4. Home

Nikolai

Ava woke up halfway through our drive home. She was disoriented for a few minutes, until she looked out of the window and got fascinated by the view. I was glad she liked it. She could go explore the land whenever she wanted to. Silverwitch Bay was beautiful and the best part about it was that most of it was under my rule, which meant no one would dare to cross me within its borders. And Ava would be safe.

Soon, we reached the estate. The gates were opened and after a minute's ride, we reached the driveway. The mansion overlooked the Silverwitch Bay and I could see Ava trying to look past the palm trees towards the beach, eager to see her new home.

"We can go to the beach in the evening if you want," I told her, guiding her up the entrance steps to the door. "It's beautiful there, especially at sunset."

"Thank you, I would like that very much," Ava replied shyly.

As soon as we reached the main doors, the guards and the slaves who were dressed appropriately as maids, as per my instructions, bowed their heads. A sign of respect. I nodded at them.

"Call Dimitri," I told one of the slaves and walked to the living room.

"Can't live without me for a second, can you?" Dimitri smirked, already seated on the sofa.

"Report," I demanded, ignoring his previous statement.

"No problems. But we may have to visit Club Lupus again though," he said, frowning. "But first things first, who is the lovely lady on your arm?" He grinned as he noticed Ava, who was almost hidden behind me.

"Avalyn," I replied with a look that spoke volumes. The flirty smile was swept off his face in an instant.

"Ava, meet Dimitri, my Beta," I told her softly, bringing her forward. She didn't need to hide or be intimidated by the men there. They were family.

"Hello." She smiled at him. It was a stiff smile. I was rubbing circles on her waist with my thumb to calm her.

"Nikolai! Why didn't you tell me? I heard you brought a girl home!" I heard an excited yell. Sofiya came rushing into the living room.

"Finally a girlfriend in this boring house." She grinned and hugged Ava, who froze before looking at me. I nodded, giving her a smile. She smiled back shyly and hugged Sofiya.

"Hi, I'm Sofiya, your new best friend slash sister." Sof grinned, letting go of her and extending her arm towards Ava.

"I'm Avalyn," Ava smiled softly and shook his hand shyly.

"Do you want to rest or do you want a tour of the Estate?" I asked Ava.

"A tour, please, Nikolai," she said immediately. Her eyes shined as she looked around, fascinated by everything.

"Very well. Sofiya will show you around the estate." I gave them a dismissive nod. "My office," I told my men.

"Wait," Sofiya yelled again and I immediately turned around to check on Ava, looking for any sort of problem.

Sofiya walked over to Vladimir and pulled him down by his tie to kiss him. I rolled my eyes. He was whipped.

"Geez, no need to yell Sofiya." Dimitri rolled his eyes at his little sister and followed me to the office.

I looked at my most trusted men - my Beta, Dimitri, my Head Tracker, Mikhail, my Head of Arms, Andrei, and my Advisor, Vladimir. I trusted them with my life. I was sworn to protect them and they were sworn to protect me. They were my brothers, my family by choice.

Who says blood is thicker than water when your own father kills your mother? They were my real family - the Volkovs.

"We have to bring the Montana Pack down."

One by one, I was going to kill the bastards who had owned Ava and tried to break her. The light in her shone so brightly. It was needed in this world. Without it, something would be missing. I was just thankful to the Moon Goddess that she wasn’t completely broken. Because I'd made it my life's mission to save her.

Avalyn

Sofiya was my friend. The first one I made after so many years. She was smart, happy, and complete - something I was not. I was broken and used. A whore. A slut. A slave. A pet.

Master had said that I was beautiful but I doubted it. I believed him whole-heartedly and trusted him with my life but this one particular thing was hard to accept when I'd been told the opposite for a really long time.

Master had saved me. I would have done anything for him. His wish was my command. It had not even been a day since he had saved me from him, from my own version of hell, and had given me hope. Master gave me a place to call home. I still thought that it was all a dream, that Master would give me away once he was bored of me. I made it my life goal to be the perfect slave for him. He didn't like it when I called myself that, but I didn't know what else to call myself. That was what I had always been - a slave, a means for others’ pleasure.

I wanted to serve Master with my whole heart, and be the perfect slave. But most Masters didn't want a perfect slave. They wanted someone to punish, someone to hurt. But my Master hadn't hurt me even when I made several mistakes. Maybe he was different. I knew that everyone in the world was different in their own way. My Master definitely was very different from anyone I had ever known. He was a lot better than him.

I just wanted to make Master happy. His happiness gave me happiness.

"Hey, Avalyn? Are you okay?" Sofiya asked me, looking concerned.

"Yes, I was just thinking." I smiled at her.

