Escape Plan

I need a map.

I need to find a map that will help me find my way through the woods, and guide me back to my own home village. Yes, I'm planning my grand escape from this stupid place sooner or later. I don't belong here, and I'd surely die if I stayed here any longer. The more I stand around and do nothing, the more chances I am going to be eaten alive by the people in this place.

The more chances the Alpha can put a baby inside of me.

I venture into a room located just at the left side of the palace. It's a library similar to the ones found in the large and regal houses of the noblemen. Except here aren't those annoying purses lips and powdered wigs portraits hanging all over the library space. Anyways, this is the place I was searching for all over the grand palace.

When I enter the library, I am met by the sweet silence of the regal space. There are brown bookshelves stacked upon the walls like large towers. There are stairs that lead to different sections of the large library. At the corner, near the window, there are chairs so comfortable that I can sleep on them.

My hands skim over the books as I walk down the large library. My eyes catch a particular book with golden rims and the fanciest fonts. There is a picture of a wolf in front of what seems to be the same forest that we were walking in. In the distance, there is the same palace as this.

From the corner of my eyes, there's a dark figure that appears. I jolted seeing the Alpha in the library. When did he get here? His eye trails to the book in my hand, wearing an expression that seems that he isn't happy with me touching his books. This must be his private library I just walked into.

"Normally, I don't allow people into my library."

"You should have put a lock in it."

The Alpha purses his lips. "You know, you are quite right, but that means I won't catch you in the act so easily."

I stand away from the books but Alpha Rhy's takes one from the bookshelf. "You have a lot of books," I say, trying my best to distract him from my true motives for coming here.

"You like to read?"

"I can't read," I say. "Only the rich and wealthy can afford to read, but when I do get a book, I do like to look at the pretty covers and the words."

"What a shame," he says.

I cross my arms in response. Why am I even telling all of this? He literally brought me to be his mate or whatever, and here I am telling him something he can use against me. Gosh, I really wished I took the chance to read at this academy offering "free" schooling when I was a teen. But where I come from, there was no time wasting money on school when there were mouths to feed. Only those who were wealthy could afford to go to school while the rest struggled to find food to last for the winter season.

"Why didn't you learn to read?" The Alpha asks.

"When you are the sole provider for the family, there is no time to read books." I make it clear to him that my family depends on me to catch food. Now that I think about it, I come to wonder how my family is managing without me.

Rhys steps toward me and I take a step back. He takes the book in my hand, flipping through the pages. "You are missing out on a lot. There are many tales of Wolvendom and the world around us. You must read this one in fact."

"I can't read," I say again.

"What a shame," he says again, bringing his finger to his chin.

"Yes,well, I should be going now–"

" I will teach you how to read."

Huh? I look at him with surprise. Teach me to read? But when I look at the small smile on his lips, I already know he will make me repay him in some form or another. I shake my head. "You don't have to. You have important things to do–"

"Nonsense. You may be to a human but I cannot allow my mate not to know how to read. How would that reflect on me?"

"What are you going to teach me?"

"Well, what do you want to learn?"

Hmm. I think. There are many things I want to learn how to do with literature. I could start from the basics and learn the alphabet or learn how to identify words with the everyday objects I use– wait what am I doing? I need to find a place out of here, but the Apha is ruining my plans. I catch Rhys peering down at me with a glint in his eyes that seems like he is excited to teach me how to read. Or to torment me.

"I would like to learn about the history of Wolvendom."

"You have good taste." He says with a lowered voice. "Very well."

Flinch when he touches my hand. His hands are warm and cold at the same time but the way his large hands wrap around mine feels comforting in a way. Stop it, Melanie. He is the man who almost killed your sister. Separated you from your family. I free my hands from him at the voice in my head nagging me.

He guides me to the back of the bookshelves down the stairs to a place where there are four seater tables decorated all over the space. He draws out a chair for me before he takes a seat beside me.

I try to remain calm watching his hands flip over the pages, and the smell of certain parfum emitting from him. I glimpse at the way his dark hair falls over his trenched brow skimming over the book in front of him. I don't realize how handsome he looks when he isn't angry or in his wolf form.

