Alpha's captive

OLAMIDE

I huddled in a dumpster surrounded by a crusty rotten smell and shaken with fear. My breath coming in quiet. As the sound of heavy boots thudded platters of water, I desperately held my breath.

Lord, Please... I begged my mother's God and prayed he would keep moving. He had to keep moving. Tears slid profusely down my cheeks as I pondered on what he would do to me if he found me. This was never how I planned to go. My heart thudded loudly just thinking of what the headline of news would be on my story. I hated myself. But what could that do? I should never have come here. If only I had almost stayed home, snuggled in bed with Zeus, and watched those sappy hallmark movies, with a bowl of popcorn in my arms. But it was too pathetic for a Friday night-especially so close to Valentine's day. The general holiday depression had already started to set in, with everyone around me being all loved up reminding me painfully that I was alone and it was only the first week of February. Grudgingly I had gotten dressed and went wild with some girlfriends at a club. But the others had wanted to party later than I wanted to. So I left alone. It was just a few blocks to the subway station. It was dangerous to walk alone at night. Especially with an outfit so revealing but I comforted myself with the knowledge that I had pepper spray tucked away in my purse-the same spray the killer was now in possession of.

I closed my eyes, trying desperately to shut out the sight of the man choking on his own blood as his throat was slit, The image of a man-wolf throwing the lifeless body into the rails. I vividly remembered his blood red irises when he heard me scream in fear. I lacked the brazen front to ven pick the spray from. my bag. I doubted it would work because whatever I saw was not human. I had dropped my purse and fled for my dear life but something told me it was not enough. He was following me and with the why the night was going I might end up just like the man, another corpse if his body was found.

The footsteps suddenly stopped and I dared to peep but he wasn't within sight. I could still hear this heavy breath. It was all over the place but it implied he was dangerously close. My stomach twisted just knowing I was right. As if the cruel truth wasn't enough, the scent of rich cologne hit my nostrils, drowning out the smell of rotting food and crusty condoms. His breath sounded as if it were blowing right in her ear. I had to state the obvious. He was a professional, not some random street tough. Poor, desperate people didn't bother with cologne. And if they did, it wouldn't have been such an expensive brand. Something told me I had gotten myself into a dilemma much bigger than me and I almost felt the need to sob like a child. I bit back a loud sob until it rattled around and echoed so loud in my mind that I feared he'd hear it. There was a snick of a lighter and then cigarette smoke filled the air. It was as if he was trying to smoke me out, as if he knew I could not stand the stench. He took drag after drag as I watched the faint ember burn bright and die through the cracks of my metal confines.

He was toying with me

I heard the pull of a zipper, and for one sick moment thought it was his pants, but the sound that followed was the snap of a wallet being opened. My wallet!

"Olamide Armstrong." He said with a rich English accent stupidly reminding me of how everyone I met murdered my name at their first tries. Even my would-be murderer. "... 580 Maple Avenue. Mech." His voice was relaxed, casual, because murder was casual to him.

I didn't want to stereotype, but a nicely dressed Englishman with murder tendencies required no leaps of logic. This guy was a man of the underworld. It was written all over him. Letting go of the purse had been necessary to save me, but now he knew who I was and where I lived. For a moment I continued to pretend he didn't know I was in the dumpster. I tried to think about where she could run, how I could stay safe from someone who would no doubt relentlessly pursue the only witness to his crime.

"Pretty. You are black though. Too bad."

Not only was he a murderer, but he was also racist. A part of me told me my color might have saved me from being a trafficked bimbo but it did not matter. In minutes, my life would not be my own regardless of how the situation played at. I figured the best option was to make a run for it while screaming at the top of my lungs for help. If only I had the doggedness to even move.

He let out a heavy sigh. "All right, come out. If you make me come get you, I will make sure you beg me to kill you."

That was it! I had held it together for as long as I could, been quiet as long as she could manage.

"Please, just let me go, " I begged, shivering, and mentally praying for any omnipotent being to come to my aid. But alas, the truth was bitter and the mister stalking me dropped it without emotion.

"Sorry, I can't do that. You have got too much information in that head."

"No...I don't know anything. I don't know what you are. I don't care. I won't get involved. I swear to God. Just let me live, please. Whatever happened there, it is none of my business. I don't care about it." And I was telling the truth. Even if I had to live with the guilt of keeping the truth from someone out there. All I wanted right now was to be safe at home, in the bed with Zeus.

"What I am?" He wondered aloud. I did not answer. I was sure it was not even a question. He remained silent, puffing on the last embers of his cigarette like he was considering bargaining.

