Chapter 8
The rest of the night, I was alone in Alpha Skye’s residence and I was in my cage. I managed to sleep, and I thought by the morning, Alpha Skye would be back from the attack on the water station called Xrite. That next morning however, he isn’t back and I had new issues to worry about other than his return.
Early on, Skyelar walked in and let me out of my cage, telling me to roam free with a sweet smile on her pig jaws. Every female on Genesis was robust to match their men, and I knew she could beat me to a pulp if she wanted. However, she had other ideas.
On being released, about an hour into the morning the door slid open from the front and I heard the taunted words, hissed rather lowly, ’get her Xrat’
Of course, Skeylar had no idea what would really happen when he was unleashed upon me.
After allowing the wolf pup into Alpha Skye’s residence, she left quick with a snicker – and Xrat came to me while I was resting. Instead of eating me, as everyone thought he desired, Xrat actually lay next to me, whining as he napped. I worried he was sick from the noises he was making. The moment I stood to fetch help, however – Xrat bounded to life.
He had just been waiting for me to rise.
And then we started to cause a bit of a stir.
Xrat just wanted to play. I was scared Skeylar would return but apparently she was a coward and wanted the Alpha to find me torn to shreds. Hence – we were rather safe in our morning venture. Xrat and I began with a game of chase. Hide and seek. I would grab an object, hide it, he would wait, and when I came back Xrat would seek it out.
At this point, though, we’re hopping across all the sparse furniture, pretending we can’t touch the floor. I was basically following his lead and he was barking encouragement every time I was too scared to make a jump.
I did all of it with a set face, not really smiling, not really playing. More just curious what it was like to have a friend – I wasn’t sure.
To end our brief bonding – I guess fun was the right word – I followed Xrat into Alpha Skye’s bedroom where the clean sheets were set.
Xrat bounded up and instantly threw all the pillows off the bed, disgusted by them. He then lay down on his back in the middle, while staring at me with his head upside down.
I was too nervous to sleep on Alpha Skye’s bed but it was just too adorable to resist with Xrat looking at me like that.
The biggest mistake I make is falling for his sweet blue and yellow eyes, blinking to sleep. I curl up next to him, after not saying much to him all day. I didn’t exactly know how to talk to a Beast Kind, and I was still weary of them, so I didn’t touch Xrat in any way, I kept my distance.
With Xrat on the left, and me on the right of the massive bed, we both fall asleep.
The way we are awoken, however, is a little brutal to say the least.
And not exactly pleasant.
My dreams, first, are always about the Dry Canyon, and the never ending dry tunnels, leading to maybe a trickle of water, and sometimes skeletons of other Human Kind. But this time, Xrat walked beside me, and we played, jumping over rocks. And while it was a sweet dream, he eventually, however, collapsed beside me with more whining noises when –
“SKYELAR!”
Alpha Skye roars her name above me, upon his return. I wake up so frightful, I almost tumble right off the bed. I end up kneeling, my heart palpitating, while Alpha Skye looks perfectly presentable as always, but he’s staring at Xrat – and when I look at Xrat, he’s lying on his side and breathing so shallow and too slow.
I feel his hollowed stomach, aching for food.
Oh.
He’s starving.
I reach for Xrat, hoping to comfort him – but Alpha Skye suddenly attacks me.
Upon snatching up my wrist, Skye brings it to his mouth and his sharp blue-white canines. I try to pull away but his incredible sharp teeth, tear through my skin and then he squeezes my wrist to pump out more blood from the fresh cut.
“Lay dead,” Skye instructs me without emotion, he is not actually angry at me, and I am not even able to make a sound of pain. My face just screws up as I hold my breath and go faint with the sudden mauling on my wrist. I was, however, used to being cut from sharp rocks, and this was no different, I guess.
Skye shoves me off the bed as I hear his main door slide open – and Skeylar comes running in.
“Alpha –” she begins, while he is looking at me now lying still on the floor. I wonder why he’s glaring through me, until I realise he needs me to close my eyes and breathe slow.
I do so quickly.
And then he begins his speech, “Xrat mauled my house pet, and almost killed her. But that is not the worry.”
“Oh,” is all she can manage.
“…he hasn’t been fed, Skelar… why is that…?” his tone quietens even more so.
“He was scratching at your door, I thought he might want to eat Human – fresh. He has to learn how to hunt sooner or later.”
“So you let Xrat in, to torment my… pet… my property. Do you understand this kind of disrespect?”
“I will let you use me however you wish, Alp –”
“You’re banished from my sight, Cinser.”
“Cinser? My name is now Skyelar –!”
“Leave my sight or I’ll show you the way out via the balcony.”
She had started sounding rather sublime, but now the animal comes out, “…pathetic marauder… the first war in the year and you play every opposite Wolf strategy, you always attack second, then lose three of our Beast… and a whole litter… Xrat will die young anyway, why does it matter…” I hear her walk towards my form, “Then you protect a Human Pet – banishing me?”
Don’t touch me.
