Chapter 5

July 13

“Take off your dress.” He demanded, I felt my whole body shake with the fear and nerves that raced through me and suddenly I wasn’t so sure that I could survive this.

I tugged at the hem of my dress lifting the material, avoiding his eyes the entire time as I tried to shimmy my injured body out of the stiff fabric. I hissed out a cry of pain as the fabric scraped across the bandages on my ribs. And gritted my teeth until it cleared my head, leaving me in nothing but the tube like bra and utilitarian panties that were provided for us. I held the dress in front of me in clenched fists, like that would protect me from him.

“Fuck.” He muttered and my eyes shot up to meet his, only his were focused on the bandages wrapped around me.

“Take that off, lets have a look.” He stated and I felt myself shudder. I dropped my dress on the ground, unable to hold onto it and unwrap my ribs at the same time and gasped a little as I noticed the blood that had soaked through the bandages during the day. Apparently, I had opened up the wound, without even realising it.

I unwrapped the once white cloth, biting my lip against the pain as I pulled the fabric away from the gash on my side. The skin had split when the Alpha kicked me, I examined it tentatively myself, with just the tips of my fingers, I must have tugged it open again today while I was moving about. It didn’t look too bad though, it was barely bleeding now, there were no signs of infection and the angry purple bruise had lightened somewhat. It was definitely healing.

A growl echoed around the room and my head snapped up to see the Alphas eyes fixed on my side, his expression murderous and I swallowed hard. Wishing just for a moment that I knew what he was thinking.

Maybe this had put a stop on his plans, maybe he didn’t want to bed someone who was broken. Maybe, just maybe I would gain a reprieve.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” He asked, through a clenched jaw.

“To who?” I asked not understanding his question.

“To me! Why didn’t you say you were injured this badly?”

“Why would I have? I’m sorry Alpha, but it is not something for you to be concerned about.” I stated then instantly regretted my words as he stepped forwards cupping my chin in his hand, those now familiar sparks shooting through me.

“You feel that, yes?” I nodded. “That means you are mine. Do you understand me Amara? I have business here, I cannot cause waves, not today, but you belong to me, so let me straighten a few things up for you baby. Any time you are injured, even so much as a damn scratch, I want to know about it, and I want to know who put it there. I want to know everything, if it pertains to you, I always want to know, and it will always be my concern.” His voice was a growl in the otherwise quiet room.

I nodded, not sure what else to do, I was genuinely trying not to cry. He had claimed me, or at least he was going to, so while I may have a reprieve today that certainly wouldn’t last forever. I was going to end up being a Luna. And that thought alone truly terrified me.

“I need you to shift baby, you need to heal.”

“I can’t.” I shook my head. “The Alpha monitors shifts, I will be punished.” I stated and swallowed hard.

“Then let me take you to see the pack doctor.” He stated and I flinched, did he not know anything about how this pack works?

“I’m not allowed to leave the pack house without the Alphas permission.” I informed.

“For fuck sake, is there any part of your life that is not controlled by that fucker?” He asked, and while I didn’t think he was expecting an answer, I gave him one anyway.

“He owns me.” I stated and the man growled again, stepping back before pulling a phone from his pocket.

“Get in here.” He growled down the line, at least it wasn’t just me he did that with, although while I was turning that thought over in my head, I didn’t take the time to register his words.

He had asked someone to come in here, his room, where I’m naked and bleeding. I swallowed hard. A knock sounded on the door and I instinctively went to grab my dress off the floor but the Alphas eyes stilled me as he pulled the door open and allowed another man to enter the room, this one I recognised as the beta I had met briefly last night.

“What the fuck?” He growled, his own eyes angry as his gaze flicked between me and his Alpha.

“You’re better trained than I am in medical shit, will you take a look at her.” The Alpha grumbled before he started pacing the room while the Beta stepped closer to me.

My whole life I have never been this undressed in front of man, and now twice in the space of minutes. I felt humiliation course through me as my wolf tried to tell me that I had nothing to be ashamed of.

“Who did this?” The Beta asked me, his gaze going back and forth between the injury on my side and my face, but I stayed quiet with my head bent, my eyes on the ground. I hated this. I just wanted to get dressed and leave.

“Amara?” The Alphas voice called, and I looked up into stormy blue eyes. “Greyson asked you a question.” He stated and I swallowed hard. I had no idea what the hell was going on here. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why these men seemed concerned about me, but I still had to survive beyond today, and disrespecting an Alpha or Beta was out of line. I was out of line.

“My apologies Alpha.” I turned my attention to the Beta who’s eyes were wide with confusion as he looked between the two of us.

“Alpha?” Greyson asked before I could answer his question, this time his eyes were on his pack leader.

“She’s lived here as a slave practically her whole life, this is all she knows. I told her my name was Abel.” The Alpha stated seeming frustrated, but I was so lost, none of this was making sense, I just wished they would tell me what they wanted so I could get it over with.

The Beta’s eyes found mine again and I swallowed hard, hoping that he was more forgiving than our own pack Beta. “My apologies for not answering your question Beta. My injuries were inflicted by Alpha Westley, as a punishment for breaking a vase that was gifted to him.” I hoped that the wobble in my voice was only audible to me but the look on the Betas face said otherwise.

