I awoke to the sound of heavy footsteps echoing down the hall. I smelt him, I knew it was Jacob. Just the smell of him sent a shiver down my spine. Within seconds my vision is locked in with the man in front of me. He was tall, had to be standing around six foot seven, and yes, he was indeed very built. I could see Jacob looking me over, now having a clear view of my body. A young man, I can't remember his name I believe it started with an R, he came down here and unlocked me and took my heavy coat off since it was very hot down here in the cells. His eyes darkened as they continued to look me up and down.

"Why have you kept me here in this cell." I cry out. The chains have now cut into my wrist because of the tugging that lasted all night.

"Why did you come to my land?" He asked. He held no emotion behind his eyes or body. He was blank.

"What?" I was taken back by his question, did he really think that this was my plan? To enter the wood and end up locked in a cell by my mate?

"YOU KNOW WHAT I SAID." His voice was booming, a growl coming out as he took steps forward to the cell. I pushed my body farther back into the cell until my back has reached the cool stone. His hands grasped on the bars of the cell. He was fuming.

"Listen here my little Elizabeth. You will answer all of my questions. Do you understand?" Alpha Jacob unlocked the door of the cell. He turned around signaled the guard to leave us alone.

"NO, PLEASE come back." My voice fell quiet knowing that the guard would not come back. I drop my head and let a tear drop down my face.

"Look at me when I speak to you." His voice striking, full of power. "Why did you come on my land." He looked me dead in the eyes.

"I do not know." My voice quiet to where on he could hear. He bent down getting down to make level eye contact with me. Even with him crouched down he still towered over me. I gasped when his hand grabbed my neck squeezing. I started to grab for air, I felt my eyes grow big as he pushed my head back.

"Please J-jacob I-I can't brea- you're h-hurting me." I tried pulling my wrist on the chain again only causing me to feel more pain. Jacob loosened his grip around my throat but still kept a tight hold on me.

"I'll ask again." He took a deep breath. "Why did you come onto my land?" He was looking me dead in the eye waiting for my answer.

"I-I was always told to never to enter the Collin Woods. But no one was around to see or watch me so I found a path and took it." My voice hoarse, cracking among every other word.

"What do you mea-" The Alpha was cut off mid-sentence by the guard. "Alpha. We had this pup wondering on your land with weapons." A different guard from earlier appeared. He was holding a bloody man in his hands. Jacob squeezed my neck one more time before he let go. I began into a coughing fit. The guard dropped the man on the ground and grunt came with response. 

"Elizabeth?" I look up to see the man on the ground to be Brandon, the boy that lived down the road, a close family friend. 

"Ah. My dear Elizabeth, do you know this trespasser?" Alpha Jacob had a dark look in his eyes.

"Wha-at? No!" I say quickly. Jacob picks up Brandon by the neck, he began to kick his legs trying to break free. I began to pull more on my chains not worrying about how deep they cut into my wrist. 

"YES, YES, I do know him." Tears fell down my face, shaking my head see the condition of my friend. My head snaps back when I heard a scream from Brandon. I scream as I watch Jacobs claws grow and slash down Brandon's chest. He ripped more into his chest, I could hear the snapping of his ribs. Jacob tore out his heart and threw it on the ground. His body laid limp on the ground, his eyes still wide open, looking at me.

 I was scared.

I thrashed at the chains seeing blood pour down my wrist and onto the floor. I was screaming at the top of my lungs. The rest of the prison was dead silent. Not a single sound was coming from another cell. Jacob turned around and looked me dead in the eyes. "Don't you ever lie to me again." He looked away from me quickly and started to walk away.

 I was dead silent.

"Clean this up." I hear his command as he walks away. Once the prison door slammed shut the guard began to walk around the body. He pulled Brandon's lifeless body up by his arms then looked at me. He smirked then dropped his body. I looked away not bare the sight of a life long friend in this state. The guard stood up straight and looked at the other prisoners, stopping when he found a cell with a group of seven men held within it. They had a thick layer of sweat on their bodies and their eyes were blood-crazed, they were dying for food. You could see the bones poking from their skin and the scars across them. They have been here for a while.

"Hey, boys! Want some dinner?" The men erupted in cheers as they banged on the cell bars. I began to scream as I watch one of the guards open the cell and the other drag Brandon's body and throw him in the cell. I watch in horror as the men rip his body apart. The tallest man there ripped off his arm and began to eat the flesh off Brandon. One of the guards walks back to my cell and picks up the heart laying outside my cell. 

