POV: Echo
“Eat!” Brady demands, as he places the fork firmly in my hand. Trembling, I looked at the plate in apprehension, wondering what kind of torture he'd come up with now. Grasping the fork so tightly my knuckles turn white, I scoop some eggs onto my fork and bring them to my mouth. I hesitate for a moment before placing them in my mouth and chewing. Waiting again after I swallow, expecting it to be laced with silver or wolfsbane. When no pain comes, I dig into the meal.
Only a quarter of the way through, I had to stop. Slowly sipping on the glass of orange juice, I savour its sweet flavour. Having had nothing but water for so long, I’d forgotten how deliciously sweet that juice was. My stomach feels full and slightly painful, as I have eaten as much food this morning as I typically see over a period of days, maybe even upwards of a week. I feel absolutely stuffed.
The Alpha has been watching me this whole time, and I have avoided looking at him, trying to pretend he wasn’t there. Even if it was some kind of trick, I had been well past starving and I was more than willing to pay whatever the price was for food at that point.
“You haven’t eaten nearly enough; you need to eat!” He growls, pushing my plate towards me slightly, his gaze hardening as he realizes I will not eat any more. “I’ve had to treat your back; it wasn’t healing after the wolfsbane.” He grumbles, which explains why it suddenly feels so much better, and the constriction I felt must be from the bandages.
I slowly raise my eyes, setting the cup of juice on the tray and looking just to the left of his face, “I’m full,” I whispered, terrified at his sudden insistence that I eat, as well as his sudden gentle demeanour toward me. He has always been the one denying me food and hurting me. Why would he suddenly be demanding that I eat such a meal or treat me so gently as he had since I woke up?
Brady sighs as he removes the tray from my lap and stands up, “You need to freshen up and get dressed,”. He offers me a hand to help me stand, and I frown. He has never once cared about my hygiene before, either, and I don’t trust his abrupt change in attitude toward me.
Slowly standing up, I ignored his outstretched hand. Once I am standing, I bow my head and clasp my hands behind my back. Ignoring the stinging sensation of my wounds being stretched on my back. The position is painful but familiar. This is the stance of a servant waiting for their orders. Confused by his odd behavior since I woke up, I needed something normal to help calm my nerves.
“If this is how you want to be, fine.” The Alpha snaps, going from foreign to familiar in seconds. “We have a neighbouring Alpha coming tomorrow! The pack house is in complete and utter disarray, as you haven’t done any of your work in 3 days.”
“I’ve been down here for 3 days?!” I gasped. I’d figured maybe a day, a day and a half, tops. But to have been down here passed out for three days... and three nights. I suppress the shiver that runs down my spine at the thought of that. He may beat me publicly during the day, but the night is when he sneaks into the basement to have a different kind of fun, away from the prying eyes of the pack and his Luna.
Swallowing the bile rising in my throat, I asked in a hoarse whisper, “Are you the one that changed my clothes?" His smirk told me everything I needed to know, making sure I knew he had made sure to enjoy every moment. The thought makes me sick to my stomach.
Having asked one question, a dam breaks open and they flood forth before I can stop myself.
“Why?! Why are you doing this? The abuse and late-night visits? M-my back, the wolfsbane, then bandaging me, and feeding me breakfast?! What have I ever done to deserve any of this? Why can’t you just leave me alone...?” The last part came out as a whisper as I dropped my eyes back to the floor. I had never dared to question him before, too scared of the consequences.
“Oh, my Little Doll, you just don’t get it, do you?” He asks, stepping forward and raising my chin with his finger, cupping my face with his palm, as he tilts my face up towards his, staring deep into my eyes.
“You are mine, to do with as I please, especially now that you are branded as my own! If I wish to smell your delicious fear, I will entice it from you. If I want to cause you pain, I will hurt you." He extends a claw and runs it down my cheek, drawing a whimper from me.
“If I want to ease it, I will treat your injuries.” He runs his tongue along the fresh cut, tasting my blood. “When I want to touch you, I will.”. His other hand assaults my body, fondling my breasts before moving to grope my ass, causing me to quiver in disgust.
“If I want to reward your good behavior with a good meal, you shall eat well. If I want to see you waste away in starvation, you won’t eat at all. You, Echo, are my Little Doll, and the quality of your life depends on how generous I am feeling on any given day.”
