Feral Obsession

Chapter Sixteen

Alpha Keirson was not gentle on Ruby. That first afternoon, he worked her to the bone. She was a sweating, panting mess by the end of the day. And with no food in her system, Ruby spent the following half hour dry heaving into the bushes.

By the time she was finished, saliva dribbling down her chin pitifully, Alpha Kerison took her into their dining room. It was large, as one would expect when tasked with the job of feeding many, many mouths. The table stretched from one side of the room to the other, chairs pushed in neatly. Ruby sat down in the one chair the Alpha pulled back for her.

Her stomach was so hungry, Ruby felt it eating away at her own insides. When a woman rounded the corner from the kitchen to the dining room, she held two plates piled high with warm, steaming food.

Ruby felt the need to vomit all over again when the woman slid the plate in front of her. Ruby hadn't seen any other women at this place, and was drawn to this beacon of hope. An ally in a lion's den.

The woman had beautiful long, blonde hair. It was pulled back, trailing down her back in wispy curls. She had a kind smile that she wore for Ruby, and then again for the Alpha. Ruby was nearly shocked out of her seat when she saw the woman place a kiss on Alpha Keirson's cheek.

The Alpha gave the woman a warm smile of his own, claiming her mouth in a deep, quick kiss before releasing her. When his eyes fell back on Ruby, they cooled down immediately, his mouth twisting into a scowl, just for her.

For human filth, she thought to herself.

"This is my Luna, Madison. Maddy, this is the human."

"My name isn't human. My name is Ruby." Ruby gave a little glare to Alpha Keirson at the introduction. Her mind spun with the new word, Luna, and she wondered what that meant. Clearly, Keirson and Madison were together. Was that what it meant?

"Ruby, it's nice to meet you." Madison's smile was warm and inviting. At complete odds with the man sitting beside her. "I'm sure you have many questions."

"What is a luna?" It was the only thing Ruby was dying to ask right at that moment. Asking anything else about escaping would be foolish. Even asking about Atlas felt stupid.

"Luna means I'm mated to our Alpha. I'm sort of like... the mother of the pack. I take care of everyone, the same way Leon does." She patted Alpha Keirson's face lovingly. "And Leon does such a great job, but someone needs to take care of the home while you're away."

Ruby blinked at Madison. Stay at home wife? She seemed content to fill that role, Ruby surmised, and if that was what she wanted, then so be it.

"Madison will show you to your new room after the meal."

Hope flared bright in Ruby's chest at those words. For a moment, she forgot she was a prisoner. "Room? You mean, I won't be staying in the cell?" She tried not to sound too hopeful, but she couldn't help it.

Maybe she had died, and this was her dreaming in the afterlife. She began to eat, shoveling the delicious food into her mouth so fast, she feared she would choke. But she was so hungry, and she wasn't sure when food would be given to her so freely again.

"Woah! Slow down, Ruby. Wait." Madison reached and stilled Ruby's hand. "You're going to be sick. Slower bites. I promise, the food will be here again. No need to eat like an animal." That had her grinning a little bit at the play on words. "You're like some of the men around here."

Ruby didn't want to cry, not again, so she looked back down at the plate. She swallowed what was left in her mouth, her stomach protesting at how much she had eaten in such little time. "You're right. Could you bring me to my rooms, actually?"

"Of course. C'mon."

Ruby didn't look back at Alpha Keirson, at Leon, again as she left the room. She followed Madison up the staircase, her hand on her chest uneasily. Was it another trap? Would she be killed up here, now that she had eaten?

Madison gave her a reassuring smile, almost as if she could tell where Ruby's thoughts were veering. "You'll be down the hall. The guys are a little rowdy, but you'll get used to it." She opened the door, and when Ruby stepped inside, a strange emotion welled up in her throat. Homesickness, but also gratefulness, all wrapped into one.

Because of course she wanted to leave. She wanted to run and never turn back. But if she was stuck here, in this insane werewolf dream, then at least she had a room to herself now.

She was a prisoner, but she had just been upgraded. She didn't want to ruin it and be sent back to the cell.

"Thank you, Madison."

Ruby sat on the edge of her bed, refusing to look Madison in the eyes. Because she was worried that once the tears started, Ruby wouldn't be able to stop them.

Madison didn't seem to care, sitting beside Ruby and placing a delicate hand on Ruby's knee. "It's going to be alright. I promise. I was in the same place you are in, once upon a time." A wobbly smile took over Madison's face. "I think it's why Leon is letting you live. You remind him of me."

Unshed tears shined in Ruby's eyes. "What do you mean you were once me? You were also kidnapped?"

Ruby wanted to shake the woman and scream, you're a victim too! but she didn't.

"Not kidnapped. More like... traded. My father traded me for a different wolf, a stronger wolf. Leon took the trade because I'm his mate, and because he wanted me under his thumb. But at first, Leon kept me in the cell downstairs. I think he hated who I was to him." A wet laugh. "But we're great now. I love him with all of my heart."

Ruby opened her mouth to tell Madison that treating her like trash was not a sign of love, but she didn't. Madison may be her only hope of escaping, and if pretending that being traded and being kept a prisoner was true love, who was she to say no?

"Mate?" She said instead.

"When two wolves are bonded for life, they're considered mates. The Moon Goddess blesses us with the bond." Madison shared a smile with her, but it was sad. "One day, maybe you'll be with yours."

Ruby shook her head. "I'm not a wolf. I don't have that sort of... bond."

Madison stood up at that comment. She nodded to the in-suite bathroom. "Take a shower, Ruby. Get some sleep. Leon won't go easy on you, but training you is a gift. Please see it for what it is. Him keeping you alive is a sign of his goodness. This is hard now, but it'll get easier."

Ruby jumped at the chance to shower, and was pleasantly surprised to feel it warm up quickly. But, under the spray of the water, she couldn't help but feel suffocated. What sort of world had she stepped into? It was clear that Madison was insane and corrupted, and would be of no help against her husband.

Ruby felt so alone. So tired. She toweled off and fell right into her bed, not bothering to put on pajamas. Instead, she closed her eyes, and thought of the one man who had to realize her absence by now. Because any day now, Atlas Langdon was going to bust down her door and demand that she leave, and he'll realize hopefully just how unwilling she had been to leave.

Not that she thought the dark haired, dark eyed man would chase after her. But maybe he would at least place a missing persons report.

Even in her dreams, Atlas was overbearing and rude. He wore a harsh twist of his mouth and angry, drawn brows that cut into his narrowed eyes.

But even Ruby couldn't stop the change of pace in the dream. Where Atlas went from grabbing her arm to pull her out of the apartment to pulling her closer, a whisper of a kiss on his lips-

She woke up in a cold sweat, heart pounding. She laid still for a moment, staring at the night sky out of her bedroom window. "What the fuck?" she whispered to herself.

She had no reason to have any wet dreams about her narcissistic landlord, who also happened to be a werewolf. No reason whatsoever. But it didn't stop Ruby's heart from clenching at the thought of him.

Maybe he misses you, too, she thought. But she knew it was a fevered lie. Atlas missed no one.