My skin was on fire. My magic begging to be let out as my rage grew. I could feel the tears rolling down my face and a purple aura started to surround me. I was so angry that I couldn't concentrate on one spell and magic started to shoot out of me in short bursts of light.
My body started to shake and I felt like I was on fire. My tears stopped and my mind went numb as my magic became more and more intense. I could feel my eyes glow purple and I knew I was going to explode the same way I did in that hospital room. And then it all stopped.
My body relaxed and I could breathe normally again. I started to regain control over my body and my skin stopped burning. A warm tingly sensation made its way through my body from my knee. It was the same feeling I got every time he touched me. I looked down and his hand was resting on my leg, his palm rested on the edge of my knee and his fingertips rested on my inner thigh.
I brushed his hand off of my thigh and my wolf whimpered at his absence. Refusing to meet his eyes I hugged my knees to my chest and turned away from him. My heart sunk into my stomach and tears started to silently started to roll down my face, brought on by the resurfacing memories.
"Listen, I'm sorry sweetheart. Let's just go up to my room and we can get you cleaned up." His voice came gentle and sincere. He reached out his hand to rest on my shoulder but I jerked away on contact, causing a suppressed growl to come from his throat.
"I'm not going up to your room with you. I'm staying here." The words venomously came out of my mouth. I inertly laughed at how he expected me to come running into his arms and into his bed when he's the one that made me feel this way. I never should've taken this damn job. I'm not gonna get my money and by the looks of it I won't wind up dead either.
He exhaled sharply and then said, "Look it's cleaner and I can take better care of you in my room let's go up there," trying to convince me. Even though he couldn't see me I rolled my eyes at him and attempted to scoff through my stuffy nose and sore throat.
"If you just talk to me I can fix things for you." He pleaded. "What is it that you want?"
"Why don't you just read my mind again? Cause that worked well for you last time." I retorted, annoyed with his ignorance.
"God damnit woman what is your problem!" He exclaimed angrily. I whipped around on the bed and lifted my chin to meet his gaze. He was 6'2" and normally stood only eight inches taller than me. But since I was sitting on the bed his built figure towered over me more than normal, and his presence looming over me made it hard to breathe.
"My problem is that I've been kidnapped, bound, and belittled since meeting you! I don't want to answer all of these stupid questions or to have to fear for my life when I want to use the bathroom! My problem is this cushy lifestyle, the constantly being watched and invasive and ridiculous questions! I never wanted any of this and you forced it upon me!"
"Because you are my mate!" He yelled back at me.
"Well I didn't ask for that! I don't want this life, I don't want to be your mate, and most importantly I don't want you!" I screamed at him. But I went to far, and before I knew it I heard a loud smack and my left cheek burned as my head swung with the blow. My wolf was hurt but I was pissed.
I quickly shifted onto my knees and punched him in the throat. He stumbled slightly backwards and I used the room to stand up and deliver a kick to his stomach. I ended up putting my weight on my injured leg and I fell to the floor. I scrambled back to my feet but before I could hit him again he grabbed both of my arms and pinned me against the wall. I went to lift my leg and kick him but he placed his knee in between my legs.
His eyes locked onto mine and they were pitch black. He breathed heavily and I could see his eyes soften in pain when his gaze shifted to my cheek, and I assumed there was a large red hand print obvious as ever. His eyes drifted back to mine again and they held my gaze intensely. And then I spit in his face.
Once again a low growl echoed through the room and I could feel it in my chest. He brought my hands together above my head and held them with one of his while his other hand wiped his face. He then slowly brought his hand down and let it rest on my waist as he leaned in. Getting so close that his lips brushed against the top of my ear when he spoke.
"Please just let me care about you." He said so soft it was almost a whisper, and his tone almost made me feel guilty for how difficult I had been.
"Get out." I whispered back. And just like that he let me go. I once again landed on the ground, unable to support myself after our encounter. I watched him walk out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It had been three weeks since I'd seen him. The same day we fought I was moved to a room much bigger than the one I was in previously and it smelled like him. I figured it was his room but after he didn't come to see me for the first few days I assumed I was mistaken. I didn't want to know if it was his room or not either so I didn't bother to poke around. I contently stayed in the bed and by the window with the occasional trips to the bathroom.
