CHAPTER 3

UNEDITED

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I hadn't seen the king or that sick woman in about two weeks, and I wasn't even sure she was still alive. I recall how sick she appeared, and my heart sank. Her chances of survival have dropped to nearly nil. I do not understand why I was worried but I was.

I had noticed that the number of beasts in the house had increased and they appeared to be on the edge. They were more hostile than before. Almost half of the humans died within two weeks due to their moods. Angel had to put our duties on hold because she was afraid, they would kill us all.

Cooking duty was the only one that wasn't put on hold, and it was mostly my room that had to do it. We were afraid to go outside, but we knew that if we didn't provide them with food, we would become their food.

As time passed, it became clear to us humans that we would never leave this place, no matter what, and that any wrongdoing would result in death. The injuries that were inflicted on me by that female beast had faded away leaving behind nothing.

I was relieved that I hadn't seen her since then. I spent the majority of my time in the kitchen, preparing rather than serving food. Today, we were all outside, waiting for Angel to return. We were told to wait until they came back with a new batch of humans.

I sighed, gazing into the forest and enjoying the evening breeze. If the circumstances had been different, I would have loved this place. It was massive and surrounded by forest. Most of the time, the house had a peaceful atmosphere. It was the only place we were allowed to roam, aside from the garden outside, which we would tend to every now and then.

There was more outside the forest I could feel it, like a village or something. Some pathways led to places I had never been to through the forest. Not many people lived in the house, only the king, the second in command, and a few others. I learned that there were warriors who were also guards.

Every day, they trained and returned to the house covered in blood and sweat. It was frightening at first, but as I saw them more frequently, I gradually got used to it. They would go on patrol after completing their rigorous training. A large hospital stood outside the house. The one I was taken to was a smaller one that was only open in an emergency.

My eyes moved away from the forest and towards the beautiful flowers that were blooming. They were beautiful. It was part of the things that made this place look less dead. I sighed once more and turned in the direction of the beasts coming out of the forest.

Those who were standing stood up and approached. Even though we weren't very familiar with each other, we knew we only had each other. Behind the beasts were at least 40 humans, all with the same expression on their faces.

Unfortunately, some of them will be sold to beasts, while the rest will remain in the house. I didn't know until I noticed that people were sold until I heard from Khalid. It happened right after our first meal here.

Betty, the daughter of the old woman who lived next door to me and called the day I was abducted. I hadn't seen her since I'd arrived. I'm not sure if she's alive or dead. I shook my head and forced myself to focus on the beasts instead of my thoughts.

It wasn't hard to differentiate beasts from humans. The beasts were tall and buff even the female and were incredibly beautiful. It's like while God was creating them, he dipped them in gold and then took his time moulding them into what they are now.

The humans behind them all looked scared and confused. They reminded me of us a few weeks ago. They looked healthy and were still dressed in their own clothes. Most of us looked pale and thinner than we were before, except those who were getting special treatment from some beasts.

The humans had shackles on their ankles, preventing them from running away. They had removed ours a week after we got here.

"Bella look" Alexa called my attention and then pointed towards something. My eyes followed her finger until it landed on someone I hadn't expected to see here. I didn't realize how much I missed him until I saw him. He was in a dirty white shirt and shorts. His blonde hair was shorter than the last time I saw it. He looked as handsome as ever even in his dirty clothes and with the confused expression on his face.

He hadn't noticed me yet and I won't be shocked if he didn't recognize me. My hair had grown longer and I had lost a lot of weight. I wasn't fat but I wasn't thin and I definitely did not have a flat stomach. Now my stomach was the flattest I'd ever seen it.

The beasts stopped before us and told the humans to stand close to us but not mix. The humans stared at us with shock and confusion. They didn't understand why were dressed like this and looked like this but no one had the balls to speak.

Trent's brown eyes finally landed on mine and widened. I gave him a small smile. He had different emotions in his eyes. Our moment was interrupted by a beast who stepped between us. My eyes immediately shifted to the ground.

I didn't want to end up dead because of I was staring at my boyfriend.

"Now group one you may return to your various duties," Angel said "Room 6 you're on cooking duty tonight"

They had numbered the rooms so it would be easier for them to identify us since we do our duties together. This wasn't the first time that duties have been changed. If the beasts like the way something is done, they change it.

I and my roommates stepped away from our group and towards the doors. My eyes landed on Trent one last time before turning back to the doors. We headed straight to the kitchen and began cooking.

We spoke as we made dinner, sharing our thought and problems. We had all grown closer and the only place other than our room that we felt comfortable in was the kitchen.

The beasts left us alone, letting us make the food without any interruptions or distractions. Once one beast came and assaulted Khalid this caused him to make a mistake and the food ended up tasting horrible.

