Chapter 4

Clearing his throat, he removes his hand that had been wrapping around her waist, and clears his throat. "It seems I may have to apologize again, for -

"And again, it seems I may have to be the one apologizing, Alpha Prince." Number 28 says taking fee steps backwards, away from him.

It was the sting in her voice that got him looking back at her, and he could see the sting of tears even in her eyes. What was the matter. "Did I -

"I almost allowed you to be seen standing with a Doulo." She says.

"What!" He exclaims in confusion, then slowly her words begin to make sense in his head. "I ... No that is not - I am not -

"Ashamed of me?" Number 28 questions. "But you are, I saw it in your eyes the moment you heard those men approaching." She scoffs. "What was I thinking!" Number 28 says to her self as she slowly bowed her head to him and turns around to leave.

Chan rushes over to her front and stand in her path. "I am sorry if that looks like what I had done, but it is not. I -

"Number 28!" came a voice from afar calling out for her, it was Number 39.

Number 28 watched as the man in front of her stilled, gulping multiple times. He was indeed ashame of her, as he should be, she was after all a Doulo, and he an Alpha Prince. She sighs, "I am sure the Mother goddess made some form of mistake in our match, there's no way she would pair a great man like yourself to a Doulo like me." She bows her head, "I will take my leave, Alpha Prince." she says and walks away even before he could stop her. "I am here, Number 39." She says knowing that will stop him from following her.

"But I never said that!" Chan exclaims in his mind as he converses with Sarton his wolf.

"But you thought of it." Sarton fires back.

Sighing, "A little, and am an Alpha male Sarton, we have been searching and hoping to find our mate, but never did I imagine that we will find her as a Doulo. Not a slave Sarton, but a Doulo, a slave to slaves!"

"You are ashamed of her."

Chan sighs again, heavily this time. He drives his hand through his hair, this conversation has been happening for way longer than he can keep up with Sarton, and Sarton was still not ready to see reasons with him. For some reason, Sarton was already obsessed about his female. Not that he Chan didn't want her, he did, just that ... he was trying to see things on a more clearer ground than Sarton. "Look Sarton, at first, I thought I was, but ... I don't think I am, I am not ashame of her, and I don't really think I am really that bothered about her being a Doulo either."

"You are not?"

"I am not, Sarton. But now she believes I am, and I do not know what to do or how to tell her am not."

"Let's ask someone then."

"Who ?" Chan asks. And just at that moment, a slave, the one in charge of cleaning his room entered.

"Alpha Prince." She greets, her head bowed.

Chan turns to face her, Sarton urging him to speak out. "Sarah." He calls clearing his throat.

She turns to face him. "Alpha Prince."

He clears his throat again as he moves closer. "I ... it seems I need your help with ... ehm ... have you ... do you have a mate?"

Quite taken aback by the question, Sarah looks up at him, her brows furrowed.

"I mean, you have found your mate, right?" Chan asks his eyes on her.

Smiling, she nods. "Yes, Alpha Prince, I have. He is -

Moving closer, "So let's say he ... ehm," he looks up at her, deciding one last time if he should really ask her for help. Sarton nudges again and that was the last push he needed. "Something happens, and you assume he is ashamed of you or -

"Victor would never be ashame -

"Just assume!" Chan cuts in. "Just assume you thought he was, what would you want him to do to assure you that he is not ashamed of you?"

Sarah shrugs.

Number 28 was working beside other Doulos when someone walks over and grabs her by the hand. Looking up, she gasps and her eyes widen at the sight of who stood there. The Alpha Prince. There were gasps from all around them before they all went silent as if remembering that their head should be bowed.

Number 28 looks up again, trying to figure out what exactly was going on, but even before she could, he affirms his grip on her hand and then begins to walk away with her. She was too overwhelmed by the entire situation to even say a word as he took her along, walking out of the environs where she and the other Doulos had been working while every watched, pretending they were not watching.

"What have you done?" Number 28 finds herself asking as soon as he finally stops walking and lets go of her hand. "Do you -

"I am not ashamed of you!" Chan blurts out, cutting her off the rest of her words.

"What!" Number 28 exclaims more like a question, her eyes widened even more.

He moves closer. "I am not ashamed of you, I am not ashamed that people will see us together, I am not ashamed that you are a Doulo."

"Alpha Pri-

"Maybe I was the other day, maybe I thought I was, but am not. I am not ashame of people knowing you are my mate and that the mother goddess has paired me to you." He says smiling.

"Alpha Pri-

"Chan." He cuts in, moving closer and grabbing both her hands through the fabric of the gloves she was wearing. He watched, to see if she will pull away, he didn't want to do anything she did not want. And when she did not pull away or give an sign of displeasure at the act, he moved an inch closer, his eyes on her. "It's just Chan, to you."

Number 28 smiles, and her eyes lighted up as she did.

Sarton liked that, he liked the fact that his female was smiling, because of him. Chan did too. He could not see her face, but somehow he knew that smiling must have made her more beautiful. And then out of nowhere, she burst out laughing. It was his turn to be confused as he stares at her, trying to figure out why she had burst into laughter.

"And just to tell me that, you walked into a basement filled with Doulos, walked up to me, grabbed me by the hand and walked out of there with me?" She says more like a question.

Chan was speechless, he couldn't quite tell what he was supposed to say, so he just shrugs in response.

Number 28 chuckles. "I think your actions said it all." She says still smiling.

Chan watches the female in front of her. At first glance, one would think her a weak Doulo, weaker in fact, as he had first assumed her to be, but as he watched her now, he realizes there is nothing weak about the woman in front of him. Not the way she spoke to him, and certainly not the way she held herself right now. "I could not sleep, i have been restless since that day you walked out, Sarton too."

"Sarton?" Number 28 questions.

"My wolf, he's Sarton, and he likes you a lot. He would not let me think of anything else but that I made you feel terrible and that I was ashame of you, which I was not, I am not."

She nods, then smiles, "Sarton?" she nods at him. "Your wolf?"

He nods. "Yes, his name is Sarton." He nods at her, "What is her name?" He asks.

Number 28 needed no interpreter to know who he was asking of, and so she lost her smile. Shaking her head, "I don't..." She looks up at him. "I do not have a wolf." She states out.

"What!" He exclaims out loudly, a bit more louder than he would have wish to. "You do not?"

Number 28 looks down, "I do not."

"But why?" His question got her looking back up at him. "You are past the blooming age, right?"

"Right." She answers looking down again. "At first I thought it was just late blooming like it sometimes happens, but ... as the years go by, it seems the mother goddess may really not bless me with one."

"Do not say that!" He urges her. "It will come." He says.

"I never believed it would, but ... here you are, standing in front of me, my mate, from the mother goddess." She smiles "She really may not have forgotten me yet. I also believe it will come, in its due time I guess."

His grip on her tightens a bit as he nods. "It will."

~

"Everyone saw it, Number 28." Number 39 says in a failed attempt of a whisper.

"Saw what?" Number 28 asks as they headed for their sleeping corner.

"Must I state it out! Fine! We all saw the Alpha Prince enter our basement for the very first time ever, and he walked out with you. No one saw you two again, not until now, and ... we have been curious, I have been curious."

"About what?" Number 28 asks trying her best not to smile.

"About everything. Are you in trouble?" Number 39 asks.

"No!" Number 28 answers.

"Did he need something?"

"No!"

"So why then did he come for you? Are you -

Walking away in a rush. "No Number 39, so stop asking."