Alora.
I stared into Ares’ eyes. It felt so surreal that I had escaped from one deadly Alpha to another one. It was almost getting hard to breathe as my eyes watered and I thought of an answer to give Ares.
He had asked for my last name and I knew telling him I was a Pentagon was basically taking the gun to my head and pulling the trigger. There was no way Ares was going to let me go knowing I was Jax’s property.
I had no choice but to take my parents last name, my rightful name. The name I was supposed to go by if Jax hadn’t owned me.
“Forrester. My name is Alora Forrester,” I lied through gritted teeth, glancing away from Ares as it was hard to look him in the eye and lie. My heart thumped loudly in my chest as the lie rolled off my chest.
“Hmm.” Ares murmured. “And where are you from? Should I ask your pack since I can’t smell your wolf?” He asked, raising a brow at me.
My heart thumped loudly in my chest and I was scared he could hear it. I needed to think of something, and fast too or else he would kill me.
“The reason you can’t smell my wolf is because I don’t have one. I was born on a moonless night.” I whispered softly, picking the edges of the blankets underneath me.
“My parents decided to abandon me with the humans since I wasn’t valuable, neither wolf nor human. I was given to a rich man who abused me so I decided to run away and I stumbled here.” I said, looking down at the shackles marks on my wrist.
Sometimes Jax took them off if I behaved, but I spent most time in them hence the mark. Even though they weren’t there anymore I could feel the cold metal on my skin, weighing heavily on my hand, a silent tear escaped my eyes, dropping on the bed.
The lie I had told Ares was true in a way. I had been abandoned by my parents and given to Jax. I had tweaked the story but I knew it still sounded believable.
I looked up when I heard the sound of the gun twirling in his hand. Ares pulled his hand backwards and a sigh of relief escaped my lips when he tucked the gun away behind his back.
He stepped closer to me and fear shut up my spine as I tried to scramble away from him. He kept his eyes on me, dragging a chair from the side of the bed and placing it directly in front of me, his gaze not leaving me once as he sat on it.
Did he not believe me? I wondered. It was possible. Ares Delgado wasn’t one of the world’s strongest Alphas if he couldn’t detect a lie.
I didn’t break eye contact because I felt if I did so he would know I was lying to him. And as much as it scared me to keep his gaze and not appear like I was challenging him, I knew it was the only way to stay alive.
Jax had warned me so many times that I couldn’t look him in the eye, it was disrespectful and challenging to him. And after the first day he slapped me, I never made that mistake again. The only time I could look up at him was when his gaze was fixed on something else.
“And how did you mask your scent? When I came into the room at first I didn’t realize someone was in here? I can smell a wolf a hundred miles away.” Ares said, pinning me with an intense stare and this time I looked back at the bed.
“It’s the only gift I was granted by the moon goddess. The ability to mask my scent has been unlocked in me since I was a child.” I whispered softly.
Ares said nothing and I wondered what was going through that head of his. He was an unpredictable man, fierce and dangerous and even while he stared at me there were no emotions in his eyes and that was what made me scared of him.
Most times I could read Jax and avoid him, but with Ares he was a closed book with no cover title. Unreadable, unpredictable and emotionless.
“I have a deal for you, you either pick one or I kill you,” Ares said after a while and I gasped, turning my gaze back to him in surprise.
This time he smiled, not a nice one mind you. This was a sinister smile filled with mischief and it sent chills down my spine as he relaxed against the chair and crossed his legs.
My mind wandered to many places as I waited for him to speak again. What was he going to say? What was the deal? And was it so bad that if I didn’t pick one he was going to kill me?
Thousand thoughts ran across my mind and Ares kept his gaze on me, purposely drawing the silence to instill fear in me. And boy was it working.
“I’ll only give you three choices.” He raised his three fingers at me. “Usually, I kill every intruder that steps into my pack because I’m sure they are all spies from the White Moon pack.” Ares said.
I almost gasped at the mention of my pack but I held my voice not wanting to give Ares any doubt that I was actually a run away slave from the humans.
“But with you, I’ll rather use you for something else.” Ares said as he smirked at me and my heart race picked up.
What did he mean by that? I thought wanting to ask but the words couldn’t leave my lips and Ares sighed.
