Chapter 9: Beneath their command.

(Haisley’s point of view)

“Come here,”

I closed my eyes, feeling the tears build up, droplets falling freely to the ground. I took a step closer to him, moving by his edict.

“Faster,” he growled, impatient evident in his tone.

I sat on his lap, feeling his arms around me. I shivered, almost as if his touch burned. Sensing my unease, his breath fanned my ears as he brought his face closer to mine. “Don’t you want this?”

I kept silent, not daring to speak as my body shook with sobs.

“When I ask you a question, you have to answer me. Do I make myself clear?” He growled, making me nod.

“Y-yes, Alpha,” I stammered out a reply, feeling his crotch press under me. I don’t want this, I don’t want this. I chanted in my head, hoping my wish could come through, but his familiar scent filled my nostrils, my body sensitive to his touch.

“Good,” he breathed, and I could feel him smiling from ear to ear. “If not, I would take you back to your stupid uncle. You wouldn’t want that, right?” It seemed he took pleasure in watching me swim under him.

“Y-yes, Alpha K-Kayden,”

He smirked, standing up and dropping me to the bed. “Now spread those legs for me, my pet,”

I shook my head, wanting to disappear right at that moment as I choked. “Please, I’m not ready.”

He growled, forcing my nightgown off my body. “I don’t need your permission.”

“No, no, no!” I cried out, trying to move as far from the bed as possible, but he only held me tight under him. “Please, STOP,”

“STOP, STOP, STOP, PLEASE, STOP,” I screamed out as a wave of cold engulfed my whole body. I gasped, opening my eyes, and was met with an empty bucket. My eyes trailed up to meet the angry gaze of the headmistress.

Oh f*uck! I cursed internally, checking around me to see a broom close by. I must have fallen asleep while cleaning the pack overnight.

“Do care to explain yourself, slave,” The headmistress’s icy tone jolted me further awake from the sleep and nightmare I had, though the bucket of freezing water that she rained on me had already done most of the job. I scrambled to my knees, squeezing my wet clothes as I tried to look a little bit more presentable than how pathetic I looked currently. My heart was still racing from the nightmare. My body glittered not only from the cold water but also from sweat generated from the nightmare.

I can still remember his torment; Alpha Kayden. Just the sound of his name makes a cold shiver run down my spine.

“Are you deaf or have you gone completely stupid? Explain yourself and why the pack is still dirty,” The headmistress's voice jolted me from my thoughts and I turned to face her before dropping my eyes to the ground as my feet berated me.

“I—I’m so sorry, headmistress. I never meant to fall asleep,” I stammered out a reply.

“You never meant to?” she mocked, laughing slightly. “Your incompetence is a reflection of your worth. Pathetic.”

I closed my eyes, her words hitting me harder than I’d care to admit, but I kept my tongue-tied, biting it hard to prevent saying something that might get me killed or kicked out of the pack.

Arguing would only make things worse.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, though I knew my apology would never be enough for someone like her.

“Sorry, don't clean the hall,” she snapped, picking the broom and the duster from the ground, tossing it violently at me. I was unable to catch it with how fast it came at me, and it ended up slamming on my body before being clattered loudly on the stone floor, echoing in the cold space. “You’ll finish this room and the eastern wing before sunrise. If you fail, I’ll see to it that the Alpha hears about your laziness.”

My eyes widened at the mention of the Alpha, just the thought of her made my stomach twist in knots. “Yes, Headmistress,” I murmured, picking up the broom and duster, and holding it tightly as she turned on her heel and stormed away.

Once she was gone, I let out a shaky breath. My body trembled, not from the cold, but from the lingering fear.

Why was I still thinking of him?

I thought I was done with his torture. I thought he couldn't reach me, his influence reducing the farther distance I made from him, but the nightmare proved I had gone nowhere. The nightmare had felt so real.

Alpha Kayden’s smirk, his touch, his commands—they haunted me like a shadow I couldn’t escape.

I shook my head, picked up the rest of the cleaning products, and began cleaning. The stone floor beneath me was rough and unforgiving, much like the life I now lived, making it hard to mop.

Hours Later

It seemed like forever since I started cleaning, but finally, the eastern wing was nearly done.

I climbed up the ladder, trying to maintain my balance as I cleaned one of the paintings high up in the stone walls. I looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps. My heart skipped a bit, and I froze, stopping my cleaning.

Who could it be?

My hand gripped the duster tighter, hoping it wasn’t the headmistress again. But it wasn’t her.

No, it was far from her.

The figure that came into view made my blood run cold.

It was him.

Alpha Kayden stood at the entrance of the wing, his sharp, predatory eyes locking onto mine. He stared at me like he was mocking me; calling me a fool for trying to escape him.

His lips curled into that familiar smirk that made my skin crawl.

“Have you missed me? I see you’ve been busy without me, little pet,” he drawled, his voice smooth but laced with menace.

I stilled, the duster falling from my hands and clad down to the ground as I stared at him by the entrance in shock.”

“Oh, no,” I breathed.