I really liked her. She was sweet and kind and talked to me throughout the tour even when I hardly answered. The house was so pretty. It was so much better than my previous house where I was supposed to stay in my assigned room, only to be brought out if and when he wanted me. I had hardly stepped out of that house in eight years. This house had several bedrooms, a beautiful, well-equipped kitchen that I would love to use, a dining room that had a really long table, a sunroom,  a living room and a couple of sitting rooms on the other two floors, a gymnasium, and a game room. The back of the mansion had a large swimming pool with a beautiful view of the beach and a very pretty garden. A lot of people stayed there - a team of maids and security guards who had their own quarters and also Master's entire family.

And if what Sofiya said was true, I could go wherever I wanted in the entire house and do whatever I wanted. Every day, for the whole day. She said no one would say no. In fact, they would be extremely happy to help me, if I needed it. She said my happiness was important to everyone in the pack. I couldn't believe it. I couldn’t remember the last time someone had cared about me or my happiness.

This new life was a dream come true.

"Let's go. Nikolai must be waiting for you." She smiled and guided me to where Master would be. I was scared. What if he didn't like that I had kept him waiting? Would he punish me?

"Go to your man and I'll go find mine." Sofiya winked at me, and then she left me in a hallway.

Master was facing away from me, talking to Andrei. Sofiya had told me about everyone. Dimitri was the only one who was actually her brother by blood. I could totally see the resemblance. The rest - Mikhail, Andrei, Sofiya herself, Dimitri, and Vladimir - were just people Master had helped along his way and had somehow ended up joining the family. The most trusted men took the Volkov surname and became family. It was the greatest honour. Sofiya's last name was Volkov too.

Was I supposed to go stand next to him? Or maybe call him? I didn't want him to think I was trying to eavesdrop by walking up next to him so I decided to call him.

I remembered he told me to call him by his name if we were not alone.

"Nikolai," I called out softly but he heard and turned around swiftly, a small smile covering his face. His smiles were reserved just for me. I hadn't seen him smile in front of anyone else and that made me feel special.

"We will talk later," he told Andrei, not taking his eyes off me. He came towards me, and kissed my lips, making me feel all giddy.

"Let's go to the beach, Ava," he whispered against my mouth and stood straight, his arm twisting around me, holding my waist. I loved it when he did that. It meant that he was protective of me, showing everyone else that I was his - his and his only.

I nodded.

We walked towards the back of the house and went down a narrow boardwalk that led us to the beach. It was slightly rocky at first and then it slowly transitioned to soft sand. The beach was a long strip of white sand. I could see a wall of rocks a little further on, on either side of the beach, separating us from the outside world. It was a private beach.

Tears sprung to my eyes at its beauty. The sun was setting and the water was reflecting the different colors of the sky. It was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen!

"Why are you crying, Ava?" Master asked, his lips brushing my ear. It made me shiver. I had never felt so... cherished before.

"It's my first time seeing a beach, Master, thank you so much. It's so beautiful," I told him. I was truly thankful that he had come into my life and saved me. "It's also been so long since I have been outside," I said softly, thinking about the only time he let me go out. It was only in the backyard if he wanted to fuck me there or to his other clubs, where he would fuck me in front of other people or let them fuck me. More tears sprung to my eyes at that memory.

"You are free now, Ava. You can go wherever you want. I just want you to inform me and take Andrei, who is now your personal bodyguard, or some other guard I assign you, at all times," Master said quietly, his fingers digging into my waist.

He was angry, not at me but at the ones who had done things to me. I felt like I knew him. More importantly, I understood him.

"Yes, Master. Thank you, Master." I tried to calm myself. I didn't want to taint all that beauty with my past.

"Take off your shoes Ava," he said and knelt to remove his own. I toed mine off quickly. It was a good idea. Both of us were wearing shoes that would definitely get dirty if we walked on the sand.

"Feel the sand beneath your toes."

I did as he said. It was a weird, squishy feeling. I loved it.

"Let's go dip our feet in the water," Master said, taking a hold of my hand and walking beside me into the water. I jumped a bit when a wave washed over my feet. It was so cold!

"It's just water, Love," he chuckled at my reaction. My heart skipped a beat when he called me 'Love'. "Give it some time. You'll feel better." I smiled and nodded at him. 

I wiggled my toes. My feet were kind of getting stuck in the wet sand. It was a weirdly fun feeling. 

"I'd take you further in right now. Swimming in the ocean is fun, but then we might need another shower and frankly, three showers in twenty-four hours would be too fucking many." There was an amused smile on his face as he watched me giggle and nod. It was too much.

"It feels better now." I looked down at the water around my legs.

"Told you," he said, "time makes everything better." I had a feeling that he wasn't necessarily talking about water. His words gave me hope for a better tomorrow.

"Do you like your new home?" he asked.

