Feral Things

1

I could feel my head pounding as I lifted it from the dusty floor. My eyes burned as I opened them and tried to adjust to the darkness, the smell of mold was so strong in my nose I fought the urge to gag on the air. Slowly pulling myself into a sitting position I checked my surroundings, taking note of the basic concrete box I was stuck in. Probably a basement, could be an underground prison, either way the current situation I found myself in wasn't sitting well in my gut. There was a puddle of water in a corner and mold covered a good portion of the walls. A cot lay in a corner with a thin blanket on top of it, though from the looks of it the cot itself was old and would most likely give out if I used it. A metal door was the only part that stood out against the concrete and mold, it had a small window that allowed faint light to come through. I was grateful for that at least. Checking my body for any injuries I discovered a single chain on my left ankle, it attached to the wall behind me.
"Oh, great." I muttered quietly. I sigh heavily and lean against the cold wall trying to clear my head and recount how I'd ended up here. I remember being in the woods running when my head suddenly started feeling like it was going to split open, I remember falling to the forest floor and screaming so loudly it made my ears ring. I tried to remember anything after that point, but all I can remember is the pain and the ringing in my ears. Where I am currently I have no idea, the smell of the mold was growing almost unbearable and I pulled the collar of my t-shirt over my face to help lessen the intensity. I could feel fear start creeping it's way to the front of my brain, curling in my veins like an icy claw. Taking a deep breath I move to stand and begin pacing, the chain dragging on the floor stirring up the dust.
I paced for a while, I had no idea how long I'd been here or what time it was, though from the hunger I was feeling at this point, it couldn't have been more than a couple days. I could hear footsteps faintly above me, by my guess I wasn't gonna be getting out anytime soon, and I refuse to call out to whoever threw me in here for help. Deciding to just wait until someone came to check on me, hopefully someone would, I pulled the tattered blanket from the cot and sat back on the floor where I'd originally woken up at. After I'd paced the whole room I'd found a makeshift toilet which was just a bucket with a toilet seat on top with some toilet paper next to it, there was also a slot in the door that seemed to allow for stuff to be passed through. That part concerned me a bit, how long was I going to be stuck here? I still couldn't remember anything before being in the woods, which frustrated me further. I can remember basics like how to read and write as well as speak just fine, my logic is still intact and I can slightly remember small details of things but it's a fleeting moment. A small sob escaped me. I hadn't realized I had started crying. Instead of fighting it I just let it out and eventually fell into a heavy sleep.
The sound of the door creaking woke me up, my eyes were heavy still and my head was throbbing even more after crying. The smell of food caused my stomach to speak it's mind, which caused a slight chuckle from the man who'd entered the room with the tray. He set the tray down on the ground close to me and squatted to eye level with me. His eyes were a dark amber color and I could've sworn they flashed black for a second, though, it's not like it's very bright in here and the light he brought with him wasn't doing much to help my eyes adjust. I let my eyes wander for a moment, trying to see if maybe I can recognize him from anywhere. 'I've never seen him before.' I think to myself. He's very handsome, sharp jaw and strong facial structure, his hair is an ashy brown, it's not short but not long with shaved sides, the curls fall over his face softly as he looks back at me. I can feel his eyes on me, everywhere he looks feels like there's electricity flowing from there.
"Good morning. My name is Alex, I'm sorry to have to had put you down here, but you went a little...wild." He said softly, his voice made my heart flutter like crazy, his eyes were soft but there was something else swirling in them. His presence was intimidating, but I didn't feel like I was in danger. He reached a hand out to me, I started at it not wanting to be touched by a random man who locked me in his basement.
"What's your name?" He retracted his hand after he realized I wasn't going to let him touch me. "I brought some food and water for you as well, it was kinda hard to bring it beforehand, considering you were probably gonna kill my staff and the guards." I stare at his face now.
"What do you mean I was probably going ti kill your guards?" I ask him bewildered. "I highly doubt that I could take one grown man let alone multiple." His eyes flashed a look of curiosity before he looked down at my hands which were resting in my lap. "What do you remember?"
I let out a shaky breath. "I remember being in the woods and I was on a run I think, my head started hurting so bad and I remember screaming and then it goes black." I feel emotional now. "I'm scared and confused and I don't know what happened or what you want with me, I'm so sorry if I trespassed or anything or if I hurt someone, I don't know what happened." It was coming out in sobs at this point. What happened to me being strong? I guess I'm overwhelmed right now.
I feel him wrap his arms around my body now, he's warm and his smell is intoxicating, like a fire that's just gone out with vanilla, I feel my whole body relax into his, and I cry into his chest as he holds me quietly. His hands gently rubbing my back and he's whispering in my ears.
"You're okay, it's okay, you're not in trouble and you're not in danger." Alex moves to adjust my body into his lap, and I don't have the energy to fight it, I hadn't noticed how big he actually was. His chest was hard and warm, I could feel his muscles moving under me as he moved to sit against the wall. He was no doubt a unit of a being, he wasn't a huge person but he was definitely undeniably strong.
"What's you're name love?" He asked again.
"Lyra." I mutter out, surprising myself. It just came out, I didn't even think about it.
"Lyra." He repeats softly, and I can feel my whole body react to it. I could feel Alex's body stiffen for a moment, and he moved to put me back on the floor next to him.
