Taming The Alpha’s Daughter

Three

Temperance

“Did he take Nova out of the cage?” I ask her, knowing what that means. It makes my skin itch. I know the answer, but I hope she tells me differently.

“Yes, he said he would be back for me later,” she tells me with a whimper. I sigh, that would explain the blood, and the scent of lingering soap. He always hosed me down before putting me back in the cage. Yet she never tells me what he does with her. I have a faint idea from the voices and the vulgar comments of men I vaguely hear; or by the throbbing pain that sits between my legs and the handprints I can still feel on my thighs and hips. The stickiness that doesn’t quite leave my skin; I know it is nothing good.

My body always feels sore and aches, sometimes my scalp hurts, sometimes everything does. Sitting in the darkness, I listen to the TV above, trying to picture the faces of the voices and listening to the story they speak. In the dark for so long, you develop a great imagination, yet that swings both ways. Sometimes what I hear, I don’t want to imagine. But my mind conjures it up anyway.

Hearing the TV cut off, I have no idea how much time has passed. Time isn’t exactly something I can keep up with. The passing of time is as lost to me as hope. All I know is darkness and darker darkness when Nova locks me away. Heavy footsteps sound above, and I turn my head, clutching the mesh, searching the vast cold space.

The sound of the door handle twisting makes me scoot back, then the heavy sounds of footsteps on the old, creaky stairs make my heart beat faster.

“Nova!” I hiss, but she is too weak, and I gulp as my brother comes closer. I can tell he is closer because of his scent, and the deadly aura radiating out of him, encasing me with fear so strong I can scent it in the air.

“Shadow you’re up!” Satish’s deep, cruel voice orders. Shadow snarls loudly, and I turn my head to look at her.

“Now! Or I can take it out on Temperance! Is that what you want? To listen to her scream?” He snaps, and a lump forms in my throat at the threat as I tug on Nova. But whatever he did, he hurt her badly. I can feel how weak she is. She tries to get up and take the reins, but I know she can’t endure another round.

“It’s okay, Nova. Rest,” I urge. Still, she fights to force the barrier in place, but I push back, I can survive whatever he throws at me if she can. For her, I will be strong just as she is for me.

“What will it be?” Satish snarls at Shadow. His features are obscured as I peer out of the cage, the only thing I can smell is his cologne and his heady wolf scent.

“Very well then!” Satish snaps kicking my cage, and I jump as he crouches in front of me.

“Hello Sis,” he sneers at me. “Looks like you are going for round two?” My heart races, and I feel Nova trying to come forward, trying to take my place. Fear of what is to come seizes my already broken body as the keys rattle and he undoes the padlocks. We’ve tried and failed to breach those padlocks of the too-small cage. Too small to even shift.

“Fine, Fine. I’ll go!” Shadow yells.

Satish pauses, and the slightest silver glint of the keys he holds shines back at me.

“You’ll behave Shadow? No tricks like last time?” he asks her. I wonder what he means, did she try to escape?

“I promise Alpha!” she answers. My brother’s teeth glint back at me as he smiles cruelly at her.

“Your lucky day Sis, you have a volunteer,” he chuckles. Not realizing I always do. Nova always volunteers and takes my place, she pretends to be me.

“Only if you give us food,” she snarls. Just the mention of food makes my belly growl. I cringe wondering what he will do now that she demanded something of him. He huffs standing.

“You dare complain and ask for things, after what you did?” he snarls. I wonder what she did last time.

“Feed the girl at least, she is far too weak, can’t you see she’s not healing!” Her voice is merely a snarl.

He huffs, but Shadow is braver than me to speak to him in such a way. I would never dare. I can’t even remember the taste of food, though I know he must feed us. Nova told me he grants us the bare scraps, but I am yet to see them. I suppose it is when he takes her out of the cage while I am buried in the deepest parts of my mind.

Footsteps sound a few minutes later as someone comes into the basement. A scent I know because I can still smell it lingering on my skin. “Thank you, Trent,” my brother tells the man I cannot see.

I see his figure crouch down in front of my cage. His teeth gleam in the darkness, canines that are far too sharp. I try to press away, but I have nowhere to go when my nose picks up something tantalizing. Enticing. He pushes something through mesh, and before I can think of my actions my hands snatch it. It appears to be some sort of bone, small but still enticing.

“That is it?” Shadow growls.

“You behave and I will grant her another,” my brother snarls back at her. But I am hyper focused on the prize in my hand she gifted me. My mouth salivating as my teeth tear into it. It’s…it’s… it reminds me of…

“It’s a chicken leg,” Nova tells me, her voice barely reaching me she is so consumed by exhaustion.

“It's delicious,” I tell her, and she sobs in my head, thinking otherwise. My taste buds explode and all too soon, it is gone. I chew on the bone, my blunt teeth trying to gnaw it down.

“Don’t eat the bone!” Nova yells at me, but it tastes too good.

“I have something you can wrap your lips around sweets, do you want my bone?” this Trent man speaks into the darkness. I flinch and pull my legs close to my chest, protecting my bone.

“That is all, Trent, you need to go pick up our guests.” My brother dismisses him.

“Now Shadow, I have a very special guest coming that I need you to entertain, and when his guards are down I need you to kill him, but don’t be reckless I need his blood. So preferably leave him in one piece.”

“What for?” she questions.

“Never mind that, you do as you're told and I shall reward you,” he continues, and I retreat having chewed the piece of bone apart, my throat hurts, the bone scraping all the way to my stomach.

“I told you not to eat the bone,” Nova scolds.

“But I…” I sigh as my belly cramps. I can taste the blood in my mouth from my bleeding gums and now aching teeth. Cringing as I listen to my brother. I wonder why he offers her a reward this time and what it will be? Would he set her free? Is her time here up for her crimes? He never offers us a reward, no we get threats, either comply or die.