Trapped in the Den of Alphas

Chapter11

Eden's POV

I slap my hand over my mouth in shock and utter disgust when it dawns on me what is happening. Mateo is being punished.

Because of me. Because he brought me here.

Suddenly, everything he said earlier this evening makes sense.

I lift my arms to begin beating my fists against the window, but it does nothing to stop the horror transpiring below. Another lash lands with an almighty c***k, and Mateo’s pain-filled cries ring out loudly against the harsh silence. Before I know it, I’m already running full speed out of my room and down the corridor to the staircase. I fly down the stairs like a bat out of hell, heading straight for the front door.

Safeguards? I don’t give two shits about their damn safeguards!

I have to do something! Anything that I can do to stop this!

I throw the door open, my view of Mateo still obscured by the backs of the large men circled around him. “STOP!!” I yell at the top of my lungs as I try to step forward. My path is blocked, and I realize that an invisible barrier stands between me and the rest of the world. “NO!!” I scream, lifting my hands again to beat them against the invisible pane of glass. “STOP! PLEASE STOP!”

Nothing.

Not a single one of those beasts turns around. In fact, it’s as though they can’t hear me at all. My voice doesn’t seem to be penetrating the barrier. Instead, it just bounces back into the empty living room behind me.

The torture continues with another c***k of the whip, and I scream and kick desperately in pointless protest. “YOU FILTHY BEASTS!! YOU DISGUSTING BARBARIANS!! STOP!! STOP!!”

I hear another loud grunt pierce the air, and my fists clench harder. “YOU BASTARDS! STOP!!”

Then, I see the outline of one of the men turn to look directly at me.

Conall.

His eyes remain lifeless, his face completely stoic as his arms stay folded over his chest.

“YOU ARE EVIL!” I scream in anger, refusing to back down from his intimidating glare. “YOU CRUEL BASTARD!”

Eventually, he turns back around, muttering something to Zeke, who is standing by his side attentively. Zeke nods his head, holding his hand up in the air, and just like that, the silence disappears, and a ruckus round of drunken cheers commences.

What is wrong with these beasts?!

My mind boggles at the whole strange situation. Still, I bat my thoughts to the side for now, standing on my tiptoes to try and catch sight of Mateo between the drunken bodies surrounding him. “MATEO!” I shout, my eyes wide as the crowd parts to reveal his wounded form. He’s being propped up by two other men, supported on shaky legs as they all begin to make their way back to the house.

I take a few tentative steps backward, but the boiling rage in my blood has yet to calm. I’ll tell these assholes exactly what I think of their barbaric punishments!

A few drunken men enter the house first, their eyes settling on me in both surprise and contempt. “What the f**k are you doing here, elf? Go to your bedroom,” one of the delightful men barks at me. It’s the redhead one from earlier, Samuel. I grit my teeth and ignore him, my eyes trained on the entrance, waiting for Mateo’s arrival.

“Mateo!” I yelp in concern as he is practically dragged into the room. “What on earth have they done to you?” I rush forward just as his bouncing curls move upward to reveal his tired-looking face.

“Eden… I’m fine,” he croaks out breathlessly.

“Course he is!” one of the men supporting his weight grins, patting him on the shoulder. “You took them like a f*****g champ, Matty!”

My brows scrunch in confusion, and I reach out to place my hand on Mateo’s sweaty face. “He’s not fine! Look at the state of him!”

I step back to hastily cast my eyes over his back, which is dripping with fresh, crimson blood.

“This doesn’t concern you, elf,” another asshole chuckles in amusement, breezing past me to throw himself onto the sofa. Steadily, the room fills up around me, and I stand in complete awe of their indifference. A moment ago, they witnessed and took part in such brutal torture, and not one of them appears fazed by it.

“We have to get him medicine right away! These cuts can become infected and—”

“Ahhh, he’ll be fine! Won’t you, Matty?” the man I now know as Hunter laughs as he pours a drink over in the corner. “And now he’s learned his f*****g lesson too.”

I glance at Mateo, whose expression begs me to drop it, but my stubborn nature refuses to yield. The last men enter the room, and my eyes immediately find him. “YOU CALL THIS LEADERSHIP?!” I fume, storming through the other men to make my way toward Conall.

He doesn’t bother answering me, and my yelling quickly crosses the line from irate to all-out fury. Before I know it, I’m beating my fists against his hard chest. “If you want to punish someone, then punish me! Punish me, you f*****g COWARD!” I scream before my entire body lifts off the floor. My world is thrown off its axis as I am tossed over his massive shoulder.

“LET ME DOWN!!” I demand, kicking and screaming like an overgrown toddler as I am carried upstairs and back down the corridor toward my room. The laughing of the men down on the floor below only fuels my vicious temper, and I wriggle and writhe around as the door to my bedroom is thrown open.

The sound of his heavy boots on the uneven floorboards pounds in my ears. The door slamming behind him spikes my adrenaline, and I am now in full fight mode as I continue my wild attack.

Suddenly, I’m thrown down roughly onto the bed, my back hitting the hard mattress with a thump. His solid body smothers mine entirely, towering over me as one of his hands yanks my wrists above my head.

“YOU ASS—”

His free hand covers my mouth, his hot skin pressing against my lips.

“Stop,” he seethes, his teeth gritted as his face comes down to meet mine. “f*****g stop now, elf!”

I scream fiercely, my body pushing against his, my back arching as I try with all my might to release myself.

“Calm down,” he commands. “Or Goddess help me, I’ll tie you to this f*****g bed!”

My eyes stare into his, the stormy black irises holding me hostage momentarily. My body slows just a little, and he releases his hand from my mouth to support his weight over my heaving body.

“I’d like to see you try…wolf!” I retort in a wild snarl.

His jaw tightens as his hand reaches down to yank the rope off around my waist.

“Hey!! What the—”

“Don’t f*****g test me, Eden,” he warns, holding the rope in his tight fist threateningly as he stares into my eyes. “Don’t.”

I focus my steely gaze on his, but close my mouth in compliance. After seeing what was just done to poor Mateo, I know this man isn’t joking. It goes against every instinct I have, but I back down and do as I’m told.

We stay like this for a few tense moments, both our uneven breaths filling the air around us. Then, he lets go of my wrists, hoisting himself upward.

He steps away from the bed, but his eyes don’t break contact with mine for one single second. I sit bolt upright to glare at him in utter hatred as he tosses the rope onto the bed beside me.

“I need to see to Mateo’s wounds.”

“You take great interest in his well-being—”

“Why wouldn’t I? He’s the only one who has shown me any kind of decency,” I interrupt determinedly.

His eyes narrow, his jaw clenching as he lifts his hand to point his finger at me. “Get some sleep, Eden,” he growls before leaving the room.