My Locked Away Mate

Shaking the rain from my hair, more in the frustration of it than to actually get rid of the water considering its still pouring down with fury. I can’t help but scowl thinking about the reason I’m stuck walking home in this god forsaken rain anyway. Stupid Max. My first day of high school and I still managed to get bullied even though I’m practically invisible. Everything was going fine the entire day until I was walking to the bus and Max came running up behind me and shoved me full force to the ground. I tried to break my fall with my hands, but I wasn’t fast enough, and my face hit the tile hallway floor. It hurt like hell, but I didn’t realize the damage until I saw the blood hit my books as I was picking them up since they had been strewn across the floor. I brought a hand up to my face and felt the warm liquid. So, I had to run to the bathroom to clean myself up and by the time my nose stopped bleeding all the buses had left.

Now I’m half way home, soaked to the bone and freezing. It's already getting to be the cold season, our first snow can’t be far off. The rain only got worse and was so loud it was at the point of deafening. All I can hear is the sound of rain hitting the pavement. First, I saw the flash of lightning and then I counted…one one-thousand…two one-thousand…three one-thousand…and then came the crack of thunder, along with whatever crashed into the back of my head. Things are fuzzy, and I counted. One, a man stepped in front of me. Two, he covered my mouth in case I try to scream even though I don’t have the strength. Three, everything went black.

Smack! I wake up to my cheek burning. I try to lift my hand to feel it, but I can’t. My eyes finally begin to open so I can take in my surroundings. It’s dark so it is difficult to make out anything. Except the man standing in front of me. He’s clear as day. I look down not able to hold his terrifying gaze any longer. My hands are bound to the arm rests of a chair I didn’t realize I was in. “You’ll be a fun new addition to my establishment. I have lots of customers who enjoy younger toys.” The monster of a man’s words make me look at him. With wide eyes I can’t stop the tears as they blur my vision. “Please! Let me go home.” I cry but instead of an answer I feel the back of his ringed hand connect with my left cheek. “You do not speak unless you are asked a question! Got that slave?” He bellows roughly grabbing my jaw and forcing my face to turn and look at him. Terrified of getting hit again I nod.

“Good. Now what’s your name and how old are you?” He asks, it wasn’t kind though and I can’t imagine why he would care.

“A-Amaly. An-and I’m four-fourteen. Why?” I ask stuttering out the words. Why am I here? But it only earns me another smack across the face.

“You don’t get to ask questions. But since this is your first night I’ll take pity on you and humor your question.” He takes a deep breath and stands tall like he is about to deliver some kind of speech. “This,” he spreads his arms wide, “is your new home. You are now the sole property of Mr. Black’s Play Land. In short and in less than appealing language this is a whore house where the ladies I keep are to please men for a fee paid directly to me. Your job is simple. Do as you’re told. If you do that you’ll live to see another day. The clients matter, you do not. They can fuck you or beat you within an inch of your pathetic excuse of a life. That’s what they pay for and you’ll take it. If you don’t you’ll answer to me, and I promise I’m worse than any client you’ll ever see. But since you’re so young and new you’ll only work for a select few. I have a special set of clients who wanted their hands on a younger piece of meat. Just like you.”

I want to scream, run away, beg to be let go but all I can do is hang my head and cry. Letting sobs wash over me, I don’t try to hold back the tears. I let them fall as I wail. How did this happen? I come from a nice, loving family, that cares about and protects each other. I’m a nice person, never bullied or mistreated others. What could I possibly have done to deserve this? Everything happens for a reason, right now that saying sounds like the biggest lie on the planet. Right next to God loves you and only gives you as much as you can handle. Well I can’t handle this. I guess this is where I’m going to die.

As if he knew what I was thinking I get a punch to the stomach from the beast that now controls my fate. But it didn’t stop there, next comes a punch to the face followed rapidly by another one. Finally, he grabs a handful of hair from the top of my head and slams my head into the chair repeatedly. The first hit makes my ears start ringing, the second brings spots to my vision. With the third and last hit my body gives in and everything is black and quiet.

Callen’s P.O.V.

Slamming my laptop shut and dragging my hands down my face and into my hair. Jesus, I wish these power-hungry girls would just leave me alone. Email after text after phone call from some unmated she-wolf trying to convince me to make them Luna. No, I’ve only been looking for two years. I’ll find my mate. “Callen?” I look up and as if she was planning this there stands Heather in some too short, too revealing outfit that makes me want to wash my eyes with bleach. How she thinks people find her attractive is beyond me. “Go away Heather. I’m not in the mood to deal with you,” I growl out at her.

“But Callen, you know I could help relieve some of your stress,” she says in what I can only guess is her “sexy” voice.

“I said go away. If you so much as lay a hand on me right now I’ll break it. I don’t know how many fucking times I have to tell you. I only want my mate. You aren’t her so go the fuck away before I throw you out of this pack or just kill you to make everyone’s life easier,” I say strained trying to keep my wolf from taking control. He refuses to let anyone near us, so our mate won’t have any reason to reject us.

I can hear Heather start to cry as she runs out of my office, slamming the oak door behind her. Not that I could care any less, she may be a pack member but that doesn’t mean she’s more important than being faithful to my mate…even if I haven’t found her yet. Heaving a sigh as someone knocks on the door. Sighing again I lean forward putting my head down on my desk and grumble, “Come in.”

“Alpha?” I look up at Beta Kolten. If it were anyone else, I’d pull myself together and be the strong alpha everyone knows I am. But he’s my best friend, we’ve known each other since we were in diapers. He’d know I was putting up a front anyway, so I don’t care if he can see how tired and broken down I am. “Yeah Kolten? What’s up?”

“Why did Heather leave crying?” He asks like he’s actually concerned but I can tell he wants to laugh. All I can do in response is growl and glare at the door behind him. “Yeah I had a feeling that’s what happened. Do you think she’ll ever give up?”

“Goddess, I hope so.” I’m not sure if that was meant more to answer him or me begging the Moon Goddess. “I just wish I could find her. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her and I haven’t even met her yet. But I’m never going to give up. I don’t care what it takes. Even if I die alone I will never be with anyone but my mate. Even if that means the Alpha line transfers to you and your children. No one is worthy of Luna besides the one the Mood Goddess decided was.” I slam my hands on the desk, already standing and yelling by the time I finish, mostly to reassure myself but to make sure everyone in the Pack House heard me. That’s it, my decision is final. It’s my mate or nothing.