The Alpha and the Princess

New Day

Claire POV

I woke up feeling better than I’d expected after all the crying last night. I didn't let myself be so vulnerable for a long time. My life was a daily struggle and I simply had no time for tears. I had enough bad days to last me a lifetime and I wanted to leave it all behind me. I felt right to start a new day of a new life. Though my future was uncertain, I wanted to live every day to the fullest

It was a beautiful morning and the sun was shining through the curtains. I turned around looking to the other side of the bed thinking that Hannah spent the night here. The covers were a little creased but it didn't look like someone was sleeping there. I picked the pillow and had a whiff of the best masculine perfume I had smelled. It was like amber and something else, it was seductive and sweet at the same time.

I found myself plunging my nose in the pillow inhaling the nice fragrance and it made me so relaxed that I was contemplating to stay in bed. But the growling of my stomach was a reminder that I didn’t eat a proper meal for days. I lifted the sheets and hopped to the bathroom for my morning routine. Since I had a bath last night I skipped the shower and just washed my face. There was a packaged toothbrush that I figured was for guests so I used it. 

My hair was more knotted and frizzy than usual since I slept without properly blow drying it. I brushed it and styled it in a braid. With my hair out of my face, I could see that my eyes were a little puffy from the crying. The cut from yesterday was healed and the scar was barely noticeable. I'm used to healing faster than the other kids but this was faster than usual. It felt weird. How long was I asleep? did I fall into a coma or something? My rambling thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.

" Yes?"  I called out.

"Can I come in?" It was Hannah, I smiled at the sound of her voice.

"Sure!"  I let her in and greeted her with a smile.

"How are you feeling? Did you sleep well?" She asked as we settled on the bed.

"I'm better now, I think I slept pretty well."

"It's a relief to hear you say that. Victor and I were worried about you"

"Why would he be worried about me" I didn't question Hannah's feelings since she was nice and friendly to me, but I couldn't understand why Victor would worry about me.

"The males here are overprotective of the females. And victor tends to extend that to everyone and guests as well. Don't be afraid of him you will see how nice he is when you talk with him"

"I'm not afraid of him. Usually, men aren't nice to me."  My brows furrowed at the memory of the not-so-far incident. I couldn't explain to her why I was so wary of Victor and men in general. Even though I felt comfortable with Hannah, we just met and I didn’t feel like sharing traumatizing experiences so early in the morning.

"Victor is different from all the other men. He is the leader here, so he has to deal with many responsibilities. Under that arrogant and cold facade, he has a big heart.” 

Since the first time I saw him, I knew victor was out of my league. The way Hannah talked about him, she was putting him on a pedestal.  I was aware that her description might be biased since she was his sister. Yet, I couldn't help but think that he was beyond my reach. I couldn't find anything to say back and looked down in silence until Hannah nudged me with her shoulder.

“Hey! Do you wanna know a secret?” She said tentatively and I nodded.

 “He might look like a Greek god but he never had a girlfriend," Hannah said, letting out a giggle.

"Is he gay?" Somehow it was the only logical conclusion I could come with. In my mind, there was no other explanation why a handsome and fashionable man like him would stay single. Hannah shrugged without saying anything leaving the question unanswered. I assumed it was a subtle affirmation.

"I got your clothes washed but the stains won't come off. So I brought you some of mine. You're taller, but I think these would fit" Hanna said changing the subject.

"I really don't know how to thank you for everything you did for me"

"It’s nothing really.”

My stomach started growling again and we both laughed at the sound.

"I leave you to change. Come downstairs after you finish."

As soon as she was out of the door I took the clothes out of the bag she handed me. There was a pair of matching black lace underwear with tags still on it. The fabric was so soft and delicate, different from the cheap ones I used to wear. I removed my pajamas to see that I was naked underneath. With my state of mind last night, I didn't even think about putting on my underwear. I felt so embarrassed that Hannah had to deal with my mess.

I put on the bra and panties, it was a perfect fit. It was the first time I saw myself in sexy lingerie like this and I didn’t know what to think of it. I looked more like a prepubescent boy with my A cup and little to no curves. At least I was fit. I got that going on for me thanks to all the training I was doing. I put on leggings and a loose t-shirt long enough to cover my behind. The weather was still cold so I put on the jacket and sneakers before I headed downstairs looking for the kitchen. 

It wasn’t difficult to find. I just followed the smell of the food. However, I didn't expect to see so many young and beautiful people gathered together. Some by the breakfast bar others sitting on the table and some were making food and drinks. They were all chatting until the moment I entered the kitchen, everyone became quiet and all eyes were on me.

 I couldn't quite place why they looked at me that way. I just checked myself in the mirror and I had nothing on my face. My outfit wasn’t much different from the other girls. I was awkwardly standing and wondering what to do with myself until Hannah came to the rescue again. She led me to a free seat next to the head of the table where Victor was sitting. 

"Good morning," I said, trying to be cheerful and less awkward.

"It's almost noon but a good one to you too," said a redhead at the other side of Victor. 

"Steven don't be rude to our guest. Excuse him he has no manners" 

"Good morning my Lady" he stood up and bowed with one arm behind him and another in front. Like a gentleman would in those era movies.

I couldn't but chuckle at the scene. “Good morning, my Lord,”  I replied after standing up then I did the curtsey while pinching the sides of my shirt as if it was a dress. 

Few laughs broke around us. The straight faces relaxed and smiled before continuing with their chatter. I noticed Victor trying to contain his amusement but ended up smiling. GOSH! He is so handsome when he smiles. And his eyes! I only noticed in the natural light that he had honey-colored eyes. He has a beautiful jawline and a straight nose. And his red lips were so kissable.

