Stray Echo

Calm Meets Chaos

POV: Echo

“Yes, I would like to know your name.” Alpha Atlas confirmed, his voice so gentle I couldn’t stop my wide-eyed gaze from meeting his. His eyes and aura match the gentleness in his voice and touch. I found myself lost in his eyes, drowning in their green depths, never wanting to surface. ‘Tell him!’ Tala barked in my mind. Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to speak.

“M-my n-name is E…” A low hissing noise from the table caused me to shoot a quick glance at Alpha Brady, showing me the spark of intense rage that I could now feel pouring through his aura. I trailed off, trying and failing to stop the shudder that ran through me. I’d unknowingly entered dangerous waters and would pay heavily for it later.

“The name of my Little Doll is not important, Alpha.” Brady spit, standing up and moving to my side. “Please release her and allow her to return to her duties.” He grabbed me by my elbow and jerked me roughly to his side.

Sucking in a strangled breath as excruciating pain shot through my leg from the motion, I stumbled slightly before regaining my balance. Brady’s hand tightened so hard on my arm it would leave bruises. His way of reminding me that this pain was nothing compared to what he planned later.

I winced at the realization that I was just called his Little Doll in front of a room full of wolves, in front of my mate. I keep my eyes down, not wanting to see the look of repulsion that I am almost certain that Atlas and his pack must wear.

Alpha Brady dragged me back to stand next to his chair as he took his seat. Swallowing the cries of pain before they could surface, I closed my eyes to keep the tears from falling, hobbling feebly along behind him.

“Of course, Alpha Brady, as you wish.” Alpha Atlas replied, his voice eerily calm. He returned to his seat, jaw clenched as he eyed his plate angrily, a deadly aura leaking through his composure. Keeping my gaze lowered on the various foods on the table, I moved to serve him his breakfast. My throat tightens considerably as I feel suffocated by the intense Alpha's auras emanating from either side of me. As they combined with the nauseating pain radiating up my leg, I struggled to maintain my even breathing and keep my hands from trembling.

Alpha Brady’s aura, while a more intense, murderous fury aimed directly at me, had nothing on Alpha Atlas’s aura, which was infinitely more terrifying. His wrath was barely contained, but for some reason, it affected me far less than Brady’s was.

I somehow remained relatively calm until I felt Brady’s hand grazing my skin up from my knee, trailing under the skirt of my dress. Instantly, my whole body stiffened, his fingers tracing along the edge of my underwear before slipping under them.

An involuntary quiver stole over me with a flood of shame. Alpha Atlas’s aura intensified the longer I felt Brady’s fingers moving along their well-worn paths across my skin. The feel of Brady’s finger unexpectedly thrusting brutally into my core caused me to inhale sharply in pain, dropping the scoop of hash brown from my hand. Tiny cubes of potatoes skittered across the table as I watched, frozen in terror, tremors wracking my body as I immediately knew I was going to pay dearly for making the mess.

Brady’s hand jerks away from me, and I take a shuddering breath as I can already feel the gazes of the ranked wolves around me. The wolves from Brady’s pack sneered at me, while the visiting wolves were visibly upset and looking at Atlas for direction. My face turns red as a deep sense of guilt, shame, and disgust hit me hard and I stare dejectedly down at my feet. They all know exactly what just happened. My MATE knows what just happened. While I drown in disgust and shame, both Alpha’s auras increased tenfold. Alpha Atlas was only just attempting to lessen the tension building after I dropped the scoop before getting interrupted.

“No harm done, it’s-”

“YOU USELESS LITTLE b***h!” Alpha Brady roared, moving faster than I’d seen in a while, he jumped to his feet, grabbing me by my forearms and jerking me to the side before letting go, effectively throwing me into the wall as hard as he could. Shocked, I could not stop the cry of agony from escaping as a second sickening snap was heard from my ankle, the room erupting into growls and snarls. They cut off abruptly as a fierce roar rattled the windowpanes violently as both Alphas glared at each other.

“Is this how you treat your inferiors Alpha?” Atlas’s deep voice boomed, dripping with disgust.