Part of me felt sad about it but overall I was grateful. It felt amazing to be in Alex's arms and that concerned me. I just met this man, and he has a way of making my body lust for him with a few words and gentle touches.
"I'm sorry, I just noticed that you'd resisted my hand and I know hugging probably wasn't the best call but, I couldn't let you cry and think you were in danger Lyra." Alex said and he started to stand. "You're perfectly safe here, and if you wish, I have a bedroom that you can use until we can figure out how to help you if you would like."
He reached out to me again, and I gingerly grab his hand. He lifts me to my feet, and moves to his pocket to pull out keys. "Lift your foot."
While it was a simple command, again my body had a lustful reaction to it. I silently cursed myself at my teenage reaction to Alex. I lifted my foot as he unlocked the chain and swiftly scooped up the tray of food he'd brought down.
"Come, I'll show you to your room."
Alex's house was undoubtedly something I'd never be able to afford. It was a mansion, a literal mansion. There were so many people walking around as he and I made our way out of the basement. I could see children and mothers helping each other doing chores around the house, a few men here and there at the doors and some relaxing in a living room area. It seemed like a commune honestly, and they all look so happy here. I could feel Alex's eyes on me every so often, the electric feeling I get when he's looking at me hasn't gone away yet, and it just increases when he touches me. I can't understand my physical reaction to him, on one hand I feel so safe around him and I just want to bury my face into his chest and sleep for days, and on the other hand everything in me screams to run. Though if I'm honest, it's the urge to stay that's strongest.
After Alex showed me around a few areas in his home, he showed me to my room, which just so happened to be on the same floor as his, where very few other people stay. That makes the temptation even more daunting. He'd brought me food and told me to stay in the room till tomorrow morning. Which I am all for, a comfy bed? Yes please.
I decided to spend part of my night in the bath, the garden bath tub was irresistible and there was a wide selection of bath items. Filling the bath with hot water and some bubbles, I strip out of my shorts and shirt. Looking in the mirror I look myself over. I'd almost forgotten what I'd looked like. My hair is a wild curly mess of red, my eyes were a dull green, though flecks of yellow were very pronounced now, that was new, that much I was sure of. Moving to the rest of my body, my tattoos were dark against my pale skin, a few bruises here and there, and what looked like a fresh row of three scars across my stomach, cutting through portions of tattoos I'd had. The dragon on my side had marks through the face where the scars ended at, and the bat on my stomach had lines jutting through it now.
"I'll have to get it fixed at sometime." I say as I take off my bra and underwear, and slip into the deep tub and soak in the hot water for a while.
  After my bath I wrapped myself in one of the fluffy black towels and rummaged through the closet. Alex had said that there were extra clothes that were used for donations were stored there, so I was welcome to whatever I'd like. I settled for some gray sweatpants and a black long sleeve shirt. After I was dressed I moved to the bathroom and found some hair ties and pulled my birds nest of hair into a bun on top of my head. Feeling fatigue finally catch up with me I laid on the king size bed and I fell into a comfortable sleep.
A knock on the door woke me with a start. Sitting up in bed I groggily call out for whoever it is to enter. Alex steps in the room, wearing only shorts and tennis shoes. That feeling stirred again.
"Good morning Lyra, I was just wanting to check on you and see how your night was." Alex leaned against the door frame and looked at me with a gentle grin. His smile was beautiful, it made his face light up in a way that caused my heart to melt slightly.
  "I slept great actually. Though, I would like to have an explanation on what happened. Please?" I desperately wanted answers, I don't know what he meant by me going wild. Alex nodded and moved to sit on the foot of the bed, his weight caused me to slide towards him slightly. "So would you want to talk now or would you like some breakfast and we can talk in my office."
  On cue my stomach rumbled. Taking it as a yes for food, Alex stood and motioned for me to follow. I hopped out of bed and followed him to the kitchen where there was already a bunch of food stacked on plates and bowls filled with sides.  "The cooks make food for the whole pack here." Alex says. "Pack?" He nods, and grabs a plate for me to fill. "I can explain more later, okay? Let's just eat before everyone else finishes morning workout." We fill our plates and sit at the island to eat. I enjoyed the pancakes and bacon that I'd picked, the strawberry syrup was amazing. After a few minutes the sounds of people coming inside echoed through the mansion, sounds of kids laughing and parents calling to them to calm down. Alex looked at me as if to ask if I wanted to leave the common area. I shrugged and continued to eat. He smiled and grabbed himself a cup of coffee after rinsing his plate off in the sink. Alex say next to me and soon the flow of people coming in for breakfast started. I noticed a few stares but other than that everyone was super pleasant, all kind welcomes and offers for anymore food or if I needed any help with anything. After Alex made it clear that he's got it covered they all would just nod and move on. Another man came in and after he grabbed his fill, two plates with eggs and meats galore, he sat on the other side of Alex and introduced himself to me.
"Hey, I'm Noah, I'm the beta here." He says with a flashing smile. I cock my head slightly. 'Beta?' I noticed Alex give Noah a glance and Noah's eyes widen slightly. "Ahh, I see." He says as he continues to eat.
We chatted for a bit and I learned that Noah's wife, Rosie, is a doctor and she ran the clinic here. They had two children, Ryan and Logan, they were a couple years apart in age, Ryan was about to start the third grade. We chatted for about thirty minutes before Alex excused us to his office.