The Flame Trilogy (Books I, II & III)

1.15

The next day I meet Dimitri in his office. He told me that morning that he wants to talk, and I admittedly want to be near him. There has been a shift in us lately, but I can't tell how or when it happened.

We've started sharing a bed more often, it's as if I could no longer get off or sleep without him anymore. The few nights that I spend in that hospital bed produces some of the worst nights of sleep I've ever had, it's only when I sleep with him that I somehow felt at peace.

Much to my surprise, I'm not the only one who has been summoned. Alexei, Viktor and Mikhail are all standing around waiting, watching with a careful curiosity. They aren't even pretending to be busy which I find particularly strange; I mean they are the leaders of the pack, surely, they have something else to be doing?

There's a silence cloaking the room, but I can't read the mood of it. It becomes almost suffocating when I've been standing for almost two minutes without anyone breaking the silence.

I have a feeling that I'm not going to like this very much.

Dimitri pulls out a wooden box and I raise my eyebrows inquisitively. It's by no means regal, but still well-kept with its polished design. The small latch on it further peaks my curiosity. It looks as if its contents are either well cared for or hardly used which only adds to my cautious curiosity.

His eyes remain on mine as he opens the clasp and opens the box, its contents hidden from my eyes. Gesturing me forward with a come-hither movement, I decide to agree with silent apprehension, making sure to keep my face blank so that he can't see what I'm thinking. Inside I'm both nervous and curious, but I know that it'll only feed his ego if he knows that he is affecting me.

I walk around his desk stopping a few paces in front of him. My eyes drift to the contents of the box- a leather studded collar. I have to fight the urge to bare my canines, an undeniable fear building inside me from the sight of the damned thing; images of my time in Shadow Fang resurfacing too quickly for me to push away. I instead resolved to bite the inside of my cheek in agitation and insult, now knowing that he wants to humiliate me, I sure as hell am not going to give him a reaction.

Being collared is a sign of disgrace within a pack. It's a symbol to the pack that you are volatile and a poor pack member. It's most humiliating because it reduces you to an animal learning to behave. Usually pack members look down on those who are collared since it's mainly used on adolescents who act out.

In Shadow Fang many of the younger pack members are often collared because they're exempt from harsher punishments. But collaring is no picnic, they are left outside tied to a post with no food or water until they learnt their lesson. It's by no means a fun experience. I would know. Being the stubborn bitch that I am, I almost died from my impudent refusal to submit.

I can't deny that seeing that collar in Dimitris hands incites fear in me. I would rather take a whipping than be subjected to that prolonged torture. I keep my eyes locked with Dimitri's not once backing down. To him it may have been further disrespect but for I me I just need to look anywhere but that fucking collar.

"For your disrespect you will be collared." Dimitri's voice fills the space.

"Are you being serious," I deadpan, trying to hide my real emotions behind the nonchalance. "All this for insulting your manhood? You should just whip me and be done with it."

"The collar will stay on until you can respect the people around you." He ignores me.

His men watch intently as he comes closer, I feel myself involuntarily moving away. I'm stopped by hands holding me in place, glaring over my shoulder at Alexei. I've always known that he's an asshole. I try to fight out of his grip, to get away from the damned thing but before I know it Dimitri has it around my neck. He fastens the leather belt around my neck, securing it with a lock.