"Melanie?"

"Yes." I snap out of it.

"We haven't gotten started and you are already distracted." His lips spread into a grin looking at the splotches of red on my cheeks. "Where should I start?"

"From the beginning." I only want to learn about the people of Wolvendom. Maybe understanding them will teach me about their culture, language, their strengths, as well as their weaknesses so they will never take any more humans like me in the future.

"Before Wolvendom," Rhys starts. "There were no lands separated by borders. There were humans and werewolves– no matter how different from each other lived together in harmony."

"What happened?"

"Well, humans at the time were superstitious and quite frankly, they were led by false leaders who wanted control over every aspect of human society. They saw that the werewolves were on their way to have a society where they can control every autonomy of human life."

"Let me guess, a war happened?"

"Yes. It was a long brutal war until the leaders of both the werewolves and humans decided to create a land where humans and my people can live separately."

"What happened after the separation?"

"Well, everything went as usual. The humans built their civilizations to suit them, and my people built a civilization where we are not hunted down?"

"Werewolves used to be hunted?"

"Yes. They use our fur to keep them cool, use our meat to eat, use our bones for all sports or rituals or to feed the fire."

I shift in my seat. All the things he mentioned about wolf people is actually what I had in mind when I hunted down Jafar– except for turning his bones into ashes or eating his meat. All I wanted was to make money to feed my family. That was it.

"The humans didn't stop hunting us down," continues Rhys. "They will enter our lands, hoping to catch my people."

"What did you do after that?"

"We hunted them back."

A shiver runs down my arm at his grin.

"Any human found near our lands will be simply killed or forced to return home."

"I have another question."

"What is it, Mel?'

My skin tingles to him calling a short version of my name. Only Barbara calls me that. I shift in my seat as I try not to succumb to his eyes on me.

"What about the Krae people?"

The Alpha cocks his eyebrows. "Now where did you learn about them?"

"Back in the forest, I heard you mention them."

Alpha Rhys sighs, closing the book. "The Krae people are not to be talked about within these walls. They are not good people and they will kill you when they have the chance."

Goosebumps ripple across my skin at the base of his voice mentioning the Krae people. What is so dangerous about them? They don't seem to be dangerous. My curiosity rises within me. "Who are they?

"They are a race of outcasts, and that is all you will learn from me."

I open my mouth to ask another question but the Alpha narrows at me. I close my mouth and my thoughts to myself. I really want to know who these outcasts are, but I guess I won't really know unless the Alpha tells me.

"Don't even try asking the other maid who they are. They won't tell you," says Alpha Rhys.

Dammit, he read my mind! I guess asking Barbara and Solana about them isn't worth it. Well, I should keep the Krae people out of my mind. It's not like I won't even get to see them in real life. For now, I need to make a plan to find a way out of this prison called a palace.

I face Rhys standing up from his seat. He grins at me that sets a butterfly in my stomach. "Next time, I'll teach you something different."

"Like what?" I cross my hands.

The Alpha skims at me. "Other things, my love."

"I'm not having sex with you."

"That's what they all say." The Alpha walks away.

"They? Who are they?" I ask out loud but the Alpha is already far gone from the library.

I sigh deeply, my frustration simmering beneath the surface. Dealing with the Alpha has become a constant struggle, an inferno that consumes me from within. Every interaction with him feels like stepping into the depths of hell, navigating the treacherous terrain of power dynamics and unspoken rules. In the hierarchy of this world, the Alpha reigns supreme, his presence commanding and his influence pervasive. And yet, his power comes at a cost. It seeps into every facet of life within our community, casting a shadow over even the simplest of interactions. It's as if I am walking through the sweet spots of hell, if such a contradictory concept even exists.

His gaze is piercing, his words calculated. Each encounter leaves me feeling small and insignificant, my own voice drowned out by the weight of his authority. The fire that burns within me, the desire for equality and autonomy, flickers in the face of his dominance. But within the depths of this turmoil, I find solace in the knowledge that I am not alone. There are others who share my frustrations, who yearn for change, even as we navigate this tumultuous landscape. And one day, I will find a way to get out of here, no matter what.