My mind woke before my body, my limbs still heavy from sleep. A dull ache from the base of my spine, working its way up to my head where it settled. I knew I was on a bed; the firm yet soft mattress was ingrained into my memory by now, but the smell of blood was new.

Why did this happen to me?

Why did this always happen to me?

Slowly but surely, the feeling came back in my limbs. I winced, my hands raising to rub at my eyes to try and clear some of the fog. A voice startled me, causing my heart to jump start.

"Ah, you are awake."

My eyes flew open, locking directly onto target. I tried to pull myself up, but my arms felt weak, and it failed. Blake snickered, crossing his arms as he stood in the doorway and watched me struggle.

"Exhausted?"

I felt my stomach churn with nausea, the desperate need to rid my life of his very being overwhelmed me. It wasn't new to me, being weaker was rather familiar. I was used to it, able to succumb to my own numbness whenever something happened. It was the after pain that always got me.

The feeling of disgust and exhaustion always haunted me. The ghostly touches, the bruises and aches in every limb and organ from the pain. The dull thumping of my heart as it tried to heal itself. My consciousness may be able to hide, but my compassion, my happiness, my love for life, was always destroyed.

I was used to abuse from Darius; the only curve ball he had given me was Ash. But Blake? That threw me. I was supposed to be safe in Asra's lands so why I had been taken? I knew he had guards on me, so how did Blake get to me? Why didn't Asra come running to my rescue like he did when Blake last took me by surprise.

He claimed he could feel me through our bond¸ and I thought I had shut him out, so maybe I truly did? Did I block him so bad that he didn't care? Did my not-so-secret guards get hurt? Did they know I was missing? How long had I been missing?

"Questions? Plenty of time for that. But first it has been requested for me to 'look after' you." He mimicked quotation marks, a grimace on his face. "So, I need to bathe you."

I swallowed past the dryness in my throat, my stubbornness taking the lead. There was no way in hell he was going to touch me, not so intimately.

"No." I growled. "I can bathe myself."

He tutted. "Always so stubborn."

I glared daggers at him, but he just smirked, shrugging.

"Fine. Whatever." He snickered. "I can't deal with your childishness. I made a deal anyway; I'm not supposed to hurt you."

"And yesterday was not that, right?" I quipped.

He narrowed his eyes. "You do realise, that in my pack, if we come across a rogue human, or one such as you, we kill them?"

I slammed my lips together, glaring at him silently.

"Look, it is either me, the one who has cannot hurt you... any further, or one of my men." He grinned, stepping towards me.

Grimacing, I weighed out my options. Neither were good, the fact he would either be bathing me or watching me, or one of his swine, ass-grabbing men would do it instead. At least with Blake I knew he couldn't hurt me anymore. I mean, I could do neither and wallow in my own dirt and pity, but I had plans. I needed to see where I was, scope out the place, and see who the fuck wants me here and why.

Sighing heavily through my nose, I dragged myself into a sitting position. "Fine."

"I see you have made your decision." He clicked his tongue, wrapping his arm under my bicep.

I was naked. The blanket falling from my chest revealed the bruises his hands had left on my body. With wobbly, tired legs, he led me to a door on the opposing wall. Inside was a simple en-suite, one I was not expecting from a slight cabin. He set me down on the toilet, standing back to wait.

"You're going to watch me piss, too?" I snarked.

He growled, the sound rumbling the plastic seat. "Do I need to remind you who you are talking to, human?"

I dropped my gaze from his, feeling beaten at his unspoken threats. I needed to work out how far I could push his buttons, but damn, I really had to piss. Pulling some toilet paper from the dispenser, I tried to use it as a muffler as I found my relief. The moment I was finished, he was back beside me, pushing me into a shower.

"You can wash yourself, but I am not leaving." He snapped.

I nodded, eagerly turning the warm water on and shoving myself into it. Is this what people in prison felt like? They were rare these days, mostly our punishment was down to the wolves, and they used our old jailcells for their own demons. But there were few prisons left, and they were heavily guarded.

Grabbing some soap, I lathered myself in it, not opposing to the masculine scent. I scrubbed my body raw, feeling tears pool in my eyes. I could still feel the dirt, feel the fingerprints engraved in my skin like every time.

I could've stayed in there for hours, trying to burn the skin cells from my body, but Blake had stopped me, complaining I was using all the hot water. The room had fogged up, and he was grimacing as he watched me make my thighs bleed. I had torn a few cuts open, no doubt left behind from his knife

I wondered if I was the first person here. I mean, it wasn't my first time in the bull's ring. I knew my beginning, end and what to do in the middle to get there. I wondered if anybody else had been in my shoes.

Blake oversaw everything. From getting dried to getting clothed in a random dress. It was skin-tight, cutting into my waist and chest, my breasts almost pooling out of the top. I wasn't even a big chested girl, that's how tight it was. He had to tie it in the back, saying it was a corset and that was how it was done. The skirt was short too, barely gracing the lower part of my ass. He forced me into an uncomfortable pair of four-inch heels too.

I hated high heels with a passion. I could walk in them fine; I just hated the fuckers.

He took me by the elbow, leading me down some hallways. I ignored his grip, keeping my head high until we arrived at a dining room. The two men in there were equally as large, one I recognise as one of Blake's henchmen yesterday.

"Take a seat. Breakfast is already made." Blake muttered, pushing me into a chair.

I grunted as I sat, feeling my ass cheeks hit the wood. The skirt of this dress definitely did not cover enough, and I had no choice but to deal with the cool wood on my barely clad skin. He had only given me a thong too, doing so with a devilish smirk on his face.

I felt my heart constrict as a bowl of porridge was set before me, banana slices placed in a circle in the centre with a drizzle of syrup all around it.

