5: Testing the Water

                The sharp tap-tap-tap of a finger knocking on a door jolted me out of my blank gaze into the dark. My heart immediately started racing, as a new fear settled in my gut. The tapping came again, with the sound of footsteps coming close. Pushing myself up, I struggled to remember how to sit the way Blake had shown me. On my knees, sit back on my feet… braid back, was it palms up or down on my thighs? There was a muffled conversation just outside the doors to the main hall. I couldn’t make out what was being said. I could hear the soft lilt of a woman laughing and then Blake’s acceptance of his dismissal when the doors opened. “Goodnight, Alpha,” then the closing of doors.

                I could hear heavy steps as someone walked confidently through all of the dark rooms. He passed before me, disappearing into one of the closed doors I hadn’t been through yet, an adjoining bathroom. Finally, a light flipped on. The sudden brightness blinded me for a moment, so that I had to squint to see. He stood as a silhouette in the doorway, watching me as his hands worked to unbutton his shirt. If he was going to stare at me, I’d stare right back. Lifting my chin up I stared directly into his eyes, refusing to look away.

                An amused smile danced across his lips as he slipped the shirt from his shoulders and tossed it on the floor in front of me. I ignored it, sitting up straighter as I held my stare. Hooking his thumbs in his pants pockets, he leaned against the door frame. I was not going to let myself be disarmed by his physical appeal; of course the devil looked good. How else was he supposed to seduce anyone? He smiled, drinking in the sight of me, his gaze making my skin crawl.

                Keeping his eyes trained on me, he pushed off the door frame and worked his belt free, dropping it on the floor with his shirt. He kicked off his shoes, pushing them aside, and began working his pants free. With a wide grin, he dropped them to his ankles. Standing there stark naked. He wasn’t going to intimidate me by trying to embarrass me this time! I kept my chin up, maintaining my glare as I refused to let my eyes look him over. “Spirit,” he chuckled gruffly, walking into the bathroom out of my eye line, “so much spirit.” I really wanted to claw his face off.

                The sound of water spraying on tile was followed by a cloud of steam rolling out through the door. I suddenly felt like I was caked in grime. In the last few hours I had been man handled, wrestled to the ground, stripped down to my underwear and trussed up like BDSM Barbie. They’d scented me, violating more than just my personal space with the very intimate act, and searched me for a mark. Even now, I sat in a corner, damn near naked and chained up like a dog.

                I’d give just about anything to have a hot shower where I could scrub the events of the day away and crawl into my own bed and pretend it had all been just a bad dream. As if summoned by my line of thoughts he reappeared in the doorway, water droplets trailing along the lines of each well defined and toned muscle of his body. In a few quick steps, he stood over me, with that damned smirk plastered across his face again.

                My heart began to pound, until I could hear its thump-thump, thump-thump loudly in my ears, almost drowning out his voice. “Come along pet,” he cooed, unhooking the chain of my collar from the wall, “let’s get better acquainted.” Without waiting for me to stand he walked back toward the bathroom forcing me to scramble on all fours, crawling after him to avoid being drug across the floor.

                The bathroom looked like the whole thing had been carved out of black marble; the stone floor was cold and unyielding beneath my hands and knees as I continued to crawl after him. It was jet black with stark white ribbons of quartz threaded through its inky surface. The shower was enclosed by frosted glass with wolves etched into it, water still cascading down inside it. Thick steam clouded the air and the mirrored wall over the vanity and sink. He led me inside, where warm water fell over us from several shower heads. Pulling up on the chain, he forced me up onto my feet. Once upright, he hooked the chain leash to a hook in the ceiling. There we stood staring at one another for several minutes, the water washing over us. He wasn’t much taller than me, maybe 6 inches, but I was considered tall for a girl.

                He moved to cup my chin in his hand, but I instinctively stepped back and away from him, stopped by the length of the chain. A low growl rumbled from the back of his throat, and a dark shadow passed over his eyes making my heart thump a little faster. In a blink, he had my body pinned. The cold stone wall made me suck in a breath as my back flattened against it. My arms raised high over my head, held in place by one of his hands on the chain that linked the cuffs on my wrists. His body pressed mine firmly in place as he tore through the fabric of my bra and underwear with a semi-clawed hand as if they were made of tissue paper, tossing the ruined scraps on the floor. Blood raced through my veins and my breath hitched in my chest.

