V. The punished slave

I have been on the run for two nights and a day. I was supposed to meet Bogdan yesterday, but it has been impossible to do so. I destroyed the letter in case I am recaptured. I don't want Alpha Max to find something that will incriminate Ana. He will for sure kill her. Not even Mikael will stop Alpha Max then.

Alpha Max and his Enforcers are after me. I imagine how furious the Alpha must have been when he found out I had run away. Did he suspect Ana of helping me? I hope not.

I am running through the forest close to the border between the Republic of Moldova and Romania. Once at the border, I am going to swim in the river Prut, the river that separates the two countries, and cross over to Romania. Once I get to the other side, I know I am going to be free.

I hear the horses running through the forest, and I know that I have to be faster. But I am weak. Years of beating and lack of food made me weak. I could barely run. If I were stronger, maybe I would have shifted in my wolf form, and I would have already crossed the border and been in Romania. I throw the backpack in some bushes.

My heart beats faster, and adrenaline surges through my body when I hear the neighs of the horses. Alpha Max loves horses. He uses them a lot. The stable is big and houses ten horses. I know the horses very well because I take care of them. During the winter, I sleep next to the horses so that I won't freeze. And I know that right now, I know I can't be faster than them.

"There's the worm!" I hear Alpha Max right behind me.

Please, Goddess! Don't let them get me! He will torture me before he kills me. I try to push myself to go faster, but my legs don't listen to me. I trip and fall to my knees.

A rope falls on my neck.

"Thought you could escape me, worm?" Alpha Max asks in an angry voice.

He yanks the rope, and I fall on my back. I am caught in a lasso, like an animal. The rope is tight around my neck, and I try to pull it free, but to no avail.

Suddenly, I see the Alpha standing next to me.

"Did you think you could get away? Did you forget you are a slave? My slave! I will make sure you will never forget," he yells while he kicks me on my left side with his boot. The pain is so bad. And I am scared of what he might do to me.

When he finishes kicking me, he asks, "Who helped you escape? "

"N-no o-one. I-I e-escaped w-without h-help."

"We shall see. Until nightfall, you will tell me everything. I will torture you so bad you will beg me to kill. But I won't kill you! Not yet."

He makes me get up on a horse and ties my hands. We start traveling back to the pack.

I want to jump down from the horse, but it is like Alpha Max can read my mind.

"If you dare jump, I will break your hands and feet!" he says to me.

After that, I abandon any thoughts of jumping from the horse. I fear what Alpha Max will do to me once we are back in the pack.

When we arrive at the Silver Pack, the Sun is up in the sky, but I shiver with fear. Alpha Max yanks the rope that's still around my neck, and I fall, hitting my shoulder and face on the ground. He pulls the rope and forces me to stand. I hear someone sobbing, and I know it is Ana.

I hope she can forgive me because I have failed to escape. I tried my best, but I was too weak.

"Take the slave to the backyard and tie him from the pole. I will be there in a moment. And make sure the t-shirt is off."

"No! Please don't, Alpha!" I hear Ana beg. "Please!" She starts crying even harder, but Alpha Max ignores her.

The blood drains from my face. I know what the pole means – whipping. I have been whipped before, and I don't want to endure it again. Alpha Max has a special whip with a silverpoint.

I decide not to scream or beg. I knew what the risks were when I ran away.

"Come," I hear Sergei say.

And I walk without looking back because I don't want Ana to see how scared I am.

I can still hear Ana begging and crying, but she is far now. I just hope Mikael took her away. Ana can't watch while Alpha Max whips me – it will break her.

Sergei takes me to the pole, and before ripping the t-shirt off of me, he whispered to me, "I am sorry this is happening to you, and I wish I could help you, but I can't. I only hope he won't kill you."

But I want to die. I want everything to be over and to be with her forever. A imagine of her flashed through my mind, and fuck, I miss her so damn much. After all this time, my heart still cries for my princess. I inhale deeply and prepare mentally to die.

Once the t-shirt is off, Sergei takes the rope off my neck and ties me to the pole. After that, he leaves.

I am determined not to scream. I choose to leave this world as I want, and I won't give Alpha Max the satisfaction of hearing me scream.

"Today," I hear Alpha Max behind me when he comes to where I am tied up, "you will see how I punish this ungrateful slave. My father made him a slave to punish him for his crime. Today, I will teach the worm never to run away. You will receive seventy-five lashes. If you survive, you continue to be a slave. If you die, I will throw your corpse into the forest. And to make sure you never forget who you belong to, I will brand you like I branded my horses. Stefan, bring me my branding iron!"

When Beta Stefan brings the branding iron, the Alpha yanks my pants down, and on my right ass cheek, he puts the red iron and brands me. It hurts so much, and I bite the inside of my cheeks to cheep myself from screaming. I knew his brand very well from the horses and the dogs. I now have a brand that says MAX on my ass. I belong to Alpha Max. His property. His to do whatever he wants with me. When he is satisfied with the brand, he throws the red iron that falls with a thud on the ground.

Whoosh! I hear after a few moments, and I feel the whip biting hard in my back. The silverpoint makes my back feel like it is on fire. I am already trembling from pain after five lashes. I feel blood dripping down my spine. Alpha Max is hitting me as hard as he can, punishing me for running. I bite the inside of my cheeks as hard as I can until I taste my blood.

Goddess, let me die fast. At his rate, I won't resist too much without screaming. And I don't want to scream.

"Will you run away again?" I heard Alpha Max growling the words at me.

I say nothing.

"Answer worm!" He hits me even harder when I don't reply. It hurts so bad.

"N-n-no!" I whimper, and tears fall down my cheeks.

"Can't hear you, slave. Speak louder."

He keeps whipping me while he keeps asking questions, but I don't reply anymore. I just want to die.

Suddenly a smell of lilac flowers and cherries fills my whole body, and the next lashing doesn't reach my bloodied back.

My heart starts beating fast, and I know who the scent belongs to – to my mate! Fuck!