I couldn’t bare it if she tried it.
She tried to kill me.
Alas, I don’t just feel her shadow fall over me.
I feel Cinser’s boot poke my cheek, “…it… is so repulsive,” the disgust in her voice, the pressure of her boot, the smell of the shit stuck beneath it – I can’t contain myself.
I open my eyes and I look right up into her face.
From the bed.
I’ve rolled and stood up, so powerful even so small, now on all fours, I see my body laid out still, Cinser rubbing her boot along my cheek. Alpha Skye is waiting for her to stop talking.
Attack.
It’s an instinctual push from me and from Xrat.
Not a human word, exactly, but a similar rage and a similar passion. It lines up perfectly.
We back up off the bed and we face the dresser behind. One run up. We pounce silently along the gap. We skid across colognes and tools for hygiene, and as they scatter, we’ve already turned and the paws of us launch off the dresser’s edge, as we practiced. Instead, this time, we’ve launched onto the back of Cinser, our jaws lock around her throat in a death blow.
We shred in deep, hanging from her, applying weight, and we don’t let go.
As the first gasps die off, her voice box is closed from our tough bite so no other sound is made. Alpha Skye steps right back, in slight shock, but without any movement of panic in order to help her. He didn’t even see us make the jumps, while he was focused on Ryder; my Human body laid out.
He simple watches as his betrothed now collapses, and her blood spills heavily. We don’t let go until Cinser lies there, still and cold, next to me–
Relief.
I open my eyes.
I’m back in my own form.
Cinser’s warm blood is soaking into my hair.
My eyes have moved, but I’m otherwise paralysed in my human body, as I’ve returned quickly.
I try to move but everything is frozen.
When I look at Xrat, he’s licking up Cinser’s blood, and Alpha Skye has to shoo him away with his own boot.
I’m staring at Alpha Skye, as he crouches beside me and lays a hand on my cheek – and then another hand on my other cheek.
The Alpha closes his eyes and I feel his hands tense.
He’s going to snap my neck – but then, at the last second, he releases me. Skye pulls back, maybe because Xrat just jumped up to lick his cheek, leaving a bloody stain.
Without a word, the Alpha scoops me up instead and then takes me to my cage.
I’m heartbroken that he’d lock me up again. But I can’t expect anything less.
As I’m put down, Xrat is discarded from the room and the Alpha tosses Cinser’s body over the balcony.
It’s cruel, but he seems rather content to do so.
Cleaners come in to fix the bloody mess, while Alpha Skye pretends nothing happened.
He undresses from his formal robe, into normal attire. Airy metallic pants, and no top. He sits at his desk, calm and collected.
I’m lying paralysed still, but some minutes after minutes pass, and a feeling comes back into my limbs. First a tingle in my nerves, a horrible sensation, pins and needles, everywhere. Soon, after that fades, every sensation comes back.
I’m thrust back into controlling my own body in that moment and my heart beat suddenly sky rockets. I sit up, smacking my hand into the glass, “H-hey, let me out!” I beg him in a yell, as the anxiety rushes through me.
Alpha Skye simply continues with his notes, not bothered to glance at me, “It’ll pass,” he murmurs, while simply working on his business.
With this feeling, comes adrenaline – and the shocking memories of my father’s death.
My mother next –
I stare at Alpha Skye, and my need is as real as the first day.
I need to kill him.
I’m drooling with the need to exact vengeance.
I’m staring at bit too hard, and perhaps he feels it.
Alpha Skye eventually looks over at me – and he smiles slowly, quite amused.
I’m kneeling at the glass, I’m so ready to be let out, I’m ready to be let free; to do it again; to kill again.
“…are you feeling alive?” Alpha Skye asks me, raising a brow, “Get ready for the low, Ryder. You’ll pass out soon. As will I.”
“I feel perfectly fine,” I speak, “Let me out now – please…” I say it so strong, just as the flood of exhaustion hits me like a boulder squishing me down from the top.
Impossible to resist.
“It’s a great time to fuck, feeling that high, perhaps we’ll consider it for next time,” Alpha Skye death drawls it, or maybe I dream it.
My body collapses to the side – and within moments – I’m out cold.
I’m dreaming so deeply – and now I see through Xrat. Not in control. Just aware.
He’s eating, being fed bowls and bowls of meat with the other pups, by an Elder.
It only occurs to me a bit later that Xrat is eating bits of fur.
Of a different baby animal.
The Feline Kind.
The Alpha did exactly what he set out to do.
This was just life on Genesis. Blood, guts, murder and war. And I hadn’t even left far beyond his residence, aside from the lobbies, aside from the court.
9 Feline cubs; kittens. Slaughtered for food.
Barbaric, cruel and provocative, far beyond the actions of a mere pathetic marauder – and Skye didn’t even seem to blink twice – because he was the Alpha for a reason. I think I was starting to understand.
He didn’t wish for anything. He set a goal; and he executed.
There was only one exception…
…I was still alive, and I shouldn’t be.