7

ZANE

I woke up to the feel of someone's warm palm on my bare chest and my brows pulled together at the sight of Eleanor on my bed with her hands on me. The events of the night before began flooding in and I remembered how rough I had been with her and how she had lost consciousness halfway, annoying me.

She wasn't allowed to sleep on my bed. It was against the rules. A slave is a slave even if she was my mate, she was nothing but a ragdoll for me to use to sate my desires. I rolled out of bed, pulling my robe on all while I scowled at her sleeping figure.

She was meant to know her place or had she forgotten where she was and whose commands and rules she must obey? I must have gotten too lenient for her to think I was going to allow this. Giving her meals and letting her out of the dungeon must've deluded her into thinking she could forget the rules.

“Guards!!” I called loudly, startling her awake as she confusedly looked around the room and when her eyes finally caught mine, I saw the dread immediately pool in them and she scrambled to her knees.

“I - I - I'm sorry, please! I swear, I didn't-" before she could finish her statement, the guards rushed in, and without paying mind to her pleas, I turned to them, pointing a finger at her.

“Teach her a lesson and give her an extra task to do. And you, you are forbidden from coming into my room. I don't want to see your face,” I barked out, and the guards bowed before following my instructions. They tied a cloth around her body and dragged her out all while she pleaded for mercy.

I could hear my wolf getting agitated in my head, he wanted to stop them from taking her away and carrying out the orders I had given.

 

“Be still wolf, don't do something stupid that we would both regret” I muttered through gritted teeth and he scoffed.

“Something you would regret. Do you think slaving her for your pleasure and forcing her into labor and then flogging her as a punishment would stop you from being attracted to her? Do you think all this would make her draw closer to you?” Grey asked.

“She is not our mate, Grey, she is a slave and you should get used to it, else you will make it harder on yourself than it already is.” I warned him and he snarled. I could feel his anger within me.

“It is you who is making this harder than it needs to be. If you really do not want her, why keep her around? Get rid of her. Arrange an auction and sell her to the highest bidder…..oh wait, you can not do even that because it seems no one else can satisfy you like she does, not even her predecessors. And you want to know why that is? I think you already know! She is ours!" Grey yelled angrily and I laughed at his words.

“Don't be so full of yourself, Wolf. That is not the reason why I kept her to myself. She satisfies me a lot more than those worthless slaves here, agreed. But, I am not attracted to that slave and I never will be. Are you forgetting about the rules?” I asked him.

“Rules you created which can easily be broken,” Grey stated and I shook my head.

"We are not allowed to break the rules Grey. I created it never to be broken, not even by me. She is nothing to us. Accept that fact and drill it into your head if need be, she is just a slave, a plaything for our satisfaction and when we are done with her, just like the others, we toss her away. Fiona will be here any time soon, that's our mate and the future Luna of my pack" I informed, stoic.

“She will never be my mate. Fiona is the one who is nothing to us. She is a bitch who wants nothing but power. Are you so blinded by her supposed beauty that you cannot see that she only wants you for the power and authority that comes with being by your side? She doesn't give two fvcks about us and would drop you at the beat of a heart if she finds someone more powerful" Grey grits out and I couldn't deny the fact that he was right, but he didn't have to know that. As it stands, she was the only one suitable for the position and all the elders accepted her as a befitting bride for me.

“Don't let your hate of her ruin our chances, Grey, she is the one selected for us or do you think that… that slave wouldn't be after power too? Of course, she is. They are all after power.”

“That's where you're wrong, human. She is an alpha wolf, she is capable on her own. If you hadn't destroyed her pack and its members, she would have no problem ruling over them and she is a hundred times more suitable than Fiona," Grey countered, and I laughed out loud.

“So what do you want me to do? Get on my knees with an apology and then make her my Luna. Don't be delusional, Grey. You should be happy that I spared her, alpha wolves should be killed”. I told him.

“Then why did you spare her? Why didn't you allow someone else to take her home at the auction ground? Why did you spend that huge amount of money on her when you're adamant she means nothing to you?”

Before I could think of a smart reply, the door burst open, hitting the wall with a loud thud and before I could order a punishment for whoever had the audacity to barge into my room, Fiona made her presence known, sauntering in with a cheshire smile on her face and I heard Grey grumble with disgust in my head. Grey has always been this way, never in acceptance of any girl I take to bed, and ever since we got to find Eleanor at the arena and took her home, it was obvious he didn't like the way I treated her both outside of the bed and in bed, but he made known his satisfaction with her presence at least, the admiration he seemed to hold for the girl and her wolf was slowly driving me insane.

