006
1499 Words
RAVAYA
I awoke with a gasp, finding myself tied up with cuffs to a massive bed in an oversized bedroom. Panic instantly washed over me. Where the hell was I? The last thing I remembered was...
Evander. That bastard.
He knocked me out.
Dread washed over me when I recalled his last statement. Just how far would he go to punish me? Or was I truly completely screwed?
"You're awake."
My head jerked up at the familiar sound of Evander's voice. He was shirtless, only wearing a pair of sweatpants, tattoos lining his tanned skin.
His body radiated power, more than the average Alpha. A normal female would undoubtedly be attracted to him. But nothing about me was normal.
"Fascinating. You are actually repulsed by the sight of me," he drawled, and I nearly rolled my eyes.
The last thing I should do is piss him off. Besides, living long enough to get my revenge was much more important than expressing my disgust.
He moved closer to the bedside, and every muscle in my body tensed. Please don't come closer, I thought.
"Aren't you curious about what your punishment is, Ravaya?" He asked, and I looked up at him slowly, my heart pounding faster as he approached me.
I swallowed the bile rising in my throat. Who in their right mind could anticipate punishment from someone like him?
I held my breath as he joined me on the bed, unhooking me from the bedpost. He was so gentle, he could have fooled me. But the instant I was no longer bound to the bedpost, he grabbed me by the hair and dragged me down to the floor.
Memories replayed in my mind. Memories of being exposed to abuse in the orphanage home where I'd grown up. Of being used and mocked by entitled Alphas who thought Omegas were creatures they could use the way they liked.
Angry tears pricked my eyes, my throat burning.
Evander grabbed me by the chin, his fingers digging into my flesh.
"Aww, are you crying?" He cooed mockingly, and a tear rolled down my cheek as my hatred for him surged inside of me.
"I'm not," I said in a shaky voice, and he slapped me across the face so hard that I fell over to the side, my cheek throbbing.
"Your response should be 'I'm sorry, Alpha.'" He hissed, bending over to grab my chin once more.
My chest was heaving at this point, a fire of rage searing my insides.
"You tried to run away. Did you really think I'd let you get away with it? I paid ten million dollars, RAVAYA!" He screamed at me, but I refused to flinch.
Releasing a shaky breath, I lowered my head. I would give him what he wanted. But he would pay. I'd make sure of it.
"I'm sorry, Alpha," I croaked with dramatic effect.
"That's it?"
He sounded...disappointed?
What the heck was wrong with him?
"You're mocking me, aren't you?" He demanded, and I shook my head. Oh no, this wasn't good. He sounded pissed.
I looked up as he moved away from me to grab a belt from the nightstand.
Okay, don't panic. A belt is nothing. We've gone through worse...
"Get on the bed," he commanded, and my blood ran cold in my veins.
When I still didn't move, he grabbed me and tossed me on the bed. Without warning, he ripped the back of my dress, cool air rushing onto my skin.
I didn't get to prepare myself before the thick leather cracked against my back with a force that had me biting my lip so hard that I tasted blood.
The belt came down again and again, harder each time. Until I realized that the fact that I wasn't screaming was pissing him off. Worse, the welts were healing too quickly.
That seemed to frustrate him even more so much that he tossed the belt away and slipped on a pair of gloves, grabbing a silver whip.
My stomach dropped.
Silver would slow down my healing and worsen the pain. s**t.
The first hit had me crying out in pain, tears pricking my eyes. Then again. And again.
Until I was close to full-on sobbing. Was it thirty minutes later? Or an hour? I wasn't sure. I was soaked in sweat, my back bleeding and raw. My breathing came in short pants, electricity shooting down my spine.
I let out a hoarse cry when the whip landed again. My vision blurred, agony ripping through me. I was convinced that one more hit would send me into oblivion. So I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing myself for it.
But it never came.
Instead, a familiar scent washed over me, Storm whimpering with need.
Kael?
"Evander, Father has asked to see her." The sound of his raspy baritone voice made me stiffen.
Still, I closed my eyes. I disliked the idea of Kael seeing me in such a pathetic state.
Before I could process what was happening, a pair of strong arms scooped me off the bed. I gasped in surprise at how gentle he was. When my gaze met his, he barely even reacted, his crimson eyes blank.
Then slowly, he started to move away. Was I tweaking, or was he being extra careful not to jostle me? Kael's piercing gaze met mine again, and I looked away, my cheeks flushing. Accidentally, my gaze collided with Evander's from across the room, his silver eyes suddenly...softening?
What the—
"Do you want to go back? Perhaps you're more of a sadist than I thought," Kael said to me once we reached the door.
I scoffed at him, hating how much my body curled into him, his scent easing my pain.
"You could have just forced me to walk," I mumbled. He stared at me for a moment before diverting his gaze, stepping out into the hallway.
Then he made to drop me down on my feet. Agony shot through my spine, and I doubled over, panting.
He quickly swept me back into his arms, the corner of his lips twitching.
Jerk.
He was enjoying this way too much.
"Aren't you bothered that I'm still alive and will stop at nothing to kill you?" I asked, and he arched a perfect brow at me, amusement swimming in his irises.
"You will?"
He was underestimating me, wasn't he?
"You can barely even walk." He c****d his head. "How exactly do you plan to kill me, kitten?"
My face turned fifty shades of red instantly. Why the heck would he call me kitten?!
"If you truly want to live long enough to kill me, don't be so stupid. You can't run from Evander. He'll find you. No matter where you hide."
Kael's words sent a shiver down my spine. How could I have forgotten? They were the biggest syndicate in the city. This meant they had a secure network across cities.
I couldn't believe I'd acted so foolishly.
…
“Hold still, Ravaya,” Kael said, gently applying ointments to my wounds. I tried not to squirm, but I couldn’t help but be hyper aware of every single contact he made with my skin. He was seated right behind me on the bed, his presence occupying the entire room.
I squeezed my eyes shut, frustrated by the fact that I could hear his heartbeat and every soft breath he took. I needed to do something to distract myself from the feel of his touch. Anything at all before I lost my mind.
“You told Evander that your father wants to see me. Won’t your father be pissed to know that I’m stalling like this?” I asked.
“He won’t.”
I frowned, puzzled.
“Why? Is he usually that kind? Or does he have an ulterior motive?” I asked.
Kael slowly brushed my hair over my shoulder, the mere action causing me to shiver.
“That’s because I lied.”
I froze, my eyes widening.
I turned to look at him, my heart thudding madly against my chest.
“You lied to Evander?” I gasped.
He leaned in towards me until his face was hovering inches from mine.
“Yes, I did. So?”
I blinked rapidly, my throat going dry. Why would he risk such a thing? Especially for me.
“Kitten, I’ve been lying a lot since we first met, and I really don’t like that,” he said, bringing his gloved fingers to my chin.
My breathing quickened as his gaze met mine, the same blank expression on his face.
“But you know my secret now, and that means only one thing. Do you want to know what it is?”
At this point, he was so close that I didn’t know where to look.
“What is it?” I asked, breathing as though I’d run a marathon.
“You belong to me now. And, Kitten…” his eyes darkened. “I don’t share.”
- Writer
