CHAPTER 5:HE WAS WRONG: I AM NOT HIS

EMILIA'S POV I woke up to the soft shuffling of curtains and the faint scent of musk. The bed beneath me was far too comfortable—soft and smells good. For a moment, I let myself enjoy the feeling of this bed against my skin, my body sinking into the warm embrace of the mattress. But reality hit like a slap to my face. This wasn’t my bed. Not like I have a bed in my previous pack. But this is just not what I've experienced. I bolt upright, heart pounding as I scanned the unfamiliar room. The walls were painted a deep shade of black, adorned with silver and decorations that screamed wealth and luxury. The large windows let in streams of morning light, illuminating every inch of the room that wasn’t already imposing. A fire crackled softly in the corner, its warmth doing nothing to ease the icy panic gripping my chest. Where was I? And then it all came rushing back with a splitting headache. The rogues, the capture, the Alpha—Cameron. My mate. “Mate,” I scoffed, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. The word felt foreign on my tongue, a curse rather than a blessing. The thought of being tied to anyone, let alone the arrogant rogue Alpha, made my stomach churn. He sounded arrogant to me...so. I pushed myself to my feet, swaying unstealthily as the events of the previous day caught up with me. My body ached, but I wasn’t weak. I’d been through worse if not more than worse. I touched my arm, feeling the bruises under it. They will be a testimony to my misery. The door creaked open, and my head snapped toward it. He stepped in—Cameron. Tall, broad, and every bit as intimidating as I remembered. His sharp jawline and piercing eyes were enough to make any woman’s knees buckle, but not mine. No, to me, he was nothing more than a captor. Can't he just let me go? Why should a mate bond tie us together? Not to lie, I wish I can withdraw what I said yesterday back, tell him I will love to be his mate but no. “Good, you’re awake,” he said, his voice deep, smooth and appeared tired as if he couldn't sleep well last night. “We need to talk.” “I have nothing to say to you,” I snapped, my arms crossed. He arched a brow, the corner of his mouth quirking upward in amusement. “You don’t have to speak. You just need to listen.” The words sounded like an order and I glared at him, every muscle in my body tensing as he took a step closer. Despite myself, I couldn’t ignore the strange pull I felt toward him—the bond. The cursed bond that tied us together against my will. “I won’t accept your rejection,” he said firmly, his eyes locking onto mine. My heart skipped a beat, but I forced my expression to remain cold. “And why not? You don’t have a choice.” “Oh, I have lots of choices,” he said, his tone calm. “But rejecting my mate isn’t one of them.” I laughed bitterly. “Do you think that just because some mystical bond says we’re supposed to be together, I’ll fall into your arms like some lovesick fool? I’d rather rot in a dungeon.” Is there a way to unsay that? His jaw tightened, and for a moment, I thought I saw a flicker of pain in his eyes. But it was gone as quickly as it appeared. “You don’t understand what this bond means,” he said, his voice softer now, almost pleading. “It’s sacred. It’s not something you can just throw away like an unwanted item.” “Says the man who kidnapped me,” I shot back. “Forgive me if I don’t see the meaning in that.” Cameron exhaled sharply, running a hand through his dark hair and oh my goodness, he looks like a demigod while doing that. “I didn’t have a choice. You would have run, and I couldn’t let that happen.” “You still can’t,” I muttered, glancing toward the window. It was large enough to climb through if I could figure out how to deal with the guards that I'm 100 percent sure if not 200 are outside waiting for me to try and scale the wall. He followed my gaze and smirked. “Don’t bother. There are guards stationed outside your room, and more patrolling the grounds. You won’t get far.” I knew it! I turned back to him, my fists clenched and eyes burning with rage. “You can’t keep me here forever.” I saw something shift in him and his brows tightened, "You will stay here like an obedient little girl and listen to me." His tone sounded like a command and not a request. And then it changed into a soft one. "I'm just trying to protect you." “Protect me?” I repeated, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “From what? From yourself?” “From everyone who would hurt you if they knew what you are to me,” he said, his tone serious. I blinked, caught off guard by the intensity in his eyes. He wasn’t lying—I could feel it. But that didn’t mean I trusted him. “Why do you care?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. “You don’t even know me.” “I don’t need to know you to care,” he replied. “The bond is enough.” I shook my head, taking another step back. “The bond isn’t enough for me.” For a moment, neither of us spoke. The tension in the room was thick, suffocating. Finally, Cameron sighed and stepped back, giving me space. “I won't force you to trust me,” he said, his voice resigned. “But I’ll prove to you that I’m not the monster you think I am.” I wanted to tell him that he was wasting his time, that no amount of proving himself would make me change my mind. But the words got caught up in my throat. Instead, I turned away, my gaze fixed beyond the window once more. “I don’t belong here,” I said softly. "I'm a free bird not the type of one locked away." Cameron didn’t respond. When I turned back to face him, he was gone, the door clicking shut behind him. The hours that followed were boring. I paced the room, my mind racing as I tried to come up with a plan. Escape wouldn’t be easy, but I couldn’t stay here. Not with him. The bond was a cruel joke, a chain that restraint me to someone I didn’t want, didn’t need. I’d spent my entire life fighting to survive, to carve out even a bit of independence in a world that sought to crush me. I wasn’t about to give that up now. A knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts. I stiffened, my heart pounding as it swung open to reveal a young woman carrying a tray of food. “I brought you dinner,” she said, her voice timid as she placed the tray on a small table near the bed. “Thank you,” I muttered, my stomach growling. She hesitated, glancing at me nervously. “The Alpha wanted me to remind you that if you need anything, you just have to ask.” I bit back a sarcastic remark, forcing a tight smile. “I’ll keep that in mind.” She nodded and quickly left, the door clicking shut behind her. I waited a moment before crossing to the table and lifting the tray. Beneath the plate of food, I found a small key. My pulse quickened. It wasn’t much, but it was a start. I hid the key beneath the mattress and sat down to eat, my mind already working on a new plan. Cameron thought he could keep me here, that he could win me over with his charm. He was wrong. I’d spent a better part of my life fighting for my freedom, and I wasn’t about to stop now. No matter how strong the bond was, no matter how powerful he was, I would find a way to escape. And when I did, I wouldn’t look back.