The man reached a hand out towards me and I flinched, taking an involuntary step back as fear coursed through me again. I couldn’t take another beating, but I should have known better, with one step I had made a bad situation worse. I should have answered him straight away, and I certainly shouldn’t have stepped away from him.

“I’m sorry Beta.” I muttered, before stepping back to my original position, I tensed waiting for the hit to come, keeping my eyes down but the man just let out a breath.

“She’s fucking terrified Abel.” The man whispered and I glanced up to see the two stood talking on the other side of the room. “She’s physically shaking.” He growled and I swallowed hard. Contemplating the wisdom behind speaking up. Neither man seemed rash, if they were I would be a broken ball of nothing on the floor right now. Maybe I would get away with speaking out of turn.

“I really am sorry. I should have answered your question when you asked, and I shouldn’t have stepped away from you like that. I will accept my punishment now.” I stated bowing my head in submission to both men as I tried to control my shaking hands. I tuned out the sounds of the room around me as I focused on my wolfs instructions.

‘You need to protect your right side, your ribs are broken still, if you are hit there, even once, it could pierce a lung, and there is no way that will heal without shifting.’ She frantically instructed. And I almost nodded as I kept the thought foremost in my mind.

A growl in the room had my head lifting, I was ready, I could handle it. I looked up into the furious eyes of the Alpha as he ground his teeth while watching me, he looked mad, more mad than I had ever seen my own Alpha but he wasn’t moving towards me, he just stood there watching me.

“You were talking with your wolf?” He eventually asked, no doubt having recognised the faraway look on my face.

I really didn’t want to admit to this, but I couldn’t afford to anger them any more than they already were.

“Yes Alpha.” I stated without hesitation.

“What is she saying?” He asked, his head tilted slightly to the side, his eyes still angry and I swallowed again.

“She is giving me directions Alpha.” I answered hoping that would be enough, but his piercing eyes demanded more. “Telling me to protect my right side. My ribs are still broken, and a pierced lung won’t heal on its own, I would need to shift to heal but I can’t shift for another week until the full moon. So, a hit to my right side would likely kill me. She is giving me directions on how to avoid being hit on my right side.”

“What the actual fuck!” The alpha roared.

“You’re so used to this kind of treatment that even your wolf isn’t protesting it?” The beta asked me as the Alpha paced the room behind him.

“I’m sorry Beta, but I don’t know what you mean. Why would my wolf protest?”

“You really haven’t ever known any different to this have you?”

“This is my life. The Alpha has owned me since I was a baby. I grew up in this house. I am a slave. I have to follow the rules and do my job, or I am punished, I appreciate that slaves may be treated differently in your pack, but the Alpha makes the rules here.”

“Sweetheart, we don’t have slaves in our pack.” The Beta informed and I frowned as I considered that. How could that possibly be the truth, but he wasn’t lying, I would be able to tell if he was, I could always tell when someone was lying. “That surprises you?”

“I’ve never heard of a pack that doesn’t have slaves.” I answered lost in my own thoughts as I considered it, but it was true, all of the packs that had visited here over the years, every one of them had slaves.

“You will never receive a punishment at the hands of anyone from Sliver Lake. We will never lay a hand on you in anger.” The Beta stated before offering a small smile and a glance behind him. “After all, you’ll be our Luna one day.” The Alpha froze at that, and my eyes flickered to his, he didn’t seem angry anymore, just worried, and I swallowed hard, the Beta wasn’t lying. But even if he was, I didn’t have much choice, I was at their mercy, I always would be.

“Can I take a look at your side, I will be as careful as I can be.” He asked and I hesitated again. I had never been touched by a man out of anything but anger and for it to be done with my fated mate in the room as well, well suddenly I was fully aware of how naked I was again.

“It’s okay, its healing.” I stated and watched as he raised his brow’s so I took another deep breath, nodded my head and lifted my arm out of the way.

I kept my eyes fixed on the Alphas as his Beta examined me, he barely touched me other than to gently press on the skin around the cut before he stepped back and turned to face the Alpha. “The bones aligned, no infection. It is actually healing quite nicely. It’s up to you, you can heal her or let it happen naturally.” The Beta stated then turned to me. “Thank you, Amara.” He smiled before stepping out of the room and closing the door behind him.

“What did he mean you can heal me?” I asked, before biting my tongue, my curiosity was always going to be my downfall.

“You’re my fated mate.” He stated stepping closer. “How much do you know about that?”

I shrugged this time, “Only what I have read in the books they keep in the library here, there wasn’t much about fated mates.” I stated, although truth be told, it wasn’t a subject I ever really sought out.

“I can heal you with my wolfs saliva. It only works on fated mated, and no one really knows why I don’t think, or at least I’ve never come across an answer, although it is considered a very intimate thing to do.”

“Why?” I asked, mesmerised by his gaze as he stepped so close I could feel his body heat. His hand cupped my jaw and he smiled. “Imagine that, but ten times stronger, all over your body.” He stated and I shivered at just the thought.

“Oh.”

“I really don’t like the idea of you walking around with this injury Amara. Will you let me heal you?” He asked and I swear I was in a trance, I certainly wasn’t in my right mind because there was no fear, no doubt or worry as he leaned in closer, his lips were an inch from my own and I licked my lips, unable to stop wondering what it would feel like.

“Okay.”