"Since you love him so much, here, have his heart." The guard let out a dark laugh and tossed the hear a couple feet in front of me. He locked my cell and walked away. I cowered back into the corner of my cell as far as I could without making my wrist bleed any more than they already were. I wanted to go home, I never should have walked into those woods, I should've listened to my mother. I hear the sound of the men tearing Brandon's body and the snapping of his bones every few minutes. Did my mother send Brandon? Did she know I was gone? What was my father doing about this, does he even know? Thomas? I let out a body shaking cry. None of this would've happened if I just stayed in the greenhouse. I look over to see Brandon's bleeding heart laying an arm's length away from me. Brandon would still be alive if I listened to my mother.  

The hours passed, staring at Brandon's heart. The men in the cell have fallen silent. All that could be heard was heavy breathing.

"So what did you do?" My head snaps up but I couldn't see anybody. "I'm in the cell next to you." His voice was so weak. I did not respond, I was scared to talk. "I've been here for over three months, I believe, I mean I lost count somewhere around there." I stay silent, after a few minutes I spoke.

"I 'm the Alphas ma-", I was cut off by the prison door screeching open. I heard the footsteps until I say the black shiny boots of the guard in front of my cell. He stood there looking at me for a minute. He began to open the cell.

"The Alpha wants you." Was all the guard said. He walked up to me and kicked the heart out of the way. He unlocked my chains and I brought my wrist to my chest. The blood was beginning to clot, blood stained my body and my clothes. 

"Why does he want me?" I ask as he walked me to the prison door. As we passed the cells the men whistled and howled as I walked by. Once we reached the door the guard grabbed the back of my shirt and brought a knife to my throat. "Don't even think about trying to escape. I won't hesitate to slit your throat." His voice so close to my ear I could feel the heat from his breath. He dropped the knife but kept his hand on my shirt. As he opens the prison door and I look back to see if I could see the boy that was talking to me but his body was still hidden. 

We walked down multiple underground corridors and hallways and even more staircases till we finally reached to what started to look like a livable place. Soon Jacob walks into the room.

"Leave." The guard turned away and left around the corner. My heart began to pound, I didn't want to be alone with him. 

"You're getting blood on everything." His face held a frown. "Come with me." We began to walk down another stream of hallways, the castle was very beautifully decorated. An old french theme and some Victorian style. He leads me to a giant room with a long dining table big enough to fit fifty people. Giant chandeliers hung from the ceiling and paintings were on the walls and ceilings, gold trim was everywhere, giant windows seeking out to the Collin Woods. It was beautiful. Jacob was watching me look at the wonder around me. We walked the length of the table till we reached the end of the table. Jacob pulled the chair at the end of the table for me to sit down. After he pushed the chair in a little bit he began to walk out of the room. I fought with myself to if I should say something but he already disappeared from my sight. I sat there in silence for a few minutes till I saw him come back around the corner.

Jacob walked the length of tables, passing the rows of chairs till he reaches the next chair and pulled it out to sit in front of me. He laid down to what looked like a first aid kit. "Give me your wrist." I slowly handed my wrist out to him. He opened the box and brought out a cloth and pours something on it. I tried to pull my wrist away but he held them in place. He whipped away all the blood he could, I hissed the liquid burning my deep cuts. Once he was able to see how deep the cuts were, he frowned. He inspected the wounds turning my wrist in every direction seeing the damage. He pulled out a needle and thread and started to give stitches to my left wrist.

"It was modeled after King Louis XIV Palace of Versailles. I visited there in 1687 and fell in love with the design. I made my whole castle a mere image of it. Except for the outside, I left the design to the Dutch. Being born in Berlin, it makes me feel at home." Jacob spoke quietly as he finished up my stitches. 

Who knew the Alpha has such beautiful taste.

When he was done he began to wrap my wrist tying a little knot at the end. When he was all done he let go of my hands and I laid them in my lap. I began to look around at the beautiful room once again. I noted that he visited Versailles in 1687. "How old are you?".

Jacob looked at me and narrowed his eyes. 

"It is getting late. Would you like something to eat?" His voice had taken a sudden turn from soft to cold.

