3. Epilogue

Epilogue

Elise

Eight Months Later

It’s time to play a game, and the rules are simple. You run… You hide… You Pray. You pray that when you are captured, you get passed around like a joint at a Bob Marley concert. That’s the whole point, right? The prey know what the goal is when they consent. They know if a predator finds them, they will stick their dick in them. Over… and over… and over again. No one gives a fuck if you are single, engaged, married, or widowed. If you consent, they will make it their goal to fuck you into a stupor before sending you off to be captured again. This year? Well… This year is different. This year we are stepping away from the norm and creating new memories.

The last eight months have been healing in a way I cannot describe. That doesn’t mean that I don’t think about what has happened to me, because I do. It still makes me just as angry. Lucian has been a massive part of my healing process and has supported me unconditionally. I was encouraged to find what brings me solace and lean into it. The day that Lucian and I had sex for the first time since the rapes, I realized pain brought me that solace. It allowed me to escape to a different reality for a while. The pain I desire, only Lucian can fulfill. He is the only one capable of making my thoughts drift away. We experimented with many things until we landed on flogging.

Before we took a deep dive into things, Lucian had me use the flogger on him. This was important to him because he wanted to understand what exactly I was feeling. He didn’t want to do something without understanding just how much pain it brought. He always tells me that the most important thing that a Dom must understand is that there is always room for improvement for both the Dom and the sub. He says it is his responsibility to understand my thoughts and feelings because he feels as though you cannot properly dominate someone without leveling with them.

Today, I will be branding my husband with my initials and the wheel of destiny in the same place that he will be covering Jake’s brand with the same wheel and his initials. After, he requested that I cut him six times, three on each forearm, to remind him that it is his duty to protect me. I was cut six times, so he wants to match everything to understand what I went through. After that, he will brand me. Together, we have decided that I will be restrained the exact same way I was before, only I will be supported by everyone. Laura will be at my head, comforting me, while Lucian is going to fuck me. When we come, he will brand me. From there, I will be showered with support from anyone who wishes to provide it. There will be no limitations on how that is provided. The importance of this is that I am given a chance to be supported while I simultaneously rewrite those memories with ones that don’t make my blood boil when I think about it. Once I am calm, everyone will come together for one giant orgy.

This will be heavily influenced by the original hunt, so the prey are still being used. It will just be contained to the community center. The predators will be the ones to decide who fucks their prey and how they are used. There were no red roses given this year, since Laura and Bradley got married shortly after my kidnapping. Bradley was going to do it at Halloween, but together they decided that they wanted to get married in the summer.

I am incredibly nervous to be branded again, but I’m excited that Lucian will be the one to do it. He says he is looking forward to taking care of me, like he doesn’t dote on me day and night anyhow. We both are always taking care of each other. We focus so much on the other that we would neglect ourselves if the other wasn’t doing the same thing. We are perfect together and that is just one of many reasons why.

I am opting to wear a white silk robe this evening. Laura finishes putting my hair into a tight bun before we walk, hand in hand, to the community center. Neither of us has it in us to talk. I am mentally exhausted already, but I’m ready to have Jake’s brand covered.

Jake and the mass murder that took place in February went down as a mass suicide. Detective Clark Bishop easily came up with the story that they branded and killed Jake for what he had them do to me and then killed themselves. More or less, they felt tricked and ended up regretting what they had done. I don’t care what the story is, because all of the women are happy, healthy, and thriving.

A few women ended up in intensive inpatient care for mental health, but have since been released once regulated on medication. A large amount of them ended up in Maple Falls. They wanted to talk to me, so I invited them to the community center. I told them everything about me, my trauma, and my community. Almost all of them grew interested, but some opted to disappear for a while and work on themselves in other ways. They were told they were always welcome to visit and they seemed excited about that. The ones who decided to stay were provided a place to live, as we had many volunteers who wanted to host them. All of the women, including those who moved elsewhere, are attending today. They look at me as a leader of sorts, so I felt that it was important that they see my healing journey.