He steps closer and begins kissing my neck and jaw, while his other hand joins in the random groping of my body. I’m frozen in fear, processing the extent of his obsession with me. I always knew that he was deranged, but even after all the years of abuse, I hadn’t been prepared for this. He was truly sadistic. He was beyond obsessed with me, and I was completely at his mercy.
Blinking away my tears, I stood completely ridged, waiting for him to tire of his random touching. I had expected panic to take over after I processed his words, but I was now completely calm. On some level, he had always been at the forefront of my torture and abuse, and I always expected it would get worse. I just have one question left now.
“Why?” I whimpered, trying to remember what I’d done to earn this kind of attention. I can’t remember anything from before I came here. I’d randomly showed up on the pack’s border one day, alone, covered in blood, and unable to remember anything other than my name. They remembered me, though.
“Who better than the daughter of the people responsible for my mother’s death?” His hands stilled, resting on my hips. He pulls his head back, glaring at me. “From the day you came wandering back into this pack, I promised I’d make you suffer a thousand times what she did as a result of their actions.” He growls.
His grip tightens painfully as he backs up, pulling me with him. “What about Luna Embry?” I ask, thinking of the wolfsbane-laced water she’d thrown on me.
He stops for a moment, a grin splitting his face before he replies, “We have come to an understanding. She will let me have my fun, so long as she gets to have her own!”
I shudder as he turns and moves forward, stopping beside my shelf. “Now, you have 3 days of work to catch up in less than one day. Are you going to change your clothes, or shall I do it for you?”
His eyes darken with his wolf at the last part, as he rakes his eyes over my body and I shake my head quickly, “I can do it,” I reply quietly, and he releases his grip on me. I grab my clothes from the shelf and dash into the bathroom to change. The curtain that had served as my bathroom door had been torn down long ago. Having no choice, I turned my back to him and changed as quickly as I could, feeling his heated gaze on me the entire time.
POV: Echo Working with the laundry has never been so uncomfortable in my life. I quickly emptied the dryers and then ran the washers again to rid the clothes of the stale damp scent clinging to them from sitting wet for three days. The pain in my back twinged every time I reached too far into the machines for the clothing, resulting in me having to almost crawl inside the massive dryers to get everything out. As I do so, I can feel Brady watching my every move with a purely animalistic gaze of desire. He stands just behind me, his eyes darkening with his wolf, making me desperate to get out of the basement before he acted on his desire. I thanked the Moon Goddess when I finished, and he simply gestured for me to head up the stairs in front of him. Not wanting to provide him with the time or opportunity to touch me or change his mind, I scrambled up the stairs as quickly as I could. Three steps into the kitchen, I paused, stifling a horrified gasp when I saw the state of it. In thre
POV: Echo The jolt of being tossed onto the soft mattress brought me back to my senses, just in time for him to move to the edge of the bed in front of me. Before I can react, he grabs me by my ankles and drags me until my legs hang off the bed and I’m lying on my back in front of him. Trying to control my emotions, I attempt to force my fear back, and replace it with calm. Repeating in a loop in my head, I tell myself that someone is going to interrupt him. Either his Luna coming home or a mind-linking pack member needing his help. Someone is going to stop this. Despite my best efforts, even I could smell the waves of complete panic rolling off me the moment he dragged a fingertip down my thigh. He sucks in a deep breath, smirking, and I can smell his arousal instantly. My wholebody trembles as he takes my hands and gently pulls me into a sitting position. Running his hands over my hair, smoothing it down, he slowly shifts it to the side so he can access my neck better. Aware that
POV: Echo The harsh sound of the dryers buzzing, signalling the end of their cycles, startles me awake. My joints scream in protest as I slowly dragged myself to a sitting position. I’d passed out in the same crumpled heap I’d been tossed in, and my whole body was stiff and sore. Sitting for a minute, I waited for the aching to fade away. Attempting to take stock of my injuries, new and old, I frowned, raised my shirt, and gingerly touched my ribs, before cautiously stretching. My ribs don’t even so much as ache, which is odd given how many were broken prior to my tumble down the stairs. Curious, I inspect my other injuries and find they are also absent. Undoing my finger splint and pulling it off, I see my finger has also healed entirely, which surprised me because its healing had been slowed considerably before. Jumping up off the floor, I rush towards the bathroom, pulling off my shirt as I go. Quickly removing the bandages from my back and letting the gauze flutter to the floor
