Chapter 6
6
The day after Cora and the Wolf shared Alex, Cora was called away for some reason that remained unknown to Alex and Bella. Both of them were relieved. Bella didn't tell Alex about the Wolf's visit that night; there was nothing he could have done and she knew he’d be upset that he'd slept through it. Besides, she didn't think she could face the remembered shame of how much pleasure she'd received from it.
Something strange was happening to her. Throughout the day, she found herself staring at the sigil that decorated the compound’s walls. It wasn't a particularly pretty sigil, just an S-shape with a horizontal bar through the top curve, but when she wasn't focused on a conversation or watching something, she would blink and realize that she'd been staring at it. Sometimes for a long time. And sometimes she felt like there was something significant about it. She just couldn't remember what.
Questioning Trish might have helped; she was becoming more and more sure that Trish knew something about whatever the Wolf had made her forget. And not just because Jordan was playing keep-away with the diminutive blonde. She just knew that Trish knew something. She felt it; not quite like a memory, but almost. Like, feelings that were related to a memory, even though she couldn't actually remember it. Which was weird, but she trusted that feeling. Trusted her gut.
In the afternoon, the Wolf ignored Alex, but pulled Bella onto his lap. Which always made her nervous, but especially after the night before. Her emotions were always strangely confused around the Wolf. While she knew that he could—and would —do anything he wanted to her, up to and including handing her back over to the sadistic doctor, for some reason she trusted that he wouldn't do anything that extreme without reason. Even if she couldn't remember what the reason was. Which made her want to cuddle up and act like a good little Pet when he had her on his lap, so that he didn't have any reason to punish her.
The absentminded caresses he gave her made it hard to concentrate on the conversations he was having with his soldiers, but she listened as much as possible. It would be even harder for Alex to hear what was being said, and she knew he'd want to know. Unfortunately, there wasn't much that she understood, because everything she overheard was completely out of context.
The Wolf had her settled on her side, her head tucked against his shoulder, but she constantly tried to peek at the desk without giving away what she was doing. Looking for more documents with the Moon government's seal.
When they'd first been caught, some part of her had been almost excited in a sick way, thinking that at least some of the mystery surrounding the Wolf would be solved. Instead, being his captive just seemed to raise more questions.
Why did the citizens on the Moon only know about the Wolf and not threats like Cora?
What mission had the Wolf and Cora teamed up for?
What had Moon documents been doing on the Wolf's desk and how had he gotten them? Why weren't they there now?
What had the Wolf made her and Alex forget?
Why was Trish treated differently?
What did the Wolf think she would be able to do better than Alex?
Being in the middle of the Wolf's headquarters didn't answer any of those questions. But it did distract her so that she was almost surprised when the Wolf's hand closed around her breast, squeezing it with intent rather than just idly stroking her the way he had been. Bella tipped her head back, tensing now that his focus was back on her.
"You're a good Pet, aren't you sweetheart?" he asked, using the kind of tone that he probably would with a real pet.
Bella wasn't stupid. She nodded her head, agreeing with him. "Yes, Sir."
"Maybe you deserve a reward for being such a good pet," he mused, his fingers seeking out and rolling her nipple between them, sending a wave of heat down through her belly. His words did nothing to relieve her tension though; the Wolf was extremely unpredictable, and Bella wasn't sure that they had the same idea of what a reward would consist of.
* * *
Watching the Wolf fondle Bella was not Alex's preferred way of spending his morning. The soreness that lingered from being double-teamed by the Wolf and Cora yesterday only added an edge to his frustration. The gap in his memory made him feel even more out of control. Possessive feelings over Bella were the last thing he needed to deal with, but somehow he felt like something had happened between them that they'd been made to forget. Something important, that was spurring his dislike of seeing her on the Wolf's lap.
All morning she'd been kind of quiet. Distant. Somehow, he didn't think it had anything to do with Doctor Margolis anymore. She wasn't so brittle, but she was just different. Alex couldn't quite put his finger on it.
Emotions that he couldn't control were surging up inside of him as he watched the Wolf stroke and caress her body, making him want to snatch her away from the other man. Yesterday he'd been able to protect her from further molestation; today he was being forced to witness it. Even worse, Bella didn't look entirely unhappy. She seemed calm, submissive. Like she was getting used to the way the Wolf was treating her.
Alex was starting to worry that she'd bent too much and had forgotten to keep fighting, even if only in her mind.
Seeing the Wolf whispering in her ear, he had to tamp down on his fury again. Yesterday he'd done what he'd had to do in order to protect her, setting aside his own need for control and letting the Wolf and Cora use him. Now he felt more out of control than ever.
He came alert as the Wolf motioned to one of his soldiers, pushing Bella up from his lap. Something close to fear filled her eyes as she threw a glance back at Alex. Immediately he sat up on his haunches, muscles tensing. The Wolf was doing something. Alex felt like snarling when the soldier started leading Bella away, her wide eyes calling to him.
"Down, Toy." Amusement laced the Wolf's voice as he noticed that Alex was on his feet instead of sitting down the way he was supposed to be.
Alex knew he was being baited, but he didn't care. Watching Bella being taken out of the room so that he couldn't watch over her and had no idea where she was going, was shredding the last bits of his self-control.
"Where's she going?" he demanded, hating that asking the Wolf for information was the only avenue open to him. Going after her wasn't an option. The reminder of his helplessness infuriated him further. His anger was like a seething open wound, and the Wolf was prodding at it. "What are you doing to her?"
"That's not your concern."
