The King Alpha's grip along my hand was like the whip of a flame; warm and yet biting at my flesh overwhelmingly. Something stirred under my skin as it recognized his presence and it was unnerving to say the least. I was distracted by it and at the same time I was extremely distracted by him.

It was the first time I'd seen him since he "marked" me. Something about him seemed more radiant than ever before and yet where I used to have trouble keeping my eyes on him, now I struggled to look away. His muscles were taut with suppressed anger as he tugged me along behind him, the heat of it pulsing through him visibly. I could sense him in a way I couldn't sense the other shapeshifters. He was raw power and it was like a lullaby to that power within me. It called to me in a way the light of a flame calls to the cold and weary, and I was drawn despite being aware of the danger and the doom that would follow if I got too close.

I felt in a daze until he suddenly released me momentarily.

"You've spelled me!" I accused him quite abruptly, causing him to pause mid-stride. I looked up and away from him, recognizing my surroundings immediately. He had pulled me to his house and back into his room without my notice. My accusation was all but confirmed.

"Did I?" He said simply, digging through his belongings until he removed bandages from them. I frowned, surprised but also suspicious. When he turned to me, he added in the most unconcerned yet all-knowing tone, "Why do you think that?"

A blush of embarrassment caught me. As if I would tell him that I just spent the entire trip here staring at him and his... everything.

Without missing a beat, the King Alpha pushed me just enough to make me stumble. I sat on the edge of the bed to steady myself and glared at him in response. And then I widened my eyes with surprise when he kneeled in front of me, reaching for my injured hand once more but much gentler this time around. My heart thudded painfully as he began to clean the bloodied wound on my palm.

"I didn't do anything to you. Many wolves have tried to mark others and all have failed. If the Mother truly cared for you, she wouldn't have blessed you," He spat the word as if it was the opposite of a blessing; a curse. And for that moment, I truly felt the same. When he finished wrapping my hand, he turned those cold steel eyes on mine dangerously. "And now we'll both suffer from her blessing if only to cause her pain, too."

He all but announced that he knew I would die from the mark.

"What do you mean 'we'll both suffer'?" I asked, my voice shaking slightly.

"As I said before, an injury to you is an injury to me," He told me, his voice low with growing bitterness. "When you go, I will feel it, but the pain I've felt because of those deities is worse than any pain you'll cause me. It will be worth it."

"Why do you hate me so much?" I abruptly whispered, the unfairness of it all suddenly too much in that moment. I felt the sting of tears in my eyes and tensed, steeling myself from allowing this monster to see me cry. I shifted the sadness and self-pity into anger and resolved myself to glaring at the King Alpha.

He remained kneeling in front of me, a look of surprise just briefly crossing his expression before he lowered his face enough to guard his features.

"I hate the humans who raised you. I hate the Goddesses who bless you." He growled dangerously, his words stinging even though I didn't want to care about them. He remained quiet a moment, "When I met you, you smelled wild, fresh from a hunt. I could taste the forest around you; the joy of it. You were free. I hated that scent. It reminded me of a life without pain. I hated being reminded of something I can't have. But you..."

He paused, truly taking a moment as though he had to analyze my existence and exactly how he felt about it.

"No. I don't hate you," He finally confessed.

I was momentarily speechless.

"Then why..." I began, but he interrupted sharply.

"Because the Goddesses chose you to be my next punishment, Milena," The King Alpha snapped angrily, "And I won't just go along with it. I have made my choice. It's just bad luck on your part."

"Bad luck?!" I was officially furious.

Alpha Roman reached forward, running his hands over my thigh quite abruptly. I gasped with surprise, but then protested loudly when he suddenly snapped the straps of my blade from my leg with ease.

"What do you think you're doing?" I cried out, appalled at the mistreatment of my equipment. He continued to pull the blade and it's sheath from me, tossing it across the room with determination. I stood quickly and he did the same, towering over me far too close for comfort.

"No more fighting," He ordered firmly, "Any challenge against you is a challenge against me. I will fight your enemies for you."

"Are you insane?" I sputtered with confusion and frustration.

"No more weapons. No hunting. No running about doing whatever you feel like doing. You're staying here and only here from now until the next full moon," He continued, ignoring my protests without consideration.

I was positively shaking with anger.

"I'm not going to be your obedient little slave," I hissed venomously.

"You're mine and you'll do as I say," He responded dangerously, those ancient eyes staring into mine in a show of dominance as I glared at him defiantly.

