Claimed By The Rival Alpha

Chapter 101: Chapter 101

Selena

I slowly opened my eyes and for several seconds, I could not understand where I was.

Everything around me looked different. The wooden cell was gone.

The iron bars that had stood in front of me since the previous night had disappeared, replaced by a pitch-black wall that stretched from one side of the room to the other.

There was no door. No window. No gap through which I could see the corridor outside.

I sat up abruptly as my heart began to pound.

"What is this?" My voice sounded strangely small in the darkness.

I pushed myself to my feet and cautiously walked toward the black wall. I lifted a hand and touched it.

It was cold. Not the ordinary cold of stone or metal. It was the kind of cold that seemed to seep through my skin and settle directly into my bones.

"Hello?" I turned my head. "Is anyone there?"

I got no answer.

I took another step as the wall began to disappear. I instantly froze in place.

The solid black surface rippled like water before breaking apart into thick, swirling fog. It rolled toward me, spilling across the floor and curling around my ankles.

I immediately backed away. "No..." I screamed but the fog continued advancing.

I looked behind me and there was nowhere to go until my back struck the wall.

"Stop!" I kept on screaming.

The fog reached my knees then my waist. I tried moving sideways, but the darkness followed me.

A loud masculine voice suddenly exploded from somewhere inside it. "Selena!"

I couldn’t see whoever was calling my name.

The voice came again. "Selena!"

I covered my ears. "Please stop!" But it did not stop.

The voice became louder, more demanding, repeating my name over and over until it seemed to come from every direction. "Selena!"

"Who are you?" I shouted but there was no answer.

I kept on hearing only my name again and again.

I pressed myself farther into the corner, my breathing becoming frantic.

Then came a deafening metallic crash and I jolted awake. My body shot upright, and I gasped desperately for air.

For a few seconds, I could not tell where I was. My hands trembled as I looked around.

I finally saw the iron bars, the dim corridor outside and the guard standing on the other side of the iron bars.

Reality slowly returned and I realized It had been a dream. Just a dream but a strange, terrifying one.

The guard stared at me with an irritated expression. "Are you done sleeping?"

I swallowed before responding. "What?"

"Breakfast."

I stared at him blankly then he sighed. "Get up. Lady Hawthorne ordered that you be fed."

I remained seated for another few seconds. My heart was still racing. The dream felt too real.

That voice had called my name as though whoever it belonged to knew me. Not just knew the name Selena, but knew me.

I shook the thought away. There was no point dwelling on a dream so I pushed myself up.

"Come on," the guard said impatiently and I followed him out of the cell.

The corridor was just as dark and unpleasant as I remembered. Stone walls surrounded us, and the only light came from several dim torches fixed between the cells.

My stomach growled. I had not been given anything to eat the previous night.

The guard glanced over his shoulder. "Hungry?"

"Very."

He shrugged. "Then you should have thought about that before sneaking around where you weren’t supposed to be."

I rolled my eyes. "I’m sure I’ll survive."

He scoffed. "You talk too much for someone in a cell."

"And you talk too much for someone guarding one."

He glared at me and I smirked.

He said nothing after that and we eventually reached a small dining room.

Several maids were already seated around a long wooden table, eating their breakfast and talking quietly amongst themselves.

The moment I entered, several heads turned but I ignored them.

One of the maids suddenly stood and carried a plate of food toward me.

As she approached, I recognized her. It was the same young maid who had been dismissed when I first arrived at the Hawthorne manor.

The one who had lost her position because of me.

Her eyes traveled over me with open disgust. "You."

I said nothing as she stopped in front of me. "You really have some nerve."

I looked at the plate in her hands. "I didn’t ask you to bring me breakfast."

She sneered. "No. You simply took my position."

Before I could answer, she practically threw the plate at me but I caught it before it fell. Then she turned and walked away.

The guard looked away as though he had seen nothing while a few maids exchanged glances.

I sat at the far end of the room.

The food was simple, but I did not care. I had been hungry all night so I began eating quickly.

Then I noticed something.

The maids kept on staring at me. It wasn’t with hatred but rather curiosity.

They whispered among themselves whenever they thought I wasn’t listening.

