Mine: His Caged Princess
Chapter 42

PRESENT

*

Arabella opened her eyes in fear and panted heavily after watching the monster of her dream. She found Wylder sitting on the couch and staring at her. She closed her eyes and opened them after a few seconds, only to realize that she wasn’t dreaming. He was indeed here, staring right into her eyes as if he were trying to read her.

‘Please tell me what you read, because I don’t know what is there in me to read.’ She thought about him constantly, not once thinking of him as a creep, even though he was doing something similar. By now, she had realized her place in his life. She wasn’t some model or angel from heaven whom anyone would stare at.

But people stare at animals in the zoo and ugly things as well. All of a sudden, she became self-conscious and turned her head in the other direction, so that he wouldn’t be able to see her ugly, burned face. She felt him leaving the couch by the slight sound of every movement and reaching near her.

“I know you’re awake. I have to talk with you.” He said, on which she wanted to hide somewhere where he wouldn’t be able to see her face. She stayed still, not turning her head towards him until the quilt in which she had hidden was thrown away and she received a tight slap on her buttocks.

“What the…” She turned towards him, narrowing her eyes. “What kind of behavior is that?” She asked in an accusing tone, rubbing her a*s.

It was hurting, but she liked the way it was hurting.

Confusing, right?

She wondered whether she was mad at him for spanking her or whether she should be mad at him for spanking her just one time.

“That’s your punishment for ignoring the words of the Alpha. Now, stop whining and sit on the bed. I have to talk with you.” Wylder said sternly. He again noticed that she had a habit of acting boldly at one moment and then running away like a coward like her.

“You punish everyone in the same way if they don’t listen to you?” She asked, biting her lips in jealousy and anger. Something that she shouldn’t feel, but here she was.

PRESENT

*

Arabella opened her eyes in fear and panted heavily after watching the monster of her dream. She found Wylder sitting on the couch and staring at her. She closed her eyes and opened them after a few seconds, only to realize that she wasn’t dreaming. He was indeed here, staring right into her eyes as if he were trying to read her.

“Are you jealous?”

“No. I’m just being curious. As it’s hard to imagine you spanking your Beta and Gamma’s butt cheeks.” She soon came up with the line to hide her jealousy. “I’m no one to judge you. I’ve got high respect for even gay and bisexual people.” She added in a sarcastic tone, sitting on the bed while crossing her legs.

Wylder ignored her words because he realized that she was just trying to get into his skin and he didn’t have time to play.

“Okay. I’m coming straight to the point. I want to know who were the people who used to hurt you.” He said it in a low tone, watching her expression, and he regretted asking this question when the playful smile on his lips disappeared. Her body stiffened at this question.

Well, could he blame her for that?

“Why?” She questioned him.

“What? Why?”

“Why do you know about them?”

“To punish them and to stop all this shite forever, No one deserves to be treated like this. And most importantly, to know the root cause of all this trafficking,” he replied, wondering what the meaning of her question was.

“I don’t know if I can help you find those people or not because it was his minions who used to work on my owner’s behalf. I have never seen him; I’ve just heard his voice.” Arabella responded and observed him eyeing her with doubt. She knew that she shouldn’t feel bad, but there she was, feeling bad because of the way he was looking at her as if he didn’t trust what she was saying.

“All right. Can you describe their faces? Because I will be calling sketch artists, to whom you can provide as much information as possible.” Wylder asked, to which she nodded her head. He knew that all these things hurt and would hurt her a lot, but he had to find the truth ASAP. “Can I call them tomorrow?” He asked softly.

“Call him or her tonight.” She spoke, looking into his eyes, and tears rolled out of her eyes. She couldn’t understand why he was even asking for her permission. She watched him raise her hand and reach towards her face until his thumb wiped the tears from her cheeks and cupped her left cheek.

“Ara…” He whispered her name painfully. She kept looking at him, trying to understand the reason behind his pain. It should be her who should be in pain, then why was she acting like that? He didn’t say anything next. Withdrawing his hand from her cheek, he left the room. All of a sudden, she started missing the warmth of his hand; she couldn’t understand why the hell she was feeling so many emotions around him.

She couldn’t help but want to find out whether this Alpha was her mate.

She didn’t want to keep her hopes high, but at the same time, she didn’t want to ignore the signals. Signals that her fate was given to her.

After freshening up, she left the room to eat evening snacks and make herself useful.

*

“Want to work in the hospital?” Freya asked when she learned that Arabella was looking for a job.

“Yes!!” Arabella agreed immediately, but in the next couple of hours, she figured out that she couldn’t stand between the smell of the b***d and the medicines. But still, she didn’t run away from there, as she needed a job pretty badly.

She was sure that she would adjust here as an assistant to some doctor or receptionist; after all, she could read and write.

“I’m sorry, Bella, but you can’t work in the hospital because of security reasons,” Breda said when Arabella returned to the pack house with Freya. “We don’t know anything about you. So, we can’t risk you being appointed to such a crucial place where people fight between life and death.”

“I hope you won’t mind it,” Breda said, placing her hand on Arabella’s shoulder.

“No. I don’t. I… understand.” She muttered, not liking the fact that she was treated as a suspect instead of a victim just because she didn’t remember anything from her past. At the same time, Breda wasn’t allowed to tell her that it was Alpha Miller’s order that told her that she wouldn’t feel comfortable working there.