KEISHA’S POV
I watched the trees blur past as the car moved along the empty highway.
We had been driving for the last four hours and I remained in the backseat, head resting on the glass as I stared outside blankly.
I couldn’t even bring myself to cry anymore. All I felt was this strange peace. I didn’t like it one bit.
"We’ll soon be there. Five more minutes." Nadia called out from the driver’s seat as she looked at me through the mirror, a smile pulling at her lips.
At that, I sat up a little straighter, fingers twiddling with the hem of my shirt. "Oh ... that’s great." My throat felt dry and my words came out as a croak.
Immediately,I reached into the bag sitting beside me for my bottle of water, twisting the cap before taking a small sip of water.
"You’ll love it there. My dad would be so glad to see you again." Nadia gushed.
Her excitement almost made me smile. Almost. I couldn’t bring myself to smile properly.
I had met her father once when he came to Coldridge pack. A man who commanded authority wherever he went to. I would be lying if I said he didn’t instill a bit of fear in me. I knew he was niceㅡ hell, he was like my guardian but he was intimidating.
Suddenly, the car slowed to a stop and I jolted back to reality.
"We’re here..." Nadia announced as she pulled the car to a stop in front of the gates.
The guard stepped forward, a stern look on his face as he stared at Nadia through the rolled down glass. The look on his face softened almost immediately as he gestured to his colleague at the gate. "Open the gate! It’s the Alpha’s daughter."
She gave him a mock salute and he smiled back at her, his gaze sliding to mine for a brief second before Nadia switched on the ignition and drove into the gates.
This time, I found myself staring out of the window in awe as she drove down the road and past the town.
This place was huge.
And fucking beautiful. She wasn’t lying when she said the view was perfect. I found myself gawking at the buildings here. It was so different from the buildings in Coldridge.
Wow.
Nadia seemed to notice my surprise because she chuckled as she took a turn down the road. "Beautiful that much? Wait till you see the cabin."
Surely, it couldn’t be that much better.
Wrong.
When we got there, I didn’t have a word to describe the cabin. For a second, it felt like I had forgotten my grief and pain as I stepped out of the car, legs cramping as cold wind brushed against my face.
Holy hell.
It looked so beautiful.
The guard there immediately rushed forward, helping me with my bag and taking it inside.
Nadia locked the car, shoving her hands into her pockets. "Let’s go inside. I’ll show you around."
For what seemed to be a long moment, my legs failed to move and I just stared at the cabin with my lips parted.
"Keisha?" Nadia called from the steps of the cabin.
I jerked back to reality and nodded blankly, following her into the cabin and oh my god.
Nadia wasted no time, showing me around the space. It has stone walls and dark wood beams with a fireplace that took up almost an entire wall. The floors were worn smooth and I freaking loved it. The kitchen was small with copper pots hanging above a deep sink and a window above it that looked directly into the trees ㅡ The view was stunning. The bedroom had one large bed with quilts layered thick and a window seat large enough for me to sleep on if I wanted to. Everything smelt like cedar and old firewood and for the first time in the last 24 hours, it felt like something heavy had been lifted off my chest and I could finally breathe.
"What do you think?" Nadia’s voice broke me out of my thoughts.
Slowly, I turned to her. "This...this is perfect. Thank you. Are you staying here?"
She raised a brow. "Do you want me to?"
I didn’t reply for a good second. "No actually. I think I just need a week to myself. I don’t think I’ll leave the room much anyways."
She gave an understanding nod, pushing herself off the doorway. "That’s valid. If you need something, just call me, okay? I’ll check up on you in the mornings or evenings. Is that okay?"
I nodded slowly. "Yeah. Will the guard remain?"
Nadia looked towards the door. "Not here. Just to make sure you’re alright though. He’ll maintain a safe distance from the cabin. You don’t have to worry about them."
The atmosphere got silent for a minute and I cleared my throat, trying to break it. "Shouldn’t I go meet your dad? You know...announce my presence properly?"
She waved a hand. "No, my dad doesn’t give a fuck. He knows you need some time to relax so he doesn’t expect that. You can come visit though when you feel better."
I nodded, feeling a warmth spread in my chest. "Okay."
She took a step back. "A maid will bring breakfast, lunch and dinner, okay? You don’t have to stress yourself much, just relax."
This felt way too good to be true. But it was.
Suddenly, I felt a bit better about everything. "Yeah okay. You should get going. It’s getting late."
Nadia nodded. "Good night, Keisha."
She walked out of the cabin, shutting the door behind her and I looked around the magnificent space I had to myself for a while.
I went straight to the kitchen, grabbing a cup and filling it with cold water, taking small sips of it while staring out the window at the forest in the distance.
Wellㅡ
A week or two to think about what would happen next in my life.
Little did I know... that was already decided.