I've had a lot of sugar and decided I should post the second chapter of the story. I'm so happy that you are excited about the story, love reading all of the reviews :D
Enjoy!
I sat in the back of the Jeep that Ivan had driven while chasing me, Dimitri had made a show of flicking the child lock on both back doors. The two men sat up front, neither talking; each time Ivan tried to start a conversation, Dimitri was quick to silence him with a look.
My head slumped against the cool glass of the window, staring out into the passing scenery. This place was nothing like Court, rather than the tall towering buildings and the hustle of people in the streets, this place was quaint and quiet. The homes were spaced out, everyone having yards. It honestly looked like a town from a hallmark movie.
A thick forest surrounded the town on all sides, mountain peaks to the north; it was March and there was still snow covering the tops. Without any clothes, the chill in the air had started to make me shiver, but thankfully, one of them turned the heat on in the car to keep me warm.
I was exhausted, both physically and mentally. It was like there was still a haze on my mind from the drug; I don't know how long the effects of it were meant to last. I didn't even know what kind of drug it was.
I wondered if Dimitri had asked them to give it to me.
Would he give it to me again?
It had made me submissive, maybe he would drug me again so I became so again; especially after today.
There was no way I was going to be able to escape again; this was my one and only chance, and I lost it.
I have lost everything.
Dimitri kept a close eye on me as we entered the packhouse, gaining a fair amount of curious looks from those around us. Ivan trailed after us, no doubt as backup if I tried to run again; not that I could get far on my ankle. I refused to be carried, limping my way up the stairs, not once making a sound despite how much I wanted to scream.
When we reached the bedroom door a thought occurred to me and I felt the blood leave my face. I had heard of Alphas that would punish their mates for disobedience, the teachers at the academy had all but encouraged it when teaching the expectations of Alphas. I could hear my teacher's voice in my head, "A good amount of punishment will keep your mate in check and will show others that you can maintain control. An unruly mate is a weakness."
Dimitri struck me as the kind that would do so away from others. Try to teach me a lesson.
I resolved myself that I wouldn't let him break me, no matter what he did.
Dimitri had tried opening the door, giving me a disapproving look when he realised I had locked the door from the inside. He stepped back before kicking the door open, almost off its hinges. The chair that I had placed behind it bounced across the room.
"Great," He sighed, eyeing the damage. "Get someone to fix that."
Ivan nodded, backing out of the room and down the hallway, leaving just Dimitri and me.
Dimitri didn't look at me, instead, standing in the doorway, arms crossed, "Get dressed."
I didn't need to be told twice, walking into the closet, closing the door behind me for some privacy. It was a struggle to dress with my aches and not getting blood on the clean clothes, but I managed. I was hesitant to leave the space, it was big enough that I could hide in here, but I knew he would just come in after me eventually.
It was better to just face him now and get it over with. With a steady breath, I opened the door.
Dimitri eyed me for a moment before nodding towards the bathroom, "Sit on the tub." His tone was clipped like he was fighting to keep control of himself.
I won't break. I repeated to myself with each step I took. Entering the bathroom, I gingerly lowered myself to the lip of the tub. Dimitri stood in the doorway for a second before crossing the room to the cabinets under the sink, retrieving a first aid kit.
My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Maybe he was going to wait until I was healed to punish me? Did he want to be able to look at each bruise and know they were from him? That, or he enjoyed the idea of making me panic while waiting for the blows to come.
He crouched in front of me, the kit opened beside him. When his hands reached for me, I flinched. Dimitri's eyes snapped to mine, an emotion I couldn't name in his eyes. "I just want to check your injuries."
The gentle tone surprised me after the clipped tones. I bit the inside of my cheek, nodding. I didn't want to show him I was afraid.
I wasn't afraid!
And yet, I was. I was freaking the fuck out.
This was my life now and there was no way I could get out. All my bravo from earlier faded.