"I do, Master. It is absolutely beautiful," I replied honestly. He smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. But there was a tinge of sadness. "My mother built it and picked out the interior with Dimitri, Sofiya, Max, and my help." I wanted to ask where his mother was, and Max - whoever he was. But he looked a little sad and I didn't want to make him sadder so I stopped myself.

"Living by the beach must be fun." The sun had almost set.

"We're too busy to make good use of it. But yes, whenever we do, it is a lot of fun. We all usually go sailing during the summer weekends and scuba diving in the open water. We also go jet skiing or surfing whenever we're in the mood. I'll make a plan before the winter begins so we can go together. You will love it." The happy twinkle in his eye returned as he told me about all the fun they had.

"I think I will love it too." A grin covered my face. He said 'we'. Which included me. He wanted me to do fun things with him!

It was getting pretty dark and chilly, so Master decided that it would be best to head back.

When we reached the big sliding glass doors that opened up onto the backyard, a half-naked, gangly, young man jogged out of the thicket of trees at the far corner of the property. He called out, "Alpha!"

Master turned to me. "It's been a long day. Go freshen up, I'll see you at dinner."

"Yes, Master," I murmured. He walked towards the guy, away from me. Giving him one last look, I turned around and rubbed my feet thoroughly on the mat outside the door so I wouldn’t dirty the marble floor with my sandy feet. Once I was satisfied, I stepped inside.

Sofiya had told me to stay in Master's bedroom, but I requested the room closest to his bedroom. I didn't want to assume that Master would want to share his bedroom with me. Masters and slaves don't stay together or sleep on the same bed. Yesterday night was different, probably because there was only one bed in the hotel room and he was kind enough to allow me to sleep in it. I spotted a couple of bags on the bed. I opened them up to find a couple of undergarments with their tags on and some tops, shorts, and dresses. They looked a little big for me and I realized that they must have been Sofiya's. Making a mental note to thank her later, I laid out a set of undergarments, a pair of shorts, and a top, and walked into the bathroom. 

I stripped out of my dress and rinsed my feet of all the sand that was still stuck to them. Suddenly, the bathroom door was ripped open. 

I jumped in surprise and turned around. 

It was Master. His grey eyes had darkened with a wild look that sent a shiver down my spine. 

He released a relieved breath but looked slightly mad. "What are you doing here?" 

"I… freshening up?" He had told me to do it, right? Had I heard him wrong? 

"I meant here, Avalyn. In this bedroom," he clarified. "You were supposed to go to my bedroom. Our bedroom." 

"I didn't want to assume that you would want to share a room with me," I said and looked down. "I'm sorry." 

"You don't have to assume things with me. If you have any doubts, just ask me. I got worried when I didn't see you in my bedroom," he said quietly. "For a split second, I thought maybe something happened to you or you ran away." Pain reflected in his eyes when he said that and my heart lurched. "I'm sorry for barging in like this." His eyes trailed down on my naked form and my arms immediately came up to cover myself. He quickly looked up into my eyes again. 

I dropped my arms. There's no need to cover myself from him. I'm his. He should be able to see me if wants to see me.  "Please don't apologize. You were worried about me, Master. I would never run away. I want to stay with you. And it might take you some time to trust me, but please believe that I'm not going to run away."

"I find it difficult to trust people, Ava. And I do want to trust you, but it might take a bit of time. Be patient with me, please."

I nodded. He was the Alpha of the Rogue pack. He must have been through a lot to get where he was. Of course, trusting people was hard for him. "I'll prove to you that I'm here to stay, as long as you would like to have me. I'll earn your trust."

"If the Moon Goddess allows it, I would like to have you for the rest of eternity." His words, his intense gaze made my stomach feel weird. Butterflies. That's what it was.

Oh, Goddess. My stomach was a mess.

"Come," he said and grabbed my hand, pulling me out of the bathroom. 

He looked at all the stuff lying around, then looked at me. "Why don't you finish freshening up in my bathroom? I'll bring everything there."

"Yes, Master," I replied and walked out of the bedroom.

I came face to face with Sofiya. She looked a bit surprised when she saw me. Of course, she was. I was naked! 

"You're his slave." Her voice was almost flat when she said that. Gone was the bubbly girl who had shown me around. 

Biting my lip, I nodded. Did she not like that? 

She simply turned around and walked away. 

I was rooted to my spot for a moment. Did I lose the first friend that I had made? 

 I decided to do as Master ordered before I lost him too. I would talk to Sofia later. I  entered Master's bedroom and then went into his bathroom. 

I washed my face twice to get rid of the dirt and stickiness properly and then patted myself dry with a hand towel. I walked out and saw Master enter the bedroom. He had the bags full of Sofiya's clothes in his hand.

