The Alpha's Vessel [The Alpha's #2]

THEA PETROVNA

Thea awoke to the gentlest, sweetest of touches. The featherlight tingle started off from the crown of her head, taking its time to travel south and over the soft, plump skin of her cheek, down the sharp cut of her jaw and slope of her neck, over her shoulder and then down her arm.

She couldn’t help but smile and sigh blissfully in response, but it quickly slipped off her face, her body stiffening as her most recent memories cane back to her.

She had absolutely no idea where she was or how she had gotten there, especially since her last memory was being stranded in the middle of a clearing in the forest with absolutely no chance of escape.

Once she opened her eyes into reality, the previously sweet and comforting touch had turned sharp – literally. Replaced with the sharp tip of his claws, Thea hissed in pain but when she tried jerk herself away from him, he wound an arm around her middle and pulled her body back flush against him, effectively locking her in place.

“And here I was thinking that you were a masochist.” Orpheus chuckled as he continued digging his sharp claws into her arm, his lips curled up into a sadistic grin. “I thought you liked pain. Well, that was the impression that I was under since you decided to run away from me even though that was the one thing that you weren’t supposed to do.”

“Let me go!” Thea screamed out but no one came running to her rescue. In fact, all it did was force him to become rougher with her, his hand quickly moving up to her neck, squeezing hard enough to prove to her that he meant business.

“Tell me this.” He murmured lowly in her ear, his tongue slipping out of his mouth to lick along the outer shell of her ear, grinning behind her ear as she tried to buck him off; unsuccessful yet again. “Do you like it when I hurt you?”

She didn’t have time to voice her distaste as the same time she opened her mouth to curse him and his very existence, his hand travelled lower, circling around one of her breasts. As the shock of his hand over such an intimate part of her washed over her, momentarily immobilising her as she was transported back to that night in the alleyway when he had touched her the same way; restrained and completely against her will.

Almost as if the fear rolling off her body in waves was the funniest thing he had ever seen and experienced, Orpheus released his hold on her to throw his head back and laugh. Although to Thea, it sounded much more like a cackle.

In her desperate attempt of putting as much distance between them as possible, Thea scrambled away from him and turned around, pressing her back against the wall with her legs bent in front of her, ready to do some damage if he tried to come near him again.

At least this way, she would be able to see and anticipate his next attack.

The longer he stared at her, the more he laughed. As if her pain, struggles and fear were something to be laughed at.

“You never answered my question.” Orpheus chuckled as he calmed down, a large grin on his face as he reclined back on the bed and watched her carefully, as if she a specimen in the lab to be studied. “Do you like it when I hurt you?”

“What kind of question is that?” She scoffed and it was only then that she realised where they were, the pale blue sheets and few toys scattering the floor being a dead giveaway.

“The kind that has a very simple answer yet you seem to struggle answering it.” He shrugged nonchalantly, as if he hadn’t just tried to both strangle and grope her only a few moments ago.

Unable to resist rolling her eyes, Thea didn’t bother hiding her distaste and disgust toward him.

“Where’s Malik?” The question came out as a quiet whisper as her body was shocked with fear, glancing around the room, waiting to be greeted with the sight of her sweet little boy playing or colouring somewhere.

When she couldn’t find him anywhere even though they were in his room, Thea felt something tighten around her throat and this time, it wasn’t his hand.

Orpheus merely threw his head back and laughed in response, almost as if she had just told him the funniest joke in the world. As if their son was a joke to him.

“Tell me where Malik is!” She screamed at him with wild eyes, struggling to remain in control of her thoughts and emotions.

She had known from the beginning that if she tried to tun and failed, she would pay for it. However, she hadn’t expected him to make Malik pay as he was his own blood, but it appeared his evil knew no bounds.

“I’m not telling you anything until you answer my question.”

Swallowing her pride and anger which now threatened to burn her from the inside out, Thea shook her head.

“I can’t hear you.”

“No.” She vocalised her answer, trying not to spit at him and as much as she would have enjoyed it, she couldn’t do it at the expense of her little boy.

Thankfully he still had one parent that cared about him, but Thea sincerely hoped that, that was enough. If not, well, she couldn’t even think about what that meant or entailed.

“No?” He questioned with a sneer.

“No.” She shook her head for added measure. “I don’t like it when you hurt me.”

“Why do I feel like you’re lying?” His lip twitched up slightly at the corners,

“I’m not lying.” Thea insisted, not even having to think about her answer.

Regardless of what she liked or didn’t like in bed, what her personal preferences were or what turned her on, now was not the time for that. Whatever he needed to hear or whatever she could say to diffuse the situation was what would be coming out of her mouth.

Almost as if he believed her, he hummed though continued to watch her with careful, critical eyes.

“You don’t need to worry about Malik.” Orpheus stated in an attempt of trying to assure her, yet the gesture went straight over her head. “Well, for the time being at least.” He chuckled as if it was funny, as if he hadn’t just threatened the safety of his own son. His own flesh and blood.

“For the time being?” She couldn’t help but question in a quiet, disbelieving voice. “What do you mean by that? Why might he not be safe later?”

“It depends on what you tell me.”