I slowed down on my food.

I wanted to know why I had been imprisoned. I had threatened Lady Hawthorne, yes.

I had entered their manor under false pretenses and eavesdropped on Henry but there was more to this.

Lady Hawthorne clearly believed I was working for someone and maybe that was why she had ordered me imprisoned.

But I needed to know what she intended to do with me.

Before I could think further, footsteps sounded from the stairs then the room became quiet.

Lady Hawthorne appeared first and beside her was the young woman pretending to be Lady Sophia.

The maids immediately straightened. "My lady."

"Good morning, my lady."

Lady Hawthorne nodded as she walked down. Her gaze found me almost immediately then she stopped.

I continued eating while her eyes narrowed. She gave me a demeaning glare.

A few maids lowered their heads to hide their reactions.

Lady Hawthorne’s expression only hardened more then She turned toward the guard.

"Feed her only twice a day."

I frowned in disbelief. "Twice?"

"You should be grateful you’re being fed at all."

I was about to answer when I noticed her staring at me. More specifically, she was watching where my eyes were directed.

At the girl beside her. The false Lady Sophia stood quietly with her hands clasped together.

Her face was beautiful. Her clothes were elegant. Her posture was graceful but her eyes were empty.

The same sadness I had seen before remained there. She looked like someone who had forgotten what freedom felt like.

Lady Hawthorne suddenly grabbed her hand while still glaring at me. "Come."

The girl followed without protest as she pulled her away.

I watched them disappear up the stairs and my fingers tightened around my spoon.

Whatever happened in this house, I was going to find out and I was going to get that girl out.

I continued eating, but I took my time now.

Once Lady Hawthorne left, the whispers resumed. "The young lady barely speaks anymore."

"She hardly eats."

"She looks exhausted."

"I heard she hasn’t been herself for a while."

I listened carefully but none of them mentioned anything about her being an impostor.

That meant either they genuinely did not know, or they were too afraid to speak about it.

I was still listening when the guard came toward me. "That’s enough."

I looked at my plate. "My food isn’t finished yet."

"That’s your business!" He quickly grabbed my arm.

"Hey."

"Move!" He dragged me away from the table.

As we entered the corridor, we nearly collided with someone. Young Lord Henry.

He looked at me and immediately smiled. "Well, well."

I stopped walking as Henry looked me over from head to toe. "Look at you."

I raised an eyebrow. "What about me?"

"From pretending to be a maid to becoming an actual prisoner."

"Why did your mother imprison me?" I boldly asked him.

He laughed. "You really aren’t very clever, are you?"

I smiled. "Clever enough to know you’re not as important as you think you are."

His smile vanished. "What did you say?"

"I asked why your mother imprisoned me."

Henry’s jaw tightened. "That’s none of your business."

"Then you don’t know."

"I know everything that happens in this house."

"Then tell me."

He hesitated and I smiled. "That’s what I thought. You’re not so important to know things like this."

His eyes narrowed in anger. "My mother wants to find out who you really are and who you work for."

"Well, I practically work for no one."

Henry laughed. "My mother will find out."

"Perhaps." I shrugged. "Though if you’re her son and you don’t know anything, I’m beginning to wonder how much she tells you."

His face reddened but before he could answer, another servant hurried toward us.

"My lord."

Henry turned. "What?" He snapped at the maid. Obviously transferring aggression to an innocent maid.

"Young Lord Black has arrived."

My attention snapped toward the entrance. Eion is here... My heart jumped.

If Eion was here, it meant there was a chance Alpha Kael had returned too.

Or perhaps Eion had simply come because of our mission concerning Lady Sophia.

Either way, I needed to find a way to see him.

Henry suddenly turned to the guard. "Take her away."

The guard immediately pulled me backward.

"Wait!" I screamed.

Henry didn’t even look at me. "Get her back to the cell!"

I cursed quietly as the guard dragged me away. Back inside the cell, I sat against the wall.

Eion was here and that changed everything.

If he was investigating from outside while I was already inside, we could accomplish twice as much.

I only needed a way out of this cell. Even if it was temporarily.

I waited and minutes passed then more... Eventually, I heard footsteps approaching.

