Chapter 4: Sexy Alpha King Wants Me?
Julie's POV:
There were so many thoughts occupying my mind but I felt like my words were stuck in my throat.
I couldn't understand why that word escaped his lips. My orbs were widened in shock while my chin rested on his finger, frozen.
I could only gaze into his eyes with my mouth agape as he scanned my body with my dress ripped apart in many places after being manhandled by not one but four men in a single day.
If only I had stayed inside the packhouse, none of this would've happened to me. I never imagined what a huge price I had to pay just to get some fresh air in my life.
Tears continued to flow like a river down my already stained face.
As memories of all that happened to me kept playing in my mind, I wept silently but it was loud enough for Alpha King to notice.
"Don't cry. I will protect you." he gently said as he wiped my tears away with a swipe from his fingers. I felt surprised as his gesture was a stark contrast from the way he behaved with those rogues.
"Ruby, get the car ready." he ordered before scooping me up from the ground and into his arms.
I flinched, burying my head into his shoulder as I felt afraid from being lifted suddenly.
"I got you." he mentioned tenderly before taking gentle steps towards the car.
A cool breeze hit my weakened body as we entered the car, at the back seat, which was covered in luxury from all corners.
Soft cream coloured leather seats, wide spaces, champagne bottles at the center in an ice bucket while a panoramic roof above us allowed us to see the beautiful night sky.
The entire car was enveloped not in an artificial scent but instead Alpha King Brandon's musky cologne. I didn't know why but I seemed to enjoy that smell stuffing my nostrils.
"Oh my god. I-I'm sorry." I apologize with my nerves tied into knots as I noticed my tears staining his blazer.
"It doesn't matter. You look exhausted. You should get some rest." Brandon suggested, carefully laying my head on his lap while my legs took up the entire seat.
He adjusted himself a little as he took off his light blue blazer and placed it over my body, noticing I was shivering in that moment.
I couldn't help but notice his muscles threatening to burst through the white shirt he had underneath the blazer. It was no surprise he was able to thrash those rogues effortlessly.
He switched off the lights in the car as the driver began to drive off. I didn't know where we were going but being in Brandon's arms made my tensed body relax in a way that I've never experienced before. A feeling of security blanketed me as I couldn't help but allow my droopy eyes to give way.
It felt like the first time I ever felt comfortable to rest outside the packhouse.
—————-
I jolted awake with beads of sweat forming over my forehead. My heart was pacing rapidly as I tried to take deep breaths to calm myself down.
I was expecting dad or Jack to lash out at me for sleeping in when I suddenly found myself in a completely different room.
It wasn't my old dusty rundown room… in fact I didn't even know whether I could dare call it a regular room.
I felt like I was inside a King's palace as I sat myself up on the bed that felt like a cloud. My back didn't feel the pain from sleeping in my cold hard bed anymore.
Was this a dream? It felt like I was in heaven instead of the usual hell that I would live in for years.
Turning my head to the side, my eyes fell on Brandon who sat on a nearby chair next to the bed.
His strong gaze never left me as I remembered all what happened. What Jayden did to me… What dad and the entire pack did to me. It didn't feel like a dream anymore.
"Good morning. Sleep well?" Brandon asked with his deep husky tone, snapping me right out of my thoughts.
I lowered my head, my body cringing as embarrassment and shame hitting me like a truck as I remembered how I encountered Alpha King Brandon.
"W-Where am I?" I managed to meekly ask, my voice struggling to make its presence.
Brandon rose from his chair striding towards the dressing table behind him.
"You didn't answer my question." he mentioned coldly as I tightly clenched the sheets covering me in fear.
"I'm s-sorry your Highness. Yes… yes I did. Thank you." I replied without any objection.
Before I knew it, Brandon made his way back to the chair, pulling it closer towards the bed.
"Hand" he asked for, extending his own forward.
Not wanting to upset him with any question, I complied and rested my hand in his, which was much larger than mine.
Without uttering a single word, he opened what looked like a first aid box and began to dab an alcohol-soaked cotton ball on my wounds.
"Ah!" I screamed, feeling a sharp pain that caught me by surprise.
"I'm sorry, I'll try to be gentle but I have to treat these wounds otherwise they'll get infected." he explained, this time carefully going over my wounds with the cotton ball.
Though I still felt the pain, it somehow didn't feel as bad anymore.