I was well taken care of the past few weeks. I was assigned a maid named Amelia who took care of all of my food, clothing and toiletries. She was very sweet and had her mind set on making sure that my every need was met. When she asked what clothes I would prefer and I answered with sweats she was not amused. But she delivered anyways, for everything she was eager to please. I just assumed it was because of Naziah, even though she never once brought him up.
Accommodations were nice and the room was beautiful, but I was never allowed to leave. I became so bored after the first week that cabin fever started to settle in and I started tearing apart the room in order to occupy my mind. Amelia noticed this almost immediately and started cracking open my windows whenever she was there to allow fresh air in. She always closed them before she left but that was more than likely to keep herself out of trouble.
When the air itself wasn't helping she brought puzzle books and yarn for me to occupy myself. Amelia treated me like a sister and even with all the kindness she showed I never once gave her anymore than civility. I liked Amelia I really did, but to hell if Naziah thought I was going to show any appreciation for him.
I was facing the window, watching the trees sway and the birds dance with the wind as little drops of water ran down the glass panes. There was a quick sharp knock on the door and I tuned to see Amelia, energetic as ever, walk into the room. She had what looked like a fresh pair of clothes in her hand with another small set of fabric sitting on top.
"I brought you a fresh pair of clothes." Amelia chirped as she set them on top of the dresser and then came and sat down next to me.
"For what? I have plenty." I sighed, unamused by her happy demeanor this early in the morning. I actually wasn't sure how early it was. There wasn't a clock in the room, digital or analog, there were no electronics in the room whatsoever, and all of the electrical outlets had been covered up.
"Emerson, you live in sweatpants and hoodies." She stated bluntly. "You need to put on some real clothes. Trust me, you'll feel better." She added on in a pleading tone.
"I feel great already. Who doesn't love being held against their will by a psychotic Alpha?" I grunted as I pulled the covers over me and shifted away from her. She sat there for a few moments in an awkward silence before she finally spoke.
"I really do hope Alpha Naziah lets you out of here soon." She whispered in a sad tone before she stood up and exited the room.
And there I was, alone again with nothing to do but stare at the wall. I went over to the dresser to change out of my pajamas and out of curiosity for what clothes Amelia had brought for me. There was a pair of light wash jeans and what looked like a long sleeved graphic t-shirt. However, what caught my eye was the article of clothing on top, the smallest piece of lace that I had ever seen in my life.
"Yeah like that's gonna cover anything up." I muttered sarcastically to myself. Giving up on the new clothes I grabbed a pair of boxers from the top drawer and headed over to the bathroom. I closed the door behind me and dropped the boxers on the floor next to the shower. I turned the water on and stripped as I waited for it to reach an acceptable temperature.
After my shower I dried myself off with the towel and then slipped my boxers on. I quickly dried my hair and then wrapped the towel around my body. I stopped quickly to look at myself in the mirror and besides my cheeks being red from the heat of the shower, and the nasty scar that had formed on my leg, everything seemed in order.
I stepped out of the bathroom and closed the door gently behind me. I looked around the room before heading back to the dresser and noticed that the bed had been made. Amelia had probably been here again and from the looks of it I guessed correctly since there was a small plate of food sitting next to the clothes she brought me earlier.
I dropped the towel to the floor so I was in nothing but the boxers I had slipped on just a little bit ago. I went to run my fingers through my hair but froze when I heard a low growl come from the corner of the room. I turned only my head towards the door and saw Naziah sitting in the ornate chair by the closet. His demeanor was calm but his eyes and his hands were not. He gripped the end of his armrests so hard I thought they would snap. I rolled my eyes at him and faced back towards the dresser.
"You should probably get dressed." He stated in as level of a tone he could manage. Although I wasn't looking at him I could feel how hard he was holding himself back, and with everything he put me through I deserved to have some fun.
"No. I think I'll just go lay back down." I smirked and walked over to the bed, making sure to keep my back to him the entire time. I sat down on the bed with my back to him and pulled all of my hair in front of my shoulders exposing the muscles and bones in my back. I heard him shift his posture and satisfied with my work I laid back down in the bed and pulled the covers over me. Finding a comfortable position laying on my stomach, my head turned away from him.
There were a few moments of silence and then I heard him clear his throat before he spoke. "What happened to you?" He asked in a hoarse voice, almost sad. But I refused to let myself fall for his fake sympathy.
I scoffed and replied, "What? The fact that I took a shower? Or the fact that I was kidnapped and locked in a room for three weeks?" My sarcastic response granted a growl from the other end of the room. I heard him rise from his chair and walk over to the other end of the bed. He took a seat and the very edge and I could feel the bed dip from his weight.