I looked away from his eyes just briefly, immediately wanting to kick myself for giving my thoughts away as I glanced at where he tossed my weapon. And then I tried to duck around him. I didn't make it further than a single step before he snatched my arm, twisting me around and capturing me with my back against the length of his body so firmly that it was impossible to escape.

"Let go of me," I growled through my teeth.

"Stop struggling," Alpha Roman demanded sharply, the order a powerful one that reached into me like the brush of his fingers on my soul. I yelped in surprise, a chill raising hair along my flesh in response. It was a familiar feeling, his demand, like when he had ordered me to shift a few times before. But more than that... it tasted similar to that power within me. That which hid under my flesh recognized it momentarily and moved inside me uncomfortably.

"You let go," I demanded right back at him, pushing my own order towards him and that beast of nature always just under his surface. We both struggled in the moment, my body half trying to escape his grasp and half giving up, and him both tightening his grip and relaxing his body simultaneously.

"I thought the mark might sway you more, but you reject me still," Alpha Roman said, panting with exertion. There was something of delight in his tone, as though he was pleased I could still disobey him. And then he suddenly had me on the bed, my wrist captured by something metallic and firm.

He released me and I immediately began pulling at the cuff that now contained me to the bed post firmly. I groaned in frustration, stepping a foot against the bed frame and pulling against the steel as much as I could tolerate before turning to glare at Alpha Roman.

"Why do you want to keep me here? What does it matter if I fight or get injured? It's what you want in the end, isn't it?" I asked with growing irritation and confusion. Roman suddenly began to crawl closer to me, reaching for my face determinedly. I pulled away angrily, but he grabbed me and forced me to look into those dangerous eyes.

"I will be the one to kill you, Milena. That weight will be on me and me alone. If anyone else tries to take you from me, I will destroy them," He said so slowly, his words so dark and heavy that I felt short of breath. I knew in that moment he meant it. He meant to keep me here, enslaved in this one house, until I took my last agonizing breath. And when that time came, he intended not to aid me.

Before I could say anything more, he was gone.

~...~

When I was younger, my mother liked to refer to me as the beast. She would constantly make the reference when it came to addressing my existence. Tell the beast to stop climbing that building. Oh no, the beast is terrorizing those poor boys again. Go fetch the beast and tell her supper is ready.

And yet, I'd only been punished seriously just one time from what I could recall. I had grown weary of my short life in our village. I was always something of an adventurer and I wanted to see other places; the other humans we were forbidden to see. So, I had decided to find them myself.

I ran away, only about eleven at that time, and I was absent for at least a few days. However, I was grossly unprepared. I had no idea where any of the other villages were and I didn't think I would miss my home so much or so soon. That, paired with the idea that wolves would catch me in the night, was enough to eventually make me turn back.

My parents were both relieved and livid. I was confined to my room, trapped and contained for days. It was the worst thing that had happened to me. I craved the outside and loathed containment.

Here I was years later, trapped in a room that wasn't mine, contained to a village that wasn't human, and greatly missing the family I no longer could get back to. I remained where Alpha Roman left me, tugging on the cuff around my wrist repeatedly for an immeasurable amount of time. I wanted to give up; to lay down in a ball and just wait for whatever would come next. But something in me refused. It whispered about my family who thought me dead and my life which I felt had only just begun.

So, I tugged on that cuff, letting it dig into both my flesh and the wood of the bedpost until both were properly carved into.

When night blanketed the day, I finally heard Alpha Roman return. I stopped pulling on the cuff and instead shifted on the bed, leaning into the bedpost as though trying to hide the evidence of my daily activity. Then I glared at the door of the room, waiting for the true beast to arrive.

He opened the door easily, his arms filled with clothes and on top of those a tray of what appeared to be food. I watched silently as he approached the bed and put the tray down on the surface in front of me. He placed the clothing beside the tray and then began to lean towards me.

"What are you-" I began defensively, but paused when he merely unlocked the cuff around my wrist and released me. He took a moment to look at the damage done to my wrist due to my struggles, but merely made a noise of disapproval before letting me go.

"Eat. Clean yourself up. Change your clothes. They're too-" Alpha Roman paused, looking at my clothes momentarily. A flash of interest crossed his features and I instantly moved to cover myself with my arms, glaring at him angrily. He decided against continuing his line of thought and instead added, "... they don't fit."

