Abduction

*Chapter 96*

I woke up in an unfamiliar chamber. I panicked and got up in this very bed I was laying right now.

"Where am I?" I mumbled as I roamed my eyes around this unfamiliar chamber where I was at. I felt my surroundings and sniffed the air to smell that I got to smell some sweet fragrance from the outside.

I went to check the balcony and was surprised to see a garden full of red peonies. I blinked, and suddenly felt like I was back at the Westervelt mansion. I even looked up to the exterior design of it to see if I was in the Westervelt mansion or not.

It turned out that I was in a different mansion. But... who owned this? And who the hell changed my clothing to a satin nightgown?

I massaged my temple, trying to recall how I ended up here at this moment. I gasped when the last memory I remembered was the feeling of succumbing to sleep while I was inside Prince Atticus' muscular arms.

And the bone-chilling words he uttered that time... I could recall a few of them.

"Damn it... Did he abduct me?" I asked myself, feeling like I would get a headache right now.

The place where I was right now was surrounded by forest and I saw a lake not so far away from here. I wonder where on earth I was right now.

I turned my head when the door of the chamber swung open. My face darkened upon seeing His Highness, Prince Atticus, who was wearing a royal suit, as he walked in my direction.

"Good. You are awake, my goddess," he said and smiled brightly when he halted in front of me.

He raised his hand and was about to touch my cheek when I jerked his hand away from me. "Where am I? And why are you doing this to me, Prince Atticus?" I asked calmly. "Is this your way of punishing me for rejecting you?"

I already assessed the situation. He abducted me that was for certain. He was trying to live up to my expectation that he was really obsessed with me as well as he was trying to make everything he said come true.

Atticus chuckled and went to lean to the railings. "I told you before..." he paused, smiling widely. "I cherish you so much I wouldn't even dare to kill you." He glanced at me. "I also told you that I will come and find you if you happen to reject me. Then I will lock you here in my villa house and you are not allowed to go out anymore." I secretly clenched my hands at his words. "I would like to tie you up but I know that you will get mad at me. I shall think of that some other time if you dare to escape from here."

I was rendered speechless. I didn't even know what to say because Atticus looked like he already had made his mind. The way he spoke... there was excitement in it. It felt like he looked delighted that I was finally here with him.

That was a blood-curling statement I have ever heard.

I looked away when I couldn't handle his stare. That annoyed me somehow because I used to meet his eyes before as Frederick. Why couldn't I do the same thing right now?

"I wish to return now. I also have some tasks as the Beta of the Wall Burgundy pack and being the matriarch—"

"Your father can handle it. I already expressed that we are eloping together."

"What?" I looked at him in disbelief. "You abducted me! Not elope!" I couldn't help raising my tone.

This man... He had been getting on my nerves since the time he broke our engagement. I did not know that he would be this annoying if I kept staying in the same place just like before.

"It is eloping, Novalie." His expression changed into an earnest one. "I have warned you so many times. You accepted my warning as a challenge so I shall consider this action I did having your consent." He stood up and walked toward me.

I gulped, intimidated at his aura right now. I had never seen this aura from him before. All I remembered from him as he was my sweet submissive darling was that his only purpose was to be my playtoy.

So, why couldn't I do the same right now? Or could I execute it right now so that I lose my composure again?

Stay still, Novalie. We must not let this man keep on dominating us.

I met his gaze, instilling that I wasn't frightened by his presence. "What are you going to do now? Don't tell me that you are going to keep me here. How about your task as one of the princes? His Majesty will get mad at you if you keep me here."

I hoped I could fool him somehow. But his eyes did not waver. He only smiled at what I said.

"Novalie." He stepped forward and halted in front of me. His hand raised again and twirled his fingers to my hair. Then his lips curled up into a smug smile. "As I said, I have waited for you. I am willing to give up being a prince just so I can be with you." I shuddered when his other hand took my hand and planted a soft kiss on my wrist.

That was his usual gesture. He would never really change that behavior while staring intently at me.

I scoffed and tried to yank back my hand but he wouldn't budge.

"Your Highness—"

"Just call me Atticus. Or if you prefer Frederick then I wouldn't mind." He tilted his head. His eyes were sparkling.

"Don't you hate me that I rejected you?" I parroted and tried to yank back my hand again but he only tightened his hold. I even stepped back to distance myself but he was quick to wrap his other hand around my waist and pulled me against him. "L-Let go!" I growled.

But my growl did not even falter him. "Cute." He grinned. "I did not know that I could make you a submissive one, my goddess. This is all new to me that I would get to see flushing right now," he whispered in my ear.

That whisper awakened something in me. I did not know why but I felt aroused at that moment. Having his body closed to me reminded me of how I used him to please me.

"Why are you not hating me?" I asked, wanting to know his goddamn answer.

"Because I have wanted you for a very long time." I closed my eyes when his lips trailed down the slenderness of my neck. "I told myself that whether you reject me or not, I would want you all for myself, Novalie." His lips reached to my ear. "I wanted you so bad... I would even bow down before you if I want to..." he said dreamily.