Tentatively his fingers reached for my ankle again, watching me carefully for any reaction; I forced my body to remain still and not react. His hands felt warm and gentle despite the roughness of his skin, holding my ankle between his hands, testing its motion. I couldn't stop the whine that escaped me at the movement.
"It's not broken, but you will need to rest it."
I stayed silent as he worked, pulling out a bandage to wrap around my ankle. The act of it was much more tender than I would have thought he was capable of; the complete opposite of the wolf that had chased me down in the forest.
Once satisfied his eyes moved over the rest of my body, nostrils flaring; his eyes landing on my hand. He loosely gripped my wrist, making me turn it to expose my palm. The cut from the pipe had bled a fair amount, though it had mostly closed now.
Ripping open a packet of alcohol wipes and using it to clean the blood and dirt from the cut. It stung but I kept myself quiet this time.
Happy with it, Dimitri places a large gauze on it, taping down the sides. It wasn't needed at this point, it would be completely healed in an hour or so, but I wasn't going to fight him on it.
Giving me another once over, he seemed satisfied, closing the kit and returning it to its place. He towered over me, making me crane my neck to look up at him from my perch on the tub.
"You should rest. I'll send someone up with food soon."
I swear I was getting whiplash for him. How a man that forces a claiming bite on someone could be so gentle with them was baffling. I nodded numbly.
Dimitri left first, crossing to the broken door as I made my way to the bed. "Ivan will be out in the hall if you need anything," Dimitri told me.
I couldn't stop the eye roll, he was assigning me a guard so I didn't escape again. My freedom really is over now.
Not looking back at me, Dimitri spoke once more before leaving the room, "Sleep, Rose."
I slumped on the bed, the weight of everything settling in, my shoulders sagging. This time when the tears fell, I didn't try to stop them. I laid down on the bed, pulling the covers up over my face; it was the most privacy I had right now. Cocooned in the blankets I squeezed my eyes shut and mourned the life I've lost.
A serving tray sat on the edge of the bed, the bowl of soup and bread sat untouched. My stomach ached for food, not even remembering the last time I ate, but I couldn't risk it being drugged.
Dimitri didn't return and Ivan didn't venture into the room except with the food tray. Another man had appeared to fix the broken door; he was quick and efficient, not even glancing over at me. He had a woman with him that I think was his mate based on the bite mark on her neck.
She kept looking at me intrigued, when she would step towards me, the man would shake his head and pull her back towards him. I didn't like the way she looked at me, not that it seemed threatening exactly, but more knowing.
Since then I had remained in silence glaring at the offered food like it was about to attack or something. My eyes kept drooping, I was exhausted but I couldn't allow myself to fall asleep. I would have no way of defending myself if I did.
A knock at the door drew my attention, my body becoming tense as the now fixed door opened.
Was Dimitri back to punish me?
Instead of the imposing man, a girl about my age and height popped her head in. Her hair and eyes were of similar colour to Dimitri, even her features shared a resemblance.
Spotting me on the bed, a large smile broke on her face, "Hi! I was worried you would be sleeping. Dimka's being all secretive about you but I didn't want to keep waiting. I had to wait for ages for Ivan to leave long enough for me to sneak in," The girl rambled, walking across the room to sit on the other side of the bed.
I eyed her unsure if I could let my guard down with her. "Dimka?"
Her eyes lit up, "Oh, that's what we call Dimitri. But only around family, otherwise, it's all 'Alpha'." She puffed out her chest and dropped the tone of her voice to imitate Dimitri's.
"Family? Are you his sister?" I asked.
"Yep. I'm the youngest. And there are my two older sisters as well. They both live with their mates so you probably won't meet them until Sunday."
Her eyes flicked to the full bowl on the tray, glancing back at me with a raised eyebrow that was similar to Dimitri's. "Not hungry? Or did you not like it?"
"Not hungry."
The girl looked unconvinced but didn't push it. "I'm Viktoria, by the way."
I forced a half-smile, "Rose."