Of course, Khalid was punished but not severely. Angel informed the other beasts not to disturb us so that incident would not be repeated and because of their love for our food they didn't.

By the time we were done, it was dinner time and we were told to return to our rooms that the new batch of humans would be serving and cleaning up after. I didn't get to see Trent as I went to my room.

We entered our room and all let out sighs, glad that we survived another day. A few minutes later Khalid left the room saying that he had to meet the second. Khalid and the second had been spending a lot of nights together.

The second was gay and liked short soft boys, and Khalid happened to both. He met the second during our usual dinner serving, and the second invited him to his room after that; fast forward to the next day, and he returned limping and smiling.

He said that the second was surprisingly gentle and nice. He treated him like a lover rather than a slave. He provided Khalid with food that he sometimes brought to the room to share with us. He even let him bathe in his room and stay for the night sometimes.

The three of us spoke about a few things then fell asleep. I was glad that Alexa didn't say anything about Trent. It's not like I didn't love Trent anymore, it's just that a certain someone has been occupying my mind.

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Except for the new faces, the next day was the same as the previous ones. Khalid returned to the room early, limping and smiling as usual. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't envious of him.

Ever since he and the second started meeting, the other beasts left him alone and he's been enjoying his stay here. He wasn't even as scared of beasts as he was before. Angel came into our room and informed us that we would be going to the hospital, two to the one in the house and two to the actual one.

I and Khalid were assigned to the one in the house, while Alexa and Sam went to the real one. We said our goodbyes and wished each other luck. Angel led Khalid and me to the small hospital, and we followed her with cleaning supplies in hand.

Khalid tried to walk properly but it seemed impossible for him. I couldn't help but laugh at his struggle which caused him to playfully glare at me. We arrived and Angel left us not before telling us what we were meant to do.

Today we were the cleaners, and we weren't the only humans doing it. It wasn't as bad as I had imagined. We cleaned a few rooms and were taunted by some beasts. The doctor I saw while I was here looked at me with the same disgust from that day as I cleaned her room with a patient inside.

"It looks like the king got tired of this one." I heard her speak to her patient. The patient who was an older lady replied.

"Ew, she looks disgusting. Why would he want that?" They both laughed. Her words hurt but I have learned to not show my pain. After cleaning, I left the room and waited for Khalid close to the stairs. A thought crossed my mind and I wandered off.

I struggled at first but managed to get to the old hallway. This house was really confusing. I might end up dead for this but my heart refused to let me turn back. With the cleaning supplies in hand, I walked to the last door. Everything looked the same as the last time I was here.

I placed the cleaning supplies down and quietly opened the door. I peeked inside and sighed when I saw a lump on the bed and heard steady breathing. I was about to leave then noticed that the room felt a little stuffy. The curtains of the windows were open, allowing light to shine inside but the windows were closed.

Isn't she hot?

I crept into the room and tiptoed to the window. I opened it slightly to let some fresh air in. I exclaimed as I looked out the window. There was so much to see from here. Buildings could be seen behind the forest then more forest. It was even more beautiful than I had imagined.

Something red caught my eye as I turned away from the window. A bouquet was on the table close to the window. My brain told me to leave, but my legs didn't move for some reason. I turned to see the woman's eyes were still closed.

I looked around the room until my gaze was drawn to a vase on the opposite wall. I tiptoed there, picked it up, and returned on tiptoe. I was relieved to find water inside. I removed the flowers' wrapper and placed them inside the vase, bringing them closer so the sunlight from the window would hit them.

I turned around and prepared to leave. My body froze when I looked at the woman again. My heart skipped a beat as her grey eyes locked on mine. I had no idea she had awoken. She sat up slowly from the bed, her gaze fixed on mine.

She was still sick, but she appeared to be doing better than before. I gulped, bowed my head, and began apologizing.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to intrude. I was just about to leave-" I heard her laugh. My eyebrows rose as I rose and stared at her. She continued to laugh and placed her hand on her chest. It sounded beautiful and she even looked younger as she laughed.

She came to a stop and smiled at me.

"I'm not mad dear," She said "I was awake before you entered. I just didn't want to get up" Her eyes shifted from me to something else. I looked away

"Thank you for putting the flowers in the vase. I filled the vase ready to put it in but fell asleep before I could" she explained. I didn't say anything and just waited for her to tell me to leave or something.

"Look at me, dear. It feels like I'm talking to myself" she said. She chuckled a little, amused by me. I looked up slowly "Don't be shy. I will not harm you. Could you please tell me your name? You were gone so quickly the last time. I thought I'd never see you again."

"Isabella" I whispered. She smiled. Her eyes looked tired and it made my heart clench.

"Isabella, what a beautiful name" She complimented "Well my name is Claire and I would like to get to know you, Bella. Is that okay?" She asked.