“By that I mean, One, I toture you for pleasure for trespassing into my territory. Most times I get bored killing off babies and drowning women that I torture people for fun. I’m running out of people so you could join the line.” Ares smirked, his voice low and full of mischief.
I gasped in surprise, unsure if he actually killed babies and drowned women for fun. I knew he tortured people because I had heard Jax mention it before. About one of his men who was sent back to him half dead and full of scars, ripped off fingers and toes.
Whatever the case might be, I knew I wasn’t going to pick the first choice. I didn’t want to prove my thoughts about him killing women and kids so I mentally told myself no as I waited for him to continue.
“Or Two, I’ll throw you back to the streets, out of my pack. You go back to whatever hole you crawled out of and your master could probably catch you once more and use you in ways you can’t even imagine. I can imagine him punishing you for daring to run away.” Ares chuckled darkly.
I almost shook my head. No! This was not the right option. Jax would find me once more and every tiny privilege he had given me would be stripped away. He was going to be worse, cruel and unforgiving.
He was going to punish me greatly for running away and I couldn’t stop to imagine the intense pain that awaited me if I went back.
Also even if he didn’t find me I couldn’t survive in the outside world. I didn’t have any basic life survival skills. I would live in fear all my life of the thought of Jax finding me.
I would never be free, hiding and blending in the crowd and dark to avoid being found. I knew Jax owned a CCTV company in the human world and it wouldn’t take long before he found me and dragged me back to his hell.
Even if I did manage to not be found by Jax, I was still going to be a rogue, a wolf with no pack. And that was as dangerous as being with Jax.
Rogue hunting was a sport amongst wolves. It was fun to them and the person who found the most rogues and runaway wolves were caught, and burned alive before the prize money would be given to the winner.
According to the laws from the elders, the oldest wolves to rule the world and oversaw everything amongst the packs every wolf that was without a pack or was driven away was an abomination, a bad omen and would be burnt at a stake.
While no one had ever met the elders, their words were final. Their rules were obeyed and no one questioned them.
I almost shivered at the thought of being burnt at a stake and I knew that wasn’t the right choice either.
I didn’t want to suffer so much in the hands of Jax and my pack and end up dying in the most painful way after tasting a little freedom. I could only pray the last choice was the lesser of evil amongst the three.
“Or three..” Ares started as he uncrossed his legs and leaned forward. His face was just a few inches from mine and I could smell his cologne.
Focus, Alora!
I mentally scolded myself as Ares smirked. “I let you stay in my pack..” He started and I sighed in relief.
Now that was a good option.
“… and you become my slave.”
He finished and my heart stopped and I gasped in shock, looking up at him with wide eyes. My hands shook in fear as I suddenly felt cold, my blood freezing in my veins and my stomach knotted nervously.
Be his slave!
Be the slave to the most deadly Alpha, the Blood Alpha, Ares Delgado!
I started to shake my head as Ares smiled once more and I crawled away from him.
No! I couldn’t!
I was just running away from being a slave to his enemy, a slave to someone as dangerous as him, cruel and merciless. I couldn’t be the slave to another and most importantly to him!
My eyes watered as I realized running away from Jax hadn’t been my step to freedom, instead I was going back to a similar situation. The same abuse torture and slavery.
The tears fell from my eyes and I couldn’t take my gaze away from Ares.
“You have four seconds to make a choice.” Ares smirked, leaning backwards.
“One..” he started.
I panicked. What should I choose?!
I couldn’t agree to be tortured by him nor could I go back to the streets, unsafe with no money or ways to support myself. I couldn’t hide from Jax forever and I couldn’t hide from the rogue hunters either. It would only be a matter of time before either of them found me and took me to an impending doom.
“Two..”
It was getting harder to breathe and I could feel the room closing in on me as I thought of the most suitable option but none of them sounded pleasant to the ear.
“Three..”
Think Alora!
Think!
Use that brain of yours!
You could escape Jax, you can think of something too!
More tears fell past my eyes and I saw Ares open his lips to count the last second and I quickly spoke.
“Option Three! I’ll be your slave!” I yelled and Ares smirked, leaning forward and my heart thumped loudly like the sound of beating drums daring to jump out of my ribcage.
“You just made the wrong choice.”