Kneel, Alpha: She's Not Forgiving You Yet

Chapter 7:

WREN

“Are you not afraid of me? I killed a lot of people today.”

Honestly, after witnessing what happened back there, anyone would have had a reason to be scared, including me. But for some reason, I wasn’t. I didn’t know why, I just couldn’t bring myself to fear him. Maybe it was because I had seen worse before. Spending six damn years in prison had a way of making even the worst things feel normal.

“I’m not scared,” I replied, making sure I looked fearless enough for him to know I meant it. “Trust me, I’ve seen worse than this before. And I’m not blaming you for what you did.”

I let out a heavy sigh. “Well…” My eyes swept around the room before settling back on him. “Since you’ve saved my life twice, I’ve decided to cancel your debt. Which means you won’t have to pay for the wasted supplies, and you can stay here for as long as you need.” My voice dropped slightly. “I guess I won’t have to remind you to leave.”

I expected some sort of reaction. Maybe a thank you, or that sly smile he always wore whenever I won him in an argument.

But when none came, I looked away and focused on Kara, who was still asleep from the effect of the dose. At least she looked better than she had a few hours ago.

The thought of what could have happened if I hadn’t gotten the medication in time suddenly crept into my mind. I imagined walking back into this room only to find Kara lying lifeless on my mattress. That would have made it the second body to drop dead in my room in less than two days.

“The black market,” Ash spoke suddenly, pulling me from my thoughts.

“What about the black market?” I asked, shifting my gaze back to him.

“I think I’ve been there before.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“There’s something about that place that feels familiar,” he continued. “Like I’ve been there before. I… I don’t know how, but I feel it. I kind of remember going there once to find someone.”

“Do you remember who?” I asked curiously.

He shook his head. “No.”

I sighed and nodded slowly. “That’s a good sign,” I said. “You don’t have to force the memories. They’ll come back eventually.”

I thought the conversation was over until he spoke again.

“Why do they call you that name? The Plague Doctor. And why did they want to kill you for it?”

For a long moment, I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t even know how to begin explaining that I wasn’t the monster they believed I was. At this point, I had grown used to people looking at me that way.

Sensing my silence, he probably figured I didn’t want to talk about it. Maybe I didn’t.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to,” he said quietly. “I won’t force you. Just know that I don’t believe any of that. You saved my life, that’s enough for me to know you’re not what they say you are.”

I didn’t know why, but those words did something strange to my chest. Knowing someone believed me—trusted me more than I ever expected—gave me a kind of hope I hadn’t felt in years.

“Well…” I clicked my tongue softly. “That was surprisingly kind of you.”

Then my eyes dropped to the blood staining his shirt.

“Why don’t we get those wounds treated?”

As I cleaned and dressed his injuries, I couldn’t stop thinking about how easily he trusted me, like he knew me far better than he actually did. He had saved my life twice and never once asked for anything in return.

People rarely did things for free, but Ash was just… different.

*

Days passed painfully slowly. And yes, Kara survived.

I spent two sleepless nights thinking over Briggs’ offer again and again. Truthfully, I wanted it badly. It was dangerous, but it was the only choice I had before Kara eventually started banging on my door asking for rent.

I was already dressed and ready to leave for the black market when Ash stopped me.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

“To the black market?” I answered, though it came out more like a question.

“You’re joking, right?” he half-yelled.

“I don’t think I sounded like I was joking.” I shot him a hard glare.

“You saw what happened the last time,” he said, more calmly now. “Those wolves would’ve ripped you apart if I hadn’t shown up. What makes you think they’ll suddenly show you mercy when you walk back in there?”

I stared at him for a moment.

What exactly did he expect me to do? Sit around all day and wait for a miracle to fall from the sky? Dale was dead, which meant my job at the motel died with him. There was no other way to survive except taking this offer.

“I don’t have a choice, Ash,” I told him firmly. “I’m doing this to support you. Do you think keeping you alive has been free?”

****

ASH

I couldn’t let her walk back into that hell alone. If she insisted on taking the offer, then someone needed to walk into that death trap with her.

It was only our second time at the black market, and everyone had already decided I was “The Plague Doctor’s boy toy”—handsome, good at fighting, and apparently living off her money.

Briggs even offered me a job too.

According to him, “A man with hands shouldn’t be sitting at home while his woman runs dangerous jobs to pay his bills.”

I didn’t think much of it.

Besides, if I really had been here before, staying close to this place might be the only way to figure out why it felt so familiar… and whether there was anyone here who knew me.

As if “The Plague Doctor’s boy toy” wasn’t embarrassing enough, I overheard another group calling me “The Plague Doctor’s trophy husband.”

Normally, I would’ve reacted. Especially at the repeated emphasis on ‘boy toy’. Surprisingly, though, I found myself liking the names. Maybe a little too much.

I especially liked “trophy husband.”

By the time I returned to Wren’s apartment, one question had been stuck in my head the entire walk home.

Why was she treating me so well?

First, she said she was supporting me. Then she told me I could stay for as long as I wanted. If I wasn’t mistaken, that sounded dangerously close to some kind of marital arrangement. Or maybe something even more.

When I walked in, she was already there.

I couldn’t hold back the question swirling in my mind any longer.

“Those wolves at the black market kept calling me your ‘trophy husband,’” I said casually. “Does that make me your lover now… or just your kept man?”