Snap out of it! I scolded myself. I was drooling over a man completely out of your league. I averted my gaze from victor to the table. There were many kinds of dishes, one would think this is a royal feast, but it looked like a normal meal for these people.

My hands reached to the food and started munching like my stomach was an endless pit. I'm not usually a glutton, but today I felt hungrier than usual. I choked on my food when I noticed that Victor was looking at me persistently.

"it's good to see you have a healthy appetite" He handed me a glass of orange juice.

"Ahm.." I cleared my throat and gulped the liquid.

"Thank you. the food is really delicious, and I'm super hungry I'll gladly eat anything "

Victor smiled at me and Hannah leaned in whispering. "Finally someone made the grumpy Victor smile, twice! you're a lucky girl Claire"  I choked on air at her declaration. Then I figured that he was just friendly and polite, and I shouldn't expect more.

When I was done eating, the others had already left so I turned to Victor as he was about to leave too. "Excuse me can I ask for a favor?"

"Yes sure, anything" 

"Um, you mentioned you had a doctor in the community? Can you please take me to him" Though it wasn't excessive and he already offered it before, I couldn't help but feel embarrassed.

"Are your injuries that bad?"

"No it's fine, but I lost my bag and my medicine was in there so maybe your doctor can give me a refill?"

"Sure, let's go. I'll show you the way"

He got up and I followed him out of the mansion. There were many buildings and houses almost like a small town in the middle of the woods. He was showing me around and talking about how everyone had a role and job. How important everyone was for the survival of the community in one way or another.  They had a clinic, a training ground, and different other workshops.

"Are you like Amish or something?" Sometimes I couldn't stop my blabbering mouth.

"no far from it actually"

"Do you have a church?"

"No, we’re not very religious people"

"You are not a cult? are you ?" I couldn't help but voice out my fear. Everything looked too good to be true. This time Victor laughed out loud. I didn't know what was so funny but I humored him and made a nervous chuckle.

" No, we're definitely not a cult.” Victor denied. Of course, he won’t admit it even if it was true, so I made a mental note to keep looking for red flags.

“ If you stay around maybe you will understand our way of life, and eventually like living here.”

How did this invitation escalate quickly from spending the night to literally taking residence here!

 “Some of the kids, after they turn 18, want to go to college and see the outside world. They always come back after graduating or finishing their training. We encourage our people to have skills and education. Life here is different from the city. here we live in harmony with nature."

Victor kept listing all the merits of his community until we reached the clinic. There was a couple in the waiting room and as soon as we stepped inside the doctor came to us. She was a woman in a lab coat with a stethoscope around her neck. I would think she was in her fifties because of the grey hair but her face looked much younger.

"Claire, this is Doctor Emilia Stone, I will let you in her care. " Victor left right after he introduced us to each other.

"Nice to meet you, Claire, follow me this way" Dr. Stone led me to her office, but instead of sitting behind her desk, she sat in the opposite chair facing me.

"Tell me how can I help you"

" I lost my medicine and I was wondering if you can give me a refill?"

"What kind of medicine?"

I talked to her about my symptoms and named everything I was taking for ADHD, bi-polar syndrome, schizophrenia, and everything else I was medicated for while fidgeting in my seat and playing with my fingers. I was always nervous when going to a new doctor because they couldn't definitely tell what was wrong with me. It was frustrating to have to go through my medical history all over again.

"I want to help you, but that's not common off-the-counter medicine. I'm not a specialist for mental disorders so I can't prescribe it without talking with your doctor first" 

"When do you think I can get my pills," I asked as I wrote my doctor's contact information.

" It depends, maybe a few days"

"I can't wait a few days"

"What's the worst that could happen? Just wait "

I chuckled internally "The voices will come back, and I will lose my mind"

"Try to keep yourself busy, meditation could be good too. if that doesn't work you can come back here and I will prescribe something"

I was skeptical of her calm reaction and the solution she gave me. What kind of physician would prescribe meditation? I got used to doctors unable to make a definite diagnosis, but she didn't even try to make one. I didn't want to argue about it because apparently she’s just a general physician and my disorders were out of her scope.

I stomped out of the office and started running, I needed to release some of the tension. The stress that I was feeling was from the apprehension of my symptoms more than anything else. Running usually calmed my nerves, but sometimes it wasn't enough. I needed to let go of some steam. 

Somehow I found the training ground, where the members in charge of security according to Victor, were training. He was taking the lead in the front showing the moves, his shirt was wet and clinging to his perfectly sculpted body. Victor was making elegant moves as if it was a choreography designed by a Martial artist. As I got closer, they broke formation and were getting in pairs for one-to-one fight training.

"I want to train too" I jumped in excited about getting some action.

"This isn't a playground Claire!" Victor came from behind the others and walked towards me.

" I know this is serious training. I was on the wrestling team and I can fight with them. I'm a professional athlete. I almost made it to the Olympic team"

"Fine you can pair up with one of the girls"

"Where is the fun in that?! I want to pair with one of the guys" 

Victor raised his eyebrows in surprise, while one of the guys jumped at the opportunity and came to the front pumping his chest.

"I'll take her," he said with a smirk.

"BACK OFF !! MINE!!" Victor growled loudly startling me. He jumped at the guy like a beast ready to attack.

"I'm sorry sir, I didn't know she was your.."

He stopped when Victor glared at him with gritted teeth. The poor guy was so terrified he was shaking and tripped in his shadow walking backward. 

The others walked a few steps back as well. I couldn't understand the unfolding scene in front of me. this isn't the sweet and shy Victor I have met before. He looked at me and his eyes turned dark. He looked like a different person.

"I will be your opponent”