The Alpha's Abused Daughter

Chapter 3

Damien

Entering my office, I hand the slave contract to Jade, who begins sifting through it. After a few silent moments, she looks up at me with a smile on her face. “I’m happy for you, Alpha. You found both of them finally after all this time.” At Jade’s words, the woman looks at me in confusion. I sit at my desk and try to look professional and failing.

“First, let me say we will gladly welcome you back to the pack, but I unfortunately will have to set a few major rules. Second, I’m sorry to tell you this, but the mate of yours who sold you is dead.” I allow my words to sink in. She nods slowly.

“Yes, I am aware. I felt the remnants of our bond break when he died. But what about my boys? They were so young and were the pack heirs.” I can’t stop the smile that appears again on my face.

“Well, you’re looking at one of them… mom.” I say slowly, waiting for her reaction. It took a few minutes for her to react. I watch as her eyes scan my features with a goofy grin the entire time.

“Oh, my god…” she says softly, voice cracking. “Damian… it’s really you…” she breaks into heavy sobs.

She reaches her hands out to me, but seems to think better of it. I understand the mental battle she’s fighting. I’m sure my mate will be the same way. I nod at her.

“It’s okay, mom. Don’t force yourself. Let yourself heal. Once you’re in a better headspace, we can be a parent and child. But we need to go over some things. My father ruined a lot of things within this pack that I have been trying to change or fix.” A serious look overtakes her face at my words.

Rowena

Once inside the packhouse, Jesse pushes my wheelchair to the pack’s meeting room. I don’t know what makes me more nervous… the idea of being near Alpha Beau, or that there will be many eyes on me.

“Are you ready, Rowena?” Jesse asks. I nod to him as my answer. Pushing my anxieties down, I sit straighter, square my shoulders, and look ahead with my head held high. I don’t know why my wolf keeps telling me to not tell the people of this pack about our past or what we are, but I got us here. I got us away from that pack. It’s time to grow stronger. I will face this pack with false dignity if I have to. Here we will heal. Here we will grow. Here we will become strong enough to save our brother and take our revenge for our family. My wolf and I will learn to trust again, together.

A couple of pack guards open the doors, and Jesse pushes the wheelchair forward.

“… welcome, Rowena Alexander!” Beau says at the end of whatever speech he had been giving. It is dead silent. I can feel Lyall’s nerves at the silence. We know this pack is judging us. We ran away from our former pack for reasons so few know about. I don’t know how many people saw me be carried in unconscious from the woods. It probably doesn’t help that I’m mute. There’s no telling what the members of the pack are thinking.

“Before we do the ceremony, there are a few things that need to be explained. First, she is mute. As far as we know, she is mute, sort of by choice. You’ll understand once I explain what we know about her past. As you can see, she is currently in a wheelchair. Because of malnourishment, her wolf is weak. Her wolf will have a hard time healing her, so we have to go slow. She’ll be seeing Shaun each week until she is physically healed. Her wounds consist of a fractured femur, three broken ribs, and a bad cut on the back of her head. Shaun thinks the head wound may have been the reason she lost consciousness when I had to use my Alpha Command to help her shift into her human form. It required stitches, and still requires the stitches to be left in.”

He pauses and takes Jesse’s spot behind me. My wolf practically bristles in my mind.

“She turns fifteen in a few months. November 3rd. As far as we know, she hasn’t been in any sort of official school setting. However, she was taught how to read and write by a couple of relatives she had in her old pack. She has an uncle who is that pack’s Gamma and his wife had been teaching her what she could for the last nine or so years. Both of her parents are deceased and her older brother’s whereabouts are unknown. Her parents’ were killed by rogues when she was six and her brother disappeared when she was nine. Her wolf was forced to come out when she was six because she was being whipped with a silver/wolfsbane covered whip.”

He pauses again before moving his hands to rest heavily on my shoulders. His grip is a little harsh as he uses enough pressure for me to feel faint pain.

“From the age of six, until she finally escaped, she was abused by her Alpha, Beta and Luna, among other members. Her aunt and uncle were the only two who treated her with care. It is unknown how damaged her mind is, but the guess is that she will most likely show heavy signs of severe anxiety and PTSD. She will be staying with Luna Aria’s younger brother until she learns to cope with her trauma and can handle living in the pack house. She has shown interest in a few different things, so we will find someone suitable to teach her. Also, once she is healed and can move freely, she will begin her training. As the adopted daughter of your Alpha and Luna, I will make sure that she will be of use to our pack.” His words this time are steely, harsh. “Now, with all of that in mind…”

The tone concerns me. I know there is a hidden meaning in his words. But, I don’t let it bring down my courage. Fake it till you make it. I have to start somewhere. He walks back over to the podium, where another man is waiting with a slim, decorated slim box. Alpha Beau takes the box and comes to kneel in front of me.

“Since you’re mute right now, I’ll just ask you to nod your head. Once you can speak without fear, we will redo this part.” He says to me as he opens the box.

