Wild And Free

Apricity

The warmth of the sun in winter.

I spent the next couple of days walking around the house, memorising the layout. I had learnt the schedules of the guards and roughly when the alpha would leave the house for his duties.

I would also sneak visits into the cells and bring them whatever food I could steal from the kitchen.

Today would be the sixth day and tomorrow would be the day the alpha would decide to reject me.

I was not sticking around for that humiliation.

"Oh hello," a voice brought me out of my thoughts. Glancing over my shoulder, a dark haired girl stood behind me. I was currently in the corridor, looking out of the large glass windows, watching the people outside.

"You must be Artemis!" The girl smiled at me. Her blue eyes and black hair were the exact same as the alpha's. The resemblance had my breath hitch in my throat.

I hated how much this bond was affecting me. Here I was, pining for the guy who held me captive and was going to dismiss the me in less than 24 hours.

"I'm Aurora. Aurelius' sister," she continued, her smile never faltering. "I see those dresses I picked for you really suite you," I looked down at my attire.

Every morning a fresh dress has been laid on my bed, all of them being light summer dresses. Today's dress was a nice blue with small white polka dots.

"Oh, thanks," I said.

"You must be pretty bored in here. Come on, let's go outside," I didn't argue with her and followed her out the house. The guards didn't even give me a glance this time, unlike last time, where they had all but shoved me off when I tried to leave. Apparently the alpha had given strict instructions.

The crisp air greeted me and I inhaled a lungful, already feeling some of my stress and irritation melt away. My bare feet sunk into the soft snow and the sun peeked out from the clouds as if greeting me specifically.

I stepped into the sunlight, enjoying the feeling of the warmth all over my skin. The cool breeze softly ruffled my hair and I sighed, letting my tense muscles relax.

"You really like being outside huh," I opened my eyes to see Aurora watching me. Her eyes looked sad and the corners of her lips turned downwards. "I'm sorry about my brother. He's not usually such an ass," I shrugged off her apology.

I began walking around the large snowy expanse, looking around and watching the people below as they carried on with their lives. I walked further into the expanse, looking around the large open space for anything interesting.

Aside from the forest a little ahead, it seemed the house stood alone in the vast white space. There wasn't a single tree or leaf out of place in the snow and I frowned. There was plenty of space for a beautiful garden.

"So tell me about yourself," Aurora began.

"What's to tell?" My tone came out more bitter than I intended. I didn't bother facing her, instead kept my eyes ahead, occupying my thoughts with an imaginary garden to avoid the difficult topic.

"I don't know, where are you from?" I thought about the question for a second.