Chapter 147
I’m shaking my head again, ashamed of admitting to another weakness but there’s been too many times that I’ve been injured and while confined to my room I’ve been sickened by eating the food left outside my door. It’s only been over the last five years that the girls I help have started helping me.
Whenever they come but discover that I’ve been beaten senseless they provide for me as much as I provide for them. They bring me food and water, medication and daily essentials from the store room when I run out. They help me with my laundry and disposal of my garbage. In return I give them a safe haven, an escape from the rape and abuse that is all to prevalent within the walls of the Red Fang territory. I have developed a symbiotic relationship that I never thought could exist with these littles, something I have a hard time breaking away from. We depend upon each other.
I draw a sharp breath in, letting it go so slowly. It’s as if I’m holding it as alpha drags his finger through the hair on top of my head.
“Breath Cole. How often you hold your breath is quite worrisome.”
I remain silent as I grab a hold of the mattress beneath me squeezing it in my hands as the persistent burn sitting at the base of my neck flares into an all encompassing fire raging through my entire body.
These flares have been occurring all day despite my insistence to Dr. Pierce that I haven’t had any more. They come in waves. I’ll get three to four of them over an hour before I get a two hour break. This is the fourth one this hour so hopefully I won’t experience any more during dinner, alerting alpha to my lies.
I let out a yelp of surprise when alpha pulls me towards him. I’ve learned quickly how to breathe through this new pain. It’s still a lot harder to deal with than the sharp or stinging pain that comes from my cuts and bruises or the dull ache that comes from having broken bones but I’m still managing.
“You’re in a flare, aren’t you?” Alpha whispers.
“He hasn’t complained of having any more of them. Though, thinking about it, he hasn’t complained about the side effects of the binder and steroids he’s receiving either.” Dr. Pierce informs him.
“Are both high enough to cause them?”
“Considering the sensitivity to medication that we’ve seen, yes. I would expect him to be experiencing several significant side effects as I’ve upped the steroid to 500 milligrams every six hours and the binder is up to fifty percent, also given every six but I’ve staggered them so he receives them two hours apart on the feeder. He’s also receiving one milligram of Valium and 800 milligrams of ibuprofen every eight hours. Fifteen milligrams of hydrocodone and 650 milligrams of tylenol given every four.”
I remain silent during their conversation, concentrating solely upon my breathing until it slowly dies away. Even with my eyes closed I feel alpha straightening my shirt. I lift my arm and slide it through the sleeve as he holds it straight.
“Thank you.” I barely whisper but I know he hears me.
“Are you certain you want to come out?”
I nod my head as he steps away from me, reaching his hands out to help me up. I timidly put my hands in his and pull myself up, barely managing to stifle my desire to cry out. He stands still and silent as I adjust to being on my feet, waiting patiently for me to let go of him and start towards the door.
Alpha follows slowly behind me. He’s trying to give me my space but he also seems to recognize that I’m worse off than I’m willing to admit. It feels like it takes forever to get out to the table. Everyone is already sitting and eating.
I recognize Alpha Lucas and Alpha Damian are seated next to luna on one side of the table. Alpha’s seat is obviously empty at the one end, on luna’s left side. To the left of his seat is another empty chair before two girls, similar in size and looks are next to each other, opposite of the alpha’s two sons. I easily recognize the child directly next to me as Madilyn but I can’t remember her twin’s name at the moment.
“Really dad? You’ve got to be kidding me. Why couldn’t you just leave him in the wing?”
Lucas is already complaining about my presence and I’m not even at the table yet.
“Shut it Lucas. You received your instructions before you were allowed out of your room.”
Sounds like Lucas got grounded for having sex with Melody and he’s not happy about it.
I receive a much warmer nod and a smile from Alpha Damian and Luna as I sit down beside Madilyn.
“Are you okay with me serving your plate?” He asks me kindly.
“Just keep it small.”
I request with a nod as the little girl beside Madilyn catches my attention. I saw her the other night when I was at the table but I only remember her climbing into luna’s lap while I was working with Madilyn and her cramps. Tonight she’s much more active and it’s concerning me.
“Madisyn please, sit down!”
Alpha’s voice sounds strained and frustrated. I watch him fix my plate, giving me a little from each dish on the table. Seeing everyone eat the same thing tends to alleviate some of my anxiety around food. Lucas continues to run his mouth about me being at the table and alpha giving me special attention. It’s easy to tell that he’s building alpha’s frustration to a level I don’t like. Frustration always leads to anger and irrational actions.
As soon as alpha puts my plate down in front of me he steps back over to Madisyn’s chair. I wince and whine slightly as he grabs the back of her neck.
“Sit down!”
He growls near her ear. She sits down and I breathe relief when he releases her from his grip. He finally makes his way to his seat with his own plate. He looks tired, worn out from a long day. I guess multiple meetings during the day would wear anybody down but that’s one thing I wouldn’t know anything about. The only meetings I’ve attended are those that result in my ass getting beat and they are always painful and exhausting.
There’s several minutes of silence, enough that I can actually look at my plate and try to register through my migraine what’s on it. It looks and smells delicious but oddly it makes my stomach flip and cramp.
I wrap one arm around my stomach secretly hoping that alpha doesn’t see my discomfort. I’m not used to being around someone so observant of my behavior. Perhaps it’s because he’s an intuitive.
He pauses a moment to look at me. I smile weakly without a word and he goes back to his meal without saying anything as well. “How are the dorms looking Day? Now that the last of the prospects are here.”
“I had to make some changes as this run has a lot more smokers than we’re used to. Fortunately, none of the smokers in building A had an issue with changing buildings, especially since they moved from the third floor to the first.”
“You ended up turning building B into the smokers building?”
Alpha sounds shocked. I am a bit shocked myself. I’m not used to a pack being so considerate and accommodating towards others coming in. I remember the Yellowtail Pack was a non smoking pack and refused to allow any prospects that smoked to complete a run with them.
“Yes, I turned building B into male smokers dorm for this run. There’s only a handful of females that were smokers so building C is still the female’s dorm and A is male non-smokers.”
“Good. Have there been any issues with them getting around?”
“No sir. The newest ones have taken to following the ones that have been here a day or two. Seems like we have a decent group of prospects this run now that Dallas and Richard are gone.”
The conversation keeps going between the two of them while I try my best to zone out. The Vicodin Dr. Pierce gave me seems to be doing little to reduce my pain this time around. Madisyn’s movements beside Madilyn catch my attention again. She stands in her chair, looks around to see if anyone is watching, before sitting on her knees. No one says anything and it’s easy for me to realize that alpha hasn’t noticed her behavior.
My stomach has twisted itself into painfully tight knots, making any thoughts of eating the food set before me disappear. Instead I watch Madisyn as she jumps up in her chair, tilts it back for a few seconds before sitting down again. She is repeating the process, it’s a game to her but an unnecessary risk to me. I would have never dared to act in such a way in front of my parents, even at such a young age.
“Stop staring at my sister, pervert.”
Lucas’s words cut me hard but I don’t flinch.
“Lucas, you've been told about that. You have no place to call him anything demeaning after what you did to Melody.”
“Melody wanted it just like the rest of them. She’s lying to you so she doesn’t get into trouble for having sex.”
Lucas is arguing with his father, something else I would never do.
“She knows as well as you do that I’ll be going through the footage from your room. That will be the ultimate judge.”
“You have a camera in my room?!”
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