Now, you may think it's a weird thing to get all worked up about, but it was eerily close to what I used to eat in Evermore. Darius could not cook; and his speciality was anything instant or toasted. Days where he would try to treat me, he would make porridge drizzled with golden syrup in a love heart shape. There would also be strawberries, cut into thin slices that made up a small heart of their own in the middle.

It was such a weird coincidence that I couldn't help snort at the very idea of the two being related. Sinking my spoon into my porridge, it tasted fine. It didn't occur to me until I was nearly finished that I probably should've questioned its ingredients.

Slowly putting down the spoon, I swallowed down the nerves. "Isn't kidnapping supposed to be traumatising and yet you are feeding and bathing me?"

The henchman snorted, Blake shooting him a strange look.

"Well, when there is a pretty price on your head, I find it my mission to look after my sales." Blake stated, placing his coffee mug down.

"Price?" I wondered.

"Yes, you seem to be a popular human."

My eyebrows furrowed, wondering what the hell he was talking about. I had no relations in things like this. Selling people? Absolutely absurd.

"So... the abuse, that was just seasoning?" I snorted.

He cocked his head, not finding me amusing. "You seem to be taking it well."

"What, the other girls not last this long?" I wondered, egging him on.

I needed to see how far I could push him.

His eyes flashed to their darker shade, a growl tearing out his lips. "No. They didn't."

Wincing, I dropped my gaze. So, I wasn't the first, how disgusting of a man he was.

"Tell me, Ailia, why is it you are so calm about all of this? Did you enjoy it, is that what it was?" He smirked evilly. "Are you masochistic?"

I clicked my tongue. "Oh yes, because being abused and falling unconscious is my favourite pastime."

"So, it isn't your first time, how right I was."

I narrowed my eyes as he nudged his friend and they chucked.

Changing the subject, I slowly finished my porridge. "How long have I been here?"

"Only a few hours." Blake stated, setting his mug in the sink. "Just the night."

"Where am I?"

"That ruins all the fun now, doesn't it?" He taunted. "You are in my cabin."

"You, an alpha, live in a cabin?" I snorted.

His eyes narrowed, his ego no doubt sore. "This is my temporary home."

Interesting. Why would he need a temporary home? Going by his rising agitation and lack of patience I needed to change my interrogation tactic.

"So... you have two homes in your territory? Sounds like you got a lot of money." I smiled, batting my eyelashes. "A lot of power. A lot of strength."

He shifted, watching me curiously through dark eyes. "I am powerful and strong, yes."

"I can tell." I grinned, flashing my eyes down his body as I leaned forward.

It seemed to have worked, his hands flexing at his sides as he licked his lips, eyes falling to my breasts.

"You should see my home back in pack land. Ten bedrooms, three stories. Even a red room." He smirked, stepping closer to me. "Extensive gardens and cars, nothing like the land around here."

I smiled up at him, a triumphant gleam in my eye as I got the information I wanted. A temporary home, in a place that was not his land. Was this the no-man's land Asra spoke so grimly of? No power, no authority over territory. Every person for themselves.

"Sounds wonderful." I hummed, placing my cheek on my palm. "Does it snow there? I love the snow."

Lie, I mused. I hated snow.

He shrugged, leaning a hand on the table. "It's more midland, not a lot of snow. Only when it's cold."

I pouted, letting a small sorrowful oh leave my lips. He was quick to recover.

"But in the summer, it's beautiful. Not too hot either."

"I would love to go." I grinned.

"Maybe one day." He ran his fingers down my face. "But someone is paying a pretty price for you back in one piece today. It would be a shame to lose such value."

I pouted, shrugging. "Maybe."

His eyes fogged over suddenly, his body going tense before his head darted to the door. A snarl ripped out of his throat and I was forcibly pulled into his chest. There was shouting and growling sounding from outside, loud clattering and shooting of guns.

I gasped, stumbling into Blake's chest. "What's go-"

"Shut up, slut." He snapped before spinning to his henchman. "Clear the way. I need to get her out of here."

The henchman nodded; eyes stern as he ran out of the room. I heard the front door burst open, a loud shout of terror filling the small cabin. I tensed, fear lacing my very soul.

Was someone here to kill us? Was I about to die?

"Alpha!" The henchman screamed before his voice ended into a garbled mess.

Blake growled, hastily pulling me into him. "How did he find us?"

I wanted to ask who, who found us. What found us. But I couldn't even breath. His left arm was wrapped around my middle, his right around my neck. I was hardly breathing, his grip too tight and suffocating to allow me to.

A low growl sounded, vibrating the walls themselves. Blake's breathing quickened as he silently cursed, dragging us to a door. It creaked slightly as it opened, causing me to squeal with fear of being caught.

Looking around, we were trapped.

We had ended up in the kitchen, the cupboards a glaring white and the room small and quaint. They would soon be splattered with my blood; no doubt Blake would leave me to get killed and run for himself.

Footsteps echoed through the house; the rumbling consistent with that of a thunderstorm. Deep vibrations that caused my heart to stammer, the urge to vomit returning to me once more.

The door in the dining room smacked open and Blake shifted his arm, allowing me to breath. I took an alarming mouthful of air, feeling the burn of it in my lungs. He seemed to had realised his hold on me, slackening slightly to drag me another step backwards.

Through the sound of my heavy breathing and pulsating heart, the footsteps grew closer and closer. A floorboard creaked, fingers pressing into the wood of the door as it ever so slowly opened.

My breath hitched as the wood groaned and cracked, millimetres turning into inches. Whoever it was taunting us, the sound of them inhaling deeply before another growl sounded. My ears throbbed, my stomach burning. If I didn't pass out, I was going to vomit all over Blake again.

The door opened. Burning night skies peered at me through the door, a cry of relief escaping my lips at the sight.

"Asra!"

16/2