The Alpha’s Slave

Chapter 18

SEBASTIAN’S POV

This garden held a special place in my life and heart. It held memories that are forever stuck with me like glue. Almost every morning, I like to come here, play my music and let the serenity envelope me. I let the calmness take care of me. Pamper me. It was more than a garden to me. It was my antidote. My escape from the world threatening to swallow me whole.

In our two years of marriage, Catherine never knew of my special connection to this place. No one knew. Except… Brianna. Now that I’ve brought her here and told her.

I had brought her here, thinking perhaps the music and serenity will wipe away every pain. Every trauma. Yesterday’s dreadful scenario at the cocktail party. Wipe away everything that burdened her. But I was wrong. The moment I saw those glistening tears on her pale, heart-shaped face, I knew it did more harm than good. Perhaps, it was a mistake bringing her here. Perhaps, I shouldn’t have plugged those buds in her ears. But the song was my favourite and contagious. Anyone would have easily liked it after listening to it once. It baffled me to know that she didn’t.

“Where else do you want to take me?” Her tear-filled gaze fell back on me. She was trying to hide it from me. Trying to wipe it quickly with her fingers. But I had seen it all.

Guilt washed over me seeing her drowning in the pool of her tears. Was it the song? Was it about what Nolan tried to do to her yesterday at the party? Was it me? Did I do something wrong? I needed to know.All rights © NôvelDrama.Org.

“What’s the problem, Brianna,” my gaze was intent on her as I closed the space between us. But she kept flickering hers away. Resting my palm on her tear-stained face, my thumb gently scraped away the cascade. “Is it still about what happened yesterday? Is it the song…did I do something wrong? Please tell me.”

Her body was heavy and tense under my touch. I could feel her heart throbbing relentlessly. The impact made her jutting breast tingle tenderly against the silky fabric of her blouse.

I have noticed how awkward and nervous she looked whenever I was around her. She even found it hard to look me in the eyes. Was she scared of me or was she feeling the same way I was feeling for her?

“Believe me,” her soft palms feebly pressed against my fingers and respectfully, she slid it away from her face, fighting so hard to control the storm of emotions raging inside her. “You did nothing wrong. And nothing is wrong with me. I’m just overwhelmed with the whole… with the serenity and everything. That’s all.”

I couldn’t tell if she was lying or telling the truth. She kept taking gentle steps back, trying to pull away from my proximity. I knew she was doing that to play it safe. To avoid causing trouble between me and Catherine again after what played out last night. But Catherine was still fast asleep when I left.

Deep down I knew something was troubling her. It was written all over her. But she just wouldn’t say.

After seeing the raw pain that flashed in her eyes the day I bought her at that auction, I promised myself she would never relive that pain again. But here I was, failing to fulfil my promise.

All I wanted to be was her saviour. Her fortress. The pillar she could hold on to. I wanted to pull her tenderness close to me so badly and guard her. Protect her from the cruel world that has caused her so much pain. I wanted to be that antidote that will neutralize all that poisonous pain. I wanted to be her all.

But for some reason, she wouldn’t let me. She wasn’t giving me the slightest chance. She built a wall so high I couldn’t climb through. Built an armor so tough I couldn’t take off.

But I’ll be patient. And as long as she was with me, no one will hurt her or cause her pain again. Nolan thought he had gone scot-free after what he tried to do to her. But I’m coming for him. And I’ll teach him a brutal lesson for messing with her.

“You… You wanted to take me somewhere else?” her meek stutter jolted me back to reality.

“Yes,” I looked at her as though trying to see through her. I wanted to know what she was thinking. What she was feeling. What was bothering her? I had thought she was reluctant about going to another place with me after what just happened and would go back to the castle. But turns out she didn’t. “Come with me if you don’t mind.”

As I led her to the grand corridors of my castle, I threw momentary glances at her from over my shoulder to see her constantly turning her head as though she knew someone was stalking us.

I knew the cause of her paranoia. Obviously, It was Catherine. She was afraid she’ll see us together again and erupt like a volcano. But she didn’t have to be afraid. As long as I was with her, no one will hurt her. No one! Not even Catherine.

“What are you so afraid of?” I asked without turning to look at her as I stopped by a set of ornate double doors.

“Nothing,” she voiced and I shrugged my shoulders, not looking so convinced.

Holding the handles of the doors, I jiggled them and pushed them open with a gentle yet purposeful motion, revealing a sight that took her breath away. The room before us was a bibliophile’s paradise. Or as I like to call it, my book heaven. Towering bookshelves adorned the walls from floor to ceiling, filled with books of various sizes, colours, and ages.

I stood aside, motioning for her to go in first before closing the door and overtaking her to settle in front of her. As she made her way in, her once teary, sad eyes widened and gleamed like a glassy volcanic rock. They were beautiful and held a gleam no makeup could improve.

She was happy. And I was happier I had distracted her from her wrecking thoughts and feelings that were savaging her. I wished she’ll have that happy look whenever she was with me.

“This is it,” I spread out my hands, a soft smile playing on my lips as I watched her reaction. “This is the place I wanted to show you.”

My book of heaven was built for me by my parents when I was just five. It was built for the sole purpose of instilling reading culture and habit in me. But I never knew its essence until I was in my mid-teens. The incident with my parents in the garden made me see its essence.

While they invested their time and energy there, I invested mine here. I read everything and anything I could lay my eyes and hands on. Even the ones I wasn’t supposed to read then.

All these happened before the garden enchanted me. But I still come here once in a while to bury myself in any piece that serves as an escape from my reality.

“Do you like it?” I asked her, my ears peaked at her response.

“Yes,” her voice was low, slightly above a whisper. But I heard it.

Her lips twisted to an unconscious smile as she made her way past me like a child who had seen a mountain of ice cream and candies.

I turned and followed her closely. As we ventured deeper into my book heaven, the scent of aged paper and ink filled the air, making me breathe in satisfaction.

This place was another place that held a special place in my heart. It hadn’t been up to a week since I met Brianna, but I was already feeling some sort of connection with her. Even though she was an Omega and a low-rank wolf. I didn’t seem to care. I was showing her a private part of my life. A part of my life I hadn’t shown anybody. Not even Catherine, in all my time of knowing her.

She stopped and mused over the part of the shelf where fantasy books laid. Her delicate fingers were brushing past the spines of the arranged books. I couldn’t tell if she was feeling them or if she was looking for a particular one to read. Without wasting time, I took out a book for her myself.

“Here,” I handed her a weathered leather-bound book with golden embossing. I had the book since I was ten and had read it over a million times. “This is one of my favourites. It’s a tale of adventure and magic. I think you’ll enjoy it.”

Her eyes sparkled with anticipation as she accepted the book. But then, the sparkle died out as soon as it ignited and returned to those sad eyes I never wanted to see again.

“Is everything okay, Brianna,” I took a step closer to her, my brows raising inquiringly. “What happened? Don’t you like the book?”

She softened like jelly when she raised her head to look at me, her sad eyes growing sadder by the moment.

“I can’t read, Sebastian,” the words were heavy on her lips. But she pushed them out.