Page 11 of Marked By the Alphas

“Hardly,” I finally responded, waving my hand slightly as I spoke. Rhys began laughing with me.

“He can be pretty intense, can’t he?” he asked softly, and I nodded so quickly I feared my head might fall off my neck.

Rhys chuckled, the sound warm and friendly. “Fair enough. These gardens do have a way of putting you at ease, though.” He gestured toward the rows of herbs. “Do you know yourway around these plants? I hear some of them have medicinal properties.”

I immediately perked up at his words. Any and every opportunity to talk about herbs always made me happy. “Yes! I do. I was so happy to stumble upon this garden. It even has some rare herbs like that nightshade,” I said, pointing to the crawling plant in the very corner. “Did you know that if you were to mix that with rosemary, it would create a poisonous mix?” I asked, and Rhys’ eyes widened at my words.

“Really? I thought nightshade was used to treat something else, umm what was it again?” He trailed off, and I giggled softly at the wrinkles that formed on his face due to how hard he was thinking.

“Allergies, as well as many other more serious conditions. It’s one of the most potent and powerful herbs, which is why, if it’s mixed with the wrong things, it can become very deadly. Do you know a lot about herbs?” I asked, and Rhys laughed, shaking his head as he spoke.

“I’m afraid not. I haven’t had much occasion to learn about them. We usually leave the healing to Anyah,” he responded and I smiled.

“Well, that’s a shame,” I said. “It’s such a fascinating subject, and it’s crucial for anyone wanting to understand nature better. This one here, for example, is chamomile. It’s excellent for calming nerves, amongst other things,” I said, pointing to a particular flower that sat just beside him.

Rhys hummed in understanding before he reached out and plucked the delicate white flower, holding it out to me. I hesitated for a moment, before cautiously taking it from him.The cool, soft petals brushed both of our fingers and it sent a warm, fuzzy feeling through me, one that made me blush to the tip of my toes.

We remained in silence for what felt like a long time afterward, the only sounds around us were the gentle rustling of the leaves and the distant croaking of frogs in the distance. I wondered what Kai had told him. They had to have talked about me at some point, and for a second, I was tempted to ask him what he knew about me and about this prophecy that was being connected to my presence in their pack.

But we had started off on such a good foot. I didn’t want to ruin or change the flow of things between us. At least, not tonight.

“We don’t know much about you. A much as I understand that trust might not be a luxury that you can afford right now, it’s the only option we have. We’d like to help, but we need to understand what happened to you. You need to trust that we mean no harm to you and only want to help,” he said so gently that I felt an ache in my chest.

I knew I couldn’t tell him the truth. The thought of him knowing about my powers, about the darkness I harbored within me, filled me with dread. He wouldn’t be this carefree with me if he knew that I could take hold of his mind at will. And even if I would never purposefully abuse my powers, I knew that he wouldn’t see it that way.

Taking a deep breath, I thought through the words in my head before I began speaking. “I was…separated from my pack during a rogue attack a very long time ago,” I said, my voice trembling slightly as I struggled to speak of the past so carefully. “I wandered around on my own for many years afterward, settlingwithin smaller packs for short periods of time. I was trying to travel north when I stumbled into my attackers and they chased me for a long time. I finally stumbled upon your lands, and then I lost consciousness.”

Rhys listened intently as I spoke, his expression unreadable. “What about your pack? Have you encountered any of them again over the years?” he asked, and I shook my head.

A flicker of sympathy crossed his features. He was being so warm and kind that it threatened to force the truth out of me. “I understand,” he said softly. “We’ll help you get back on your feet, Elara. You’re safe here. I promise,” he said softly.

His words were kind, but his eyes held a hint of doubt, just a tiny glint that I just couldn’t ignore.

As I looked into his eyes, a subtle tug, a whisper of something more, pulled at the back of my mind. There was a certain energy that seemed to emanate from Rhys that I knew for a fact I had encountered at some point in my life. It was faint, yet undeniably real.

“Do I know you from somewhere?” I finally asked, trying to mask my unease with curiosity.

Rhys chuckled once more, before pulling himself to his feet. His muscles flexed as he moved, and it stirred something deep inside me that caused embarrassment to paint my cheeks.

“I don’t think I would ever forget a face as beautiful as yours, Elara.” He breathed out softly, a teasing smile playing on his lips. “It’s pretty late. You should get some sleep” he said, giving me a little playful bow before making his way out of the garden.

I watched his retreating form. There was just something unsettling about the Alpha. Despite his calm and polite demeanor, he reminded me of Silas. I didn’t think I wanted to find out why that could be.

Chapter 7

Elara

My eyes fluttered open, breaking me out of the dreams that I was stuck in. The room was still bathed in darkness, but I could feel that I was not alone. There was an unfamiliar scent in the air that had me jolting to a seated position. Almost immediately, the curtains were pulled open, flooding the room with light that burned my eyes, causing me to hiss in pain.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. I wasn’t sure how to wake you up without scaring you and I was trying to figure that out before you woke up yourself. Are you all right?” a girl asked, and I turned toward her.

She looked to be my age, maybe slightly older, and she had a certain wariness in her eyes as she addressed me that made me cringe. It was the same wary look that seemed to be dancing within the gazes of everyone I met in this place. It was obvious that they were hiding something from me, and I knew that it had everything to do with my birthmark and the “prophecy” that had been whispered about. It made me uncomfortable and cautious. I hated the feeling.

“Yeah, I’m okay. Just wasn’t expecting to wake up to someone in my room,” I responded, pulling myself into a more comfortable position.

“Alpha Kai requests that you join him for breakfast. I’ve prepared a bath for you and your dresser drawers have been filled with new clothes, courtesy of Alpha Kai. Just let me knowif there’s something specific, you’d like, and I’ll look out for it the next time I go shopping,” the girl said, and I nodded, offering her a small smile, which she thankfully returned.

“Thank you…” I trailed off, realizing I didn’t know her name.

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