Chapter 3 Property Of

POV: Echo

Pain. Extreme, scorching pain drags me back to consciousness. An intense burning sensation that radiates from my back all over my body.

Swallowing the whimper building in my throat, I remain still as I listen for any signs he hasn't left yet. Lying face down on the cold cement floor of the basement with the back of my shirt shredded, my body was wracked with involuntary shivers.

Hearing nothing, I slowly opened my eyes, staring in shock at the fresh red stains on the surrounding floor. I drew in a sharp breath, nearly gagging at the thick scent of my blood as it combined with cedar and vanilla.

"You've finally joined me," he sneers wickedly. "I hope you don't mind, but I kept myself busy while I waited for you to wake up."

His finger traced across my back, near but not quite touching the source of the burning. I can't help but flinch away from it, sending another wave of pain shooting from my back.

Feeling his intense gaze on my face, I close my eyes in defeat, not wanting to know what he's done to me this time. "LOOK AT ME!" he growls, grabbing my chin and jerking me up and towards him, jolting me to a kneeling position. Pain explodes across my back as a scream tears its way out of my throat. I can feel blood dripping down my back, and while my healing is slowed because of the years of starvation, it should have at least stopped bleeding by now, seeing as the blood on the floor is long dried.

Tightening his grip until it felt like he might just crush my jaw, he snarls. "Open. Your. Eyes." I instantly obey, unable to withstand the additional pain, and he loosens his hold to a bearable pressure. "Good," he purrs, "now you can see my handy work!"

Wrenching me into a standing position, earning himself another scream as he drags me by my chin into the tiny bathroom. Roughly turning me so my back faces the tiny sink and the cracked mirror above it, he glances back at the mirror on the wall as he positions me just so in front of it.

Knowing I wouldn't have one, he pulls a hand mirror out of his back pocket and holds it in front of my face, angling it so I can see the mirror behind me. Even though I know I will probably get into more trouble than I already am, I stare straight ahead, ignoring the mirror, desperately not wanting to see what he's done.

Shooting daggers at me with his eyes, he gives a hearty chuckle before lowering the mirror. He steps closer, leaning his face towards me until our foreheads are almost touching, his grip tightening on my jaw.

Smiling, he stares into my eyes before brushing his nose along my jawline to my neck. "Mmmm, I can never get enough of the smell of you like this," he whispers into my ear, licking and nipping it gently as I tremble in disgust.

"Come on little doll, take a peek in the mirror for me, okay? After all, it's rude to complain about an early birthday present, isn't it?" His voice drips with charm, his new pet name for me making my stomach turn.

I blink in confusion. An early birthday present? No one has celebrated my birthday in the last ten years, and like everything else, I'd forgotten the date. I only know that I turn 20 this year but don't know when.

Grinning wickedly after seeing that his comment had the desired effect, he stepped back. Tightening his grip on my jaw ever so slightly, to remind me of my place, he raises the mirror again.

When I hesitate again, he raises his eyebrows at me and clears his throat, a signal that he is losing patience with me. Knowing that the alternative would be a lot worse, I took a steadying breath and slowly raised my eyes to the small mirror.

Staring blankly at the mirror behind me, it takes a moment to understand the words while reading them in reverse. When I work out what it says, I finally release the gut-wrenching sobs that have been threatening to surface since he first opened the basement door.

My entire back is a bloody mess, and he has carved four large words into my skin, four devastating words:

PROPERTY

OF

ALPHA

BRADY

"No!" I sob, "No, no, no!". Ripping my chin from his vice-like grip, I tore chin from his grip, putting some space between us. My chest feels tight, and I feel like I can't breathe properly as I take gasping breaths of too little air. Stumbling out of the bathroom, I rushed toward the door in a panicked daze.

It's bad enough that I'd lived here like a slave for the last ten years, barely fending off this perverted Alpha of a pack that's never been mine. Now, I was branded like an animal, labelled property, owned, claimed by my tormentor.

No wolf would ever want me now. No one would ever dare to lay their hands on the property of an Alpha.

"I knew you'd love it! Now no one will touch what's mine!" He growls possessively as I reached the door, yanking on it, remembering too late that he locked it when he came in. Whipping around, I shrieked at his unexpected closeness. He pushes forward, pinning me against the door, his eyes burning with a dangerous mix of anger and lust.

I arch my back away from the hard surface, crying out in pain. His arms block my escape on either side, and his body presses tightly against mine before he pushes his face into my hair, breathing deeply.

"Once you turn twenty, you can sense your mate, and he can sense you. I won't have anyone else put their hands on my favourite toy!" He whispers seductively in my ear, pressing a kiss behind it. "Now, you are mine, all MINE! No wolf, not even your mate, will want a woman with my name, an Alpha's name, on her." His husky voice filled with desire makes me shudder as he confirms my thoughts from earlier.

My knees buckle as my last hope is ripped away from me. I allow myself to drift, no longer caring to fight the darkness threatening to pull me under. My final thought passes through my mind before I succumb to it's current.

'I am never getting out of here.'