The Alpha’s Unwanted Bride

ERIK'S POV

Erik considered ordering one of the guards to send Jasmine to be released and let up inin the servants room, but then he decided against it.

He would go himself.

Erik didn't exactly pity the girl;; he just felt that Xaden was being a bit extreme.

He sure as hell didn't trust her——far from it. After all,all, she was the daughter of a monster,monster, and that meant she had the traits of her father.

But her eyes were different.

She was a latent wolf,wolf, and that just made matters worse.

She could see everycould see every shift and then how she had treated them.

From the moment he had seen her, he had expected that she would be rude and mean, but she shocked him when she had been extremely gentle.

All through.

Even when she had walked the journey and still been in pain, she had never complained.

It had amazed him.

She was quiet and gentle.

Something seemed to be off, but if Xaden said that he had smelt her blood,blood, then maybethen maybe it was just one of the Moonlight PackPack tricks.

He hated them,them, especially after what they had done to him.

They had left Jade to raise all of themall of them alone.

He walked down the hallway and stopped in her bedroom.

He stepped in and saw her sound asleep in her bed;; the dark curls that her mother had had werewere over the pillow.

He gently touched her cheeks.

He would have probably never gotten her had it been for Xaden.

She was safe and sound here,here, and he owed him that for life.

It had been so horrible raising her on his own and watching her ask him where MummyMummy was and be unable to provide an answer for her.

But now she was five,five, and she knew better.

She believed her mothermother was on a journey and would soon return.

How the hell was he going to tell her that she would never see her again?

He kissed her forehead,forehead, and she stirred and went back to sleep.

Then he left the room and went down the hall.

He kept on walking down thethe stairs until he was at the dungeon.

"Gamma Erik!" The guards stood at attention.

He nodded. "Where is the prisoner who was brought in?"

"She is just down in her cell." One of the guards answered.

This was the most heavily guarded cell in the dungeon.

There were about three different doors,doors, and each door held two different guards.

Erik now stood at the last door with the last duo of guards in.

"She will be taken to the servants quarters." He said.

The guards blinked at him.

"I'm sorry. But Alpa Xaden was the one who instructed thatthat she be brought down here." One of the guards said,.

Erik turned to stare at the guard,guard, and the guard beganbegan to tremble.

"Do not speak back at me." He warned.

The guards nodded quickly.

"Open the cell." He ordered.

They quickly did.

Erik didn't need to go far.

He saw her leaning against the wall.

"Open the mainmain cell."

And one of the guards did.

"Missus,"Missus, you are to be taken to the servants quarters." The guard said,said, but she didn't move.

There was silence.

She just lay there.

The guard became impatient and kicked at her. "Hey,"Hey, get up! No one is going to carry you up,up, princess!"

But she still didn't move.

The guard prodded here again,again, and Erik flared.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Stop that, you idiot!" He snapped.

Then he went into the main cell.

"Be careful; she might just be deceiving us." The guard warned.

Erik ignored him and checked on her.

She wasn't conscious.

He touched her hand and felt her pulse. It was almost gone.

"She isn't conscious." He said this as he lifted her into his arms.

"Did anyone get in here?!" He demanded it quickly.

The guards began to sweat in fear.

Then his eyes caught something.

It was a piece of bread.

And he knew instantly that she had been poisoned.

"Quick! Get the healer!" He ordered the guards as he ran ahead.

Her small body was cold and limp in his arms.

Goddess!

Why was she a latent wolf? The poison he suspected was a rapid one.

How long had she been gone?

He wondered where to take her. He couldn't take her to the servants quarters anymore, at least not in this stage or any other room.

Then he thought of Xaden's room.

No one would dare enter without permission.

He quickly took her to Xaden's room and kicked the door open with his boot.

Xaden, who had been standing by the window, taking off his clothes, stood in amusement.

"What the hell?!"

But Erik ignored him and dropped the girl on his bed.

"What the fuck is this bitch doing in my bed?!" Xaden demanded.

"She has been poisoned, and she is about to die." Erik informed.

Xaden's face turned cold, unable to say a word.

The healer was already coming into the room.

"Move out of my way." The healer, who was an old man in his late seventies, snapped.

Erik gave him a way, and he bent to examine her.

"How the hell did this happen?" Xaden asked.

"You're asking me?" Erik asked. "You're lucky I got there in time. Your torture pet would have been dead!"

"Can you hold your tongues?" The healer snapped.

The healer was an old, disgruntled man who did as he wished, regardless of who was present.

The men kept quiet.

"She has been poisoned with wolfsbane." He said. "She would have healed, but she isn't a shifter."

The healer opened his bags and started bringing out bottles of medicine and tiny, weird instruments.

"She needs to be turned over." He said. "Wolfsbane remedy has to be administered at the nape of the neck."

They all stood watching, tensed.

The healer gave them a dirty look.

"I should do it myself." He asked, irritated. "Come on, turn her over!"

Xaden and Erik proceeded to turn her over while the healer ripped the back of her dress.

And scars and marks of what seemed to be lashes all over her back, to her arms, and even on her neck came into view.