"With everything going on, I forgot to ask- what is your name?" he broke the silence between us, his sight not leaving my hand even for a second.
"Julie…" I plainly replied with a lot of thoughts occupying my mind.
As he continued to treat me, I couldn't understand why an Alpha King would even care for a nobody like me. It felt surreal like it wasn't even true.
Was this genuine care? or was he pranking me?
"Your Highness, I think you're mistaken. I'm not your mate. I don't even have a wolf, there is no mate bond that I can feel between us." I uttered the bitter truth. I didn't want him to take care of me under the false notion that I was his mate.
My mom used to tell me when I was young about the mate bond. She mentioned that when two wolves cross paths and are chosen to be mates by the moon goddess, they will feel a tight pull towards each other.
The entire world around them would disappear as their hearts would beat for each other. It is a strong powerful feeling that bonds the two forever. They would never want to leave each other.
I knew for sure I didn't feel such a bond for Brandon. I didn't understand how he could feel a way for me.
Brandon stopped disinfecting my wounds as soon as I spoke up. He lifted his head, shifting his view towards me with furrowed brows.
"My wolf, Kai, told me so. He wouldn't make a mistake now, would he?" He exclaimed with composure though I could see his jaw clench.
I couldn't believe what he was saying but it didn't feel like he was telling a joke as I gulped the saliva inside my mouth.
"Your Highness, you should do it quickly then." I shook my head and immediately mentioned.
"Do what?" He asked, feeling puzzled as he closed and kept the first aid kit aside.
"Reject me." I answered, tears welling up in my already glistening eyes. I felt myself shatter as soon as I said that but I knew it was inevitable. An Alpha King would never mate with someone worse than an omega. Dad made it clear to me that not even a human would want me.
Suddenly as I sobbed silently at my reality, Brandon rose, pushing his chair behind before climbing on top of the bed.
I kept getting out of his proximity by sliding backwards towards the bed board but it was of no use. He kept reducing the gap between us until I could feel his warm breath brushing against my face.
He tilted his head before cupping my chin bringing me even close to him. Our lips dangerously close to each other.
"Why would I do that?" he asked in his Alpha tone, completely capturing my attention. I couldn't break eye contact even if I wanted to.
"Your Highness… does it not bother you? I don't have a wolf. Why would you want a pathetic mate like me?" I clarified as a river kept flowing out of my orbs.
"Julie… I knew the moment I found you that you don't have a wolf. But wolf or no wolf… I don't give a damn. You would need to be out of your mind if you think I would reject you for that." he said, pressing my cheeks as I processed what he was telling me.
"Don't you dare ever tell me to reject you again. Understood?" he commanded as I nodded in reply instantly.
Brandon let go of my face before getting off from the bed. I took a deep breath, feeling as if my breathing stopped when he was an inch away from me.
"Now… let me ask you the questions that matter. Which pack are you from? Why were you alone wandering the unclaimed territories? You know rogues roam those areas, right?" he asked, sitting beside me on the bed, though not as close as before.
I felt a chill run down my spine. I dreaded him asking about my pack.. The pack that sentenced me to death.
"I… I don't belong to any pack. I am a rogue myself, your Highness." I stuttered, telling a lie in a panic.
I didn't know what I was doing. I didn't want to lie to him but there was a chance that he would send me back to the pack where dad and Alpha King William were waiting to get their hands on me.
I was accused of breaking the universal pack laws, even Brandon would not look at me the same when he heard that as well… even if it was a lie.
"I am an orphan. I don't know what happened to my biological parents. They left me when I was young. That's why I was alone" I continued to answer his question, this time with the truth.
With a second of silence enveloping us, Brandon placed his arm around my neck before pulling me in his embrace.
"You're not alone anymore. You have me." he muttered into my ears as I felt the warmth of his body pressing onto mine.
I was a mess of emotions. Sadness, pain, guilt and fear all consumed me when I, too, decided to wrap my arms around Brandon.
It felt like the right thing to do. For a moment, in his solace, everything just stopped. My heart began to calm down as I took a deep breath.
"So what do you say? Will you live with me… or not?" he asked, waiting for my reply.
I couldn't believe that a powerful Alpha King like Brandon was asking me to stay with him instead of outright getting rid of me. I thought I had been cursed throughout my life from being tortured and abused since childhood… Was the moon goddess finally having mercy on me?