I had made a law owing to the scarily growing closeness between some of the high-ranking members and their slaves. It filled me with disgust to think of the possibility of them wanting to lift them out of slavery and I had to make sure they knew their place and never forget. The slaves were of lower rank than a mere omega. For crying out loud, they could be an object of lust, but they were not worthy of anything else. They existed only to please their masters, nothing more. They were not to be courted ,or worse, mated. And whoever dared to go against the laws would be stripped of their titles or sent out of the pack to live as rogues.

 

So far, no one has dared question that law or go against it. It's been three years since it's been enforced and it's been smooth sailing until she arrived. Grey was slowly losing it, growing more defiant by the day and I dreaded the day he would finally lose it and mark her as ours. Everything would raze in chaos and that would mean my three years of hard work and order and all the respect for being the first to implement a new law would all be for naught. I couldn't have that, and I was willing to go against my wolf if it meant protecting my dignity.

“Hey, babe! Are you even listening to me?" Fiona speaks, her fingers wrapped around my biceps drawing me out of my reverie.

“Huh!? Were you saying anything?" I asked, with arched brows.

“Jeez, where is your mind, Zane? I have been talking nonstop and I can't believe you weren't paying me attention. Are you tired of me already? Is that it?” she asked and I shook my head.

“No, of course not. I just have a lot on my mind, is all" I answered with a hum and she smiled before smoothly pushing me back towards the bed so she could straddle me with her hands wrapped around my neck.

“Good. Because I am never going to let you get tired of me ever. Besides, I am to be the future Luna of The Blood Moon Pack. You need me as much as I need you" she said before placing a kiss on my lips. I rolled my eyes, not at all in the mood as I gently pushed her to sit on the bed before getting up. 

“What do you want, Fiona? I know you're here for a reason. You can save us both the stress by telling me quickly and then leave, I have a lot of work to get to" 

“Oh, I love it when you are all busy" she giggles before clearing her throat, "… anyway, I'm here to talk about our hazing ceremony and when you think would be right for it. And as you know, being the Beta's daughter, I have to look good, the best, actually as that would be my day and that means…”

“I will send you some money to get whatever it is you need. Is that all or do you need something more?” I asked, impatient.

“And the date?” she hums, visibly satisfied.

“I will let you know, Fiona. Is that all?" I asked again and she nodded with a shrug.

“I will leave you to whatever you were busy with and Zane, when next you bring one of your whores over, at least make sure you get rid of their pheromones, it disgusts me. I won't be coming over tonight, you must have had your fill, seeing as the room reeks of that bastard she-wolf, don't wait for me" she said before storming out of the room.

I could feel Grey's anger and it slowly engulfed me. He wasn't the only one who didn't like her, she was just someone I had to put up with and I genuinely wished I didn't. I'd get rid of her if only it were that easy to find another welcome candidate.

I walked to the bathroom to take a shower, quickly getting dressed before marching to the torture room.

My nostrils flared in anger at the angry red marks decorating her body. I thought I made it clear she was to be taught a lesson, not injured.

“Who did this?” I roared, unable to control it, “who gave her those bruises?”

“I - I - I - I did alpha” someone stuttered out before I could see the figure stagger towards me. 

“Why?” I asked, as calmly as I could.

“S- she tried to break free from the chains s- so we had to make sure she wouldn't try it again, Alpha.”

“On whose order?”

“Please forgive me, Alpha… I beg of you” he pleads, falling on his knees, rubbing his palms together patiently, and I scoffed. My gaze shifted to where she was tied. It was obvious how weak and beaten down she was. I wondered how she still managed that stupid smirk on her face, given the pain she must be in. It irritated and excited me at the same time. Stupid mate bond. I clenched my fist in anger before turning to the whimpering gamma on the floor. 

I was going to do something that was well against the rules for the first time. Siding with a slave and even punishing one of my own for her would be more than hypocritical of me, and I see a long meeting and queries from the elders in my future, but I was willing to risk it, boiling with rage and those marks fueling it, I was going to do something that I knew I stood to gain nothing from. 

“Seize him and proceed with a beheading immediately.”