If Viktoria noticed my lack of enthusiasm for this conversation she didn't let it slow her down. She shifted on the bed to sit cross-legged, an easy smile on her face. "I heard you were from one of the academies. What was that like?"
Horrible. I just shrugged, not wanting to speak of it.
"What do you think of here? It's really pretty right!" Viktoria powered on, "You should see what it's like when it snows. It's so much fun to run through on the pack runs."
I haven't been on a pack run for years, Omegas weren't allowed to join because they would slow everyone else down. I frowned. Was Viktoria trying to rub it in or did she not realise what I was? Maybe Dimitri was ashamed of me being Omega and kept it silent.
"That is the only thing that makes the family dinners on Sunday's worth it," Viktoria continued, "Those nights can be loud."
"What do you mean?" I imagined a family dinner with the Alpha would have been a quiet affair.
Viktoria grimaced, "So many kids. Sonya is already onto her second one, so she's angry all the time again."
My stomach dropped.
Kids. The Alpha would be expecting those from me. I blanched at the idea of being forced to have children. I was only eighteen, I didn't want to have children right now. My heat was coming up in a month, I may not have a choice in the matter.
I clasped at the blanket with shaking hands, twisting the fabric with my fingers. Viktoria was talking again but it became just white noise as dread settled in the pit of my stomach, my panic rising about the situation I've found myself in.
"Rose? Are you okay?" Viktoria placed her hand on mine. I yanked away from her as if her touch had burned me.
"I'm tired." I forced out past the lump in my throat.
She eyed me, concerned, "Do you want me to get Dimitri?"
"I just want to be alone, okay!" I snapped at her. I turned away from her look of hurt, tugging the blanket up to cover my face again. After a moment I felt her weight lift off the bed.
I didn't breathe again until I heard the door close behind her, it came out shaky and strained.
I closed my eyes and tried to focus on the few good memories I had, of the fun I used to have with Alberta and Lissa before everything went to hell.
I hadn't realised I had fallen asleep until I heard someone in the bathroom, the sounds of water being shut off. Steam seeped out from the room through the partially opened door. It was dark out now, the only light coming from the bathroom.
There was a sweet smell in the air, it was strangely refreshing, reminding me of the smell just after a storm in a forest. Crisp, and the smell of pine. It made me think of when I lived with my mother before we moved to Court.
There was a shuffling sound for a couple of minutes before the door was opened completely and a man emerged. Dimitri's towering form was even more imposing, the light behind casting a long shadow across the room. He was dressed only in sweatpants, his damp hair hanging around his face.
Once again, I was struck by the fact that he was handsome, granted I would never admit that to him.
No, Dimitri was just an Alpha that forced their way onto people. I hate Alphas like him, the ones that thought they were better than everyone else just because of genetics. The ones that perceive me as worth less than the dirt on their shoes.
Even in the dim light, his eyes shined, somehow instantly aware that I was awake, his gaze landed on mine.
"You didn't eat."
We were back to the clipped tones and impassive expressions. I shrugged. "I'm not hungry."
A long sigh left him, "You need to eat, Roza."
My temper flared, "My name is Rose."
His jaw clenched, turning away from me he hooked a hand around the chair I had used to block the door, dropping it opposite me and sitting in it. I was surprised it had survived being thrown across the room, obviously, the solid wood was well crafted.
Dimitri clasped his hands in front of himself, appearing deep in thought. "What happened today…" He paused, rethinking his words before starting again. "If there is something that you are having an issue with, I want you to come to me first."
I shifted on the bed until I was sitting up, back pressed against the headboard. "I don't think I'll be coming to you for anything," I replied in a quiet voice. Though I was scared of what was going to happen to me, my defiance knew no bounds. If I was going down, you can bet I was going to get the last word in.
"Why did you run away?"
I clenched my jaw, facing away from him. "What does it matter to you?"