"Fine," I said bitterly, "But only because I want to. Not because you told me to."

I expected him to say something in response to my comment, but he only narrowed his eyes and remained silent. I reached for the food first, eating it in the most unappealing manner, as though I could offend him by not eating his offerings with grace. Then I roughly snatched the clothing offered to me and stood to find his bathroom, where I would promptly find an escape.

Before I could move to leave, Alpha Roman grabbed my wrist firmly.

"You'll leave the door open," He ordered, indicating to a door that must be connected to the bathroom. I looked at it and then back at him with disbelief.

"Are you a pervert?" I asked, nervous suddenly.

"I'm a good guess of character," He answered with amusement, "I know what you're planning. The door stays open." He released my wrist, moving away to rummage through his own wardrobe.

I entered the rather large bathroom, frowning as I noticed the shower was indeed in direct view from the bedroom. At least there was a curtain for some form of privacy. A second door was to the left, no doubt leading into the hallway. And to the right was a small window; big enough for me to fit through in my opinion.

I started the shower, looking behind me into the room to see Alpha Roman sitting on the bed, his back to me. I didn't trust it. So I stepped into the shower and only began to strip after the water was already cascading over me.

After showering, redressing, and otherwise relieving myself I stood silently and stared at the small window wistfully. I did this against my own judgment for far too long and heard Alpha Roman clear his throat pointedly. I turned sharply to find him watching me from the door frame. I was tired. I couldn't even bring myself to glare at him.

"I can't go outside ever again?" I asked mournfully, looking away from him and back to the window. I could see the sky just outside of it; those blinking stars and the moon waning like a small smile. Or perhaps a frown.

When there was no following answer, I turned my gaze away from the image of the sky and to Alpha Roman who stood unmoving as he watched me. His hands were in fists next to him, an anger or maybe frustration over his features. Something in the way his head was turned, just slightly to the right, made me feel his anger wasn't actually directed at me.

"Come on. We're going to bed," He finally said sharply, turning away to return to his room. I didn't follow at first, immediate discomfort flooding me. I finally convinced myself to approach the bed and hesitated once more.

"When you say 'we're', you mean... both of us?"

"I do sleep, too. Yes." Alpha Roman shifted the still torn sheets on the surface of the bed, preparing it to rest on.

"You mean on the same bed?" My tone was becoming most obviously anxious.

"Do you see another bed?" He responded sarcastically before rolling onto the bed lithely, stretching out in a way that made him seem suddenly more intimidating than he had ever been before. My mouth went dry and my heart stopped momentarily. I took a step back.

"I-I'll just sleep on the floor or-" I took another step back when his eyes found my form dangerously. He crawled across the bed, approaching me slowly. I stared at him with both wonder and reluctance. Only when I realized that he probably was going to grab me did I snap out of it and turn to run.

His hand caught mine and he roughly pulled me to him, causing me to stumble and fall onto the bed. I yelped in surprise, pulling away and struggling to get free. Roman laughed suddenly and I froze, that sound thrilling throughout me despite my reluctance.

"I have never had a female fight so hard to get out of my bed," He abruptly teased before shifting against me, using my moment of surprise to better pull me further into his grasp. I breathed harshly as I found myself face to face with him, my arms tucked between us with his around me powerfully; an entirely different cuff.

"So you've had a great deal of women in your bed then?" I asked sharply, unsure of why I'd even want to know such a thing.

"I had one recently. She climbed on top of me. She put her legs around me," He told me, lowering his face to peer into mine easily. I shifted uncomfortably, my body flushed from his being so close to me. I didn't want to know about his sexual escapades, but he seemed intent on describing them. "And then she tried to drive a knife into my heart."

I laughed abruptly, my relief easing the discomfort of my situation. I wasn't sure exactly why I was relieved except that I was glad to not have to hear any descriptions I didn't want to hear. Roman suddenly tightened his grip on me and I held my breath just as quickly as I had laughed.

"Go to sleep, Milena," He muttered unhappily. I looked away from him to his chest.

"The only one who calls me that is my mother and only when I'm in trouble. You can call me Mila, you know," I whispered with a frown. When he didn't answer me, I looked back to him carefully. "Can I call you Roman?"

"No," He answered firmly. "Go to sleep, Milena."

"Goodnight, Roman," I responded defiantly, smiling only briefly and allowing my exhaustion to take me in spite of my captivity.

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Music: Game of Survival by Ruelle