It was an interesting decision, but I invited my bosses, Robert and Alan, as well as Detective Clark Bishop and Sheriff Donaldson, to witness my rebrand. They played a big part in my rescue and recovery, so I wanted to share this with them. Everything was communicated as to what to expect, and they were all happy to join. I am unsure as of yet if they’re participating in any capacity, but they were told that they were welcome to join. Robert and Alan are already in going through the process with their wives to join, so they will be a part of this soon anyhow.

When we get into the community center, everyone is wearing their ceremonial robes, but no one has a mask on. Lucian is standing by where the altar used to sit. It has temporarily been replaced with the same type of bench that Jake used. There is also a small unit that has the two brands with it. It’s already being heated. Tears well up in my eyes, but I push forward to get to my husband.

“You look beautiful,” he says before kissing me. “Ready?”

“Yeah,” I whisper. Lucian nods and faces our people.

“Thank you for joining us today,” Lucian says. “Today, we rewrite memories and heal as a community. Today, I will take on the marks that my wife bears as a reminder of my responsibilities to her and everyone a part of the Luxe Fortuna and the people of Maple Falls. I ask that you remain silent until the point that Elise receives her new brand. We do have a few visitors, so be mindful of that for the activities to follow her branding. They are not wearing the ceremonial robes unless they wish to participate. If they are not wearing a robe, you are not to touch them for any reason.”

Lucian removes his robe and sits on the bench, facing everyone. I am so shaky that I can’t function, so I go to Lucian and he hugs me. “Cuts first, then branding. Okay?” he says softly.

“Okay,” I say. He kisses me deeply and hands me the ceremonial knife. Erika comes up and cleans his arms to reduce the risk of infection. The knife has already been sterilized, so I step in front of him and bring the blade to his arm. Lucian keeps his eyes on me and doesn’t even flinch when I dig the knife into his arm and drag it through his flesh. Crimson liquid flows from the four-inch cut and drips to the floor below. As I make the next cut, I start crying. The memories are coming in vivid flashes, and the pain I am causing him is like my own, and I can almost feel the way the blade dug into me. I can still feel the warmth of my blood coating my back. When I get to his other arm, I am nearly sobbing. Everyone is silent as I make my last three cuts.

Erika and Carol hand me what I need, and I start cleaning and bandaging his arms. I am giving him the comfort I wish I was given. When I’m done, Lucian smiles at me. “Good girl, Elise. Don’t stop,” he says sweetly. I nod tearfully, but nearly fall apart when Bradley comes over to help make sure Lucian remains still. He stands beside him and keeps his hands on Lucian’s shoulders.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” I cry.

“You’ve got this, baby,” Lucian says encouragingly. “I asked for this.”

I nod again, and Derrick carefully hands me the brand. It is glowing red and I know to not hold it for long. I can see in Lucian’s eyes that he is nervous. Derrick and Josh come over and stand at his sides to make sure he doesn’t instinctively grab the brand to pull it away. Lucian and I take a deep breath, and the three men hold Lucian in place as I move around to stand behind him. Everyone in the room is teary-eyed, but no one move or speaks.

“I love you. I’m so sorry,” I whimper, and press the brand to his back. His skin sizzles and the scream that comes out of him is almost blood-curdling. His back arches away from me and it’s like I can feel my heart breaking. When I pull the brand away, I drop it to the ground so I can cover my mouth and back away. I am quickly falling apart, but Carol wraps me in a hug while Erika checks on Lucian.

“Go comfort him, Elise,” she says. I nod and go to Lucian. He pulls me to sit in front of him on the bench and hugs me. He buries his face in my neck and his body is trembling from the pain.

“I’m sorry,” I cry. “I’m so sorry.”

“Hey,” he says, cupping my face so I am looking at him. “We do everything together. I never want you to feel alone, so I wanted to experience this. You are never going to be alone again, Elise Voss. You hear me?”

“Yes,” I sniffle.

“Elise,” Erika says. I stand and go to her so she can show me how to treat and bandage his brand. When she is done, Lucian stands.

“Fuck,” I whisper. He kisses me and I relax as Laura comes up to help me.

“I’ve got you, baby,” Lucian says softly. “Let’s do this.”

