Two

The pale morning light crept through the letterbox sized windows of the den slowly, casting a stark glow over the rows of beds before crawling up the back wall. The scent of blood mingled with the musty scent of damp and cheap perfume as the girls silently let the night pass them by.

It had been five hours since the Alpha had let them go back to their prison and while the chill that had settled into their muscles and bones had long since faded away, they had been unable to sleep. Everyone of them was haunted by Chloe's flogging every time they closed their red and puffy eyes. The twenty lashes seemed to go on for hours and yet it was probably only a few minutes. The Alpha had been swift and merciless whilst the small blonde had screamed and sobbed in agony until she had passed out from the excruciating torture. By the end her back had been a mess of blood and torn flesh. Rivulets had poured down her thighs and pooled on the ground around her feet while the ends of her curly hair became plastered to her back. 

Chloe had been lying motionless on her front since the guards had carried her in, followed quickly by a medic in sickly green scrubs and blue latex gloves. The head healer was out of town so they had no choice but to let the creepy medic attend to the girl's wounds. He wasn't stupid enough to try anything with two guards just outside and the knowledge that the Alpha would do more than just slit his throat but that didn't stop the lingering stares. 

"The head healer will see her when he is back. She should heal up in a week. The wounds will need to be kept clean to avoid infection." The medic had said before leaving. 

Since then a heavy silence had settled within the confines of the basement broken by the occasional sniffle. They had experienced this kind of thing so many times now and yet they hadn't grown numb to it. This was the first time any of them had been forced to take 20 lashes. 

Chloe's eyes opened slowly when the warmth of the sun settled like a loyal cat on to her naked legs that were now mostly clean of blood. Her vision settled on Katie who was curled up next to her, espresso black eyes bloodshot and the tip of her nose red from exhaustion and crying. 

"Hey you." Katie whispered, lifting a hand to carefully brush away some of Chloe's platinum curls away from her forehead. Her smile didn't falter when she felt the claminess of Chloe's cheek. 

"Hey." Chloe whispered back, voice slurred from the painkillers the medic had administered.

"Chloe, I'm so sorry." Katie broke down immediately when she saw the feverish glaze in the small blonde's eyes. Her face crumpled like paper, fat tears spilling freely. "Had I known what he'd do, I wouldn't have confessed." 

"Why did you?" Chloe whispered wanting to wipe those tears of despair away but her limbs felt so heavy.

The brunette took a cleansing breath, brushing her eyes clear and forced herself to be composed despite the blotches of colour in her cheeks and nose. 

"Because he would have just picked someone at random." Katie muttered, wiping the back of her hand over her nose. "I can take the punishments. I'm used to it." 

Being one of the oldest girls in the group, Katie had taken on the role of protector and mother figure. She took as many of the punishments as she could handle so the other girls didn't have to. If they were sick or hurt, Katie looked after them and if it seemed anyone was struggling, she'd help them up. However for Chloe she wasn't just a best friend but like a sister too. Their bond was known by everyone which is what made the Alpha do what he did. 

"You should get some more sleep." Katie finally said, her black eyes dull as her gaze swept over Chloe's prone form. "The healer should be able to dress your wounds again tonight." 

"But we have to work." Chloe frowned. 

"No, you need to recover. You know full well the Alpha won't let you out where outsiders can see you." Katie pointed out. "Don't worry, I will make sure you have something to eat and drink." 

Chloe wanted to argue but the heat radiating on her back from the angry lacerations and the feeling of cotton wool filling her head was enough of an indication for the small female to know that she would be of no use to anyone and she wasn’t ready to face the Alpha once again so soon after he had dealt Chloe’s punishment out with such rigor. Sighing heavily, Chloe submitted and nodded a little, watching as her friend gave her a doleful smile before Katie stood, leaving Chloe to sink back into the welcome confines of sleep. 

Chloe wasn’t sure how long she was asleep for when Chloe got the urge to pee but the room was now empty and the sun was dipping down, casting hues of pinks, purples and peach through the small windows.