                His free hand gripped my chin, turning my head to look me in the eyes. Staring into his cold, blue eyes I felt a warm wave of calm start to radiate from the center of my chest. The feeling crept up into my head, making my thoughts feel fuzzy. My body began to relax, curling towards him. All I needed to do is submit to my Alpha. The thought felt foreign to me, but true. Submit to my Alpha, and enjoy all the pleasures he can offer.

                The thoughts balked against something inside me, stoking that angry fire again. The bastard was trying to use his Alpha sway on me! Every muscle in my body tensed, my thoughts becoming laser focused. “You are NOT MY Alpha,” I ground out around the ball gag, surprising myself with the clarity of the words.

                The shadow in his eyes darkened. “It’s already been decided for us. You’ll submit to me, because you’re mine,” he snarled “it’s just a matter of time.” Releasing my chin, he flipped me around, keeping my arms pinned above my head. His free hand palmed my breast roughly as he burrowed his face into the back of my neck, his groin grinding against my ass. The tips of elongated canines grazed the skin where my neck and shoulder met sending a shiver through my body. My blood ran cold as the thought hit, was he going to mark me? We were most definitely not a mated pair!

                His hand slid easily over my wet body, pinching and cupping my curves as he explored. His mouth worked along my neck and shoulders, nipping and sucking gently, without breaking the skin. A tingling sensation started to jump between where his lips touched and his fingers trailed, biology betraying me. Sliding a hand between my legs he growled and nipped my earlobe. My nipples hardened, and a wave of heat flooded my body, concentrating on where his hand cupped. Inhaling deeply to refrain from gasping, the smoky smell of sandalwood and a dark earthy spice filled my nose. My body responded with another wash of heat. What was wrong with me?

                Fucking pheromones! They hit me like a ton of bricks. My mind was cut off from the rage that had fueled me before. All I could think about were the sensations his hand and lips made me feel. Like caressing a pet, his fingers stroked the mound of curls between my legs, a growing need for something more became drawn out with each touch. He breathed a satisfied sigh into my shoulder when his fingers curled up and slipped between my swollen labia easily, finding it slick and warm. I had to bite down on the ball to keep my own sigh of pleasure in.

                “Your body betrays you,” he cooed into my ear, “ask me to give it what it craves. Submit to me.” His voice was seductive, but the hate I felt for him found a way through the haze to give me enough strength to shake my head no. Laughing darkly, he stepped away from me and released my arms. “I’m going to enjoy playing with you.”

                Humming as he started to lather soap on his own body, I tried to melt into the wall and disappear. I couldn’t bear to turn and look at him now, but I could feel his eyes looking at me. Instead I tried to focus on the bubbles swirling on the shower floor, and disappearing down the drain, ignoring the craving in my body to have him touch it again.

                He knew how to work a woman’s body and elicit a physical reaction that much was clear. No matter what I thought of him, my body had enjoyed the feel of him exploring it. It made me hate him more. He was an Alpha, strongest male of the pack, but he would never be my Alpha. I had to hold on to that hate.

                Finished toying with me at the moment and done with his shower, he wrapped himself in a towel and strode into the bedroom. He’d left me alone with the water running, but I was still chained to where I stood. The water stayed warm, but the wet leather of the cuffs and collar chaffed against my skin if I tried to move. I wouldn’t be able to reach any of the soaps and wash away the shame and disgust I felt anyway.

                Eventually he’d come back for me wouldn’t he? I should try to enjoy the fact that I was alone while it lasted. I needed to figure out how I was going to keep the willpower needed to refuse the orders of an Alpha. I had to resist his sway and the chemistry of our biology that seemed drawn to each other. If I’d been allowed to be around other wolves growing up, I may have been able to learn some kind of resistance. Or if I’d had a boyfriend my body wouldn’t be so quick to accept this kind of thing. Or maybe that’s why my parents were so adamant about not allowing me to date. They had always planned to turn me over, and knew what would happen to me. The thought was almost enough to make bite the ball gag in half.

                Was I supposed to be some kind of child bride? Well, maybe not a child. Certainly not a bride if he already had a Luna. If I wasn’t meant to join the pack to find a mate, and he already had a mate, what the hell was the point of all this? Why the attempt at seducing me? Why insist that I submit? Why would his mate allow this at all?

                They must have an insane water heater; the water was at least was staying warm. Turning carefully, to avoid the leather rubbing, I moved to let the water wash down my back as I rested my head against the cool stone wall. There was a way to get through this, maybe out of it; I just had to figure it out. My head jerked up painfully to the sound of slamming doors and a woman yelling. Great, more people to witness my humiliation.