Chapter 6 The Necklace

Astoria POV`

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was the throbbed in my head with a dull ache, and my body felt like it had been dragged through hell and back which to be fair, wasn’t far from the truth.

And because I’m neither fully wolf nor truly a witch, it makes sense that I don’t possess any of their powers. 

I can’t even heal my own wounds, something so basic, yet completely out of reach.

I blinked slowly, letting my eyes adjust to the dim glow, the room wasn’t swallowed in complete darkness.

Through the enormous tall window, there was a light coming from the moonlight, enough to make me see the castle’s structure, interior, and stones. 

It was large. No, it was spacious and cold. Maybe because there’s no one inside except me. 

The walls were lined with intricate patterns. Ornate, symmetrical, and regal as if this room belonged to a high ranking man. I also didn’t fail to notice the gold and black theme inside of this massive room. 

All the furniture, the curtains, the trim, and even the floors gleamed with polished obsidian marble and carved black pillars rose on either side of the bed I lay in.

This is absolutely a man’s room, what the hell am I doing here?

“Done expecting the room?” A cold baritone voice breaks the silence. 

I flinched, snapping my head toward my right side where the voice came from. 

There, someone is sitting in a high-backed leather chair like some dark monarch.

My eyes narrowed when I was struck by a sudden familiarization. 

That man... 

He is the man from the forest, the one who touched my necklace. 

Instinctively, my hands flew to my neck, searching for the necklace that was once held by this stranger. 

My fingers grazed the familiar curve of the pendant. Relief bloomed in my chest as soon as I confirmed that he didn’t take it away from me. 

This is my last keepsake from my mother, a memory that only reminds me that I was once, the daughter she loved before she chose to leave and abandon me. 

“Where am I?” I asked, but it sounds more like a demand. 

His lip curled, but I couldn’t tell if it’s amusement or disgust. 

“For a mere human like you to have the audacity to demand answers from me?” His eyes gleamed with contempt. 

Now I knew for sure, there was no amusement in his eyes. Only disgust and the same cold, familiar kind I’d seen in the Vallesteria packs. 

Like my existence was nothing but abomination.

I lifted my head high, refusing to cower. Why would I be afraid? When I nearly died in that forest.  

And if this man wanted to kill me, he already did from the moment he saw me lying like a corpse under the tree yet, he brought me here. 

This only means, this man wants something from me. 

“And yet, you saved a mere human like me?” I shot back. 

He tilted his head slightly, “You passed out before I could ask your opinion.” 

I stiffened, wrapping my arms around myself. “So you make a habit of dragging unconscious women to your lair?”

He smirked faintly, but there was no warmth in it. “Only the ones who bleed out in a cursed forest and smell like trouble.”

Suddenly, a chill crept over me. The way he looked at me, it was  off. Like he knew something I didn’t. 

My breath caught as he stood. His height towering over me, although i’m already born tall but this man was built differently. 

He is tall, broad, and has a commanding presence like my father.

My eyes flickered in realization that he’s not an ordinary man, he’s an Alpha. 

Every step he took toward me made my heartbeat beat fast. It was loud and frantic, as if I was caught with something I didn’t do wrong. 

And his stare, it was sharp and cold like he’s sizing me up. He’s watching and reading every breath I take and every movement I haven’t made yet. 

He stopped beside the bed. I could feel his presence and that dangerous aura surrounding him. 

“It seems you don’t value your life, huh?” He asked, looking down on me. 

“Ha! Life?” I asked back. “What was the value of my life?” 

I don’t know where I got my courage to stare directly at his eyes. Maybe because I’m just so damn tired of existing knowing I have no place to return. 

Suddenly, his hand gripped my face. His rough fingers clutching my cheeks tightly. 

I glared at him. 

Did he really think being an Alpha was enough to scare me? I’d been face many torture in my life and even a single thing about him doesn’t scared me a little bit. 

Or maybe I just simply wish to vanish in his hand. 

However, there’s something in him. The more I stared longer in his cold and emotionless eyes, I felt strange. 

“Listen, human,” he said, cutting the haze in my mind. “I don’t care whether you value your life or not. But learn to control your tongue if you don’t want to be killed in an instant.” 

“And you should learn not to touch what doesn’t belong to you,” I hissed, gripping his thick wrist, trying to shove his hand off my cheek.

A smirk painted on his lips before he lowered himself, his eyes staring at me intently and my heart skipped a beat. 

Damn it. What’s wrong with my heart? I am certain I am not in love with this rogue. 

“Oh, mi rosa... The moment you stepped into the northern region, you became mine,” he whispered, the tip of his nose brushing against mine, sending an uninvited shiver down my spine.

A slow grin curved my lips. 

“How thoughtful,” I said, voice dripping with sarcasm. “Should I be thankful that an Alpha took me into his little fief and decided I belong to him?”

I tilted my head back just enough to break the closeness, creating space between us. A space that I suddenly needed to breathe right.

His eyes narrowed and darkened. “So you knew? A mere human like you could tell I was the Alpha?”

I winced as his grip on my cheek tightened. 

My eyebrows knitted as I scowled. “Why? Does that threaten you that a mere human like me was able to tell that you’re an Alpha–” 

I couldn’t finish my sentence when suddenly a sharp knock came through the door. 

“Consider yourself fortunate, human.” He said, releasing me before turning his back without a second glance.

I frowned, eyes locked on his back as he walked away. But just before he reached the door, he stopped.

“And remember my name.” He said, sounds like a warning that if I ever forgot his oh, so mighty name I might die. 

“Cassius Raventhorn.” He added that made me still in my place. 

Without an effort to glance over his shoulder, he stepped out and slammed the door behind him with a heavy thud.