Page 78 of The Alpha King's Curse: Part One

She looked into the distance towards the gates that imprisoned her in this place. Something was drawing her gaze there even though she knew she couldn’t attempt to escape again. Her whole body itched to go through those gates as if that was its only focus.

The pull to leave the house and walk out of the gates was so strong that she had to force herself to concentrate on something else.

Something safe, like the weather.

Since that storm, the heat had calmed down, so it looked like it would be a beautiful day. But she was going to be stuck in the bedroom. Alone.

Her gaze was forced back to the gates, and the cycle repeated. Why couldn't she shake it off?

With a sigh, she walked back to the bed and sat. She needed to be active to get out of her head and start thinking about what to do next. Instead, she was thinking of wolves, voices, and her mother, of all things. It was always that way. When she was younger, she imagined the wolf she could see and talk to was her mother. The school counsellor told her that was how she had chosen to cope with her abandonment issues. She’d never figured out why she’d see her mother as a wolf, of all things. And she didn’t understand why she would still think about her when her mother probably never thought of her.

She was getting ready to lie back down for a day of doing nothing when there was a knock on the door. Since Jackson was gone, she knew he had left instructions for somebody to bring her something to eat. But she wasn't hungry and didn't want to see anybody else.

Especially after what happened the last time she opened the door when there was a knock.

But whoever it was persisted.

With another sigh, she walked over to the door.

"Who is it?" she called out.

"It's me. Diedre."

Was that woman there to try and give her another shot? Drug her up again so she would feel even more drawn to Jackson?

"Jackson asked me to bring you something to eat and then take you for a walk."

Her ears perked up. A walk? Jackson was going to allow her to walk outside without him? He seemed to believe she was safe now just because he had introduced her to his people, but there was something in the air in this place that told her she wasn't. And he had told her to stay in the room.

But to do that meant she would be alone with her thoughts for hours.

"I don't have a key," she called out.

But it seemed Diedre had. She heard the keys in the door, and then it swung open slowly as if Diedre was trying not to scare her. The woman stuck her head in and gave her a bright smile, the same welcoming smile that had sucked her in the first night. She couldn't fall for that shit again.

"Why did you knock if you have the key?"

"Just a courtesy, dear. This is your room; I can't intrude."

The woman knew it was Jackson's room, so she didn't bother arguing. Diedre walked in holding a tray of food, and took it to the coffee table.

"You look like shit," she said with the same bright smile.

"Thanks."

Diedre chuckled as she poured some coffee into a mug from a carafe.

"I don't mean it like that. You look like you haven't been resting well. It's good that Jackson is away then because we can have a girly day. After some fresh air, we can sit by the pool and drink."

"You have a pool here?"

"A couple. I see Jackson hasn't given you a proper tour," Diedre said as she gestured for her to sit in front of the tray to start eating. "I'll show you where everything is. It's quite beautiful here; I know you'll love it as much as I do. You might even consider staying forever."

Not likely.

She sat and resisted the urge to sniff the food in case the woman had laced it with more drugs. Diedre wouldn't have noticed, though. She carried on talking as if they were friends. She told her about having to wake up early to go and treat somebody's baby. She told her about the young boys who'd been fighting the night before, who she'd had to patch up.

Diedre was still talking when she finally put her empty plate back on the tray and wiped her mouth. She hadn't realised how hungry she'd been.

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