Another man appeared beside the guard and the two began talking.

Their conversation was so ordinary that neither paid attention to me.

I watched their belts and the guard’s keys hung loosely from one side.

I waited. Then, when the guard turned his body, I reached through the bars.

My fingers closed around the keys and I pulled gently. They came free and I hid them beneath my clothing.

The two men continued talking without noticing anything. A few minutes later, they walked away down the corridor.

I waited until they were far enough away before I pulled out the keys.

My hands moved quickly trying out all the keys until the fourth key eventually worked.

The lock clicked. I opened the door slowly and slipped out.

My heart hammered as I kept my steps quiet. I followed the corridor until I reached the great hall.

Servants were everywhere... I lowered my head and picked up a cloth lying on a nearby table, pretending to be working.

No one stopped me as I searched for Eion. Then I heard Henry’s voice.

I looked ahead and saw Henry was walking beside Eion.

I immediately followed them as they headed toward the archives.

I stayed several steps behind and their conversation became clearer.

"My family controls more than people realize," Henry said proudly.

Eion nodded. "So I’ve heard."

"We have rivers, slaughterhouses, fish markets. People practically beg to work for us."

I narrowed my eyes at how proud he sounded.

They entered the archives and I carefully followed.

Henry walked toward a shelf. "This book was written by my ancestor. He started our fish trade decades ago."

He pulled out a large, leather-bound book and handed it to Eion.

Eion looked at it and his expression shows he clearly did not care but he smiled anyway. "This is impressive."

Henry grinned. "You should see the records inside."

Eion casually turned a page. "So what did you mean earlier when you said your family controls the workers?"

Henry’s eyes brightened. "Oh, that." He leaned against the table. "It is simple."

I moved closer.

"We control the rivers and slaughterhouses. If the workers demand more money, we reduce their wages or delay them."

Eion frowned. "And they continue working?"

"They have no choice." Henry laughed. "We offer them another option."

"What option?" Eion asked.

"Servant work."

My stomach tightened as Henry continued proudly. "They come to our manor or shops and work as servants instead."

Eion’s expression remained neutral. "And you pay them properly?"

Henry laughed. "Why would we?"

I clenched my fists.

"They already owe us because they lost their other jobs. We give them food, somewhere to sleep and enough money to keep them from starving."

He looked almost proud of himself. "Besides, they have nowhere else to go."

Eion’s jaw tightened. "What if they protest?"

Henry shrugged. "We blame it on something else."

"Such as?"

"The Alpha." He said and my breath caught.

Henry chuckled. "That man is always worried about pack security and interpack politics. People will believe almost anything if you tell them the Alpha is responsible."

Rage burned through me.

I wanted to step out. I wanted to confront him but I couldn’t because it’d ruin everything.

Henry and Eion eventually left the archives.

I waited until their footsteps faded before I slipped farther inside.

My eyes landed on the book Henry had shown Eion. I grabbed it quickly and flipped through the pages quickly.

There were records, names, wages and trade figures.

Then I found something else. I began reading and discovered it was Hawthorne’s cheap labor scheme.

I reached for the page. At that exact moment, I heard a voice behind me.

"Selena?" The headmaid called out my name, making me freeze.

I tore the page from the book then discreetly shoved it beneath my clothing.

The headmaid stepped closer. "What are you doing here?"

I quickly closed the book. "I was..."

She grabbed my arm. "Back to your cell."

The guard appeared moments later.

As they dragged me away, the guard glared at me. "What were you doing in the archives?"

I shrugged. "I like books."

"You expect me to believe that?"

"I am simply a book lover."

He scoffed. "You escaped your cell just to read?"

"Yes." I looked at him pointedly. "You should be more careful with your keys. If Lady Hawthorne learns that you allowed her special prisoner to walk around freely, I doubt she’ll be impressed."

He cursed beneath his breath as he locked me back inside.

When his footsteps finally faded, I reached beneath my clothes.

My fingers touched the torn piece of paper and I slowly pulled it out before unfolding it.

My eyes moved across the words.

There it was. Clear information about the Hawthornes’ cheap labor scheme.

Proof... Enough proof to use against the entire House of Hawthorne.

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