My breath thickened as I clutched to his tunic. His hoarse voice was making me want to hear how he would beg for my attention and ask for my permission.

"Then kneel before me." I finally uttered, commanding him, and looked up at him to meet his forest green eyes.

At that moment, his eyes stirred in excitement. Gone was the intimidating aura he had as it was exchanged into a willingness to submit aura.

"Yes, my goddess..." he said breathlessly.

I was expecting that he was just bluffing but I was wrong. My heart leaped out of my ribcage when Atticus did not hesitate to kneel before me. He followed it like the good submissive he was.

"Did I please you, my goddess?" Atticus asked as he licked his lips, waiting for another command.

I suddenly had this urge to caress his cheek but I remembered who he really was. "Stand up," I commanded. He gladly obliged. "I wish to leave now," I paused and stared directly into his eyes. "Darling."

He inhaled sharply when I called him on his endearment when he was a slave. I even heard how his heart beat so fast and even how he gulped.

I knew that caught him off guard and I could tell that he wouldn't allow me to leave. But I wanted to take this chance to seduce him and execute my power as the one who should dominate him, not him dominating me.

"But I cannot allow that, my goddess. I can give you anything you want. Anything but leaving me." His voice sounded like he was hypnotized right now but he still had the control over himself not to be hypnotized by me.

He had his own will. I could tell that he wouldn't back down.

I distanced myself away from him, sighing. "How would my life be here? Are you going to force me to marry you?" I asked after a moment.

Atticus chuckled and massaged the back of his neck. "Well, I am planning to fix the engagement I broke ten years ago."

I huffed. "You think that I would still be interested in marrying again after what I had been through with Reginald? Hell no!" I raised my tone, suddenly remembering the hell I experienced.

"If it has to be an arranged marriage with you, then so be it." He sounded selfish this time as he tucked his hands into the pockets of his trousers. "I will never waste this opportunity again even if you say you never wanted to get married again, Novalie." He masked his tone with a bitterly cold one.

"Bastard..." I mocked him. "Even if you force me again to marry you, I cannot bestow you a pup. I am infertile. You already know that fact." I rolled my eyes.

"My goddess, you are really underestimating me after all..." He sounded dejected as he stepped forward to cup my face. I tried to jerk his hands away from me but he pushed me to lean my back to the railings and trapped me. I hissed at him while he remained his hold on my face. "Have you forgotten what I said before?" he asked softly.

"I don't remember," I said, trying to provoke him.

He smirked. I shivered when his thumb caressed my lower lip as he looked at me like I was the most precious item he ever possessed. "I don't mind if you are infertile or not, Novalie," he said earnestly. "I will never be bothered having a pup. Like I said before, as long as I am with you, I am way more at ease. You are the only one I would like to be with since the beginning."

I felt overwhelmed at his words. They were familiar. I remembered he said those words when I asked him to slaughter the male slaves who were confiding with Reginald.

"For ten years..." I snapped back when he spoke again. "You are only the woman I could think of, Novalie. You are the only woman I have ever loved ever since I found out that you are my mate."

He sounded sincere but I had a hard time appreciating that. I removed his hands from mine. "I do not wish to get married. I am tired of being in two engagements and one marriage. I do not like living in a hellish situation." I looked at him with pure abomination written in my eyes. "It is because of you why I was being like this... I hated you so much I wish for you to die, Frederick. Can you properly sleep at that moment I was humiliated? Did you have fun playing with my feelings? Did you have fun at your roleplaying as a male slave and manage to get my attention? You know what? I have never been so thankful now that I managed to get back to you. Rejecting you as my mate was the best revenge I have ever done..." I smirked.

I pushed him away from me when he did not say anything. But I could see him gnashing his jaw. He looked displeased at my words.

"Don't piss me off, my goddess..." Atticus said after a moment. He was smirking. "You must halt slandering me before I shall do something that would make you scream my name."

My jaw dropped when he turned his back. I did not expect him to say such things. Damn this man... He was unpredictable. I watched him go to the walk-in closet as he got me an indoor dress.

He looked at me with his cold gaze. "Take a bath now and I will help you to get dressed. I know that you do not like having maidservants helping you get dressed and I do not like having male servants do that for you."

I slowly inhaled. Now, he sounded possessive. I did not know why but it stirred something inside me. However, I squinted my eyes before I glanced at the balcony.

"Do not even think of escaping." I returned my gaze back to Atticus and saw that his expression was getting colder than ever. "You shall regret it if you ever dare to do that," he warned.

I clenched my hands when he growled. I wanted to retort back but I could not think of something to say to him. He was full of surprises which were why I did not know how to adapt to them.

"Fine..." I said through gritted teeth.

Damn it... I was entrapped now. How must I really escape here? However, he already warned me.

Must I provoke him then? That would be better, right?