A Wolf's Claim

CHAPTER 2

*Stella*

My eyes fluttered open, finding my surroundings unfamiliar. Sitting up, I glanced around the room and gulped. Two iron beds are in the room, along with the one I'm sitting on, otherwise the room is empty. The walls were once cream, but dirt and grime have discolored them to a tinted orange. My head is throbbing, my entire torso feels stiff, and the second I move the pain washes in like a hurricane. What the hell happened?

I hear voices outside the door to the room I'm in, and I listen closely. They're mumbling, so it's hard to decipher. Soon the doorknob was turning, and I slammed myself back into the mattress, pretending to sleep. I heard their footsteps enter the room. They weren't trying to be quiet.

"Did you treat her wounds?" A man with a low voice asked, causing the hair on my skin to stand up.

"Yes, sir." Another man responds, his voice an octave higher.

"Why her, Alpha?" A third man asked.

"There's something unique about her scent, something tells me I can use her. Until I find out why, I'll keep her as a slave." The man with the low voice remarked, causing my heart to sink beside my stomach.

"Let her be for tonight, tomorrow starts a new day." The man with the low voice added, and the footsteps left the bedroom.

The second the door shut, I opened my eyes. Tears began to pour, and hopelessness wanted to devour me. Tex wouldn't know of my absence for a few days, at least! I couldn't count on him to report me missing. I have to save myself.

Trying to sit up was excruciatingly painful, I must have broken some ribs. Gasping quietly, I sat straight up and noticed the room didn't have any windows. I limped over to the door, jiggling the handle to find it was locked. I'm stuck here? Are you freaking kidding me?!

Who are these men and what the hell do they want with me? I'm a nobody in this town, only three people know me by name! Wait a minute, maybe that's it? It's easier for me to disappear, especially compared to people that grew up in this town. No one would know I was gone...

They said they would check on me tomorrow, so I'll wait until then to make my move. That does give me some time to rest, before I push my body past its limit. I knew my chances were slim, but I had to try something. I wasn't going down without a fight.

Without a window, it was hard to tell the difference between day and night. I napped for what felt like a few hours, but I was too anxious to sleep longer than that. I prepared for my attack, sitting on the bed closest to the door. When it opens, I'll have the element of surprise, attacking from behind.

Time slowly ticked by, as I waited for my captors to arrive, but soon I heard the familiar footsteps. I readied myself, waiting for the door to swing open. The second it did, I collided with whoever was first to walk through the doorway. The person was massive, and my small frame did nothing of what I expected. I clung to the back of the man, as he tried to thrash me off.

"Get this little b***h off of me!" The man growled, reaching around to grab hold of my arm.

"Let me go!" I exclaimed, biting his forearm.

"s**t!" He growled, and stammered backwards, against the wall.

The force broke my contact, and he peeled himself away, while I cowered against the wall. Staring between faces I didn't recognize, complete strangers. The giant man sneered at me, his dark brown hair tousled to the side. While the tallest man in the middle of the four, held his hand up to the giant. The man in the middle had light brown hair, that was neatly styled to the side. His dark brown eyes studied me from head to toe, and I felt myself shiver under his eyes.

"Feisty one, aren't we?" The man in the middle chuckled, grinning wickedly at me.

"Who are you?" I asked, looking between the muscular men.

"My name is Solomon, and you're here to serve me." He blatantly stated, shrugging, while the others chuckled.

"The hell I am!" I snarled, using both feet simultaneously to swipe him off his feet by his ankles.

Solomon fell to the floor with a loud thud, and the others growled at me as I lunged for the door. Someone grabbed my shoulder, I turned, biting their fingers. Scrambling out of the room, I sprinted down a hallway. I was quickly approaching a set of stairs, and I had no choice but to run down them.

I ran out into an open room with a fireplace, leather furniture, and tons of men standing around talking. I caught everyone's attention, but I didn't stop, as I scurried through the crowded room. Murmurs break out through the crowd, and suddenly more hands are grabbing at me. Soon, I'm overwhelmed by the crowd, and Solomon appears in front of my face again.

His skin is sweating profusely, and his eyes are darker than I remembered. His breath is heavy, as he regains his composure. The room was silent, you could hear a pin drop. Solomon approaches me, shaking his head, clicking his tongue. His eyes are back to brown, and he looks me square in the eyes.

"Bad girls must be punished." Solomon said, accompanied by a sinister smirk.

"f**k you!" I shouted, and Solomon snarled at me.

"You don't even know what your punishment is. If I were you, I'd keep that pretty little mouth shut." He threatened me, and I felt the weight of his words.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked, more like shouting, but not intentionally.

"Because I believe you're of special value, if not to me, surely to someone else." Solomon stated, a sly smile sneaking onto his lips.

"You don't even know me..." I murmured, feeling the grip tighten around my arms.

"I know enough." Solomon said, shrugging. "Bring her to the courtyard."

The giant man I had attacked earlier took hold of me, and started dragging me behind me. A few others followed us outside, near a tall pole in the center of a paved area. The forest lurked beyond, but not close enough for me to make a getaway.

Solomon stood next to me, an evil grin smeared across his face, as the giant man threw me to the ground in front of the pole. Another man came up with a rope in his hands, and began tying my wrists to the pole. I began screaming, trying to trash my body around, because I knew something sadistic was coming.

Solomon stood behind me, and for a split second I wondered what was going to happen, until the first s***h ripped through my shirt and stung my flesh. He was whipping me! The loud snap sounded again, and I felt myself growing weak, pain overcoming me. A groan slipped past my lips, and he whipped me two more times. My body was limp, and someone lifted me off the ground, slinging me over their shoulder.

I awoke in the same bedroom, but this time I wasn't alone. Solomon sat on an iron bed across the room from me, where I lay still on the mattress. My breathing is labored from all the pain that's trying to bury my body. Keeping my eyes halfway open, I stared into the eyes of evil, Solomon, my captor.

"You're going to do what I say, when I say. Do you understand?" He growled, clenching his teeth together.

"And if I don't?" I questioned him, my voice broken and raspy.

"You'll experience much worse." He snarled, baring his teeth. "Learn your f*****g place."