He placed the bags by his feet and took out a random pair of bra and panties, tore off their tags, and silently handed them to me. I put the panties on first. It was a little tight because I had a fat ass. I looked at the bra. A blush rose to my cheeks. I'd never worn a bra before. I was a late bloomer and started growing boobs only after my freedom was taken from me. And he didn't like me wearing bras. Or clothes, for that matter. I took it from Master's hand and slid the straps up my arms and tried to clasp it at the back but my long hair was in the way and it was just really difficult.

"Turn around," Master said and I did. I lifted my hair so he could see properly. He tried clasping it but it was just digging into my skin and pressing against my breasts uncomfortably.

"This isn't going to fit you." I had a fat chest too. I hated my breasts. I couldn't even wear my first bra. I hated my body.

"Ava," Master called and I turned around to look at him. He wiped away an angry tear and took hold of my clenched fists. I didn't even realize I was clenching them.

"When shoes don't fit you, do you hate your feet for being too big?" he asked.

"No, Master."

"You buy shoes that fit you, right?" I nodded at his question. My eyes lowered in shame. It wasn't right to hate my own body.

"Just like that, we simply need to buy clothes that fit you. Your body has done a very good job of keeping you alive and healthy, even when your surroundings made it difficult. You should love it for that. How others view it tells you more about their perception of themselves and the world than of your actual self. It has nothing to do with you. And if it still matters to you, I think you should know that I find you exquisite."

I stopped breathing. I looked deep into his intense, grey eyes that darkened with appreciation when they took me in. No one had ever called me that. I had always been viewed as a sexual object. Master was the first one who saw me as a woman. And he liked what he saw. I bit my lip. I wanted him. He was the first man I ever wanted. "I'm sorry. I'll try to appreciate it more. And thank you, Master. You're exquisite too."

My eyes widened when I said that. Do men even like to be called exquisite? Was that the right adjective for the male gender? Master chuckled. "You're fucking cute."

Oh, my Goddess. There go the butterflies again. This big, beautiful man will be the death of me.

He took a top out of the bag and handed it to me. I put it on.

He looked at me - more specifically, my boobs - in a way that was more analytical than sexual. "Hmm. This won't do." I looked down and realized that it was quite tight and my nipples were quite visible.

"Wear this on top of it." He handed me a loose dress. That should cover me perfectly. Master didn't want me to put myself on display or be 'easy to access'.

"You look beautiful, Ava." He gave me an appreciative once over and I blushed. He didn't care that I didn't look the most attractive in such a loose dress. After being told for years that the only pleasant thing about me was my body, which was why it always needed to be on display, it felt good to know that it wasn't true.

Helping me cover up decently was his way of giving me back my self-respect and I loved that. He was giving me the things I never had, the things I never thought I deserved - love, respect, and dignity.

We went to the dining room for dinner after that. Master sat at the head of the table and made me sit on his right side. Dimitri sat facing me. Vladimir sat next to me and Andrei was in front of him, then Sofiya and Mikhail next to Vladimir. Sofiya just smiled at me slightly when I took a seat, not talking to me or looking at me otherwise, which felt odd. 

Everyone made small talk during dinner, but Sofiya remained painfully silent. She kept giving me looks which I thought everyone noticed, but they didn't say anything. She hadn’t known my truth and now that she did, she was looking at me differently. It made sense. Supernaturals didn't like slaves. They thought that we were beneath them. Our friendship was doomed from the beginning. Maybe she was pissed that I had lied to her about my identity. And now she hated me. I felt the need to cover myself up and hide somewhere. Master and I left immediately after dinner.

"What happened with Sofiya?" Master asked as soon as we stepped into his bedroom. 

"She knows I'm a slave," I replied softly.  

"Talk to her. Tell her about yourself if you want. It would change her perspective." 

"She hates me," I said, looking down.

"No one can hate you, Love. She just doesn't understand you," he whispered and then slowly lowered his head. "I'm going to kiss you now."

It wasn't a question. It certainly didn't sound like one. But he didn't kiss me either.

"Okay," I whispered, my eyes focusing on his lips. His tongue snaked out and swiped against his lips. My core tingled.

And then he finally, really kissed me. The way he wanted to do all along, without holding back.

He kissed me softly and gently at first, his tongue skimming over my lips. His fingers were tangled in my hair and the other hand was on my waist, pulling me closer against him. He sucked on my bottom lip and then bit it, pushing his tongue into my mouth when I gasped. I tried keeping up with his pace but it was of no use. His tongue owned my mouth, just like he did my heart, body, and soul. His fingers were digging into my scalp as he took control of the kiss, of my heart, of my entire being. And I surrendered to him. No one had ever kissed me like that. It had always been against my will, leaving me disgusted. But Master's kisses healed me, piece by piece, mending me.

I love you.