Written on November 17th and 18th 2020

C H A P T E R  11

Nervously, Tara sits in Alpha Thorvald's room. Her heart is pounding in her throat and she is having difficulty breathing properly. In the meantime, she tries to focus on something else, such as working with Sigrid today. But still, Tara's head wanders towards the Alpha again.

She hadn't seen or heard from him all day. She had found this very confusing, given the events of the past few days. It is still not clear to her why he took her away from the Pugna Vincula, just to start playing games with her.

Although she didn't mind not being in the presence of the Alpha today, it still raised some questions for Tara. A feeling of uneasiness comes over her because of her ignorance of what to expect. A shiver runs through her body. She wraps her arms around her as she sits patiently in the spot Sigrid had assigned her half an hour ago.

'Don't go anywhere,' Sigrid had told Tara sternly, which was followed by a finger pointing. 'Sit there until the Alpha himself tells him otherwise.' All Tara had done was nod obediently, sit down at the designated spot and stare into space as time ticked by.

If Tara still had her Wolf Senses, she would have heard that Vidar was back on his own territory and almost finished running the last lap of the day. A round in which he visits all public buildings and houses of his Pack to check that everything is going well.

But Tara doesn't have her Wolf Senses, so she can't know that it will only be a few minutes before she comes face-to-face with the dark man again. Unsure, she starts to fiddle with the end of the T-shirt, trying to pass the time and not think about today.

'Ah, Tara.'

Startled, Tara looks back and sees the Alpha standing in the doorway. A small twinkle appears in his eyes as he sees the scared expression on the face of the girl in front of him. 'Aren't you going to stand up in front of your Alpha?' Vidar asks in a tone that increases Tara's panic. As if bitten by a snake, she jumps up and immediately lowers her head so that she is looking at the ground.

'S-Sorry A-Alpha,' Tara whispers, half stuttering. Her heart starts to pound even harder, afraid that she has angered the man and will now be punished. It was the first time in four years that she had spent a day almost pain-free. On the one hand, it scares Tara, because it is not normal and her body - both mentally and physically - is so used to it. On the other hand, it also gave a sense of relief, she felt less weak than yesterday.

'Tsk, tsk,' the Alpha says disapprovingly as he walks up to Tara. He grabs the end of Tara's ponytail and gently pulls it. This forces Tara to throw her head back slightly, so her eyes are now directed towards the ceiling.

'I'm sure you know what happens to girls who don't listen?'

Tara knows she can't answer this: The loud sound her beating heart makes says it all. She grits her teeth and tries to close her eyes to mentally distance herself from her body.

'Hey, hey, eyes open,' Vidar whispers in Tara's ear. 'I don't want you to miss this,' he grins falsely. With one smooth movement he throws Tara over his shoulder and walks out of the room with her.

* * *

With her back exposed, Tara stands in the middle of a room. She looks around in horror. Giant mirrors are attached to all the walls so that everything that happens in the room can be clearly seen. Her hands are tied to a rope attached to the ceiling. As a result, her arms hang high in the air and she can just about balance on the ground when she stands on her toes.

Tears sting Tara's eyes the moment the end of a whip hits her back. 'That doesn't sound so bad,' sighs Vidar. He walks around the girl while gently hitting his own hand with the whip. 'Oh little girl,' he mumbles to Tara and wipes a tear from her cheek. 'Don't cry just yet, this is only the beginning.'

* * *

Cold, humiliated and full of burning spots on her body, Tara falls to the ground. She has her arms wrapped around her legs and her head pressed between her knees. Will this miserable life ever end? Countless thoughts run through her mind as she frantically tries to hold back her tears.

Whatever little hope Tara had when she first met the Alpha had completely disappeared after tonight's torture. Something inside her made her feel attracted to the man, but what exactly is that; Tara can't quite put her finger on that. But just now she knows for sure: she is doomed to live only like this and the Pugna Vincula is nothing compared to what awaits her at Alpha Thorvald's home.

* * *

Vidar stands on a large stage with his Beta Oskar next to him. In front of them is part of their own Pack, but also the selection of Wolves who have been given the opportunity to join this Pack. Alpha Ozack and his wife are nowhere to be seen: Vidar has made it very clear to them that they were not welcome.

Also in the crowd is Tara, who is being closely watched by Bjarne. His hand is wrapped around Tara's upper arm, applying just enough pressure to keep Tara focused through pinching pain. Bjarne doesn't care about the soft sounds that escape Tara's arm.

It was now a day later, but the painful spots on Tara's body seemed to have gotten worse. Standing on her feet hurts, her back still has a burning sensation and moving a limb is also impossible without having to bite the inside of her mouth to try to ignore the pain.

None of Vidar's men understand who Tara is and why he wants her with him, but they know better than to ask. Bjarne and Oskar have a vague suspicion; but both had put that idea out of their minds. Something like that wouldn't be good for either the girl or their Alpha.

'Dear Wolves,' Vidar begins his speech. He casts his eyes over the crowd, but he lingers briefly on Tara's eyes; a fake grin appears on his lips. 'Today we are here to add new members to the Pack.'

One by one, Oskar calls out a name, the person in question then walks onto the stage and Vidar takes an iron rod from a basket of fire. The emblem on the bar is burned on the back - left shoulder blade.

The sound produced by the glowing iron coming into contact with human flesh is a nasty and nauseating hissing sound. Tara looks at the scene before her in horror. With every cry that is uttered, Tara can empathize exactly how it feels for the person being branded.

Although Tara wants to close her eyes and turn her head away from the horrible sight, her neck seems to be stuck in a position where she can only look straight ahead. A shudder runs through her body, causing Bjarne to look aside and take in the girl.

He can hardly find a place on her body where there is no damage. Everywhere he looks he sees bruises, poorly healed scars or new red welts with still half-open wounds. All Bjarne can do is shake his head and take his eyes off Tara.