POV: Echo I rarely I allow myself to take a trip down memory lane. It’s even less often that I think back on that day. After passing out, I had woken up in the basement and that’s where I stayed. No one ever explained what happened other than that my parents were killed trying to escape as they were responsible for their Luna’s death, and that I was to be punished in their stead. Apparently, their deaths weren’t punishment enough. I wished nothing more than to have ignored my stomach and turned in the other direction. If I had, I may have been fortunate enough to find myself in a neighbouring pack, one who didn’t hate my very existence. Or I may have just died from exposure. Anything would have been better than my life right now. Sighing, I gave the pants I just picked up an extra vigorous shake. All the hopes in the world wouldn’t take me back to make a different choice. I needed to focus on the giant piles of laundry around me, and on having my wolf. My parents made their choices
POV: Echo I made it to my spot by the door just as it swung open. Immediately assuming a servant’s stance, hoping to the Goddess that he doesn’t notice how hard I’m breathing, I focus on calming my pounding heart. I watched his feet move forward a few steps as he took in the sight of all the folded laundry on the table and in labelled baskets on the floor. “Hmm…” he hums, his feet turning back towards me and stopping just in front of me. He watches me try to and fail at containing my panting breath. I don’t think I have ever moved that fast in my life. I owe my speed and ability to mostly complete an impossible task to my wolf. She lent me what little energy she had to spare. I know I am screwed when he stiffens, raising his hand to my damp hair. I’d done my best to give it a solid rinse with the water I was provided through the single cold tap to my trough tub. However, I didn’t have time to wash it with soap, as I’d literally had two minutes to bathe, dress, and be on my spot.
POV: Echo Having finished stripping rooms, I quickly ducked into the basement to swap the laundry again and quickly freshen up before making my way over to wait in the dining room. Standing in a corner of the room, I was glad that I’d been able to keep my new dress clean for serving. My nerves were jittery, making me anxious as I waited for them to arrive. Hearing the front doors open, Alpha Brady’s voice drifts into the dining hall as many footsteps approach. The smell of something mouth-watering wafted through the door as warriors from both packs filed in. I closed my eyes and discreetly sniffed the air, taking in the scent of a forest after a rainstorm mixed with a strongly brewed coffee. Stiffening slightly as Tala chanted, ‘Mate! Mate is here, Echo!’. Her excitement flooded through me, and I couldn’t help but glance around the room quickly. There are men, mostly warriors, who are moving to sit at the table, filling their plates with mountains of eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, and
POV: Echo “Yes, I would like to know your name.” Alpha Atlas confirmed, his voice so gentle I couldn’t stop my wide-eyed gaze from meeting his. His eyes and aura match the gentleness in his voice and touch. I found myself lost in his eyes, drowning in their green depths, never wanting to surface. ‘Tell him!’ Tala barked in my mind. Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to speak. “M-my n-name is E…” A low hissing noise from the table caused me to shoot a quick glance at Alpha Brady, showing me the spark of intense rage that I could now feel pouring through his aura. I trailed off, trying and failing to stop the shudder that ran through me. I’d unknowingly entered dangerous waters and would pay heavily for it later. “The name of my Little Doll is not important, Alpha.” Brady spit, standing up and moving to my side. “Please release her and allow her to return to her duties.” He grabbed me by my elbow and jerked me roughly to his side. Sucking in a strangled breath as excruciating pain
POV: Alpha Atlas I’m not terribly interested in this visit to the Red Stone Pack. Their Alpha and Luna are known for being incredibly vain and self-involved. In fact, the pack had been going downhill for the last decade. Apparently, the previous Alpha went mad with grief after the death of his Luna, and never truly recovered. He spent five years driving the pack straight into the ground before his son took over, and things haven’t improved. Their defenses are weak, the land is unkept, and the pack is going into bankruptcy. Alpha Brady requested I come to discuss a potential deal that would keep his pack from going completely under. Unfortunately for him, I know he has absolutely nothing to offer me. I am of half a mind to challenge him and take his pack to merge with my own. At least then the pack might have a better chance of staying afloat. Even a weak Alpha like him should know better than to irritate the Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack. The rumours came from somewhere. I was not kn