Stripping For The Alpha King

Chapter 22

I didn't want to eat the food Ajax had brought in. he could have easily tampered with it. it looked delicious, but that didn't mean anything. The fact that it was some of my favorite food also didn't matter. At least that's what I tried to tell myself. But I was starving so I dug through the bag he had brought yesterday and found the wrapped chocolate bars. After inspecting them and determining they were in their original wrapping and it was unbroken I ate two. It was a childhood dream to eat chocolate for breakfast but the eggs benedict and French toast begged to be eaten and the sweetness only made me feel sluggish.

I ignored the food as best as I could throughout the day. I checked every nook and cranny in that room, looking for a way out that I hadn't seen before. Hell, I even moved the rug, looking for a secret trap door. In a place like these with people as nutty as Ajax living here you could never be too sure.

But there was something about Ajax that didn't line up with the serial killer, malicious type. There was a normalcy that made me believe that I was in the wrong. Maybe it was those striking green eyes or the way he laughed so beautifully, like nothing in the world was troubling him. How could someone so normal do such a strange and bizarre thing? And why was everyone going along with it? And if he hadn't hurt me, hadn't killed me, and hadn't used me for sex what could he possibly want from me?

I decided that it didn't matter. My mind was twisting to feel bad for Ajax and that was unacceptable. My only goal had to be getting out of here and formulating a plan to do so before my mind completely sided with the man.

I watched the people milling outside. They were all wearing some kind of uniform. They didn't all match, but there was a definite distinction between what they wore and street clothes. And they were lumped into groups. Some were clearly gardeners, others just milled around, looking almost militant. They were here for security purposes I decided.

That made me wonder just how much money these people had. So, to start, they had some kind of security force, that was pretty impressive. The house was gorgeous and huge. The other buildings on the property had seemed to be in fantastic condition which didn't come cheap. In the same breath the estate covered a huge amount of land. Yes, clearly this family had more than enough money to spare.

And Addy, Ajax's mother, had worn a crown both times I had seen her. But Germany didn't have royal families anymore so it wouldn't make sense for her to be queen of anything. It must've been a fashion statement more than anything else.

At some point I gave up on staring out the window and succumbed to the food. It was incredible; I couldn't imagine how wonderful it would've tasted if it had been if I had eaten it fresh instead of waiting a few hours. I waited for about an hour to see if I would feel anything usual, but I felt nothing other than satisfied.

Ajax never came back either, keeping his word.

The next morning I woke up and immediately went to the door. I knew it was a silly habit to be getting into, but I couldn't help it. If there was a chance that someone had slipped up I had to exploit it. and when I twisted that handle it gave out. I couldn't believe it. I yanked the door open and be prepared to take off as fast as I could.

But bright green eyes were staring back at me.

"Good morning," Addy whispered sweetly, cocking her head to one side, "I didn't mean to wake you."

"You didn't," I replied quickly. I noticed various fabrics were folded over one of her arms.

"How are you adjusting?" she asked, pushing her way past me to get into the room.

That left the hallway completely open. I was free to escape. But something about her made me turn around. She walked with a grace that could only come from years of practice and there was a cool calmness about her that she had passed on to Ajax. It was oddly magnetic.

At my silence she continued on, "I can't imagine being cooped up all day. It must be driving you a little mad."

What was really bothering was my inability to get out of this crazy house, away from this family. I refused to say that to her before I knew her intentions. She also struck me as a woman I didn't want to cross. I could see where Ajax had gotten his hot headed, entitled ways.

"I think some fresh air and a change of scenery could do you some good," she continued, "I was thinking that you could accompany me on a little trail ride."

I stared at her blankly for a moment. She couldn't really be asking me this, could she? Did she think that we would have a wonderful time bonding while her son was keeping me locked up here?

But then I realized that she was offering me a chance to see the rest of the estate.

It was a chance to hunt for a new way out while gaining some of their trust.