Tied By The Moon | Editing

Chapter 4

I barely got any sleep last night; the pain from the silver was too excruciating, the position that the Alpha had left me in was uncomfortable and I was extremely paranoid, jolting awake at any sound.

I tried desperately to scratch at the chains, which had now - because they'd been stuck too tight - ripped away from the fabric of my shirt and rubbed onto my skin, causing a deep bruise to show on my brown skin.

Heavy footsteps resounded around the cellars, and I inhaled deeply, already feeling better as the scent of my mate slithered into my nose. The gate creaked open with an irritating sound, giving way to the Alpha, who was carrying a bowl of water and a plate of food. I bristled myself as he walked in, posturing in a show of distrust.

"I trust you slept well." He said, his melodic voice already getting all my attention.

His eyes flickered to the bruises that littered my skin, telling me he knew very well how uncomfortable I was last night. He stepped closer to me, eyeing me with a watchful look as he placed the bowl of food and water a few inches from my reach.

"You may eat this food if you submit to me, if not, you will go hungry until I return next, am I understood?"

His dictation had me on edge, his authority had my mind twisting in odd angles. I wanted to submit just for the food, but I knew I could survive without it, showing him again how defiant I was.

He watched me with his brown eyes, again with no desire coming from them. His eyes wandered over to Alistair, who was still passed out from exhaustion. The Alpha walked over to him and immediately I growled, bringing his attention back to me.

"All you have to do is submit." He said, slowly like he was addressing a child.

I angled myself away from him as best I could, longing to be back with my pack and away from here. I hadn't been able to reach out to my wolf for hours, every time I had tried it always left me with emptiness.

Never had I been this alone in my life, even when I didn't have a pack I at least had my wolf. But now, because of this Alpha - my mate, I was alone and desperate for contact, my head pounding with the worst of thoughts about my other companions.

"So be it."

Catching me off guard, the Alpha threw the bowl of water at me, which instantly soaked me to the bone. Then he dumped the plate of food onto the floor in front of me, letting it sit there as he stared me down.

My stomach growled in protest, causing the Alpha's eyes to light up in a subtle amusement. His scent changed to sweeter one because of that, but I ignored it to show my defiance.

He waited for a few seconds to see what I'd do, then, realising I wouldn't do anything, turned and began striding back to the exit.

I growled at his retreating figure, blatantly disrespecting his title and showing him I didn't care what he was doing. It was an insult to his wolf and his laurel, but it made me feel excited.

The next few days consisted of the most tedious moments of my life. Alistair was passed out because of the silver, so all I had to do was sit and wait for the Alpha to come back. It was excruciating, and it took every bit of my sanity not to succumb to my misery and call him back so I could submit. 

All I could do to entertain myself was watch the sun slowly dip down behind the metal bars each day, plunging the room into darkness and leaving me shivering in the cold as I waited for something to happen.

I was beyond defeated, my body limp and trembling as I continued to go without a meal for days. I knew I was losing weight, even as a wolf, my ribs stuck out as my skin stretched over them, my clothes becoming larger as I shrunk into them.

I was a new person. Starved, but not into submission. Just starved into craving human contact, so starved that I was looking forward to when the Alpha would come to torment me.

Then, as if by magic, I heard the fast steps of someone drawing closer. I breathed in deeply, trying to catch a scent, but I was so weak I could only make out a small bit of it - but even then I knew who it was. The Alpha entered the room with an emotionless face, stopping a few inches away and looking down at me like I was a misbehaving wolf.

I didn't look up at him, didn't even acknowledge his presence. I was exhausted, defeated...and I was disgusted with myself. I ignored him as he watched me, not even bothering to show him an ounce of recognition.

I felt the Alpha crouch to my height, his calloused hands gripping my chin and forcing me to face him. His eyes flickered with remorse as they took me in, a soft sigh escaping his lips as he eyed the large bruise formed on my stomach.

His scent tinted guilty, and my wolf would've been joyful he was showing emotion to me, had she been around. But because of the silver, she wasn't, and he knew that too well.

His warm palms disappeared from my face for a second, leaving me oddly cool, then reappeared by my stomach as he touched it. The action shocked me alert, and to protect myself I growled at him, recoiling away from his touch and baring my teeth.

"Ease your wolf, I mean no harm." He assured. His voice willed me to fall asleep, it's melody calming me like a lullaby.

My eyes slowly drooped shut as he whispered incoherent things to me. I stayed limp, my breathing jagged. Darkness overtook my sight, blurring my vision as the sweet feel of sleep wrapped itself around my body.

I was vaguely aware of when he picked me up, his large arms hooking under my legs and holding me against his chest. I was so stripped of my wolf that his scent caused a retch to go through me, but I held it down as he began moving, taking me away from the chains that broke me.