Not ok with being burned by the strange metal, I tried to take it from the doctor who held it out of my reach.
“Are you trying to hurt yourself? Touching this will hurt.”
“I refuse to believe that this thing hurt me that bad.”
“Give me your hand, then.”
Not sure why he wanted my hand, I stuck it out to him and he grabbed my wrist and touched me with the metal. Screaming when it touched my palm, I tried to yank my hand back desperately, but he wouldn’t let me. William yanked his hand with the metal in it off my skin.
“Enough. That was more than enough.” He looked almost visibly shaken by this act.
My skin was still burning. William grabbed my hand as I tried to dip it into the water.
“You don’t want to do that. It will hurt a hundred times more if the hot water touches it.”
I nodded, deciding I was going to just take his word for it. I didn’t want anymore pain. William took my hand and looked at the spot. The frown on his face was deeply set.
“You are going to treat his hand when we leave the bath.”
“Yes. I fully planned to, William.”
“My hand will be—--”
“Quiet. Your hand needs to be wrapped and looked after.”
“My hand will be fine, William.”
“If that is what you fully believe then, so be it.” William said, getting out of the bath suddenly, not giving me enough time to close my eyes or turn around. Instead, I got a full view of his very naked and toned body. I found it hard to look away. The doctor cleared his throat, and I tore my eyes off William.
“We should also get out. I need to check your hand.” The doctor said, getting out as well and handing the necklace to William. He put it around his neck and got dressed. I stayed in the water, my burned hand out of the water. I wasn’t ready to leave yet. The angry throbbing in my hand and fingers didn’t deter me from enjoying the warm water.
“Come along Elias.” William said politely. He had my clothing in his hands.
“I don’t want to. I am enjoying—--”
“Elias. If I have to ask you again, I’m going to make you regret it.”
Armed with the knowledge that he had that bloody necklace and could actually hurt me substantially with it. I madly got out of the water. I crossed my arms and stood there, dripping wet and pissed off.
“Would you like this to dry off?” The doctor asked, keeping his eyes at a respectable level.
William, on the other hand, was openly looking over my body and I wasn’t the biggest fan of that. It made me nervous. I took the large towel and started to wipe down quicker than I ever had. William passed me the pants and took the towel from me. He passed me the shirt right after.
He stepped closer to me and brought up the towel around my head and aggressively dried my hair. When he was done, he used his fingers to detangle my hair before he tied it up. I instantly hated it. I didn’t like the feeling of my hair being up; it was uncomfortable.
I reached up to figure out how to get my hair free, but William stopped me from doing that.
“Leave it alone.”
“I hate it. Take it down.” I hissed, turning around and frowning at him.
“What don’t you like about it?”
“The whole thing!”
William took it down, but didn’t leave it down. He changed the way it was wrapped up before tying it again. It wasn’t so uncomfortable now, but I still hated it. I didn’t like my hair up at all. It was irritating, But before I could tell him this he chuckled, dropping his voice low into a whisper.
“You’re mine, I own you. I will dress you up, or down, how I want to. Get used to it.”
I hated those words, but they were true. I was his property. The doctor clearly didn’t hear a single word he said, either.
“Alright, let’s go to my clinic and I’ll look at—--”
“Forget it, I’ll live.” I hissed, stomping off out into the snow, knowing that if William wanted, he could stop me from doing even this. It pissed me off, but it was just how things had to be right now. I stopped outside the cabin and waited for the Alpha and Doctor to catch up. I crossed my arms, the pain in my hand still bothering me, but less of a concern.
William opened the door, telling the doctor just to bring the supplies for my hand here, and he would deal with it. I wanted to tell him there was no need, but as if he could read my mind, he shot me a look. Inside, I could see the necklace around his neck shining in the light of the candles and the fireplace. It was rustily beautiful, but hurtful.
“Let me see my people.” I said, more like demanded with a gentle tone.
“No. You will see them at dinner, like any other time.”
“William—-”
“I told you, you will see them at dinner. Don’t argue with me.”
“I want to see them now.” I hissed, crossing my arms.
“What you want and what is going to happen are two wildly different things.” He growled, his eyes lighting up, rimmed with yellow.
“If you tell me where—--”
“I’ll tell you where you can go. Right now, you better go into my room and stay there. I don’t want to deal with you right now!” He yelled. Clearly, I got under his skin.
“Am I allowed up on the bed? I’d hate to break the rules if you don’t allow pets in your bed.” I snarled, before stomping off to that stupid bedroom and slamming the door. Standing there on the other side of the door, I felt stupid. But it was how I felt, like a bloody pet.
It was pitch black, but I found the bed. Laying down on the right side, not touching his blankets, or pillows. I wanted to close my eyes and sleep, but I heard other voices and felt another presence that commanded power, like William. It wasn’t a vampire; it raised my senses like William did. Another Alpha was what it had to be.
William greeted him like an old friend, and I heard the chairs being used by the fireplace. I wanted to see this wolf too, but I couldn’t. I was worried that they would meet me with the same behaviour from them as I was William in the beginning. It didn’t stop me from being terribly nosy, though. Creeping out of the bed as silently as I could, I snuck to the door and stood there, my ear almost pressed to the door. Not that I couldn’t hear them from the bed, but they were speaking low, almost as if William didn’t want me to know what it was they were discussing.
“Will, I didn’t take you for the type to keep your enemies alive.”
“Elias, you may come out of the bedroom. You are not being sly.”
Fear, panic and about ten other emotions rolled through me, and I remained still, barely even breathing at that point. Pushing open the door lightly, I stepped into the light of the main room of the cabin. The other Alpha looked at William, a light shock on his face.
“William, is that—-”
“He is my war prize. My pet.”
Any feelings I had about William maybe being different in front of others, not his pack. Went right out the window.
“He isn’t a pet.” the Alpha snapped. His eyes narrowing on William, a coldness in them now like his words directly attacked him.
“I assure you, I didn’t mean to offend your choice in the mate you have. But Elias is a different story. He is indeed my pet. When I say bark, he better bark. I have no other reason to keep him alive than to make his life utter hell and terror. Like his father did to me.”
My mouth tasted sour, but I knew this was how he viewed me. It wasn’t the first time, but why did it seem so demeaning to me now?
“How long have you had the king, and how long do you intend to keep him confined to such conditions?”
“For as long as I want, Henry. He is alive and well. He should be happy. I could have killed him like I did the others.”
“I saw what remains of his kingdom, William. You might have taken this too far. If the other kingdoms of vampires find out what you have done to him, then you will be the one who had to answer to them.”
Before he could answer, I spoke, not even sure why I did.
“He will have to answer to no one. I know what this looks like, but I am atoning for my father’s mistakes. It’s what’s best for—--”
“William. This is wrong. Listen to him, you slaughtered his people and from the sounds of it, he would protect you from his guilt alone.”
“It is my burden to bear. He feeds and looks after the others, my people, who are innocent. They live just fine here.”
“You don’t. You answer to crimes that are not your own and William knows it. How long will you punish someone who doesn’t deserve—--”
“Henry. Someone needs to—--”
“As long as my people are healthy and safe, I don’t care what William does to me. I made that choice, and I am fine with it.”
I wasn’t entirely telling a lie; I was fine with it, if it had to be this way. The other Alpha Henry looked like he might be sick. He touched the small band on his finger before he spoke.
“You will come to regret your choices, dear friend. Trust me. This, all of this, won’t stay this way. It’s not meant to be this way. James said he felt such a darkness coming from you when he thought of you. All this would be why.”
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