FRAGILE

Chapter 11: The New Master

Levi stirred slowly, his body still heavy with the remnants of a sedative that clung to him like a thick fog. He let out a small yawn, but it ended in a sharp whimper. Confusion swept through him, as he couldn't understand why his body had responded in such a way. Was his wolf coming back? The thought seemed impossible. His wolf had been suppressed for so long, buried beneath the commands of his Training Master. He shouldn't be able to feel anything from his wolf, especially not now. His wolf should be too weak, too distant.

Blinking against the haze in his mind, Levi opened his eyes. The room around him came into focus, but nothing made sense. He let out a snort of disbelief as he tried to comprehend what he was seeing. Instead of the cold, damp, concrete walls of his cell, he was surrounded by warmth and light. A large window bathed the room in soft sunlight, a stark contrast to the darkness and grime he had grown accustomed to. His brow furrowed in confusion. This wasn't the cell he had been imprisoned in. This wasn't his crate.

He glanced to the side and saw something black and flat where there should have been shackles bolted into the walls. Panic flickered in his chest. Where was he? His mind raced, trying to reconcile the softness of the bed beneath him, the unfamiliar room, the strange sensation of being... safe? No, that couldn't be. Safe was not something he knew anymore.

Where was Thomas? The name sent a shiver of dread through him, even in his woozy, half-awake state. His breath hitched as the memories started to creep in—fragments of pain, humiliation, and helplessness. He remembered the branding iron, the unbearable heat as it pressed into his chest, the smell of burning flesh. He remembered the sharp sting of his skin tearing under claws and teeth.

And then, the Alpha.

His heart seized in his chest as the memories fully hit him. The Alpha. The one who had stormed into the room, who had ripped Thomas away from him, who had growled with such raw, terrifying fury. Levi's eyes snapped open wide, filled with terror as he remembered the last time he had woken up in a bed. That was when Thomas had taken him, raped him, branded him, and stripped away what little remained of his dignity. Was that going to happen again?

His gaze darted around the room, and then it landed on him. The Alpha. The one who had saved him—or had he? The man was standing at the edge of the room, watching him closely, his presence as overwhelming and commanding as it had been in the warehouse. But now that Levi had a clear look at him, he could see the power that radiated from the Alpha, the strength in the way he carried himself.

Panic surged through Levi's veins. Was this Alpha going to do the same thing Thomas had? Why was Levi still alive? He had been prepared to die—wanted to die, after everything that had happened. Maybe the Alpha had bought him, claimed him like some piece of property. That had to be it. His pulse raced, terror filling every corner of his mind. The realization hit hard—this Alpha was his new Master.

Without thinking, Levi scrambled off the bed, his body moving on instinct. He had been trained for this. Every fiber of his being was conditioned to respond, to obey. He crawled across the floor, feeling the cold press of the ground beneath his hands and knees, until he was directly in front of the Alpha. He assumed the punishment position, his forehead touching the floor, arms stretched at his sides. His breath came in short, panicked bursts as he recited the words that had been drilled into his mind from the beginning of his training.

"I apologize for my actions, Master. I did not mean to be lazy, Master, and I accept all punishment for my failure. I am number 2197, and I have been trained to serve and please you. How may I please you, Master?"

The words fell from his lips with a robotic precision, the reflexive obedience that Thomas had beaten into him. He didn't think, didn't hesitate. He just acted. It was all he knew—service, obedience, silence.

For a moment, there was only silence. Then, he felt the Alpha's hand on him—strong, firm, but not rough. Levi's body trembled as he forced himself to remain still, to suppress the instinct to pull away.

Rule 37: Never flinch away or tense when touched by the Master. You are his property and deserve whatever he chooses to do to you.

Thomas's cold, harsh voice echoed in his mind, reminding him of every rule he had been forced to memorize. Levi's body obeyed without question. He stayed still as the Alpha picked him up from the floor and gently placed him back on the bed. But even as his body was moved, his muscles remained tense.

Rule 56: A slave should never be comfortable when the Master is not.

Levi's thoughts spiraled in confusion. What was the Alpha going to do to him? Was this a test? Should he move? Should he stay? His mind reeled as conflicting rules fought for dominance in his head, but another rule pushed its way to the surface.

Rule 6: Do not move from where the Master has placed you.

So he remained perfectly still, lying tense on the bed as the Alpha reached for something nearby and clipped it onto Levi's finger. A strange device—something that had fallen off when Levi had scrambled to the Alpha's feet. Levi didn't know what it was, but he didn't question it. He didn't dare.

The door to the room opened, and Levi's body immediately tensed at the sight of the man who entered. A doctor. Levi's mind recoiled as a flood of memories ripped through him, dragging him back into a nightmare he hadn't escaped.

The Correctional Unit. Thomas had dragged Levi out of that hell and into the hands of this doctor. Levi remembered being pulled into a room he had never seen before, cold and sterile, with metal tables and strange devices everywhere. The sounds of other slaves screaming in the distance had been haunting, a cruel reminder of what awaited him. The doctor had looked at him with a clinical, detached gaze as Thomas ordered him to "fix" Levi.

"Go as far as you want," Thomas had said, his voice dripping with cruel amusement. "No permanent damage, no death. But he can take a lot."

What followed had been four days of pure torment. The doctor had pushed Levi's body to the breaking point—ice-cold water, unbearable heat, electric currents that had sent his muscles into violent spasms. By the end, Levi had been a trembling, broken mess, his body locked in agony. The worst had been the thin cuts the doctor had made across his skin, before pouring alcohol over the open wounds. It had felt like fire searing through every nerve in his body.

Thomas had picked him up on the fourth day, smirking down at Levi's broken form before injecting him with something that knocked him unconscious.

Levi jerked back to the present as the Alpha's warm hand touched his arm, pulling him from the memory. He instinctively bared his neck, a submissive gesture that his wolf demanded of him, even though his wolf was weak and distant. The Alpha and the doctor watched him, acknowledging his submission but not punishing him.

Confusion flooded Levi's mind. Why wasn't he being punished?

"Please excuse my movement, Master and Sir," Levi whispered, his voice trembling. "I apologize for my infraction of Rule 37. I, 2197, accept any punishment for my mistake."

A low growl filled the room, but it wasn't the growl of anger Levi expected. The Alpha's eyes flashed with something unreadable, but instead of delivering the punishment Levi expected, he simply turned and left the room. Levi stared after him, bewildered.

Why? Why wasn't I punished?