“Whatever you want me to say, I’ll say it.” By this point, Thea was starting to lose her mind as she was willing to offer him whatever he wanted, absolutely anything if it meant ensuring the safety of her son. Their son. “Just please don’t hurt him! He’s only a child. Your child.”

“He may share my blood but he’s not my child. Not yet.” Orpheus shook his head, a sinister glint twinkling in his eyes. “But that’s an issue for another day.”

Not giving Thea the chance to push forward or question what he was talking about, Orpheus bulldozed forward, forcing her to move along with whatever inconsistent agenda he had planned for this very fucked up moment.

“You know,” he began with a soft hum. “We don’t have to wait the two weeks.”

“Two weeks?” The question barely left her lips before he chuckled at the bewildered expression on her face.

“I think two days is plenty. Don’t you?”

“What?” Thea sounded aloud in confusion, but that was all she was able to question before his fingers curled around her ankle and yanked hard.

From the sudden action, Thea slipped onto her back and banged her head against the wall in the process, just further adding onto the headache that was pounding and making itself known in the back of her mind. Before she could get over the shock of them both, she was met with the pale blue of the pillow.

“I know you were lying when you said you don’t like it when I hurt you.” Orpheus chuckled sadistically as he forced her head into the pillow and straddled her, making sure she felt everything he kept confined in his trousers. “Why can’t you just admit that you like it?” He lowered himself down on her to press his chest to her back, allowing her to feel even more than before. “That you love my touch?”

“I don’t love your touch!” She denied in a scream, the sound of her voice muffled by the pillow as he pressed down on her.

“Well, for the both of our sakes, you better get to learn to love it.” His voice was gravelly and low as he placed wet kisses along the back of her neck, his chest only rumbling in response as she tried to buck him off of her but they both knew that it was no use as he was far too heavy, as well as fact that he had both of her hands restrained behind her back.

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

“What I’m talking about.” His sloppy kissed stopped at the base of her neck as he lifted his head to speak directly into her ear. “Is that it’s about time that I show you your place in this pack.”

When she didn’t answer, he growled again and took the peaceful opportunity to continue.

“I have provided you with a comfortable home, a pack, the Luna title, a father figure for our son and so much more on top of that yet you’re so ungrateful. Trying to run away from me? What were you thinking?” He ground his boner deeper between her legs, growling as it brushed against her crotch throw the thin material of her pyjama bottoms. “Tell me you weren’t thinking.”

With him overpowering her as he was, Thea dared not push her luck too much, not mention she was beyond scared of her life as she often was when Orpheus was around her.

“I wasn’t thinking.” She repeated after him, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Tell me that you’ll never lie to me.”

“I’ll never lie to you.” She repeated again and by this point, she felt like a robot. Not really thinking and just obeying her master.

“Now, tell me what you heard on the phone.”

This one, Thea genuinely could not do but when he let up just slightly, allowing her to come up for a breath of fresh air instead of having to inhale the pillow dust, she knew that she needed to say something to appease him.

“I didn’t do anything.” She denied yet again, not lying this time. “I really didn’t hear you say anything other than you saying that you couldn’t do it again, but I didn’t really know what you meant.”

“What couldn’t I do it again?” He questioned but all she could do was whine in response, not being able to answer any of these impossible questions that he was asking of her.

Almost as if her reaction amused him, Orpheus laughed softly and as he was sat on top of her, restraining her, her body shook along with his.

“Why don’t I believe you?” He whistled under his breath but it appeared that he was now tired of playing with her, especially since she didn’t appear to be providing any fruitful responses.

When Orpheus finally lifted himself off her body, he allowed her a few moments to scramble away from him but only stood back and laughed. Within the blink of an eye, she was thrown over his shoulder and with her legs and complete lower half of her body restrained all she could do was bang her wrists against his lower back, though she didn’t even faze him as he trotted down the stairs and out of the house.

As Orpheus walked past the packhouse, the wolves loitering inside and outside of it didn’t even bat an eyelash with the way he was manhandling her and she was screaming at the top of her lungs. Either this was common behaviour for him or they simply didn’t care.

Thea wasn’t sure which option made her feel worse but very quickly, she found herself starting to feel sick for being held upside down for such a prolonged period of time.

“I think I’m going to be sick.” Thea admitted honestly, unable to do anything but grimace as the world around her began to shake while he walked down another set of stairs.

“Not all over me you’re not.” Orpheus snorted as he lobbed her over his body and placed her down on her feet in front of him.

When she swayed and her knees threatened to drop to the ground from being tossed around like a sack of potatoes, he reached out and braced his hands on her hips, forcing her to stay up.

Still disoriented, she had no idea what was happening or what he was doing with her until she felt herself be dropped to the ground one more time. When she glanced up, she locked eyes with him from behind a set of bars, except she was the one that was locked up.

How ironic. Not that she was in a state to appreciate irony right now.

“When you finally decide to tell me what you heard last time, all of this will be over.” He smiled softly at her, a conflicting twinkle in his eyes. “I promise.” He added with a sneer but by this point, she knew that his promises meant less than his word.

-

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Layla Knight

11.12.2020