11 - Welcome to the Alpha's Cell

SOFIA

I didn’t think I would find myself in solitary confinement so soon and here I was. My only crime was that I’d severed the head of one wild vampire to save myself. Did they expect me to serve him tea when he tried to assault me? Maybe they wanted me to be a docile girl and spread my legs, stop putting up a fight because killing was a far worse alternative.

Fuck that.

I’d kill every male creature here including the human if I had a chance. They were all same deep down be it creatures or humans. They wanted the same thing. I wasn’t safe just because I was a vampire and to think my own species betrayed me like that, what did that say about vampires?

I’d spent four days in the darkness in a tiny room that barely had space for me to walk. I lay on the concrete. There was no bed. My stomach roiled with barely having any food inside my system. They brought a very little amount of blood for lunch and dinner. There was no breakfast here.

Food wasn’t the only problem I was facing. The guards would offer more for a price and I’d rather spend my life in this hell hole than take up one of them on their offer. The disgust went up in ten folds.

I wasn’t sure when I was going to be allowed in the old cell. Compared to this place, my cell seemed like heaven. In here, there was just a never-ending void and endless hours of staring into nothingness and overthinking life decisions.

My mind switched to my family. Would my father find out I was here? If he did, what would he do when he came to realize that his daughter was now a criminal? I think I would never find out. He wouldn’t know what happened to me because I wasn’t sure I was going to be free.

I’d exchanged one prison for another.

I told myself I was strong and yet my cheeks were wet and I was sobbing uncontrollably on the floor. This was the first time that I’d cried since I was brought here.

This wasn’t a sign of weakness, it meant I was still fighting and would do anything to survive.

I heard the lock turning and the door of the cell opened. One officer and two guards strode into the cell and locked my wrists into long chains.

“What’s going on?”

“Make sure her restraints aren’t loose!” The officer commanded.

“Where are you taking me?” I asked.

“Morris wants to see you.”

“What for?”

They didn’t answer my question as I kept firing them until I was standing outside Morris’s office.

My wrists were unlocked as soon as I stepped into the office.

Morris regarded me with a poker face. “Please sit down, Miss. Volkov.”

“Why am I here?”

“So that we could talk.” It was the first time I saw him smile, “Are you sorry about what you did?”

“If it’s an apology you need, you’re not going to get. I did what I had to do to protect myself from a predator...he’s a rapist and a cannibal. If I had a chance, I would have killed Talon too.”

“You don’t need to apologize for Ren. He had it coming.”

He placed a file on the table in front of me.

The words ‘PRISON PROTECTION PROGRAM’ was printed on it in bold.

“I have to admit, you’re one of the strongest female inmates I have the pleasure of knowing. None of the girls before you could survive for twenty-four hours let alone a week.”

“Where is Danny?”

“Inmate 4058? She was in solitary confinement until yesterday, but she signed the papers too. Now she’s under the protection of a male.”

Relief washed over me. She was okay. She was alive!

“I believe the days you spent in solitary confinement have given you enough time to rethink your decision about surviving in this place alone.”

As much I hated to admit it, Morris was right. I had plenty of time to think about what I wanted. If I needed to survive here, I had to make an ally. I needed a friend who could help me with another pair of eyes, someone I could trust. When I arrived in this place, I thought I could survive on my own but that simply wasn’t possible because of the bitter truth.

Some creatures were too strong like Talon. And even if I could fight him, I didn’t think I could win against him alone. He wasn’t charged for assault so he was out there and as soon as I was out of solitary confinement, he would attack me.

“If I signed the Protection Program, does that mean I don’t have to keep hunting for food?”

He nodded; a relieved smile was on his face. “Your cellmate will take care of your every need provided that you give him what he wants.”

“If he is a threat to my life, I won’t hesitate to kill.” I clarified.

Another nod. “It doesn’t matter. You will be assigned to another protector but there is a downside of this arrangement.”

“Which is?”

“If he turns out to be someone bad and if he kills you, it won’t be our responsibility.”

“I understand. Where do I sign the papers?”

He flipped two pages to show me where to sign on the document.

I went through the papers thoroughly, reading each line at least thrice before moving on. I was basically signing my life over to this cellmate in exchange for his protection.

My hands shook as I picked up the pen and in the recommendation box, I wrote JAKE, and then I signed my name below.

He was a friend and he’d suggested to help me out if I took his offer. Creatures did not pick on him because he wasn’t of their size. A lot of them were intimidated by Jake and I could use that to my advantage.

Morris stared at the paper, “Any reason you put the Giant’s name here?”

“He is my friend.”

“I can’t guarantee that he’s available.”

“But he asked me!”

“Yes, I’m aware but he got into a fight ring with a dragon. These fights are brutal but the government has given permission to the prison so they do happen when an inmate challenges another creature. Most die fighting. He accepted the invitation for the fight.”

“Who is going to be my cellmate then?”

“Pick another name.”

He put papers in front of me with pictures of the inmate and their biodata.

“You can’t be serious, Warden! They are all bad!”

“Pick one name.” He was losing his patience.

I flicked Talon’s picture off the table. Who in the world would ever want to be his cellmate?

“Brax,” I said.

The warden picked the file and brushed through it. He shrugged, “I’m sorry I forgot to remove his file from the potential protector’s list. The incubus is taken.”

“Who?”

“Another female inmate.”

“So what are my choices?” I folded my arms across my chest.

“The vampire…” He said.

“Hell to the no!”

“The Alpha.”

The only time I’ll get violent is when I’m inside you…

His words echoed inside my mind, making my body buzz and my knees weak. Maverick scared me.

“No.”

Impatience was growing thicker in the air. “Then you have ran out of options. There’s a bear and a snake shifter.”

“How about no one?”

“You already signed the papers, Sofia. You’ve gotta choose.”

“I don’t want to be assigned to anyone.”

“I’m sorry that’s not how it works.”

I was hyperventilating. “You cannot force me!”

“Guards.” The warden called out, “Take Miss. Volkov to her new cell.”

“No!”

I was plucked roughly out of my seat and hauled out of the office. Handcuffs were slapped onto my wrist and I was pushed into the hallway and asked to follow them.

Warden Morris had played dirty. He knew the protectors who weren’t available and yet he hadn’t uttered a word until I signed those papers.

The guards stopped in front of a cell on the top floor. There were thick metal bars on this cell and it was much bigger and spacious than mine. What shocked me further was the bed in the corner with a mattress and clean sheets. A dresser was at the corner. Chains attached to the wall.

A large figure was doing push-ups on the floor, his bulky muscled arms flexed as he moved.

“You can’t put me here!” I yelled at the guards as they tossed me inside along with what little belonged to me and a deadbolt was put into space confining me inside this cell with my new cellmate.

“Well, well, look what the cat dragged in.” He teased, his voice like dark chocolate.

I was scared to turn and look but did it anyway.

He stood up and in the confines of this cell, he made me look relatively smaller. He was huge, and his neck was thick. His rough hands and broad shoulders were now making me nervous. His dark hair was floppy against his forehead, and those golden-brown eyes held a certain promise. He looked hot and dangerous in equal measures.

My breath hitched in my throat, “Don’t come close to me…”

He smirked, an evil glint in his eyes. “Welcome home, Sofia.”