.
My Omega groans, desperate to make a bid for that closet and roll around in their unwashed garments.
What am I thinking? That’s completely insane. Still, it couldn’t hurt to try it out at least once. Perhaps I should cover some of Malakai’s clean clothes in my filthy scent.
That may teach him a lesson. He said I smelled awful, and I ball my fists, wishing I had a knife to wipe that scowl off his smug face.
Too bad I lost it in the river.
“Are you all right?”
Shaking my head, I glance up at Wren. He’s so tall, I have to crane my neck just to get a good look at him.
He quirks up a brow, and again, I ignore the dimple on his cheek when he flashes me a set of white, gleaming fangs.
Now I hug myself, pretending not to care for the scent of their clothes or Wren’s dimples and shiny teeth.
Teeth I want digging into my throat, marking me…
Where are these thoughts coming from?
Dread sweeps through my veins next. Of course. It’s the hormones. My suppressants are wearing off as I worry my lip.
Shit. At least I haven’t had heat spikes yet. My perfume seems to be behaving too for the most part.
They plan to keep me here as a prisoner. It seems I escaped one cell just to end up in another.
But I can’t stay. Even if only one out of the three Alphas means well.
Tonight. Under the veil of midnight, I will make my grand escape.
Then, I will find my way to Eden. If such a place exists. I have to believe.
My sisters have to be somewhere.
“Well, home sweet home,” Wren remarks, opening the door to my new room. It’s certainly an upgrade from the cell at the Arena, yet it’s devoid of any warmth.
It’s devoid of their scents.
I step into the room, glancing around at the bland walls. The sheets don’t harbor his sage scent either, and I’m almost disappointed.
Wren leans against the wall, a hopeful expression on his handsome face. “Well, what do you think, Lyra?”
Damn. My name sounds good on his lips, but I hide the blush, peering at him through a sheet of dirty hair.
I’m filthy and in terrible need of a bath.
I smile tentatively at the Alpha. He is waiting for a response, so I open my mouth. “It’s… lovely.”
His eyes crinkle as he offers me another devastating smile. “I’m sure you will come to love it here eventually.”
Yeah, I doubt it. Not with Gage, and especially not with Malakai running loose about the house.
Wren appears to read my thoughts. “They will warm to you soon, too. Gage is stern, sure, and yeah, Malakai is an asshole, but... they’re good people, Lyra. They won’t hurt you.”
His reassurances ease me. But only a little. In the end, I can never get too comfortable here.
There will never be a place for me in their lives.
Wren grins even wider, if that were possible. Then his eyes look me over. “Hold on.”
He vanishes from the room, and I wait as he disappears for a while. When he returns, he carries a bundle of warm, clean clothes and a tray of soup and a bottle of medicine.
My heart skips a beat.
Is he offering me… gifts? I don’t think an Alpha has ever given me anything.
He smiles, leaving the room for good this time. “Well, you get some much-needed rest, Lyra. I will bring another tray up for you at dinner.”
The fact that he knew that I would prefer to eat alone upstairs touches me yet again. As if I would be ready to share a table with them.
Slowly, I suck in a breath, trying out his name on my tongue. “Thank you, W-Wren.”
He freezes in the doorway at the sound of his name. He’s still for a few moments, seeming to be at war with himself. Then he turns, giving me that dimpled smile. “It’s my pleasure to tend to you, Lyra.”
We’re silent for a while as he doesn’t take his eyes off me. He points at a door in the room. “The bathroom is that way.”
I look at the bathroom door in question. When I glance back, he’s gone, and my heart yearns for him.
Brushing the unwanted sensation aside, I move to the bathroom, staring at the white tub.
When did I last bathe in a tub?
They let us bathe at the Arena. But in shower cubicles, surrounded by other Omegas. There was seldom any privacy.
I turn the faucet and just gaze at that hot running water for a while until the room steams. And then, I’m tearing off my camisole, dipping my toes into the boiling tub.
It burns at first, but after a few soothing breaths, helped by the steam, I submerge fully.
A long sigh loosens from my lips as I lie back in the tub, closing my eyes.
I must have stayed inside that tub for ages. Even as the water grew filthy with all the dirt I accumulated in the forest.
But as I drift off into oblivion, it’s the faces of my sisters I find.
“Soon,” I promise them.
Soon.
The house is graveyard silent as I tiptoe across the hallway as quietly as a mouse. It was almost hard to tear my gaze away from my soft bed.
I never even got a chance to sleep in it, spending my whole afternoon and then evening soaking in the tub.
When I stepped out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel, I found a tray of food waiting for me on the table. It was some type of gamey meat, like rabbit, and several vegetables.
Wren must have brought it up. Just like he promised.
And I savored every bite.
After all, it may be the last meal I’ll have for a while.
The window in the room was locked. Of course it was locked, so I had no choice but to escape through the house.
I make it downstairs without so much as rousing a single Alpha, and just maybe... I’ve got this.
The front door has been left unlocked, and how odd.
Still, I don’t question it further as I tug the door open quietly, then sneak across the yard. I pass an enclosure with wire fencing, stopping to gaze inside.
There is a dog kennel inside, a climbing frame, and several toys, but I push the curiosity aside, creeping towards the forest that lines the edge of the yard.
Almost there.
Unfortunately, a dark, cloaked figure steps out from behind a tree, one that smells distinctly of wild pine, crossing their arms. My heart misfires when I spy the black hair and burning eyes of steel gray.
Oh, crap.
It’s Malakai.
I’ve been busted.