Although it was said with complete indifference, the Wolf has swiveled around on his chair, focusing on Alex, obviously anything but indifferent. He was enjoying himself; enjoying toying with Alex, withholding information to drive him crazy. And all the while Bella was... where? Enduring what? The Wolf was playing fucking mind games again; knowing that Alex had shielded her yesterday, not allowing him to do so today.
"Where. Is. She." Alex gritted out the words between his teeth. His fists clenched at his sides, wishing that the Wolf was in arm's reach.
"Nowhere you need to worry about," the Wolf said. He glanced over at one of the soldiers standing off to the side of Alex. "Take Toy back to their room to cool off."
"No!" Alex spun to glare at the soldier that the Wolf had given the order to, only to feel someone grabbing his arm from behind. They were closing in on him from both sides. He couldn't go back to the room, to pace and worry, only to have Bella come back to him, bruised in spirit and broken in body. Wildness rose up in him as he yanked his arm out of the grip of the soldier, turning back around to face him.
The soldier the Wolf had initially given orders to grabbed Alex from the other side, one hand on Alex's shoulder and the other on his arm. Alex snapped.
Twisting, he pulled away, using the momentum to punch the guard on his opposite side, who was already reaching for him again. The man yelled out in surprise as the satisfying thud of impact reverberated through Alex's arm. Arms wrapped around his biceps and he immediately knelt, throwing the soldier behind him off balance and flipping him over Alex's back. Adrenaline surged as another man slammed into him from behind, taking him down to the ground. Alex heard a growling noise, barely recognizing his own voice as he twisted, bringing the man down with him.
Kicking out, he felt his foot slam into somebody, heard the yelp of pain and felt the fierce rush of triumph. Finally able to fight back. Finally able to release some of the pent-up frustration that had been building inside of him for days.
A fist slammed into his side, taking away his breath, but he landed his own punch in the other man's chest, knocking him back. One of the guys down on the ground wrapped his arms around Alex's legs, taking him back down to the ground. Alex kneed him in the chin, pulling free.
That's when the Wolf finally stepped in. Three soldiers scattered back as the Wolf stepped forward, his green eyes gleaming with anticipation. Alex tensed, getting to his feet, waiting for the shock of the collar to send him back down again. Waiting for the pain. It didn't come.
"Well?" the Wolf asked, his hands hanging loosely at his sides. "This is your chance, Toy. What are you waiting for?"
Alex lunged forward, but not uncontrolled. Fuck no. If he was only going to get one chance, then he was going to make it count. He was moving with intent. Gunning right for the bastard's head.
The Wolf moved faster than Alex could believe, catching Alex's fist easily, dodging his head to the side, and at the same time twisting to throw Alex over his hip, using his own momentum against him. Shame and humiliation burned nearly as intensely as the pain of being slammed down onto his stomach, knocking the breath from him. Heat and iron pressed into him from behind, the Wolf covering Alex's body with his own, holding him against the floor.
"You're a fighter, I'll give you that," the Wolf whispered into Alex's ear, pressing the hard bulge at the front of his pants against Alex's buttocks. Alex shuddered, but his self-control was returning after the harsh dose of reality the Wolf had just given him. He was no match for a man who could move like that. "But the difference between you and me is that you've never known true desperation. You've never tasted the bitter fear that comes when you face your own death. You've never said no, not today... not me... and fought for your life. Until you do that, you'll be no match for someone like me."
The Wolf pushed Alex down as he stood up, and Alex stayed there, pressed against the floor. Not because he was acknowledging the Wolf's dominance, but because he was thinking. Assessing. No, he was no match for the Wolf, even without the collar on, but he'd been holding his own against three of the Wolf's soldiers. On the other hand, he was fairly certain they knew they weren't supposed to truly hurt him. And he'd caught them off guard. It was knowledge that he could use. That he had to use. Just because the Wolf had conquered him physically, didn't mean that Alex accepted defeat.
"Come, Toy."
As the Wolf walked away, his back to Alex, the three soldiers that had initially tried to take Alex down came to surround him. All of them were moving a bit more gingerly, one of them nursing a black eye. They glared at him, ready to pounce if he made the slightest move. Three-to-one odds without the element of surprise, especially now that the fighting adrenaline had leeched from his system, was not something Alex was stupid enough to try. Ignoring his guards, Alex padded after the Wolf.
* * *
Bella didn't realize that one of the walls was a one-way mirror. Not that she would have particularly cared if she had. She was in heaven. When the Wolf had told her that she was a good Pet, and that she'd earned a reward, she'd been both suspicious and frightened, because he hadn't told her what the reward was. Apparently, it was being pampered.
Even though she was still nervous about being separated from Alex, she was having trouble holding onto that tension through the blissful massage that she was currently receiving. Fingers dug into her back, finding every knot and soothing it away, before replacing the pressure of fingers with a stone that was almost too hot to bear. It felt lovely. The heat sank into her muscles, making her feel utterly limp on the table.
On the other side of the mirror, Alex was conflicted as hell. He hadn't been sure where the Wolf had been taking him to, but he'd hoped it would be to see what was happening to Bella. He'd honestly been expecting that it would be something horrible.
Even though he couldn't see her expression, because she was face-down on the massage table, he could tell from her soft sighs and moans that she wasn't experiencing any hardship. Indeed, the Wolf had done a complete one-eighty and was giving her an experience of pure pleasure. For some reason, it made Alex's possessive jealousy surge even higher.
The Wolf's hand clamped down on the back of Alex's neck, just above the collar. His voice was low, an intimate murmur in Alex's ear.
"Pet is being well rewarded for her behavior. I'll have to decide on an appropriate punishment for yours."