No doubt all the girls were at the club, serving drinks or putting on a show for eager males willing to part with cash to see some unmated and virgin flesh. Chloe had grown numb to the leering looks of the males that frequented the club. Most were high-rollers with plenty of cash to burn and couldn’t care less that the girls they were groping and slobbering over were in some cases underaged and in all cases, slaves. Thankfully the club was only open six nights of the week which meant the girls got some reprieve from the perverts who would leer at them so brazenly but on their days off they were confined to their basement cell and only allowed out to exercise and eat.

Sighing tiredly, the small blonde forced her stiff limbs to move, wincing as her joints protested followed by the searing pain in her back. It took far too long for Chloe’s liking to get off the cot, each slight movement like torture as the soft fabric of her t-shirt brushed against her back, every nerve-ending smarting in pain. By the time she had finished her routine and drank some water, Chloe was exhausted and felt like her skin was on fire. Shuffling back into the main room, the small blonde came to a stop when her eyes landed on the Alpha standing by her bed. 

“Hello Chloe,” He smiled, seeming friendly and caring until Chloe looked into his eyes and saw their cold and predatory glean. “How are you feeling?” 

The temperature in the room seemed to drop as Chloe felt her heart fluttering like a caged bird in her chest. The Alpha never paid the girls a visit in the den. All communication was either done at the club or, like last night, whilst a punishment was being delivered. He left it to his beta to dish out the rota or routinely check on them. So this was unusual and in no way welcomed. 

“My Alpha,” Chloe whispered, dipping her head in the required sign of submission by a low-ranking wolf to their egotistical leader. “I am fine, thank you.” 

“Please, call me Nathaniel.” The Alpha’s voice was warm and sweet like caramel, oozing with intent. “And please come and sit. I know the healer hasn’t been by yet so you must be in a lot of pain.” 

Chloe was too scared to argue and nodded softly as she hesitantly walked back towards her bed, silently praying that the Alpha would leave. However, she wasn’t afforded such luck because as she sat down, the Alpha joined her, sitting closer than Chloe would have liked. She didn't dare move though but instead, kept her gaze on her hands folded in her lap. The heat that radiated from the Alpha and her raw wounds should have had her sweating but instead she found herself cold with apprehension and trying not to reduce herself to trembling like a leaf under the wolfish gaze of the male. 

"I wanted to apologise for last night." Nathaniel finally spoke, the deep baritone of his voice curling around Chloe as if to soothe her. "You should not have to endure what you did but I couldn't think of another way to get through to Katie that her transgressions are not acceptable." 

"I understand my Alph...I mean Nathaniel." Chloe replied quickly, her voice soft so as not to come out too dismissive. 

"I knew you would be understanding because you're such a good girl." Nathaniel sighed. "I wish the other girls would follow your example of how to behave." 

Chloe remained silent. She didn't know what to say to that comment. She didn't agree that anyone deserved to be punished in the way their Alpha saw fit. They weren't criminals. They hadn't been rogues or broken any laws. Their only sin had been to be female and orphaned. Yet Chloe couldn't say anything, not unless she wanted to be dealt another punishment and she didn't think she had the energy for that. She didn't want any trouble and she had learnt that the best way to avoid it was to keep her head down.

"Chloe," The Alpha broke the silence, his large hand engulfing one of the female's smaller ones. "I really do feel terrible about what happened and I would like to make it up to you. Once you're fully healed that is." 

"Oh there is no need." Chloe stuttered, looking up at Nathaniel through her lashes. If she was healthy her cheeks might even flush a little but not because she welcomed the attention but rather, she could feel the weight of some unspoken expectation. She had always been good at reading people and she knew there was more to the Alpha's intentions than he was letting on.

"Perhaps not but that I would like to." Nathan flashed his teeth in a dazzling smile. "How about dinner at my residence? We could have roast chicken and maybe a glass of wine?" 

Chloe knew she didn't actually have a choice in the matter so she simply nodded, unable to trust her voice. 

"Perfect." Nathaniel grinned and stood with that. "I will let you rest. Sleep well Chloe." 

"You too." Chloe replied, watching the Alpha leave before curling into her bed and pulling her covers around her protectively, praying to the moon goddess that Alpha Nathaniel wouldn't follow through on his promise.