6

15 YEARS OLD. ADELINE 9 years old.

   My mind drifts over nothing as the silence in the office pulses around me.

Rupert has been working for hours at his desk. On what, I'm not sure nor do I care. Nothing he ever does is good. His plans are never for the better. They never help the pack. The opposite actually. Our pack is dying.

Too many generations of poor leadership have killed the spirit of our people. They hate it here. I hate it here. I hate the man who spawned me and every Alpha before him named Kincaid. Our females are mistreated and if males stand up against my father they are killed.

  I adjust my left wrist as the silver shackle cuts into my flesh again. I miss my cages, but due to my size, I can no longer be held in a small cage. I am instead chained to the wall. I am a battered office decoration. One of my father's many living objects that he gets to watch and torture when he feels like it.

  A knock sounds on the wood of my Father's office door and in walks one of the men that I hate with every fiber of my being.

  "The pups are in the testing area, Alpha," the piece of trash says as he looks over my bruised and bleeding frame.

   Father nods and stands up calmly.

  "What," I ask darkly as I watch the side of my father's face.

   Protective instincts inside of me are screaming as I try to determine what might be happening to my sister and the other youth of the pack.

"Don't worry, Son. Your precious sister is confined to her hole," Father replies with a small smirk, and I glare at him.

   "What are you testing on our pack members," I ask viciously and his head snaps in my direction.

   He moves to stand in front of me and I maintain my stare. My eyes drill into his. I no longer fear pain. He can't hurt me. He can only hurt Adeline. But instead of giving me pain, he smiles.

   "When I get back you will go to training. Ten men should be enough for you to handle... And if you ever question me again I will have Roger here mount Adeline while you watch," Father says while his smirk slips off his face and the monster lurking underneath rears its ugly head.

  I stare at him as he leaves. He think the training mat still scares me. He doesn't know that pain hasn't been my enemy in years. When the door closes my eyes fall to the floor. My stomach and heart don't even get the sick feeling anymore when my father leaves to do something horrible. As long as it isn't Adeline I can tolerate it.

*******

    I pant as I stand on trembling legs looking down at the men my father sent into the ring to hurt me. I knocked every single one out, but unlike when I was younger Father doesn't kill the males I defeat anymore. If he did he wouldn't have a single male to do his bidding.

  I hear Rupert growl in frustration, but I ignore him. I know he is disappointed in the fact he won't get to hurt anyone on my account today.

I walk to the edge of the ring and  grab the towel laying on the side of the mat. I wipe my sweaty face and look out toward the other teens training in the summer heat.

A group of girls on the sideline catches my eyes. Their faces aren't scared or scarred. They aren't frowning or crying. They are laughing and smiling at one another. Jealousy and longing fill my chest just as a hard fist connects with the side of my face.

   I stumble from the impact and spin around. One of my father's men is back on his feet and looking deadly. He goes for my knees and I realize he spotted my injury earlier. He punches my left knee before I can move back and I fall with a shout. He straddles my waist and goes to town on my rib cage as I use my arms to block my face.

Panic quickly sets in as I realize I have left myself open to being taken down.

  My opponent cracks a couple of my ribs quickly so I shift my arm down to block the tender area, but as I move the protection from my face he lands a devastating blow to my temple. A wave of dizziness rushes over me and I panic. I buck my hips up and my opponent flies forward. I grab his forearms as he comes toward me and headbutt him. Blood explodes from our foreheads, but my blow did its job. He goes limb and falls to the to side of me. I push his legs off quickly, but as I climb to my feet I realize my father is smirking again.

He looks practically delighted at the fact I allowed myself to become distracted.

  "Go clean up, Son. I need to go get someone. Meet me downstairs when you are done," Father says smoothly and I run toward him.

  "I beat them! The fight was over. He came back and landed some lucky strikes, but it's him on the mat now not me" I yell and he tilts his vile head.

  "That's why she won't get bent over today. Just whipped," Father says easily as if he isn't speaking about his own flesh and blood.

  Rage consumes me in an instant. I leap off the mat and tackle my Father to the dirt. I land two punches to his nose before his guards yank me off of him. When he stands up I know I went to far. I let my feelings overwhelm me.

  "You messed up boy," Father growls before walking off.

  The men behind me yank me along after him and dread overwhelms me. Images of my mother dying and Adeline's past beatings flood my mind. Her precious voice raised in fear and pain make me physically ill as I am dragged down to the lower level of my Father's house.

  Fatigue from two days of beatings and zero food is hitting me hard, but my adrenaline keeps my feet moving. Adeline needs me. If I can I will take the punishment. Father has let the men have me instead before he might do it again. Especially since I cried last time as the men took their turns.

   "Throw him on the wall. Make sure the bolts on his neck and wrists are right," Father snaps and the males take me to the wall covered with different chains.

   They lock my wrists, neck, and ankles to the wall on the shortest chains available. I can't move more than an inch from the wall even if I use all my strength.

  "Let that silver ease you, Mutt. Maybe Daddy will let us take another ride on the Atticus train," Roger says as he gets real close to my face.

  "You are sick," I murmur while staring him dead in the eyes.

  He smiles and shrugs before stepping away from me.

  "I have my preferences, but I don't turn down fresh meat," Roger says evenly like we are discussing the weather and I spit at him.

   He growls and punches me in the stomach, but I barely wince.

  "ENOUGH," Father shouts as he comes back in the room dragging my sister and a beaten omega.

   "Adeline, sweetheart, guess what your brother did today," Father says as he throws the females onto the stained floor a few feet in front of me.

  My sister raises her head up and meets my eyes.

  "My brother, did nothing today but survive," Adeline replies while holding my stare.

   "Ahh. You hear that? My daughter thinks her brother is looking out for her... He was eyeballing some pussy and almost got beat. He didn't care that the consequences would be paid by you," Father says and I immediately shake my head the best I can.

  "That's a lie! I beat them. I went to wipe my face off and I happened to watch a couple of she-wolves engaged in conversation while doing it. I didn't feel anything sexual towards them. Your man hit me while my back was turned. The fight was over. Then I beat him again," I declare while pleading with my face for her to believe me.

  She nods once and I know my father hasn't turned her against me. She believes me. She knows I wouldn't risk her.

"Well, even if that is true. You struck your Alpha," Father snaps and Sister's eyes go wide.

   I bite my lip to keep from grinning about the happiest memory of my life.

   "So... As punishment, Adeline can take the line like a good bitch or you can personally kill the omega," Rupert says as he watches our expressions closely.

  Adeline gasps as she looks between me and her friend. She knows I will kill for her. I have done it before. I refuse to watch Adeline be raped again. It's the worst punishment my father can inflict on me other than whipping her.

  "No. Brother, I can take it. Please," Adeline says as her eyes finally settle on me.

  I only shake my head.

"I am sorry to you both," I whisper after Adeline begins to cry.

   Rupert steps forward and unhooks the bolts restraining me.

  "Make it slow or I might get bored. Adeline looks so much like her mother," Father says and my stomach flops over as the disgust from his words poisons my body.

  He hands me a long knife and I stand perfectly still as my mind zips me back to my first kill. My half-sister...