Chapter 20:Life Wakes You Up
Arda took a few seconds catching her breath. Afterwards, she let herself fall back to the bed and managed to fall asleep, her thoughts disappearing with that temporary welcome unconsciousness.
Arda slept for a long time and when she finally awoke, it was daytime. Her eyes scanned the walls, searching for a wall clock. The Indian ethnic wall clock she found which matched the house's contemporary traditional vintage style, told her it was 8:07am.
She couldn't believe she had slept so peacefully. But with consciousness came the unpleasant reality of her current situation. She picked up her phone and found a missed call from Jacob. Great, she thought. Maybe he would offer her some explanation. She still trusted him.
She was about to return his call when a knock sounded at the door and she sat up quickly, surprised by such show of courtesy. She had already written off the Alpha's people as brutes, well, except for Karina. The door opened and the guard who had carried her unceremoniously, poked his head through.
"Good morning." He greeted as he stepped inside and paused after a couple of steps from the entrance. Arda noticed that he was holding a shopping bag in one hand. "Good, you're awake. I was sent to tell you to get ready for the day."
"By who?" she asked even though she already knew who.
"The Alpha." He responded. If he was aware of her deliberate questioning, he didn't show it.
"What's in the bag?"
"A change of clothes for you."
"When did he get that?"
"It arrived this morning. It was a special order."
"So you're here to dress me up?" she asked with a note of sarcasm.
"No." Again, he showed no signs of noticing her demeanor.
"Then why did he send a male instead of a female to bring the clothing?"
The guard looked confused at this point and Arda knew he wasn't used to being teased.
"I don't understand." He replied.
"Well, your condition is quite glaring."
"What?" he asked, looking more confused and she shrugged offhandedly.
"Never mind." She responded. "Anyway, are you not the driver? How come you're doubling as some sort of a handmaid?"
He frowned, displeased with the idea of being compared with a handmaid. "I am not a handmaid." He retorted. "What's your name?"
He cleared his throat as though to calm himself down. "Chester."
"Nice. Suits you. If I was asked to guess, I would have chosen something different based on your role here." "What name?" he asked curiously.
"Barney."
A frown creased his brow. "You will not call me that."
"It would suit your role as a servant in this great castle."
"I know my role here." He said indignantly. "I am..."
"Some sort of servant?"
"I am not a servant." He snapped.
Arda could see his patience had thinned and it pleased her to irk him. She would not make her stay easy for them.
"I find that hard to believe."
"Why?"
Arda could tell that he was quite a petty one. "Because ever since I've come across you, you're busy taking orders diligently like a good little boy." "Look, I don't want any trouble. If you have any issues, you can just talk to the Alpha."
"Thanks for the advice but you've not told me about your role here."
"I am a hunter in this pack."
"Is that a fancy word for servant?"
"I am not a servant."
"So what are you?"
"I have told you of my role here. I am..."
"Is that so? How come you're running around like a servant, waiting on orders from...?"
Arda paused as she saw the Alpha come to fill the doorway. He had his hair flowing down each sides of his handsome face and he was dressed in dark slacks with a gray
long-sleeve sweater vest that el.ne
matched the color of his beautiful eyes. He looked ready for the day and presented the picture of rugged, pure male perfection.
Chester made a face at her, then he stepped aside and turned to Gillow with a quick bow before straightening up.
"What is she still doing in bed?" Gillow asked Chester calmly but his eyes were on Arda and they looked stern to the core.
Arda quickly moved herself off the large bed and stood nervously beside one of the bed posts. Right now, he was the only one that she truly feared.
"I gave her the message." Chester informed him.
"And?" his eyes remained fixed on Arda, his hand held out to Chester.
"She was picking on me." Chester reported and handed the bag over to Gillow who received it. He frowned at Chester. "Listen to yourself. You sound just like a child." "She was..."
"Leave us." Gillow said abruptly. Chester turned and exited the room. Then Gillow fixed his eyes on Arda again. Her heart was hammering against her chest with fear. "What did Chester tell you to do?"