“Okay,” I say with a sigh. He kisses me once more before I turn to Laura. She unties my robe and Lucian pulls it away, leaving me naked. She and Lucian lead me to the bench, and I am instantly brought to near hysterics as Lucian restrains me. The collar is being placed on me, but Laura is cradling my head and gently stroking my hair as I sob. Everyone comes forward and surrounds us. They’re so close that all of them could reach me if they wanted. Knowing they’re all so close helps me calm down.

“Elise, for the rest of our lives, I will work to replace each and every awful memory lurking in your mind. I will go to any length to bring you peace. Today, we are replacing a brand left on you by a horrid man who did horrid things. Today, I am marking you as mine. This will signify my ownership of your mind, body, soul, and destiny. Today, we are one. Are you ready?” Lucian asks. His hands are resting on my hips, and I am at peace.

“Yes sir,” I answer.

Without warning, he slams his cock deep inside of me. He starts to fuck me so hard that I am screaming as pleasure ripples through my body. This doesn’t stop the memories from plaguing my mind. Laura is holding onto me and soothes me when I start to panic. My body is confused because I know who’s fucking me, but my brain is trying to trick me into believing that it’s Jake. I continue to remind myself that only my husband can make me feel this good. Orgasms are a normal body function, but only Lucian can make it feel so fucking right.

I am lost in the feeling of how he is driving into me, repeatedly slamming against my cervix. I feel the pressure of my climax building in my belly, and I know it’s coming. He rams into me harder and harder until everything explodes. I am lingering, stuck mid orgasm, when Lucian presses the red-hot brand against my back. My voice breaks when I scream as pain rips through me. Lucian growls as he pushes deep to come.

The very moment that he pulls out of me, there are hands, practically ripping the restraints off of me, and I am still screaming. It is no longer about the pain that the brand caused, but the memories seeping out of my mind. Every second of trauma that has been inflicted on me is pouring out of me in a nearly unhinged scream.

One by one, everything replays in my head. From being molested as a child to being raped as a teenager. From the manipulation to the kidnapping and all the way to being gang raped, I remember. I remember every tear I cried and every second of the pain. The healing was brutal, and the nightmares were horrid, but I survived. It is hard to fight demons when I’m so exhausted from the war they started in my mind. Moving on seems impossible when the memories are so blinding. I always asked, what did I do to deserve something so terrible? It is at this moment that I realized that it was never about me. It was about the sickness that plagues the world and the complacency of society. It is being made to feel ashamed to be a survivor. Lucian gave me an exit from the relentlessness of my thoughts and feelings.

Lucian gets me up, and he sits in a chair so he can pull me into his lap. He cups my face, making me look at him. The second our eyes meet, my screams fade away and I’m reminded that I’m not alone. I no longer have to sit with my thoughts and wonder if I’ll ever be free again. As Carol bandages my back, Lucian makes me continue to look at him.

“I love you, Elise,” he says softly. “We are all so fucking proud of you.”

“I love you too,” I whimper.

“It’s done and he no longer has a hold on you or your body,” he says.

“It’s done,” I repeat.

“I have one more thing for you,” he says. “One last thing to rewrite.”

“You do?” I ask. When he smiles, it’s contagious as I realize what he is referring to. “You mean…”

“I mean, you are my prey tonight, and I think it’s time everyone gets to enjoy your sweet little cunt,” he says. “For tonight only, you are an item to be used. The other prey will be restrained right alongside you and they will all get to enjoy free use of you all.”

“My bosses are here,” I say, laughing.

“I am aware,” he says. “Do you consent?”

“Absolutely,” I say without hesitation.

“Then get your cute little ass over there and kneel with the others,” he says before kissing me hard. When he pulls away, I jump up and go to kneel beside Laura.

As the predators move to stand in front of us, a smile creeps across my face. This is what freedom truly is about for me. It is having the power to submit however I want. It is having the ability to consent, but mostly, it is about finding pleasure and happiness beyond all of the trauma.

Lucian gave me my freedom; He gave me my future. He is relentless, intense, and obsessed… but I am his obsession, and he is mine.