“How I treat my Little Doll is of no concern to you,” Brady bellowed. “The treatment of my personal slave has nothing to do with you, your pack, or the deal I wish to offer!” Atlas narrowed his eyes at him, a low grumbled leaving him before he turned his gaze to me, taking in my fresh injuries and the exposed scars of those long past healed. I tugged the skirt of my dress back over my thighs, lowering my gaze back to the floor.

‘Tala, are you able to heal any of our injuries?’ I asked internally, while Atlas observed me closely. ‘I’m trying, but I’m still too weak. The best I can do is make it so your ankle will hold you up, but I can’t do anything for the pain of it. It will be excruciating if you can manage it.’ She replies, and I can feel an odd sensation in my ankle as she gets to work on it.

Feeling disgusted and ashamed of myself and at how weak I am, I don’t understand why the Moon Goddess would curse an Alpha with a burden such as myself for a mate. An Alpha like Atlas deserves a strong, beautiful Luna, not the pathetic, scarred being that I am.

“Little Doll, I would like more eggs.” My thoughts are interrupted by Brady’s droning voice as he calls me back over to the table. Of course, he isn’t done with me yet. Knowing my torture is only just beginning, I silence a pained sigh before I start the excruciating process of pulling myself to my feet.

As soon as I put weight on my ankle, I crumpled to the floor, screaming out in pain. I heard someone move toward me and quickly got back to my feet before Brady could punish me for failing to serve him.

I sob silently as I finally stand, taking only one step before vomiting profusely. Tala was right, my ankle would hold my weight, but the pain was like nothing I’d ever felt before. Taking a deep breath, I sway on one foot as I prepare to take another excruciating step toward the table. The screams and vomit would already have earned me a near-death experience. Failing to serve him his eggs might be the end of me.

Before I could move, I was scooped off my feet, a shriek ripping past my lips at the unexpected motion. I clap my hands over my mouth, eyes wide and mind whirling as the tingles of my mate’s touch met the dread that fills me at the realization of how disruptive my situation was and how much I was going to pay for it later.

I suspect Alpha Brady figured out that Atlas is my mate, which is why he is suddenly acting so aggressively toward me in front of so many onlookers. I gasp for breath, feeling like I’m slowly suffocating as I try to process everything. The threat from this morning weighed heavily on me.

“Shhh, baby, breathe! Feel my breaths and try to match them.” Alpha Atlas whispers into my ear, taking slow, even breaths for me to mimic. He angled me so that my head rests on his chest, feeling his breathing, and listening to his heartbeat.

It doesn’t take long for my breathing to even out as the panic subsides, feelings of safety pouring into me through the forming bond between us. I stared into his green eyes, terrified to look anywhere else, allowing his scent, the mate tingles, and warmth to help to settle my mind and body. Shrinking away in fear, I saw Brady stop right in front of us from the corner of my eye. He is close enough to me that I can feel his breath on my cheek.

“What do you think you are doing?!” He hisses, wrapping his arms under me, trying to pull me away from Alpha Atlas.

When he can’t, he extends his claws, sinking them into my skin, and dragging them across my lower back, shredding the delicate skin. Whimpering and shaking like a leaf, I threw my arms around Atlas’s neck and arched my back away from the sharp pain.

Seeking calm, I buried my face in my mate’s chest, holding on tightly. Atlas stiffened as he smelt the fresh blood dripping from my fresh wounds. I felt Atlas take several steps back, pulling me closer to him and putting some distance between us and Brady.

A deep, menacing growl ripped through his chest, causing me to shake harder. I pushed myself against him harder, wanting to escape the suffocating Alpha auras battling for dominance around me. My first instinct is always to submit. Even though I don’t have to, the need has been well beaten into me.

“I am taking her to our quarters to be seen by my pack healer. She has obviously broken her ankle several times! I will not stand by and watch you torture her anymore!” He replied in a deadly tone.

I forced myself to tune out what they were saying and instead focused on breathing in Atlas’s scent. I let his calming scent and steady heartbeat override my fears. Overwhelmed with pain, I feel myself drift into the blissfully pain-free shadows as they roll over me.