"He said to...to get ready for the day." Her voice was wobbling.
Arda gasped as she found him before her in one second, surrounding her with his intimidatingly handsome frame. Then his eyes swept over her from head to toe.
"You look beautiful this wonderful morning."
To her, it wasn't a beautiful morning. She was not in her home and not by choice. Besides, she didn't want him complimenting her. It could lead to the horrors of her sex dream about him coming to reality.
"Thanks." She mumbled.
He lifted a finger and caressed her cheek. Her breath came up sharply. His touch was warm on her skin.
"I love the feel of your skin." His voice dropped a notch. "It's smooth and soft."
"Thanks." She mumbled again, her voice was still shaky.
"Do you fear me?"
Her eyes were fixed on his as she nodded.
"You shouldn't. But when I say, get moving, you move. Do you understand me?"
"Yes."
"Yes what?"
"Yes, Alpha."
"Sweetheart, I would really hate to remind you again."
Arda's heart skipped a beat at the threat. He took a step back from her and Arda was grateful for that tiny bit of relief. He handed the shopping bag to her. "Get yourself ready for the day. You'll find basic stuff and something to wear in there."
Arda accepted the bag from him. "Thanks." She was genuinely grateful that despite his callousness, he had remembered her basic comfort.
"You're welcome."
He was at the door in one swift second and she drew in a sharp breath. She really hated his unexpected moves. "I know you need to take your time but do not exceed thirty minutes." He said. "I want you to meet the family."
He walked out of the door and shut it behind him, leaving her for the time being. Arda breathed a sigh of relief and proceeded to open the bag.
She found a large blue towel, a set of G-string panties which she didn't favor. She preferred full coverage. Didn't he ask Karina? Arda found a black dress and one bra. The items looked to be her size.
There was no under skirt safety pants for her to wear under the dress. And with nothing but G-string panties underneath the dress, she would be feeling naked. Well, she had no choice for now. She would have to take the matter up with him, somehow.
In an attempt not to dwell on her present troubles, she encouraged herself mentally with the belief that her situation couldn't be the worst in the world.
Arda picked up the bag and headed for one of the doors inside the room. Upon opening it, she found a large changing room which was an entire closet in itself.
The Alpha seemed to have some fashion sense. She had noticed it from the onset when she first set eyes on him during her first date with Luke. The clothes he wore were not flashy but classy.
The closet looked like some sort of boutique. Shoes occupied a section. Clothes and male accessories like ties, stockings, sunshades, etc occupied their own section. The whole place was spick and span. One part of the closet looked unused with empty shelves and wardrobes.
le
Arda briefly studied her reflection in the mirror. She looked stressed and frightened and she hated her current situation Where the hell was the bathroom? She wondered and as though invoked, her eyes landed on a door at one end of the room. That could be it, she told herself as she headed towards it.
There, she got it open and was not disappointed. It was the bathroom
alright and it
wasn't what she
expected. Like the bedroom, she had
expected it to be bland but it was far
from that. It was large and displayed a mix of rustic and modern
décor. It
was airy, fancily lit with recessed lights and graced with flamboyant sinks and a glasswalled shower room that sat proudly in the middle of the bathroom.
The three wallpapers on the wall were of nature- a waterfall, a mountainous terrain and a stream. Arda admired his style. It made her wonder what he did for a living. Well, she didn't care. Hopefully, she would not be staying long enough to find out.
She placed her phone and the shopping bag on the floor outside the shower door and undressed, dumping her nightdress and undies beside it. Then she got into the shower, fumbled about with the controls before she succeeded in giving herself a warm bath inside the tub.
When she was done, she groaned with annoyance as she remembered leaving the bag outside the shower door and now she needed the towel.
Arda stepped out of the tub and out of the shower room. The moment she was outside the shower room, the bathroom door swung open with the alpha filling the doorway.
A gasp escaped her lips at the sight of him. At first, he was surprised at the sight of her but then the surprise quickly gave way.
Arda watched his gray eyes narrow slightly with unmasked interest and then slowly begin to sweep over her naked body.