"Nah, "He finally said. "I think I'll just kill you."

Although he had made a vague reference to torturing me first if I did not come to him, I could not bring myself to move. My whole system had collapsed. How could a person step outside their less than likely safe space, knowing a monster was waiting on the other side to gobble you up?

Before I could notice, the lid of the dumpster flew back making me scream for help. More than ever I wanted a savior despite knowing no one would come to my aid even if they heard me. I had heard others scream before and I had ignored it to keep myself safe. Maybe this was karma.

I looked up at the man as he aimed his gun at my head. "Shut up! You wanna be responsible for someone else's death, too? I can shoot witnesses all night."

Oh God, I whimpered. Where were the ancestors that grandpa wouldn't shut up about? Where were they when their daughter needed help?

No one would reach me before he pulled the trigger. The only option was to reach out to his humanity. It was the only thing I could think of "Please don't hurt me. I swear I don't care what happened back there. I just want to go home."

"Just shut it! You are going to die and nothing is changing that. Just suck it up and pray someone finds your body quickly so you can at least have a decent funeral." He took a step to the side, lining up his shot as moonlight from the opposite wall hit me in the face. Instead of pulling the trigger, he just stared.

No, He froze. Almost like his body was not his for a moment. I considered running but what if it was his game plan? What if he wanted the chase? I wasn't even sure my legs could sustain me. All I could do was watch him slowly regain composure.

Almost immediately, his phone rang. I heard him curse as he picked up the call from the behinds of his jean pocket and hit a button.

"I've told you to never look through my eyes." He said to the phone, keeping his gun too close to my head and I could tell he would gun me down if I did anything stupid. Like before, he went through another awkward pause before he cut the phone. I expected to be in my final moments the moment the call ended but instead of pulling the trigger, he just said, "If you wish to live, get out there right now."

Despite the warnings shouting through my brain, I hoisted myself over the piles of trash and clumsily climbed out of the dumpster. I was sure that it would never end well but I was willing to hold on to any tiny fragments of hope I could manage to survive the night if I complied with his demands.

He gave a loud sigh before smiling at me. "You may as well be the luckiest victim that has crossed my path." Then he karate chopped the side of my neck and the entire world shrank to a tiny pinpoint of light, then blinked out of existence.

OLAMIDE

I was sure that was all the world would have heard from me. I did not expect to wake up and certainly not naked and cold. My eyes fluttered close and open as I tried to picture if the maidens touching me were angels in the afterlife preparing me to meet my maker.

"Where am I?" I asked, pushing the hands of a woman scrubbing my lathered body off.

"Shut up and let us do our job!" A woman with short back hair retorted glaring at me like I was making life for her hell.

Perhaps that was true but I did not get why I was being cleaned. Did the monster from before have some demented compassion for me and decided to keep me? No. I pushed the thought off. I tried to scramble out of the tub but the short-haired bitch held me down with an iron grip and slapped me senseless.

"Keep doing stupid shit like that and you are going to wind up dead regardless of your status as the first mate. If you smell like rotten eggs, even Jason won't have mercy on you." She warned, dumping the sponge in her hands into the milky water. Her steel-blue eyes flicked in the direction of the other women in the bathroom, three in total. "Leave her. Now that she is awake. She should be able to clean herself up."

The girls bowed and left the room leaving me with 'Hellfire'- A girl that clearly hated me for unknown reasons. She gave me a glare that almost looked murderous before exiting the room.

Fishing the sponge out of the water, I wasn't even sure what I was to do. My instinct told me to flee but I was butt naked and on top of that, I wasn't in a safe zone. The woman, the maids, they were all affiliated with that man. I could not even begin to comprehend what they planned to do to me. I managed to slip out the tub and tiptoed my way to the door when I heard what sounded like a hushed conversation.

"...She cannot adjust to this life. What was Jason thinking? Second mates exist."

It sounded like the woman from before. I pondered on what she meant by mate. Bile rose all the way to my throat just considering that they might be seeing me as an incubator. Good Lord! The man who brought me here wasn't human. There was a chance they were all just like me. If I was right, which there was no denying, I was fucked.

"...Nah, Sounds like you are just jealous the goddess did not see you as a suitable mate to Alpha Jason."

The voice, It was the man from before. Awful images flashed into my head just thinking about the word Alpha, Mate. Was this a sex ring? Was I about to be prostituted? I was about to be passed around and used up until all the vibrancy was gone. Then I would no doubt the dead meat.

"...Speak of the devil." I heard my captor say.

It sounded like the Jason guy had arrived. I immediately ran into the tub, shivering and practically going insane as the bathroom door opened and an attractive man in a tailored suit walked in, followed closely by my captor.

