Chapter 5 His Little Doll

POV: Echo

"Eat!" Brady demands, as he places the fork firmly in my hand. Trembling, I looked at the plate in apprehension, wondering what kind of torture he'd come up with now. Grasping the fork so tightly my knuckles turn white, I scoop some eggs onto my fork and bring them to my mouth. I hesitate for a moment before placing them in my mouth and chewing. Waiting again after I swallow, expecting it to be laced with silver or wolfsbane. When no pain comes, I dig into the meal.

Only a quarter of the way through, I had to stop. Slowly sipping on the glass of orange juice, I savour its sweet flavour. Having had nothing but water for so long, I'd forgotten how deliciously sweet that juice was. My stomach feels full and slightly painful, as I have eaten as much food this morning as I typically see over a period of days, maybe even upwards of a week. I feel absolutely stuffed.

The Alpha has been watching me this whole time, and I have avoided looking at him, trying to pretend he wasn't there. Even if it was some kind of trick, I had been well past starving and I was more than willing to pay whatever the price was for food at that point.

"You haven't eaten nearly enough; you need to eat!" He growls, pushing my plate towards me slightly, his gaze hardening as he realizes I will not eat any more. "I've had to treat your back; it wasn't healing after the wolfsbane." He grumbles, which explains why it suddenly feels so much better, and the constriction I felt must be from the bandages.

I slowly raise my eyes, setting the cup of juice on the tray and looking just to the left of his face, "I'm full," I whispered, terrified at his sudden insistence that I eat, as well as his sudden gentle demeanour toward me. He has always been the one denying me food and hurting me. Why would he suddenly be demanding that I eat such a meal or treat me so gently as he had since I woke up?

Brady sighs as he removes the tray from my lap and stands up, "You need to freshen up and get dressed,". He offers me a hand to help me stand, and I frown. He has never once cared about my hygiene before, either, and I don't trust his abrupt change in attitude toward me.

Slowly standing up, I ignored his outstretched hand. Once I am standing, I bow my head and clasp my hands behind my back. Ignoring the stinging sensation of my wounds being stretched on my back. The position is painful but familiar. This is the stance of a servant waiting for their orders. Confused by his odd behavior since I woke up, I needed something normal to help calm my nerves.

"If this is how you want to be, fine." The Alpha snaps, going from foreign to familiar in seconds. "We have a neighbouring Alpha coming tomorrow! The pack house is in complete and utter disarray, as you haven't done any of your work in 3 days."

"I've been down here for 3 days?!" I gasped. I'd figured maybe a day, a day and a half, tops. But to have been down here passed out for three days... and three nights. I suppress the shiver that runs down my spine at the thought of that. He may beat me publicly during the day, but the night is when he sneaks into the basement to have a different kind of fun, away from the prying eyes of the pack and his Luna.

Swallowing the bile rising in my throat, I asked in a hoarse whisper, "Are you the one that changed my clothes?" His smirk told me everything I needed to know, making sure I knew he had made sure to enjoy every moment. The thought makes me sick to my stomach.

Having asked one question, a dam breaks open and they flood forth before I can stop myself.

"Why?! Why are you doing this? The abuse and late-night visits? M-my back, the wolfsbane, then bandaging me, and feeding me breakfast?! What have I ever done to deserve any of this? Why can't you just leave me alone...?" The last part came out as a whisper as I dropped my eyes back to the floor. I had never dared to question him before, too scared of the consequences.

"Oh, my Little Doll, you just don't get it, do you?" He asks, stepping forward and raising my chin with his finger, cupping my face with his palm, as he tilts my face up towards his, staring deep into my eyes.

"You are mine, to do with as I please, especially now that you are branded as my own! If I wish to smell your delicious fear, I will entice it from you. If I want to cause you pain, I will hurt you." He extends a claw and runs it down my cheek, drawing a whimper from me.

"If I want to ease it, I will treat your injuries." He runs his tongue along the fresh cut, tasting my blood. "When I want to touch you, I will.". His other hand assaults my body, fondling my breasts before moving to grope my ass, causing me to quiver in disgust.

"If I want to reward your good behavior with a good meal, you shall eat well. If I want to see you waste away in starvation, you won't eat at all. You, Echo, are my Little Doll, and the quality of your life depends on how generous I am feeling on any given day."

He steps closer and begins kissing my neck and jaw, while his other hand joins in the random groping of my body. I'm frozen in fear, processing the extent of his obsession with me. I always knew that he was deranged, but even after all the years of abuse, I hadn't been prepared for this. He was truly sadistic. He was beyond obsessed with me, and I was completely at his mercy.

Blinking away my tears, I stood completely ridged, waiting for him to tire of his random touching. I had expected panic to take over after I processed his words, but I was now completely calm. On some level, he had always been at the forefront of my torture and abuse, and I always expected it would get worse. I just have one question left now.

"Why?" I whimpered, trying to remember what I'd done to earn this kind of attention. I can't remember anything from before I came here. I'd randomly showed up on the pack's border one day, alone, covered in blood, and unable to remember anything other than my name. They remembered me, though.

"Who better than the daughter of the people responsible for my mother's death?" His hands stilled, resting on my hips. He pulls his head back, glaring at me. "From the day you came wandering back into this pack, I promised I'd make you suffer a thousand times what she did as a result of their actions." He growls.

His grip tightens painfully as he backs up, pulling me with him. "What about Luna Embry?" I ask, thinking of the wolfsbane-laced water she'd thrown on me.

He stops for a moment, a grin splitting his face before he replies, "We have come to an understanding. She will let me have my fun, so long as she gets to have her own!"

I shudder as he turns and moves forward, stopping beside my shelf. "Now, you have 3 days of work to catch up in less than one day. Are you going to change your clothes, or shall I do it for you?"

His eyes darken with his wolf at the last part, as he rakes his eyes over my body and I shake my head quickly, "I can do it," I reply quietly, and he releases his grip on me. I grab my clothes from the shelf and dash into the bathroom to change. The curtain that had served as my bathroom door had been torn down long ago. Having no choice, I turned my back to him and changed as quickly as I could, feeling his heated gaze on me the entire time.