Caged

Verania

The uniformed men dragged me back to the main room and continued onward, not stopping until they reached the door.

Shock rendered me unable to move. I was taken outside, to the biting cold, and only snapped out of my paralysis when I saw the cars parked out front. They were huge and resembled tanks—I doubted that bullets would shatter the windows.

"Let go of me!" I argued before shaking my body once more. It was all pointless.

They opened the door, shoved me in the backseat, then slammed the door right in my face.

There was no lock on the inside. I couldn't find one.

It didn't take long for Alpha Rasmon to walk out with Madame Freya by his side. She was holding my rucksack, which she handed to one of the men in uniform. When did I drop it? I couldn't even remember.

The sight of him—all tall and imposing—scared the living hell out of me. I'd never met this man personally, but I knew him by reputation like everyone else. He was known as The Cruel Alpha and was allegedly the Alpha King's right hand. He was known for being vicious, and he'd killed many men during the war that wrecked our world.

During the reign of the old alphas, women were respected. Adored.

Now, they were nothing. Just playthings. Breeders.

And now, I was one of them.

This was all because of the Alpha King's regime. He changed all the laws so that corruption, greed, and crime flourished. He didn't care about the rules that kept us apart from wild animals. And this man—Alpha Rasmon—helped him build his empire of blood and bones.

I now belonged to him.

My heart threatened to beat out of my chest as he made his way to the vehicle. I curled myself into a ball, knowing that there was no way out for me from this moment onward, not unless I wanted to risk losing my life.

As a child, I was taught to fear death. I was told it was something bad that nobody wanted, and that nothing was worse than dying.

However, as I grew older, I realized that wasn't true.

Being Madame Freya's slave was bad enough, that was true. But at least it was manageable. I always told myself that if I became a prostitute, I would do whatever I could to escape those circumstances.

What about now? What would I do to save myself?

The door opened and my thoughts came to an abrupt end.

Alpha Rasmon sat beside me. I didn't look at him, but I felt his eyes on me, giving me a once-over. I could see him from the corner of my eye. "So, you're disobedient, are you?"

I kept my face practically glued to the door. I didn't dare to look at him. My throat bobbed but I was determined not to show fear. To bury it so deep inside of me that he'd never find it.

"That's going to change," he continued regardless of my silence. "I don't accept disobedience. You will do as you're told when you're told. Do you understand?"

I kept my lips firmly pressed together.

"You will also answer when you're spoken to," he added. I could detect the twinge of irritation in his voice right away.

I was an idiot for disobeying such a powerful man right to his face. With Madame Freya, my silence would usually beat her. I'd learned to weaponize it a long time ago.

But I didn't have experience outside the walls of the brothel.

What would my silence cost me here?

Suddenly, he grabbed my face roughly, forcing me to turn my head and look at him. Our eyes locked, and I noted how they were a frosty blue, devoid of emotion. Of life, even. The man staring back at me was no man at all. He was a wall.

A cage and the beast inside it.

I took note of his entire face—how pale his skin was, and how he kept his face freshly shaved, not a nick in sight. His nose was straight and his lips were on the thin side and pale. His smell was strong. Musky and earthy. His hair was long and black. Thick.

The strength of his hand alone scared me.

I couldn't fight him. I couldn't even tear my face away from his hand.

"Careful, wildflower," he warned, the pet name he chose turning me cold. "This is not a fight you're going to win, do you understand me? If you won't talk, I'll make you and you won't like it one bit."

Breeder. The word echoed in my mind as I stared at him, imagining what he would do to me. I shuddered, a small whimper threatening to escape my lips. I swallowed it down, hoping my stomach would grind it to nothing.

The Cruel Alpha narrowed his eyes at me before releasing my face. I saw a flicker of something cross his pale eyes but it quickly disappeared before I could make sense of it. "Have it your way. Only, don't say I didn't warn you."

We rode in the car silently, side by side. My heart never stopped beating fast. It was almost painful. I stared out the window at the world beyond—a world I wasn't familiar with anymore.

Everything looked so different from how I remembered it.

It was like the city I knew before didn't exist anymore.

These monsters destroyed it.

Just like they were trying to destroy us.

I bit back tears. I was determined not to show emotions. As we drove away from the brothel and I caught a glimpse of the world beyond, I knew then that I would never be content with being a slave. I imagined myself out in the world, doing my own thing. Free.

I didn't care what it took—I would have my freedom.

I would fight this cold and cruel man with every fiber of my being.

If he wanted to take what he bought, then he could. I was powerless to stop him anyway. But what he wouldn't take from me would be my blind obedience. My fear.

What was the worst he could do to me? Kill me?

I swallowed the bitter taste in my mouth.

At least I would be free.

We arrived at a gated residence. The gates were as tall and imposing as the Cruel Alpha was, and the walls were impossibly high. I would never be able to climb them. Several uniformed men were milling about, armed. I saw their guns, oily and black, at their sides. The sight made my stomach churn.

We drove around a fountain, the car stopping at the foot of the stairs. Alpha Rasmon said nothing to me as he opened his door and climbed out of the car. I stared at the door, wondering how he opened it when my door abruptly flew open. I snapped my head right and saw him standing before me, his eyes as hard as stone.

"Out," he commanded. "Walk ahead of me or you'll be dragged. Your choice."

I wasn't sure why I couldn't move—I was rooted to the spot. His impatience became evident and he leaned toward me. "I can't afford to look like an idiot before these men. Do you understand me? Do not force me to do something completely unnecessary. There's no need for violence or cruelty here. You are here to work for me. I will never mistreat you unless you beg for it like you are now."

I raise my chin and narrow my eyes at him. "Work? Is that what you call the possibility of me bearing your children? Is that what you call rape?"

The Alpha stared at me dead in the eyes, giving nothing away.

I continued. "You can take what you paid for from me. I'll be helpless to stop you. But know that I will never be a willing participant. I won't play along."

"Have it your way, then."

I was dragged from the car all the way to the inside of the house. He walked so quickly, his strides long, that I couldn't stop to look at anything. There was no time for it.

We went up many flights of stairs before arriving at our destination. The only thing I noticed was that the door was made of metal, not wood.

He unlocked it by tapping on a keypad and then forced me inside. Without a word, he closed the door, leaving me alone in the room.