His eyebrows furrowed, eyes unreadable in the dim light. "What was your plan exactly?" Dimitri asked, his shoulders tensing. "If you got away from here. Where would you have gone? You can't return to the academy and you have no pack to accept you. If you left here you would become a rogue."
I knew he was right, my only option would be my old pack at Court accepting me, but the likelihood of them reclaiming a mated Omega was low, especially considering the bad reputation I gained at the academy. Being a rogue was dangerous, no one having your back, though at least out there I wouldn't belong to Dimitri.
"I'm just trying to understand why-"
"Don't act like you care!" I yelled at him, eyes blazing. "You want to know why I ran? It's because I don't want to be here. I don't want to be with you! You ruined my life."
Dimitri seemed taken aback, shocked at my words, but he quickly schooled his features, the only sign that my words had affected was the flaring of his nostrils. When he stood suddenly I braced myself. But he didn't approach me, instead, he stalked out of the bedroom slamming the door after him.
Dimitri didn't return, leaving me alone in the room for the rest of the night and the next day. The only person that entered was Ivan, carrying a new tray of food each time. I refused to eat any of it. Each time Ivan came in to retrieve the untouched tray he would frown but never said anything to me.
There wasn't a whole lot for me to do in the room. I had considered another escape attempt, but when I opened the windows I discovered there were men placed on the sides of the house now. Between them, and Ivan in the hallway, I was stuck.
In between the lack of food and the minimal sleep I had managed, my strength was non-existent. My body was unable to heal the injuries I gained yesterday; normally bumps and bruises like this would go away in a couple of hours, but I was still limping on my ankle a day later.
I could feel my wolf growing restless, begging to eat so it could regain its strength, but I couldn't give in.
Dinner had been delivered, it had smelt amazing; steak and vegetables covered in gravy. They even added a chocolate cake as a dessert; they were really trying to get me to eat it. I pushed the tray as far from me as possible, pulling the covers over my face in hopes of blocking it out. Pressed up against the pillows I could focus instead on the crisp scent that reminded me of the forest. I don't know why, but it calmed me, lulling me into feeling safe.
"Didn't eat again, I see."
An older woman's voice woke me, the exasperated tone reminding me of Alberta's. I dragged the blankets off my face just enough to peek at the woman. She stood at the end of the bed with her hands on her hips, she appeared to be in her forties, wisps of grey hairs gathered back in a bun with the rest of her dark brown hair. There were laugh lines around her mouth and eyes, but they only added to the warmth of her expression rather than ageing her.
Her brown eyes, the same ones as his, watched me with concern. "You need to eat to keep up your strength," Her voice had an accent like Dimitri's, though it was thicker. It was strange that both of them had an accent and yet Viktoria didn't.
I rolled my eyes, tugging the blanket back up, "I'm fine." I couldn't believe Dimitri had sent in his mother. Was it her turn to try to make me the perfect submissive mate?
The blanket was lifted off me, her face angled down to see me, "And what is so bad about my cooking?"
For some reason the way she looked at me made me feel guilty for refusing the food. "I don't know what's in it," I defended.
"What's in it?" She repeated, "Are you allergic to anything?" When I shook my head her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Then what?"
"I don't know if you've drugged it," I admitted in a small voice. There was something about this woman that made me feel terrible for even suggesting she would do something like that. She tilted her head to the side, and then a dark look covered her face.
"Oh, Roza. That will never happen to you here." She told me with such conviction. Eyes became sorrowful as they studied me. And then the look was gone and her eyes softened with affection, "Come, I will make you something."
She didn't give me a chance to turn her down, a hand clasped around mine and pulled me from the bed with more strength than I had expected. I had no choice but to follow behind her, grateful that she moved at a slow enough pace that I could keep up with my ankle. She glanced back at me and tsked.
"I will have to speak to my son, leaving his mate like this." She shook her head.
I could help the smirk pulling at my lips imagining this woman telling off Dimitri. With the height differences alone, it would be comical to watch.
