Bound in Silence

Cassian I push through the doors of The Border Club, letting the noise swallow me whole. This particular strip club sits on the borderlands of my land— Diamond Thorn, and an ally’s land— Red Rock. Inside is a melting pot of the two different packs, the club not belonging to either one. It’s loud, crowded, and reeks of desperation; exactly the kind of place where no one expects anything from me. That’s why I came here tonight. My private VIP booth sits at the back, roped off and shadowed. I drop into the leather seat and jerk my chin at one of my men. “Find me someone for the night.” He nods, but there’s already a girl standing right outside the rope. “You. Come on.” He lifts the rope and gestures for her to come inside. She looks confused, but she does as he says. Her outfit is weird for a stripper. Jean shorts and a pink sweater. I assume it’s her first day. But then she gets closer, and my wolf slams forward so hard I almost choke. Mate. It hits me like a punch to the ribs. No. Definitely not. I stand abruptly, and she startles, taking a small step back. Her eyes flicker with confusion, not fear, just uncertainty, like she doesn’t understand why I suddenly look furious. She opens her mouth like she wants to say something… but nothing comes out. I shake my head to my guard, “Get me a different one.” She tilts her head, confused, hurt even. Like she doesn’t understand why I don’t want her— why I’m looking at her like she’s a mistake. My guard ushers her out, she goes but continues to look back at me. I look away, and wait for a different girl to be brought over. It doesn’t take long, and a tall raven-haired woman comes over and starts grinding my lap. Out of the corner of my eye I see her, my mate, watching from a distance, with tears falling from her eyes. I close my eyes and try to focus on the loud music, but it’s not working. I can’t get her out of my head. I look over again to see if she’s still watching but she’s gone. I push the stripper off my lap and stand up— she yelps and falls to the floor. Pushing past her, I walk out of my VIP area. “I changed my mind, I want that first one.” I say to my guards. They look confused but they know better than to question their Alpha. It takes me forever to find her, and I almost give up with the assumption that she left, until I finally catch a glimpse of her pink sweater. She’s sitting on the floor behind the bar, with her knees curled into her chest, and she’s sobbing. Her sleeve is soaked with tears and snot. She looks incredibly pitiful. The bartenders are just stepping around her, uncaring, continuing to serve drinks like she isn’t even there. I extend my hand toward her, “Come.” I command. She looks up at me through her wet eyes, then shakes her head. “Don’t make me carry you. It won’t look good.” I warn. My threat makes her listen. She gets up and stands next to me, wiping her face on her sleeve again. I hold out my hand, but she doesn’t take it. I’m not in the mood for her to slip away from me, so I grab her hand anyway. When our skin meets, sparks shoot through my hand and up my arm. She jerks, and I know she felt it too, but I don't let her pull away. I lead her through the crowd back to my area. I’m just going to talk to her, get some information about why she’s here, and then I can make a more sound decision. As soon as we make it back, someone else stops us. It’s one of my favorites— Rimi. She’s older, probably closer to my age, and has been here for a long time. She’s one of the few that knows exactly how to please me. At first that's what I assume she came over here for, but she pulls my mate away from me, and my mate hides behind Rimi’s back. “Alpha Cassian, this one doesn’t dance, but I can help you tonight if you'd like.” She says sweetly. My first reaction is anger, that she pulled my mate away, and then I realize that she said she doesn’t dance, and I feel relieved at that fact. “Thank you Rimi, but I just want to talk to her.” I reach for my mate, but she evades, using Rimi’s body to block me. Rimi looks like she’s torn between protecting the girl and disobeying an alpha. “Give her to me, now.” I demand. Rimi complies, and pulls my mate out from behind her. “Be gentle with her, please.” I don't try to convince her to take my hand this time, I grip her wrist and tow her to a back room. The ones meant for private lap dances, and other… activities. I throw her onto the black couch, feeling impatient, and close the door behind us. Now she looks terrified. Why is she so quiet? I pinch the bridge of my nose and take a deep breath. “What’s your name?” I ask. She doesn’t respond. She just looks up at me with those big brown doe eyes, bloodshot from crying. “I asked you a question. Answer it.” I say. Still no response. “What? Can’t you speak?” She hesitates, then shakes her head. Fucking fantastic. Fate must hate me. “Fuck.” I whisper under my breath. I sit down on the opposite end of the couch, closing my eyes and leaning back, feeling defeated. I can hear her shifting around, so I crack my eyes open. She’s sitting on her knees, facing me, staring at the diamond solitaire stud in my left earlobe. I breathe out a short, defeated laugh. What is she? A cat? “Can you at least write?” I ask. She nods slowly. I grab a pen from my pocket, and a napkin from the table. “Write your name.” She looks unsure, but she takes the pen. Her writing is awful. I can't even read it. It just looks like a bunch of vertical lines and possibly an “a” at the end? I crumple up the napkin and throw it at the wall, feeling frustrated. Then someone bursts in the door. It’s the owner of the club, Lydia. A short woman with dark brown hair, and a resting b***h face. “What?” I question. She turns to my mate instead of answering me. “Lillia. Come. Now.” Then she turns to me, “So sorry, Alpha Cassian, this one is my daughter, and she’s quite broken. I’ll help you find someone better.” So her mother is the owner of the club. That’s why she’s here. I expect my mate— Lillia— to go with her mom, but she doesn't. Instead, she inches towards me on the couch. That’s surprising. “I’m just talking to her. Leave us.” I say. “Talking to her? She can’t talk.” Lydia says. She comes all the way into the room, and reaches for Lillia. Lillia flinches, and moves even closer to me, her back is leaning against my arm now. Now I’m concerned, because she was terrified of me just a few minutes ago, and now she’s taking her chances with me instead of going with her mom. When Lydia grabs Lillia’s arm, my wolf takes over. “She’s mine!” I growl. Lydia’s eyes go wide, and she lets go. “And you’re not rejecting her?” She scoffs. “I haven’t decided yet.” Lillia flinches when I say that, and I feel a spike of pain in my chest. “Do what you want with her, then.” Lydia stomps out of the room, and slams the door behind her.