"What happened to your back?" He asked, slightly more demanding but his voice was still gentle. I was confused. Unless Amelia had come and sliced open my back in the night or I'd had a sudden allergic reaction it was the same as always. Becoming slightly intrigued, I didn't move away as I felt him make his way across the bed to come closer to me. He stopped just a few inches away from my side.
"These scars and marks, what are they from?" He moved the blanket down slightly so that he could see better. As he did I flinched and shifted away from his touch and he let out a quick growl and I huffed in response.
"Marks of the trade." I let out a quick remark as I sat up keeping my back turned to him, my legs hanging over the edge of the bed. I wrapped the blanket around my waist and started to pull it up to my shoulders but he stopped me. His fingers grazing against the small of my back. I struggled to suppress a moan as sparks erupted where his skin touched mine.
"You mean someone did this to you." It was more of an angry statement than a question. I once again tried to pull the blanket up but he stood hiss ground. Tracing the scars on my back. My breath hitched, I hadn't felt anything there in years. I'd forgotten that they were there, many of them were deep and remained white. A sign that they weren't well cared for or never healed completely. More often than not, if something touched them I never felt it due to the thick scar tissue. But just now, his touch.
I shrugged it off and stood up, the blanket falling off of me. I heard him suck in air and I walked over to the dresser. Once again keeping my back turned toward him. "I've been murdering people since I was sixteen years old." I stated nonchalantly. "I wasn't always good at it." I slipped on a shirt not bothering with a bra at the moment. It would've been too much of a hassle and I didn't want him to see me putting on one of the many suggestive bras he provided me with. "I was supposed to be done with it too. But now here we are." I said finally turning toward him with my arms crossed and he remained seated on the bed. "Just you and me. And if I don't kill you-" I chuckled, "-I'm going to kill myself." I finished with a smile.
With that statement he abruptly rose and made his way toward me. When he reached me he grabbed my jaw with his hand and pinned me against the dresser. "Don't you ever dare suggest hurting yourself! Do you understand me!" He snarled at me, bringing his face closer to mine with every word. His face right next to mine and his lips brushing against my ear by the time he was done.
"Then maybe I'll just have to kill you." A sultry, teasing whisper in his ear. A throaty chuckle leaving my lips as his hand moved from my jaw to my throat.
"You tease me with torture love but you're the one who's going to get hurt." He teased back. His hand gripped tighter around my neck as he pinned me harder against the dresser.
"Then torture me to death." I said breathily and finished in a manic laughter. I was losing my mind. My world was falling apart. Everything that I had done for myself was being torn to pieces by one man. And I just wanted it all to end.
He just stood there, silently for a moment. Taking long deep breaths his nose pressed into my hair. He still gripped me tightly but I could easily breathe and their was no pain. His breath caressed my ear each time he exhaled and it sent a shudder through me. After a moment he moved the hand that he placed on my throat down to my waist, opposite of the other.
We stayed like that for a few more minutes before he warily moved his hands from my waist to the dresser, still resting on either side of me. "I actually came here to address something else with you." He stated, seeming to have regained most of his control. I didn't respond, just stood silently waiting for him to continue.
He let out a sigh and spoke again. "You'll be going into heat tomorrow. Because of this I think it would be beneficial if we slept together." He stated in a matter-o-fact tone, not the least bit bothered by the subject.
I let out a throaty chuckle and responded, "I will never sleep with you. Ever." The words poured out of my mouth like venom and I could hear the wooden dresser start to crack as he tightened his grip. "And my heat is of no concern to you." I said in the same matter-o-fact tone that he started with. I started to move away from him but he just slammed me back into the dresser.
"It will be my concern when your hormones are screaming at every wolf in a five mile radius to come fuck you! And all of those wolves will assume you're fair game because you're not marked!" He said, his voice growing louder with each word. "They've already started and as you can tell it's not exactly easy to hold myself back." He took a deep sigh before he continued. "I'm not asking you to have sex with me Emerson. I am just asking that you lay next to me so that I can help you through it and my scent will be on you." He finished in an almost pleading tone.
"I can take care of myself." I snarled at him. "And if you can't do the same then go find some whore to do it for you." I snapped, spitting in his face after I was done. He let out a loud roar and just like that, he was gone. Slamming the door behind him.