Ivan was out in the hallway, relief in his eyes to see me with the woman. I wondered if this was the last resort. He followed us down the stairs and into the kitchen.
When walking through the house after being caught, I didn't take the chance to look around the house. It felt even bigger inside, the same mahogany walls as Dimitri's room throughout, with embellishments on the wood panelling and ceilings. The house had to be old for these kinds of designs, but once we reached the kitchen, all the appliances and counters looked new.
A large bay window, with a long table and chairs in it, would give the room a lot of light in the mornings. Instead of the mahogany wood of the rest of the house, the walls were painted blue, with white counters and cupboards.
A large kitchen island sat in the middle of the room, bar stools along one side. Dimitri's mother pulled one out and gestured for me to sit on it.
"You can watch me make your meal," She told me, going around the other side of the counter, pulling on the apron that was laid on the counter. Ivan pulled up the stool beside me, a grin on his face.
"You're going to love Olena's cooking," He gently nudged me with his elbow.
I wasn't sure exactly what Ivan's role here was, but he did seem close to Dimitri and his family. He and Viktoria were the same in that they could carry on a conversation with a wall, both unnecessarily cheerful. It made me think of Lissa, she was always a glass half full kind of person.
I could use her ability to see the bright side right now.
Watching Olena cook was honestly captivating, the way she moved around, it was like a dance. I hadn't been exposed to a lot of proper cooking, Christian would show off a little when I visited Lissa the same time he did, and Alberta was never much of a cook. The last three years, my meals were just what the academy served, and I'm pretty sure a lot of it was frozen food heated up.
The Alphas and Betas were fed the real food, and the Omegas were given what was left. I had started stealing some protein bars from the cafeteria to help me build some muscles, not that it did me much good.
Olena was a 'make it all from scratch' kind of person, even going as far as squeezing her own oranges for juice; placing a glass in front of me while explaining that the oranges were grown in their garden.
A few people passed through the kitchen, stopping to speak to Ivan and say goodnight to Olena. They all would glance at me so I glare back hoping it would keep them from starting a conversation with me. No one was being outright cruel to me like they would be at the academy, but that didn't mean that they wouldn't be in the future.
Thankfully, Dimitri never came by, it was one thing to yell at an Alpha when alone, it was another to do so in front of others. The lack of witnesses may be the only reason why he had let it slide.
When Olena served me the finished product of a beef stew, to help warm me, I was hesitant to take the first bite. She saw my indecision and pulled out another spoon for herself, swallowing a spoonful with an encouraging smile. And that was all I needed to give in.
I don't think I had ever eaten something so good, the meat was well cooked, and the broth thick and flavourful. Once I started eating I became aware of just how hungry I was and Olena was more than happy to oblige when I asked for more.
Three bowls and half a loaf of bread later, and I was overstuffed but so very happy. The academy food always left me still craving food, their belief that an Omega didn't need to eat much kept our portions small. Omegas were already unwanted because of our weak genetics, no need to make us look unattractive by gaining weight from too much food.
I hated all of the expectations the werewolf society had for Omegas. Before I presented I was strong, training to be a warrior just like my mother and Alberta, but then I turned fifteen and suddenly I was weak and useless. Doomed to a life as nothing but a baby maker, nanny or caretaker. I was going to change that fate.
And then I was dragged from my bed and forced to be mated on my eighteenth instead.
Happy fucking birthday to me.
Olena gave me a fond smile, taking my empty bowel from me, "Good. You are too skinny to be skipping meals. No one will be going hungry in my house." She told me sternly. "Tomorrow, you will come down for breakfast and then we will give you a tour of the house. This is your home now and you should explore."
I bit the inside of my cheek, forcing a smile. I was never going to think of this place as home.
I was waved back up to my room, told to sleep, and with my full stomach that sounded like a great idea. Maybe tomorrow when being shown around I could find another way to escape, take time to actually plan it out rather than winging it.
Tomorrow, I will make a new plan to gain back control of my own life.