Inside is a fancy-looking knife. The blade is pure black with a white handle. The handle is in the shape of a howling wolf. It also has gold intricate knot work on the wolf handle. As he slices the meatier part of his palm, he asks me his important questions.

“Do you, Rowena Alexander, vow to support and defend the Crescent Moon pack against all enemies, such as pack invasions, rogues and its own members?” I nod. “Do you, Rowena Alexander, vow to obey the orders of the Alpha of the Crescent Moon pack and any other ranking members of the Crescent Moon pack?” I nod.

He hands me the knife, and I cut into my palm. Then he takes my hand in his and allows our blood to mingle. Soon, a heavy pain erupts in my head, as the new pack link connects, making me a member of this pack. He releases my hand and turns to walk away. “Congratulations. You’ve just become an official member of my pack.” Then he leaves me there.

Jesse comes back to wheel me out. As we leave the meeting room, an older woman walks up to me and leans down to whisper in my ear. “Trust your wolf.” Then she left just as quickly, disappearing into the crowd. Well, now I’m completely confused.

Beau

Well, it’s done. Another pure wolf in the pack. At least this one doesn’t need as much training as the other one. I still need to put out an email to let any potential customers know so they can come see it. Some may want it fixed within a certain time frame.

There is one concern I have. Who the hell is that old woman? She smells like a human, but looks absolutely ancient. Whoever she is, I don’t need her interfering with the products. The younger one is too stupid to listen to anything she says, but Aria isn’t trained well enough to ignore her. I can’t use the girl’s former Alpha’s method to train Aria. That would leave too much visible evidence.

For the initial deadline, I’ll give my pack six months to fix Rowen. The first three months, she’ll need to heal both physically and mentally, as well as get some education in her. During that time, I will decide what kind of training she’ll recieve. The last three months will be reserved for her training. During those six months, I will have potential customers visit and look at both products. If I can, I also want to ‘rescue’ her brother and get him ready so I can sell all three together. Maybe Jesse as well. He does pretty good around Alphas. I can’t wait to see how much money they’ll fetch me. I wonder what I should do after selling them.

“Shayne, check on the girl daily, will you? Let me know whatever she asks for. After everything she’s been through, she deserves the world, right? We’ll also plan a rescue for her brother if she can give us any clues where she thinks he might be.” I say to my Beta, who is walking behind me.

“Yes, Alpha.” He says before leaving me.

Rowena

As Jesse and I are leaving the pack building, Jessica runs up to us along with some man that exudes power. The Beta. s**t. Jesse continues walking while pushing my wheelchair, allowing them to catch up. I notice that after the Alpha left us, my wolf calmed down and now she’s just silent, calm even. Maybe it’s because where with Jesse or maybe she senses nothing with the Beta.

“Jesse, I want to go back with you guys. Maybe hang out a bit.” Jessica’s words make me frown. I don’t want that. She’s too crazy.

“Sorry, Jess. After having all of that attention on her and being that close to the Alpha, I want Rowena to relax for the rest of the day,” Jesse says to her. Jesse’s demeanor hasn’t changed with the Beta with us.

“Well, we need to make a list of things you’ll need in your house now that there’s a girl,” she says.

“She can let me know what all she’ll need. Besides, I have a good enough idea of what a girl needs after shopping with my sister. So, after she bathes, she can relax in bed and sketch.” Jesse is trying so hard to be gentle in his words. Maybe it’s an Omega thing, that I’m still confused by.

“Oh, I can help her bathe. It’ll be hard with broken ribs, a fractured leg, and a head laceration.” Nope! Hell no! Irritated now at her persistence and that last attempt, I shoot a look at the Beta. She needs to go away.

“Jessica Moore, maybe it’d be better to let Rowena get comfortable with her new home before pestering them to hang out.” The Beta’s tone is calm, with no authority in it. It feels different from hearing Alpha Beau talk. Jessica changed gears immediately.

“You’re right, Beta Shayne. I wasn’t thinking. I’m sorry, Rowena. I’ll be on my way. See you later,” she says without looking at me. Then, she hightailed it back to wherever she came from.

We turn a corner and I’m thrilled to see there isn’t anyone on the porch waiting for us. I let out a sigh of relief. I don’t have to deal with any hyper talkative people.

“Jesse, is the cottage wheelchair accessible?” Hearing the Beta’s voice behind me reminds me we aren’t going home alone.

“No, it isn’t. She has to be carried once inside. She can go from her bathroom to her room easily enough as long as she has things to hold on to. But not everywhere else. It would tire her out,” Jesse responds.

“Maybe we can figure somewhere out to help her be more independent. Shaun thinks that with her past, it might help mentally recover a little if she can do things on her own.” Beta Shayne’s words gave me some small hope he can be trusted. It helps that Lyall isn’t reacting negatively to him.

“By the way, Shayne, why are you coming over with us? You know she’s uncomfortable with high-ranking wolves after what was done to her,” Jesse isn’t hesitating to talk to our Beta and he even called him by name, dropping the title.

