Open Challenge

Verania

If I didn’t swallow the water, then I would have to choke on it, and that wasn’t what I wanted at all.

Choking would only make things worse, so instead, I gulped down the water as tears gathered in my eyes. Soon, my stomach felt too full to the point where I thought it would burst.

The Cruel Alpha only stepped back when the glass was empty. His hateful eyes searched my face. I coughed and wiped the back of my hand across my mouth, meeting his gaze steadily.

“Agatha,” he said to the plump woman who stood beside him and watched me with a horrified expression. “The food.”

The woman hurried to gather a plate of food, presumably for me. He didn’t take his eyes off my face, and I could tell that he was prepared for a fight. This only increased my need to stand my ground.

At this point, I was far beyond caring.

The woman, Agatha, handed him a plate of food. I didn’t pay attention to what was on it. Alpha Rasmon handed it to me, his eyes hard. “Eat.”

I didn’t make a single move.

“Eat,” he commanded, emphasizing the word. “Eat it or I’ll force this down your throat the same way I did with the water. Oh, you wish to die? Is that it? Well, guess what, breeder? That’s a luxury you can’t afford.”

He single-handedly tore a piece of the steak on the plate and tried to force it into my mouth. The smell of the food made my stomach grumble and I salivated, but I was still determined to not have a single bite of the food.

His frustration only grew while I kept my lips sealed. Handing the plate to Agatha, he once again squeezed my cheeks until they opened, and forced the chunk of meat inside my mouth.

“Chew,” he spat.

I glared at him, my mouth completely still. He could force the food into my mouth, but he couldn’t make me chew or swallow it, not like he did with the water.

A low curse left his lips. He then proceeded to fist food into his hand and started forcing it all into my mouth. Handfuls of rice, vegetables, and meat. “Eat, you damned slave. Eat!”

My mouth was stuffed to capacity, but I still wouldn’t do as he said.

I didn’t care at this point.

The Cruel Alpha cursed and turned away from me. He ran his clean hand down his face in frustration and the other one, covered in remnants of food and oil, rested on his side.

The woman named Agatha stared at me, aghast, and I returned her look while spitting all the food onto my lap. Alpha Rasmon threw a look at me over his shoulder. I lowered my gaze and stared at the mess on my lap.

The silence in the kitchen was suffocating. I had no clue what would happen after this, but I was prepared for everything. I could almost imagine the punishments and the pain that would be inflicted upon me.

But at some point, it would pass. Nothing lasted forever. Not the good. Not the bad. Not anything.

A pair of footsteps could be heard entering the kitchen. Curiously, I looked up and saw a middle-aged woman dressed in a silk red robe approaching us.

Her hair was short and in her eyes, I saw an insurmountable anger that burned bright red. She cut a look at the Alpha, then said, “I’ll ask that the two of you leave us alone.”

At first, I didn’t think that he would move. Why would he? He was the Alpha here, had a terrible reputation, and I doubted that he’d take such an order easily.

The servant was the first to leave. I could tell by how fast she moved that she’d been waiting eagerly for such an order. Alpha Rasmon took longer. I kept my eyes low, not looking at either of them until I saw him turn on his heel and exit the kitchen.

I was dumbfounded. Who was this woman?

“My nephew has a way with people, doesn’t he?” she quipped. My eyes were on her face in a flash, and she offered me a small smile. “Charming, isn’t he?”

Naturally, I refrained from answering. Effortlessly and in high-heeled shoes, she moved around the dimly lit, rustic kitchen. After finding a cloth and an empty dish, she knelt beside me and began cleaning the mess on my lap.

My face heated up completely, and I immediately felt the need to take the cloth from her hand and clean it myself. “N-No, please, let me—”

Her eyes met mine sharply, and in them, I saw a warning. I didn’t understand her character at all. She finished cleaning me up as best as she could and then served a new plate of food.

“Now,” she began like she was addressing a child, “you’re going to repay the favor by eating up. It’s the only thank-you I’ll accept for cleaning you.”

I knew then that she trapped me. I wouldn’t be able not to eat after what she’d done for me. The woman handed me the plate like she didn’t expect my refusal, then she leaned against the stone counter behind her, watching me.

Reluctantly, I started to eat. I occasionally glanced at her, wondering what her deal was. Was she kind? That was my first impression of her. But she had an overall ruthlessness about her that didn’t escape my notice.

So, why was she doing this for me?

I had to fight the urge to gulp all the food down like a wild beast. I was ravenous after my hunger strike—by the goddess, food never tasted as good as it did now. But I didn’t want to entertain this. At some point, I’d have to starve again. I wouldn’t obey him or get on my knees for anyone.

The sound of the voice jolted me out of my thoughts. “I don’t know if you realized it, but the harder you fight him, the faster the monster in his manifests. Rasmon doesn’t like to be challenged.”

I didn’t care about that. Obeying him wasn’t an option.

He bought me, for crying out loud. This whole thing was wrong.

“You’ll be treated well if you just show him obedience,” she continued. “I assure you that you could’ve landed in a worse position. I heard of men who cut the arms and legs of their breeders whenever they dared to fight. Imagine that—having all your limbs amputated and still being used. Wouldn’t you prefer to keep them?”

I had to admit that I was horrified by what she recounted, and the food I just ate made my stomach churn. I nearly puked.

“Rasmon won’t do the same to you if you just…play along. We’re women, girl. We’ve always had to fake it to make it. Those who dared to fight and prove a point lost their lives for nothing because things remain the same. Always have, and always will. Men will always be cruel.”

“No,” I finally said. My voice was hoarse from not using it, so I cleared it. “Things were better before. The Alpha King’s regime ruined it. Women were respected. It was never like this.”

The woman smiled at me and inched closer. I could smell her flowery perfume. “How foolish you sound right now, girl. Don’t ever let him hear you say that, or he’ll have your tongue. Eat up. You and I will continue this discussion later.”