Chapter 2

Scarlett’s POV

I attempted to move, to stretch, to find a little comfort on the damp floor, but every single position proved to be too much for my rigid muscles. The little space was pervaded with repugnant stench of stale urine and rotten meat. My nose wrinkled, attempting to control the amount of the foul air that seeped into my lungs.

The space was dark all the time; I couldn’t tell how long I had been there. I couldn’t even tell how I got there but I had a feeling I had been knocked out cold, because the last time I was in a better room. My head spun as my eyes stung with the excessive ammonia in the musty room.

If I had known I would end up locked in a foreign territory, I wouldn’t have escaped. I only wanted to be free; to enjoy my life away from the vile beings but seemed fate had another plan for me. I leaned back on the cracked wall, shutting my eyes briefly as my whole head pounded mercilessly.

Even through the loud throbbing, my mind took me back to my former living conditions. The Crane Power; that was the name of the place I had grown up in. It was a pack in the East, the second most powerful in the area after The Yellow Moon Pack.

My stomach growled for the umpteenth time, reminding me I hadn’t had a decent meal for quite some time. If I had been back at The Crane, I would have eaten, even if it was one slice of stale bread. I knew nobody missed me there; the only thing I was sure of is that if the alpha ever found me he wouldn’t hesitate killing me on the spot.

I recalled how I had escaped the hell hole. The day had been normal and quite similar to the others. I worked extra hours around the pack, running errands for the alpha. I cleaned the pack house and Alpha Silas’s room, served his food only for shit to hit the fan when I found him naked, in bed with the Beta’s wife.

***

[Flashback]

I dragged my feet across the corridor, a tray packed with neatly arranged dishes in my frail hands. The aroma of the food intensified the hunger I was feeling, tempting my fingers to just dip into the dishes. I knew though the consequences if I got caught. Wanting to keep my fingers intact, I flashed the thought of stealing out of my mind. The last time I did that the alpha had broken all my fingers.

When I got to the alpha’s room, I was humming to a song my mother had taught me. Everything seemed to move in slow motion when I finally lifted my eyes, looking at the center of the suite. Nude, two bodies moved in an acquired rhythm as the beta’s wife moaned under the alpha male.

A gasp from my mouth, followed by the sound of the tray and the other contents as they came into contact with the floor, had the two adults scrambling apart from each other. It was as though everything else was moving except my feet, when I really wanted them to.

“Get out!” the alpha boomed, breaking the trance that had been holding me. I went to move, but another firm utterance stopped me from making another step.

“Not you!” He pointed at me, while his hard gaze fell on Maggie, the beta’s wife whose lips were set in a thin line. She scrambled out of the room, with a bed sheet wrapped around her body.

When she locked the door, I swallowed a gulp of saliva, my body beginning to shake. I knew that was the end of me, I wasn’t stupid, I had walked in on something I shouldn’t have. Looking at the alpha as he advanced towards me, I took a step back reflexively.

He didn’t bother to cover himself up, he walked slowly, with calculated steps, his eyes raking over my shaking body. I willed my eyes not to look at him, I didn’t want to see his nudity at all. I was twenty years and yet I had never really looked at any man sexually.

“Strip.” My downcast eyes shot to his face, the command catching me totally off guard.

“Wh-a-a-t?” I stuttered in a whisper, my wide eyes darting across the room.

“Fucking strip!” I flinched at the loud thunderous voice, the power in it making me move my hands over the back zipper of my dress. My bladder was full, and with the alpha in front of me, the feeling that gripped me almost pushed me to a point of pissing on myself.

“You’re wasting my time!” He gripped me by the collar of my maroon dress. Before I could comprehend his actions, the sound of the material as it was torn apart filled my ears.

“No, no.” Feeble, cowardly, shaky, the sound of my articulation was barely audible as he trailed his fingers over my exposed body. He left a path of disgust under his touch, crawling along my body. My throat constricted around my wind pipe, as I attempted to breathe in quickly.

“Since you interrupted Maggie and me, you will now help me finish what she couldn’t.” The words were spoken lowly and firmly. Blood rushed fast into my ears, as my heart pounded in my chest.

“Pl-e---ase.” My vision blurred as I tried coming into terms with what was about to happen.

His demonic laughter filled the tense atmosphere, almost deafening to my ears.” I will enjoy fucking you.”

[End of flashback]

***

“Eat up, the alpha will see you shortly.” I barely heard the sound of chains, or the metal doors as they were pushed open by the guard. I stared down at the plate as he slid it to me, across the damp flooring. My gut churned, my throat opened to let out stomach contents as droplets of the dirty water came splashed on the only piece of sandwich on the plate.

“I said eat up!” I flinched at the guard’s voice, but didn’t make a move to reach out for the plate. My stomach rumbled, reminding me that I really didn’t have a choice.

“Cane!” he called out for his friend, and I couldn’t help but feel a shudder course through me. The few days that I had been locked up Cane made sure that I remembered I was trespassing in their territory. He beat me up with every chance he got, so when his name was called, I knew that one way or the other I was going to have a black eye.

It didn’t take long before the sound of his heavy boots coupled with the sound of dangling keys filled my ears. I sank further on the floor, recoiling in an attempt to make myself smaller. I didn’t dare look up when his black combat boots came into view.

“We don’t condone wastage of food in this pack,” he sneered down at me, and when his foul breath hit my nostrils, I realized he had squatted in front of me.

“Maybe she isn’t hungry, for food,” his friend chuckled.

“You might be right Steve,” Cane agreed, standing up. I thought they were going to leave me alone, but when the door was locked, my heart beat rate began to pick up.

“I can’t believe we haven’t sampled the goods yet.” Steve’s words rendered me motionless. I became frozen, my whole system trying to process what was about to happen.

“Pl-e-a-se,” I whispered, my voice rough and broken. But the two men advanced, the sound of their belts as they were unfastened ringing loud in my ears.

“You’ll be begging when I take you bitch, not yet.” Cane pried my legs apart forcefully. My will desired to stop them, but my bruised and battered body had no chance against them.

“Don’t ple-a-se.” I tried pushing him away, but Steve pushed me on my back and pinned me on the floor, just as his friend tore the only piece of fabric that I wore.

Everything was spinning out of control. My windpipe squeezed around me, the feeling of being choked making my vision hazy. I tried lifting up my hands, but the strong grip on me weighed them down. I cried out but no sound left my mouth as pain spread inside my chest, gnawing, making me almost wheeze.

I was slowly losing touch of the happenings around me, only a memory of my former alpha remained with me. It invaded every single cell of my brain and deep down I knew what was about to happen, only that it was as if I was relieving it all over again.

I could feel something nudging me between my legs, but I couldn’t see. I could hear from a far as the two men laughed, I could feel my body shaking, my feet tingling with pins and needles. I could as well make out the most powerful voice I had ever heard.

“Get away from her.” Then I gave in to the lack of breath, and my eyes finally closed, welcoming me into nothingness.