I turn my head to study the Beta. I see him watching me, but when I look at him, he looks at Jesse instead. He looks calm, relaxed even, reminding me of how Uncle Sam always was when I was with him and Aunt Charla. Shayne’s hands are at his sides, fingers slightly spread as though allowing me to see he has nothing to harm me. Just like Uncle Sam. I can’t help but feel curious about this man.

“Zayne was pestering me about setting about an account for her and putting half of the money I’ve saved up for him into the account so we can get anything needed for the house to make it more livable for her while she’s in a wheelchair. He’s also been taking up extra training with Vincent. He wants to meet her, but he wants to ensure he can help protect her. I think he said something like, since her brother isn’t here with her, he’ll be her protector until he can be rescued,” Shayne stated with a smile.

When I hear the name, I freeze. My vision becomes blurry and my body trembles. I guess this catches Beta Shayne’s attention, as he turns his head to look at me with wide eyes. Seeing my face, Jesse quickens his pace and speaks to Shayne.

“I want to test something, Shayne. Tell your son to meet us at my place now.”

As soon as we get to the house, Jesse lifts me out of the chair and carries me to my room and lets me cry my heart out. Not long after, I faintly hear a knock on the front door and Jesse goes to let the person in. I can hear them talking along the way to my room. I guess I’m going to meet Beta Shayne’s son while I can’t control my emotions. The person with the same name as…

A ball of dark brown hair practically tackles me. The person has almost the same scent as… He pulls away and begins trying to wipe away my tears with a worried look on his face. Dark brown hair, deep green eyes, dimples, tanned skin from always being in the sun, the skin on his hands is tough from training and hunting, the gentleness in which he is handling me… all the same as…

“Please don’t cry, everything will be alright. Dad and I will fix everything so you don’t have to be sad anymore. We’ll even save your brother and protect you from harm. Gosh, your eyes are pretty, like deep oceans. But it’s also heartbreaking because they look like this because you’re crying. Please, stop crying. It’ll all be okay. I’ll make it all okay.” He’s rambling, trying to get me to stop. He’s worried and rambling.

“We can do anything you want. We can go visit the rose gardens, we can go shopping, a museum, wherever and whatever you want, I’ll make it happen. We can go to an art shop, you like drawing, right? And you’re great at it. I’ll buy you all the stuffed animals you could want. I can go bother the crap out of Jessica, make her feel how you feel around her. We can go to the craptastic daycare and visit the kids. We can buy a bunch of stuff and bake cookies.” His rambling starts making me giggle instead of crying.

Without realizing I’m moving, I lean forward and hug his waist and lay my head against his chest. Everything is just like… “big brother…” I don’t realize I’ve just hoarsely whispered my thoughts. Big Brother Zane smells like coffee and mint. This Zayne smells like coffee and strawberries with a faint hint of mint.

After my emotions finally calm down, I let Zayne go, and he sits on my bed beside me. “Can you tell me about your brother?” His words give me pause. I haven’t really told anyone about him. Where should I start? Since I already know how to use the pack link to talk with specific people, I choose to use that. Of course, it’ll come out in Lyall’s mental voice, but oh well.

“I don’t know where to start, so I guess I’ll pick a place to start. He has dark brown, somewhat curly hair, sea-green eyes and tanned skin. The last time I saw him, he was already 5’8”. That was when he was twelve-years-old. My guess is that he may be six feet or taller. He will turn nineteen on February 4th of next year. After our parents were killed, and they tortured me until my wolf came out, I had trouble controlling my wolf. She would come out anytime something small happened and attack whoever did something. Because it would get me in more trouble, Zane started taking my beatings for me by protecting my body with his.

Any time I was upset by the beatings, or from missing our parents, he often panicked. He’s only three years older than me and had to learn everything needed to take care of me. He would basically yell whatever he could think of at me. Many times he would resort to yelling out things he knew I would love along with things he knew I would hate to make me laugh. It always worked. While I hated when people would yell, there was something about his panic yelling that I found amusing.”

I paused, worried about telling them the last part. It’s part of my major secret.

“Because of how our family’s bloodline works, he’s more than just my brother. We have something that is called a ‘Guardian’ bond. He’ll automatically know if I’m injured or being attacked. He’ll know if I’m further away. He’ll know if I’m safe or in danger. He’ll know everything going on with me. But there’s more to it than just him knowing. If one of us dies, the other will die as well. Same with if we mark someone as our mate. They die with us. There is a way to prevent this from happening, but it’s very specific and difficult. My uncle told me that the ritual involved is risky. If anything goes wrong, one or both parties can die a horrific death. My mom and uncle were successful in surviving the ritual.” Not knowing what else to send through the mind link, I end my story there.

A/N: I'm still working on this chapter. But, for now, please check out my new book "Waking With No Memories". I'm still working on building the world it's a part of, so any ideas would be considered.