Chapter 5: Partner
1054 Words
NChapter 5
ANNA
As unreasonable as it sounds, the metal chains holding my hands above my head… are the least of my worries right now.
My eyes have been fixed on Nathan since he waltzed into this room and ordered that'd I'd be bound by my hands and feet.
…all while standing.
“Should I order the men to begin tonight's patrol or—”
“Stay. I’ve mind-linked Dominic. He’ll handle the rest” He answers, halting Levi before he can walk out.
What kind of sick animal has chains like this in his ‘quarters’ anyway?
“What are you gonna do to me? Why am I in cuffs? Hey! I'm talking to you! Can't speak all a sudden?”
He acts like he doesn't hear me, carefully taking his time while tugging off his accessories and slipping into a lighter fit.
“He's even more muscular than I thought he'd be” I think to myself, but quickly snap out of it by turning my head to the side.
“Levi…” he release the bun holding up his hair and it's messy strands run down to his shoulder. “...I want you to lift up her dress.”
“What?”
“Huh?”
Levi and I both remark, a beat of suprise that almost sounds too rehearsed to be normal.
“You heard me” he turns. “Take it off her.”
“Have you gone mad? What sort of dumb party trick is this? If you so little as lay a finger on me, I'm gonna—”
“As you wish” Levi purrs, and the emotionless look on his face blitzes discomfort into me.
“Hey. Hey! Back off!” I argue while he steps closer. My hands and feet are bound, and my wriggling body offers little to no form of resistance either. “I said back off! Back—”
Like a firm whoosh of wind, my purple dress skirts over my body under the influence of Levi's quick hands.
First up my legs, then up my knees, then over my belly and torso.
“You bastards! Have you no shame? I swear I'll make you—”
“What… the…?”
Levi backtracks the second my dress is up to ribs. That's when they see it. That's when they both see it.
“Now do you understand what I told you?” Nathan's words throw me off balance, and I peek down at myself.
Oh… that.
The wounds scarring my lower torso are firm, fleshy and recognizable. Like un-patterned tattoos, they cover my stomach, bare and unhealed.
Some still have a trail of blood over them, threatening to reopen, if I breathe too sudden.
“Have the pack doctors come in, now!”
His beta doesn't hesitate for a second, whooshing out of the room almost immediately.
Now, my attention is solely on HIM!
“What the hell are you trying to prove?” I say through my teeth.
“One more day without food and you won't have the energy for this futile struggle. You're welcome” he replies, turning his back to me, and heading for his bedroom just across from me, when my voice ripples out a tone fierce enough to halt him in his tracks.
“What the hell are you trying to do?! What kind of sick man are you!?! What's the meaning of all this bullshit!! You brought me here, and I deserve a f*****g answer!!” I scream.
In that exact moment… I feel it.
The Dead Calm.
And his response proves it.
“Annabelle Olivia Holt. That's your full name, isn't it?” He says, not even turning to glance at me.
That alone shouldn't have been surprising. But… not even Jacob knows my full name.
“Originally from the Linora Clan? Second daughter of The Alpha and Luna of the WhiteWater Pack. Your entire family was decimated before your eyes when you were only five. You and your sister had to relocate to South Dakota after that, but your worries were far from over” he finally turns, and his unenthusiastic look strikes astonishment into me. I've never been so… dumbfounded.
“You know, it took a while for me to understand how and why exactly Jacob kept someone like you under his thumb for so long. But I think I've figured it out now” he walks up to me, and I can't believe I neither struggle nor say a single word until he's standing right in front of my barely clothed body. “...He knows where Taylor is, doesn’t he?”
My eyes widen in shock.
How did he… how does he… what the—
“Thought as much” He tilts his head but doesn't break eye contact. “I was right after all” he turns to leave, and the pack doctors burst in almost immediately.
“Nurse her back to full health. Make sure she's without pain or blemish. Levi, get her something to eat.”
“But—”
“Trust me, she'll eat it this time” he says, and every single figure in the room bustles in accordance to his will.
“Wait!” I toggle between disbelief and confusion, my tone still clear… just dim. “Y… you still haven't… you still haven't answered my question” I mutter. “Did you save me because—”
“Save you?” He stops, then glances back at me through the corner of his eyes. “You called me a murderer. What makes you think I pulled you out of Jacob's clutches because I intended to save you?” He replies, and even the doctor's halt in their tracks.
“But since we're already here, there's no point hiding it. I know where your sister Taylor is” he drops another bombshell, and my heart sinks to my stomach.
However… he's not done
“...and your sister Taylor, knows where my wife is.”
What?!
“They both went missing that night. A couple years pass and everyone assumes they're dead. Well I don't believe in ghosts” he turns back, slides his hands into his pockets and walks off. “Heal” he murmurs, “…cause you're gonna help me find her… partner.”
- Writer
