9. Ella

Chapter nine

Ella

I t aches everywhere…

My arms, my legs, my spine.

I'm still shackled to my heavy chains, and I've long stopped wondering when they will return.

Not that I expect any kind of respite.

I would have preferred the death sentence.

It turns out my new jailors are no kinder than my last set, and I will never escape this wretched fate.

Maybe it's all I deserve.

Still, I do wonder what the world is like outside of a cell.

I had a brief glimpse when the warden first let me go.

The way the wind felt in my hair, and the way the twigs and rocks cut into the soles of my feet…

It was thrilling but also terrifying.

I'd been too pumped with adrenaline, my insanity unchecked as the warden injected me with a strange fluid, my need for blood taking precedence over my need for an Alpha's cock.

Then that Alpha found me, and I lost all control.

The need for blood took over any other desire, and when I woke up, I found myself in a cell, gazing at Jeremy and his team.

Just one cell to the next.

Maybe this will be my final cell.

A sad, dreary thought.

Do my new jailers mean to kill me? I hope they will make my death quick and painless.

My stomach rumbles, and I close my eyes, ignoring the hollow pit in my gut.

I'm used to the hunger; I'm used to the pain.

But for once, I dare to let myself dream.

What would it be like to be able to run free every night, feeling the grass between my toes and to have the sky above?

I would love to see the sky again.

I saw cracks of it through the trees when I'd been on the run, and a few twinkling stars, too, and even that small glimpse had been enough.

Despite myself, a tear escapes, and I hold back a sob.

This will be my lot in life, and the sooner I accept that then the better.

But damn, how I would love to experience some happiness before I die.

And not the fleeting kind of happiness either.

I want something eternal.

Twigs snap outside the building, and I straighten my back, keeping my eyes on the door.

One of them has arrived, and judging by the way my hair rises on end, it's not hard to figure out who.

The door creaks open, and there he stands.

Theo.

We just stare at each other for some time, and it's hard to read his expression. His face is cast in shadow.

He shuts the door behind him and stalks toward my cell, and that's when I pick up on the scent of food.

My stomach growls when I spy a bowl of something hot in his hand. Steam curls from inside, and my mouth waters.

Theo halts when he hears my stomach, and then another few seconds pass as he casts his gaze over me once again.

Finally, he shoves the key through the cell door, stepping into the cell, and now he leans against the bars for some time, studying me from head to toe.

My hands and feet are shackled, so I can't exactly pull out a secret shiv and stab him in the chest, but he still acts as if that were a possibility.

He does not trust me.

None of them do.

That same scent clings to his clothes, and it really is wonderful.

Like a sweet cherry pie cooling on the window sill on a warm spring evening…

I hope that is what is in the bowl. Cherry pie.

Theo moves away from the bars, standing several feet away.

I try not to look at the bowl, keeping my gaze on his black eyes.

They're blacker than usual, and it looks like his pupils are blown.

Yesterday, he was tense, but now he walks with a spring in his step.

Maybe he got laid.

Could it have something to do with that cherry scent on his clothes?

"Enjoy your first night?"

I don't speak, keeping my mouth tight shut. He won't get a rise from me.

He chuckles, taking another daring step closer. "Well, get used to it. Because you will be spending many nights here."

I grind my teeth, wishing they hadn't shackled me. If I could, I would wring his neck with my chains, but they're too heavy to lift.

I can just about make it to the toilet.

My gaze moves up and down his body, and I hate that the sight of his muscular arms makes my Omega mewl.

This Alpha is dangerous.

Those arms could snap my neck.

And that thought only delights my Omega further.

"You hungry?"

My lips press tighter. I won't give him the satisfaction.

He would only use it as a weapon.

Unfortunately, my stomach betrays me, growling in the thick stretch of silence.

Theo smirks, and fuck me if that crooked grin isn't one of the sexiest things my Omega has ever seen.

"Beg."

I blink.

What?

Theo's dark eyes light up next, and now I see the white. "I want you to beg for the food."

I should have known.

Still, I don't give him the satisfaction.

Theo snickers. "Fiesty little one, aren't you? Let's see how long that fire lasts…"

I bare my teeth, wishing I could burn him to a crisp with my very eyes.

Bet he would love that.

I know his game. He wants to see what it would take to break me.

Yet this torture is child's play compared to what I've endured.

He's pathetic.

He cocks a caterpillar eyebrow. "Well?"

Finally, the vitriol pours from my mouth. "Fuck you."

The air cracks, and then my hair pricks on end. My sinuses burn as he hits me with the full force of his Alpha energy.

My eyes water, tears dripping down my cheeks at the intensity of his Alpha.

But I hold my own, throwing him a wave of my own energy.

My Omega is pretty potent herself.

She killed a full-grown Alpha. One bigger than Theo, might I add.

But that Alpha had been weak. Easy to overcome, and he really was a big, dumb giant.

One sniff of me, and I had him on his knees in seconds.

But this Alpha won't be so easy to succumb.

He's insane. They all are.

Gryphon did say they were the only pack who could handle a Rogue like me, and it appears I have finally met my match.

Theo gets a hold of his Alpha, stepping toward me at last, and now I crane my neck to get a good look at those obsidian eyes.

They really are dark.

As dark as his bitter soul.

An Omega could really lose herself inside them. They simply pull you in, swallowing you whole.

With a smirk, he lifts the bowl, and now the oatmeal plops to the floor right by my feet.

Asshole.

Then he shows me his back and locks the cell once again.

It passes only a moment, but I think I spy something like regret in his eyes.

But it was probably a trick of the light.

He's cruel and takes great delight in the suffering of others.

I wait until his footsteps vanish in the woods beyond, and then I finally get to my knees and take my fill of porridge.

It wouldn't be the first time I ate off the floor.

The oatmeal is still warm, and it's just enough to soothe my soul.

When I've had enough, I crouch by the wall, closing my eyes.

Just another day in paradise.