The Alphas Strength

Aven: I had been dreading this night for the past two years. I had been trained, prepped, and primed leading up to this single night. What would happen to me after tonight? Well, that was as good as anyone’s guess. Would I be tossed aside and released? Or maybe I’d be used and abused until I eventually ended up in an early grave? Tonight, was my captor’s alpha ceremony. For generations the higher-ranking officials in the pack, the alphas, betas and gammas would collect a plethora of ‘females’ to act as chamber maids upon the new alphas swearing in ceremony. Not that anyone would have batted an eye if they tested out the ‘goods’ before that night. I had the displeasure of learning that firsthand. This would not be the first night this man… correction this monster would be taking advantage of me. I could hear the cars of visitors pulling up the driveway, and the chattering of new voices downstairs. I focused in on a few conversations, trying to make out the exchanges that the guests were having blatantly oblivious to the horrors that were occurring right under their noses. This pack was held at high esteem by most other packs, and their medieval approach to the treatment of female wolves was nothing short of covered up. “WHY HAVENT YOU STARTED GETTING READY?” a piercing voice flooded the room. I had been distracting myself from the dread of the upcoming events that I hadn’t heard the door swing open to reveal the stocky yet feminine frame that could only belong to Jezebel. As much as I hated this woman she was stunning to look at. It was clear to see with her high cheek bones, pursed lips and glossy ebony hair why the current alpha had chosen her as one of his chamber maids. At one point I had felt sympathy for her seeing how broken she looked when the alpha constantly neglected her for his mate. I realized that just like me she was probably forced into this situation. My sympathy was quickly resolved when the torture and ‘training’ began. Unlike the four young women who accompanied me in this windowless prison of a room I did not jump at jezebels warning. Instead, I simply c****d my head towards her barely lifting an eyebrow. I knew full well I was challenging the authority she had been granted over us. I was also aware that she could do no harm to us tonight out of fear that she might bruise or scar the soon to be alphas precious goods that he has been saving for this very night. She could try to waterboard me again, but I doubted she would attempt even that given how much longer it would take me to get ready for tonight. Jezebel was always very observant to my defiance. She casually strolled across the room not breaking eye contact with me until she reached my cot where I had been sitting. “Eavesdropping Aven?” she says to my lifting her hand to stroke my chocolate brown hair. “Just lost in my thoughts Jaz” I state in an emotionless tone. I can feel the other girls’ breaths hitch in their chest as I use the alphas pet name for this woman. All of us were explicitly told we were only permitted to refer to her as “Miss”. Every opportunity that I was given I did the opposite, its likely why she tortured myself more than the other girls but if she was too distracted with me, she wouldn’t have time to focus on them. The burning in my scalp from jezebel’s new grip on my hair ripped me out of my thoughts. “For your sake I hope that’s all it was” she hisses at me before releasing her grip. “Now all of you hurry up! I expect you to look flawless by the time I come back.” She directed this statement at the whole room before turning to lock eyes with me once more as if in warning of my earlier comment. I refused to break our visual exchange first, my silver eyes staring daggers through her. I felt a small sense of pride watching her turn on her heel to exit the room, but her next words made my heart sink heavier than I thought superhumanly possible. “oh, and Aven. Remember your expectations for tonight, it won’t be you who gets punished for your inability to preform this time”. FUCK! She knew my disobedience was only to protect the others. How long had she known? How long had she been planning threatening their torture based on my ‘performance’? our new alpha was not an easy man to please. Anything short of what he deemed perfection would likely result in an unfortunate outcome for all of us. God how I wished Thana was still here. She would have known what to do. When she passed … no sorry… when she was murdered by jezebel and Alastor (our soon to be alpha) she had been the one protecting us all. She would always find a way to keep the attention of our tormentors, so we never had to endure their wrath to the same extent. While being tortured she had bled death… having a werewolf bleed to death is not an easy feat to accomplish, but I supposed they had gotten carried away forgetting how weakened we become with the wolfsbane they force into our bodies daily. Thana had explained to me the night before they ripped her from us what she had done to protect us, she told me how the punishments were getting worse and if she didn’t make it that I had to strong for the others. I glanced around the room into the worried eyes of my companions. “I promise I won’t let anything happen to you” I say as reassuringly as I can manage. Even If I wasn’t sure what might happen tonight, they needed me to be strong, or least to believe that I was strong enough for them. I couldn’t bear to be forced to clean up the bloody lifeless bodies of any my friends… not again. Of all the pain they had inflicted on me, ‘cleaning up the mess’ that was thana, was by far the worst. “Now lets get ready, we have a long night ahead of us” I say to the girls in the most cheerful tone I can manage. I give Sylvie, the youngest of us a half-hearted smile “let me know if you need any help” I say trying to keep her spirits up Meg the eldest of us gives me a recognizing nod “well what are we waiting for ladies?” she encourages.