Hearing movement outside my room, I shifted in my seat. I don’t know how long I had before he would find me. The Alpha just got finished with a meeting and from what I could hear by his footsteps, he was not happy. When I snapped out of my thoughts, the door banged open. I could smell the scent of anger coming off of him in waves. When I looked at him he had a small object in his hands. Curious as to what it was I nodded toward it. Noting that I was asking him about the small object, the Alpha held it up for me to see.

  I gasped at it. He had a silver band with, from what I could tell, small, scrawling engravings on it. I tried to back away from it not wanting to be forced to put it on.

  Since I was a small child the Alpha has never taken a liking to me. Whenever he was angry or felt like I had embarrassed him or even when he was simply bored, he would come in here with the silver band, usually more than one, and beat me until I could no longer move. On one of these such times, he beat me so horribly that I almost died. He said that he did it because he loved me, and being young and na?ve, I believed him.

  It’s been the only thing keeping me from just ending my own misery. I couldn’t wrap my feeble mine around why he chose to show his love this way, but when he cleared his throat, I snapped my attention back to him.

  With the Alpha pheromones coming off of him, I submitted and raised my arm up, offering it to him. I hated it when he used them on me but I couldn’t go against it. Not when he was the leader of our Pack.

  Goddess, I wish that I didn’t have to live this life. Why does the Goddess hate me? Why does She forsake me, and allow the Alpha to treat me this way?

  After I feel the sting and burn of the band on my wrist, I hiss. After a few moments I force myself to look at the engravings on this band. From what I understood from the Ancient Runes, for we had no better name to describe them, it was meant to permanently keep me from shifting into my wolf from. The Runes also spoke of wrapping magical chains around my wolf to keep her at bay. Not liking the idea of not being able to access her made me whimper in fear and growl in anger.

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  The Alpha, not liking my reaction, backhands me across the face. I wince, but know better than to make any noise. I bow my head lower, allowing Alpha access to the restraint keeping me in the chair I’m in.

  I haven’t had food in several days and have lost count of the many hours I’ve been in this damp, stone-walled room.

  Aedalar has been known to be gifted by the Goddess when the world began. Or at least that’s what we’ve been taught since we were pups. Goddess, why do I keep getting lost in my thoughts? I mentally scold myself. I should be paying attention to Alpha.

  I turn my attention back to him once again. Finally he starts saying something. “You useless piece of trash, I’m glad to see you haven’t put up a fight against me tonight.” I glare at him. How dare he. Something in the back of my mind reminds me that I shouldn’t be thinking this way if I don’t want punishment tonight. I’ve never been good with words because I was never taught how to speak aside from things like “Yes, Alpha,” other short responses they let me use after given an order. I secretly practice in the early hours when I can’t sleep.

  When he speaks again, I smell a scent change. Something I’ve never smelled before. Something dangerous. Something- Before my thoughts could be finished I smelled smoke, alarm already clouding my, once contemplative, face.

  Alpha too smelled the smoke. After smelling it he growled and left the room. Minutes later I hear screams.