"Yes, I am hungry." My voice just above a whisper. Jacobs eyes fogged over. He must be talking to someone. After about ten minutes but felt like forever a man in a waiter suit made his way down the long table. He sat the tray down in from of me as Jacob moved his chair back to the side and say looking deeply at me. The waiter took the cover off the meal as the steam filled my face. I look down to see a very delicious looking steak and potatoes. "Thank you." I send a small smile to the waiter. He nodded his head and began to leave the room. I pick up my silverware and begin to cut open my steak. It was cooked to perfection. 

"My men will cater to all of your needs when I am of no help." Jacob sat more up in his seat. "Men?" I ask. "Yes. My men, I do not have any women working for me. No women have stepped in this castle. Only in prison. I wanted my mate to be the first one." Jacob held no emotion in his voice. Did he actually want me? Or even better was I sure I wanted him. I liked this side of him better. He wasn't yelling, killing, or hurting me. He was taking care of me. I was even more unsure when he said, "I'm sorry."

I stopped eating. "What?"

"You know what I said. I don't want to say it again." Jacob had been looking anywhere but me. "I just didn't know what to do. I fully believed that the Moon Goddess had given up on granting me a mate. I was in shock." Jacobs' voice was rich, as he spoke I could hear a faint German accent in his words. Did he like me? Does this mean he really wanted me now? I only nodded my head.

"How did you know my name?" I asked feeling like at this point he was opening himself up for questions. "I've been watching you." Jacob was looking me dead in the eye, waiting for my reaction. I stopped all my movement.  "What do you mean you've been watching me?" My eyes grew wide. What has he seen? I mean I have nothing to hide. "I've had a sense of interest in you your whole life. I just wanted to make sure. That you were my mate and to my knowledge. I am right, as you can see." I was shocked, he knew? I suddenly felt uneasy knowing that he had been watching me.

"Your mother caught me one day," Jacob said in a matter of fact tone.

"What?" My mouth had fallen open. Was that why she made me close the curtains every night? Jacob pushed his lips into a fine line. How long has he been watching me?  My mind wandered back to the question, how old is he? 

I push to ask him again. "How old are you?"

"Well isn't that a personal question." Since when was a mate asking their mate their age a personal question? I roll my eyes. Suddenly the knife was missing from my plate and stabbed in between my fingers, I jumped in my seat. 

"Don't you ever roll your eyes at me again." Suddenly I was not hungry anymore. 

I pushed my plate forward signaling that I was done. "Thank you." I nodded my head. "Come follow me." Jacob sat up from his seat and began to walk out of the room. I quickly following in trail. He leads me around for what felt like a mile until

 I was met with a giant staircase, reminding me of the one in my own home.  We walked up the stairs to a long hallway. Jacobs scent flooded my nose, this must be the Alpha wing. We walked to a huge wooden door. Jacob pushed open the door and stepped in and hurried to a room connected. I stayed at my place by the door. He came back seconds letter with a shirt and a pair of boxers. 

"Here, the bathroom is right there. Change into these." Jacob handed me the pile of clothes and pointed to the direction of the bathroom. I took the clothes and walked to the bathroom. The bathroom was just as grand as the rest of the house. As I walked into the bathroom I looked in the mirror to see a bruise of a hand print around my neck. That bastard. I reached to touch it but pulled away when I felt the ache of the bruise. I slipped out of my blood-stained clothes and into his. My wolf purring at the sent of Jacob now all around me. She was happy that we were in the hands of our mate, I myself had different feelings about it. I walked out of the bathroom after folding my clothes and sitting them on the counter. 

"You will sleep with me tonight." Jacob was already in bed, he only had a pair of boxers on. I began to shake my head and tried to make my way to the door. Jacob was already pulling me into his chest again. My skin feeling good against his bare skin. "I like the way you look in my clothes, too much to let you go." He whispered in my ear. I closed my eyes taking a breath in. He carried me to the bed. He laid me down gently, I could tell he was looking at my neck. He walked around and laid back down on the bed I could feel his weight bring the bed down. I stayed as far as I could from him. I knew Jacob would test me, trying to get closer, but he didn't. I laid in silence for what felt like hours. 

"I'm one thousand and twenty-three years old," Jacob spoke. I could feel him turning onto his side to face me.

Holy Shit.

_____________

Photo is of the dining room in Jacobs castle.