I stared into her grey eyes that filled with anticipation. I couldn't say No, no matter how much my brain told me to. It felt like I could trust her so I decided to take the risk.

I relaxed and I think she noticed cause her anticipation left her eyes. I smiled and stepped closer.

"Yes, it is." She smiled back at me. She looked so happy, like a child on Christmas.

"Yay," she clapped "For a second there I thought you would say no or run away again," she said. I started to feel bad about the last time I was here.

"I'm sorry I ran away. I was scared that you would attack me" I confessed. Her brows furrowed.

"What happened?" I told her what happened and she started to insult the woman who had hurt me, making me laugh. She didn't stop there and went on about how rude people have gotten.

I didn't know how long I laughed but I know that I needed it. It's been a while since I felt this relaxed and I liked it. Claire had an aura that attracted me to her for some reason.

"Thank you," I said, wiping my imaginary tears "I needed that"

"No problem, dear. They don't call me...…. for nothing" I laughed once more. She joined in, then started coughing loudly, which made me panic. I quickly grabbed the cup filled with water on the side table and handed it to her. She drank it slowly after collecting it.

As she drank it, I patted her on the back. She smiled gratefully when she was finished.

"Thank you" I collected the cup from her and placed it back on the side table.

"Are you okay?" I asked, looking at her seriously. Even though we just properly met a few minutes ago, I knew that she would say something funny and try to change the subject. She sighed and nodded.

"Don't worry dear. I'm fine. What I'm going through is not a physical problem, more of an emotional one" I raised a brow and she just waved it off "Story for another day"

I didn't want to but decided to drop the topic. We spoke until I felt like I had been here for a long time and needed to leave.

"You better not make me wait another two weeks before you come visit again missy," she said, glaring playfully at me. I laughed and nodded.

"I promise to come see you as soon as I can," I said. She smiled "Bye"

"No don't say bye. Say I'll see you later. If you say bye, it sounds like a bye-bye, not a bye bye" I laughed not understanding what she said. She folded her arms looking serious but also very cute. I agreed to her wishes.

"Okay. See you later" I said, waving. She smiled and waved back. I left her room, closing the door quietly, and left the hallway with my cleaning supplies.

I smiled as I went. Claire was the nicest beast I had ever met. She was funny and sassy. She had this motherly vibe with her. I'm glad and went back to her room.

"Oh my God, where the hell have you been" Khalid whisper-yelled at me when I came into his view. I gave him an apologetic look and told him I got lost. I didn't want to tell him about Claire in here. When we got to the room, I'll tell him.

He did not question me, and we went back to work. It was evening by the time we finished our duty. We were free today because we weren't in charge of dinner. As we made our way to the slave quarters, I noticed a familiar grey-eyed beast.

He was conversing with the second and Angel. They appeared to be having a serious conversation. I wanted to walk faster and get to the next hallway as soon as possible, but Khalid held my hand and slowed us down so he could see the second.

I wanted to pull my hand away from his and walk away but that would cause questions to arise and I wasn't ready to answer anything. I prayed that they wouldn't notice us.

The King abruptly raised his head and began sniffing the air. This perplexed the others, who followed suit. All of their heads turned to look at us, and my heart stopped for a beat.

The King began walking towards us with an angry expression on his face. I wanted to flee, but my body wouldn't let me. His long strides made my stomach churn in anticipation of what was to come.

'Why was he angry'

He came to a halt in front of me, his towering stature intimidating me. His aura was different, and it scared me. I gulped and stood there silently watching him bend over and rest his head in the crook of my neck. I jumped when I felt his breath on my neck, causing goosebumps to appear. His actions perplexed and terrified me. He took a deep breath in, then exhaled with a sigh.

"Come to my room" He whispered in my ear, making it heat up "Now" with that he walked away from me, leaving me in shock. I looked at Khalid who looked just as confused as I was and worried.

"Drop everything and go" I heard Angel say. She gave me a strange look before walking away. I did as she said and turned to follow him in the direction he walked away.

My heart rate increased with each step I took down the hall and up the stairs. My chest moved visibly up and down. Fear and anxiety made my hands and legs tremble. I rubbed my palms together, attempting to reduce the amount of sweat produced there.

Why was he upset? What made him want me in his room? I asked myself these questions in the hopes of finding answers. When I arrived at his room, I gulped. My recollection was shocking, but that was the least of my concerns. I slowly reached for the handle and turned it.

The next thing I knew, I was being dragged into the room, my back against the now-closed door. I exclaimed. He pressed his body against mine, making it impossible for me to flee. With wide eyes, I looked into his grey eyes.

The rage was now erupting in waves from him. His face was emotionless, and his grey eyes were locked on mine.

"Why do you smell like her"

My heart had sunk into my stomach. My mouth opened wide, but no words came out. How did he find out? I didn't need to be told who the her was to realize I was screwed.

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