Chapter 4: A Strange Tantalizing Smell

Alpha King Caspian's POV:

I could tell she was not expecting me to walk right on past her and out into the servants' corridor. At that, I didn't wait. I was following the scent that certainly led down the hall away and from the kitchen's location. I didn't speak when I left the rest of my men behind, who were stunned by the lack of pack members as they waited in the dining hall. I remained silent, making my way down this smaller corridor. Where was this tantalizing scent coming from, and what could it mean?

The woman was swift when she walked out of the dining hall, following me in an attempt, trying to catch up with me. She walked up behind me and tried to gain my attention, but I was not going to stop and discuss anything with her at this time.

'Maxwell, you need to get here now!' (I said via Mind Link.)

'Promptly, Your Highness.' (He responded.)

"Your Highness, is there something I can help you find?" She finally asked me after following me for a short distance.

'Ignore her. She is trying to hide something from you.'

'I know Cash. That's not all that hard to figure out. I know a trick when I see one.'

I continued walking down the corridor till I reached the end. Which way? There were two sets of stairs. She was right there with me, and to be honest, I didn't care how close she was standing next to me either. Granted, this was not the first time someone followed me and got a bit too close for comfort. When I reached the end of the corridor, I stopped walking as I thought about which direction I needed to go.

However, my choice was very clear. The scent was definitely coming from downstairs. Suddenly, she walked around me, standing on the next step leading to the upstairs area, and then spoke something I was not likely to forget. However, the question is, what's she going to do after I walk away?

"Your Highness, if you'd kindly follow me," she said, trying to persuade me to follow her away from my intended direction, which I had planned on traveling. "Our Alpha is in his study if you would like. We can both go and speak with him, starting the business conversation until breakfast is ready."

I looked over at her and narrowed my eyes slightly. Then, I shocked her when I moved toward the lower set of stairs. She didn't seem all that pleased with my choice of direction. That's when Maxwell reached the top of the stairs with four other Warriors. He saw me start to walk down the stairs at a rather swift pace.

Once again, she was right on my heels and closely followed by my Beta. I wasn't sure what I was looking for, but I knew I would recognize it when I found it. When I reached the bottom level, I found a long, darkened corridor with minimal lighting. I do not recall it being like this the last time I was here. That's when I noticed the scent I was following was much stronger. I knew we were getting close. Although I still didn't know exactly what it was that we were looking for.

As I recall, I had never come across that particular scent before, and we were here about six months ago. What could it mean?! I ventured further into the dark, pondering the reasons and possibilities of what this could all mean. Then, all at once, I was interrupted by Cash in a frightened tone.

'Here! The scent is here! Open the door, hurry!' (Cash insisted.)

I tried for the handle of the room where the scent was most robust. There was no doubt in my mind that the scent came from the other side of this particular locked door. I was angered to find that the door was locked, and growled harshly as I turned to face the woman who followed me all this way.

What was she trying to hide? I wanted an answer, but instead of asking her, I was going to find out the answer for myself and then ask questions later. I turned back to face the door once more, as my anger was building from when I had originally found it locked in the first place. What was behind this door that my wolf was desperate to get to, I wondered.

'Break it down! You have to get in there NOW! Hurry!' (Cash demanded me now.)

I leaned back and burst in through the door, which caused the door to literally split in two and even come off its hinges. I rushed into the room to find a man holding a whip in one hand. He quickly turned around to face me as my entrance caught him off guard. Feeling threatened, he even took several steps back upon seeing me.

I looked at what he was using the whip on, and I couldn't believe what I saw. My breath froze! There was a seemingly young woman hanging from a chain in the center of the room. She was hanging there by her wrists and was barely conscious at that point. I was furious and growled harshly, which caused the room to shake.

'Mate! MATE! Found MATE! Must Kill. KILL HIM for hurting MATE!!' (Cash was now screaming and demanding to be released.)

As I looked at her carefully, I was in shock. She tried to peer at me but feared my appearance instinctively, even whimpered a bit at the sound of my roar. As I took a step toward her, she winced before she lost consciousness altogether due to her frail condition. I stopped walking, studying her face a bit, which was bleeding. Her clothes were torn and barely hanging on her damaged body. I couldn't believe what I was looking at. I was even more furious at this point. That's when I turned back to face the woman standing directly in front of Maxwell.

"This is a servant, Your Highness," the woman spouted off with a lie as if that was going to help her out of this situation. "She's being punished for her insolence and lack of respect for the other members of the house. We are tending to her accordingly."

'Grab her!' (I said via Mind Link, nearly yelling it out loud as I tried to contain my anger, let alone my wolf.) 'Take the man there too! He's part of this.'

"This is what you call punishment?!" I growled, causing the very walls themselves to shake even more than before.

At that, the dirt fell from the walls when I walked over to her. Then, I continued my rant. I have been known to topple smaller buildings with the sound of my roar, and even more so when Cash was out and got the chance to roar himself. No one has ever tested me before and lived to tell about it to this degree. The fact that they think this is the right course to handle any kind of punishment makes me ever so furious. All my packs knew I had previously told them how things would be handled, and this was not that. If they were not able to tend to this properly, they should've brought the matter to me.

"This is the kind of punishment you would show a grown man. She looks like a girl, not even a woman yet! What could she have possibly done to deserve this kind of punishment?!"

"Well, she..." she tried to say as I turned back around to reach for the chain that held my Mate in place. I was determined to get her down and free from that position first.