This was why he spared me. He kept me alive for this man. Even in his sleek clothing, I could tell it was a facade to hide his desires and the sincerity of his being. He might have been the one to keep me alive but that did not make me safe.

"She looks cold, " Jason noted. "Get her a robe."

My heart thudded loudly as he approached me. Not because of what was about to transpire but my eyes could see a bulge twitching in his pants. I was doomed. He crouched before me and broke into a warm smile that made him look attractive if he wasn't a kidnapper's associate.

"Are you okay?" He asked me.

Wow. He pulled the good guy act really well. I wasn't even sure what cards he was playing but he was a sticker to character or maybe he was as demented as his throat-slitting friend who stood across the room like an ominous shadow.

"I want to go home." I pleaded.

He ran a finger past his pursed lips and instead of answering me ran a finger through my hair.

"Curly." He commented, practically ignoring my request.

I was not that easy to throw off and with the way things were turning out, I was beginning to believe I might even welcome death instead of being raped by a creep.

"Please let me go home, " I repeated. "I won't tell anyone about what I saw." I looked at the shadowy figure of the killer lingering above me and continued. "He knows where I live. There is no way I will run my mouth."

Jason scanned through my face as if reading them before he spoke.

"I wish I could but it ain't that simple anymore. I might have accidentally kissed your soul and you, mine. Even if I let you go now, I'm sure word would have spread and hawks are already out there watching your family and friends and waiting for the perfect opportunity to hurt me."

I noticed he had three gaping marks on his neck. They looked like something that could only have been inflicted by claws. I had a flashback of the damning damage these people could do. They lived by violence. They were violent. He noticed me staring. He was feral-looking and handsome, with -black shoulder-length hair, grey eyes, and impossibly white teeth bared in either a grin or a grimace, I wasn't sure which.

"These, " He said, pointing to the scars on his neck. "were inflicted upon me by a rival pack who I hurt pretty bad. He has been looking for revenge pretty bad and I fear for what awaits you when he does."

It was too much to handle. I felt my mouth open before I could clamp them shut.

"What are you people?"

He smiled. "What if I was to tell you I am a werewolf and soon we will be bonded telepathically, emotionally, and eventually even physically, inseparable as long as we both live?"

I fell back on the worst of all my habits. Denial. I wanted to laugh this off and tell myself it was a bad dream. This could not be real. I could not have lived my life the way I did for this moment. It just couldn't be but I reflected on what he said and I realized his mouth never moved. His eyes were also bright red, a glaring contrast to what they were before. I shrank further unto the tub at the unholy sight. But he wasn't done.

"You don't have to be afraid." He sent, again, his lips were not moving. "You'll be safe here."

OLAMIDE

The robe did eventually come. I felt conscious having to stand up to step into the robe. I saw the look on Jonas' face and it made me intently nervous. I wasn't sure what would happen next but the pissed off look the fiery girl from before had on suggested I would live. I had taken everything Jonas had said with a grain of salt. How was a girl even to believe that? My gamble for the time was to play along waiting for the perfect opportunity to flee. My hair was still damp and the air seeping into the bathroom suggested we were in a cold area.

With nothing else to do than stand awkwardly while the brother's chatted discreetly, I decided to make the best out of my situation and observe the distinct features of my captors. The one who brought me here, clad in an Armani and possibly the most dangerous of the trio had a ring on his thumb with the insignia of a crow. Jonas, the second one wore a jacket, faded old jeans, and boots. His most distinct feature was the jarring scar spread across his cheek to his neck. The third was the girl that would not stop sulking. She looked like a fighter. Her clothing complimented it. She was in a grey camisole and black leggings. She did however have a tattoo of the crow imprinted on the ring.

"I hope you aren't thinking of running?"

I jerked and my attention went in the direction of the voice. This witch would not even give me breathing space.

"Of course not." I stammered, throwing my attention back at the two men to avoid eye contact with hellfire.

"Kerri, Quit giving her a hard time." Jason sighed, giving me a nervous smile. It wasn't one I appreciated but I took it.

"But..." Kerri tried to say right before 'underworld gentleman' interrupted her.

"No buts." He practically growled."And try to put your jealousy in wraps. You are a goddamn Sentinel for fuck's sake."

So that was it, I thought. Honestly, I wasn't sure what fucked up shit was taking place but if she wanted Jonas so bad. I would give him to her in a heartbeat.

"I apologize Alpha Devin." Kerri apologized.

"Whatever."

My jaw dropped looking at Devin speak. How could I not see it before? The well-kept beard must have set me off. That had to be why I did not notice they were twins. Devin and Jason were identical twins. While I reeled from the shock of my discovery, The men concluded their talk and Jason led me outside. God knows breathing eluded me for a while as I took in the jarring sight in front of me. All the while I was in the bathroom, I thought I was in some house but the bathroom was only a shed. I was in the middle of nowhere and all that surrounded me was giant trees. The pines and giant trees seemed to stretch for acres but there was a clearing right in front of us where a black Mercedes was parked. I couldn't escape. Not that my original plan was to. Not to mention that my line of sight was still fuzzy from the karate chop and I knew next to nothing about my location.

Jonas turned to his brother and girlfriend wannabe, bidding them farewell before gripping me by the hand like I was some kind of bought slave and shoving me into his car. I was glad to escape Devin, but now there was another man to fear and it creeped me out knowing he looked exactly like the monster that pulled me out of my life but that did not stop me from going for his neck once the vehicle was out of sight. I visualized my karate chip and fired. Without looking backward, he caught my hand and twisted it. Then he hit the brakes and sent me falling toward and hitting my head point against his chair. The cushions were not soft. The world spun wildly when I regained my strength. Pain surged upwards my wrist, chastising me for my futile escape attempt.

My breathing intensified looking at his gaze through the driver's mirror. He was pissed and my failure scared me.

"I saved your life, and you try to attack me as soon as I start the car?"

"What the hell did you expect?" I lurched at him. "It is pretty normal to try to save yourself from captivity."

Minutes ticked by in uncomfortable silence before he finally spoke.

"I can understand your reaction, but you should not have done that. My plan is to protect you, Not hurt you. You forced my hand."

I tried not to think about how gently he had spoken to be back at the shed. I knew it was an act but it did not hurt any less. The only thing I had been able to think about was how I couldn't surrender. I had to keep on fighting. Sitting quietly was the worst thing I could do. It would only allow me too much time inside my head to imagine what might lay ahead and later to regret not taking any opportunity to save myself or die trying.

While I had noticed-in no sick fantasy of mine-the attractiveness of the brother, Jason's small acts of kindness and his tenderness had created an unexpected, visceral reaction that made his matching physical beauty come into sharper focus. It was an enchantment that even his scar couldn't Mar. In fact, the imperfection brought the rest of his perfection into a clear contrast. I refused to admit that I could see myself doing anything this man wanted. My main fears were that he would hurt me, and not in any sexual way. The realization made me feel sick inside.

"Just let me go, " I tried that awful line yet again. "I told your brother I don't care what or who you are or whatever you people seem to be doing. I have no interest in being a hero. I just want to go back to my life. Please. I swear I won't say anything to anyone."

I had seen enough movies about shapeshifters and aliens to know talking got you killed, that these people were omnipresent. It hadn't escaped my notice that perhaps the man in front of me was my only safety, the one person who could keep me from having to spend the rest of my life running or worse, dead.

"I cannot take that risk. For your sake and mine. What is your name by the way?"

"None of your business." I retorted. If he could read minds then he was free to probe my mind for information but he was not getting a reply from my lips. This was not some polite conversation. I had been abducted and fed bullshit so I could live. No way in hell was...

Jason stepped on the brakes of the car for the second time then he turned the engine off. The interior lights came on, casting his face in shadows and light. His eyes were glaring red and it made him look demonic. Anger twisted his features in a gruesome tableau of barely contained violence. It was like a feral animal was trying to force its way out of its cages. Before I could react, his impossibly large hand clasped around my throat, and he slammed me against the chair. I scratched on his arm, kicked, and punched as I struggled to free myself but he would not let go.

"This. Will not work, "He growled. "I saved your life. You belong to me now. You keep showing me attitude and see where it leads you. I can make your life the darkest hell imaginable. Or I can show you kindness. Your choice."

I continued to claw at him as his hand tightened even more on my neck like he expected some sort of reaction different from the one I was putting up. I wanted to beg for my life but I couldn't squeeze words out of a throat already being squeezed. Jason was no less lethal than his brother.

"Are we clear!"

I nodded frantically. Only then did he release me. released her and as if nothing had transpired, he started the car. I coughed violently as I struggled to get air back into my lungs. Jason appeared unconcerned with my struggle as he pulled back onto the road, quickly accelerating to the full legal speed.

"Let's try again." He said."What is your name?"

"O-Olamide." I managed.

"Now was that so hard?"

My head screamed yes while imaginary fingernails ripped at his skin, but the reality was more muted. I looked down at my hands and quietly whispered, "No."

"No, Alpha." He corrected.