A Secret Alpha Mate

3 - Punishment

*Trigger Warning - attempted s****l assault *

Isla

“Get away from me, Seth.” I finally found my voice as I struggled to get away.

“There’s only one reason an Omega would be in my room this late in the day; I know you were waiting for your future Alpha; no need to be coy,” he whispered in my ear again.

He wrapped one arm around my waist with an iron grip, holding me tightly against him. His free hand ran up my chest, edging closer to my breasts. I started to struggle, but it was apparent he was stronger than me, much stronger than me.

“I finished cleaning, and I’m leaving.” I tried to sound confident, but my voice came out shaky.

I struggled harder to no avail; he pulled me tighter against his chest.

I yelped in pain as his fingers dug into my side.

“It doesn’t look like you’re going anywhere." He chuckled when I screamed. "You’re my property anyways. You have to listen to your Alpha,” he said, moving his hand to my thigh and up my skirt.

I yelled to anyone to help me but knew no one was nearby. No one was on this floor, no one that would care to help an Omega anyways. He was closer to my underwear, and my body froze. It wouldn’t respond to me at all. Every part of me was paralyzed with fear.

He slid one finger under the fabric and pulled it to the side.

I let out a whimper at the contact.

“I am going to show you pleasure as you’ve never known. You’ll be screaming my name and begging for more.”

He removed his finger, and I let out a sigh of relief; my body seemed to relax slightly. He brought his finger to my lips, prodding them open. “Suck on this like a good girl unless you want it to go in dry.”

I begged my body to do something but didn’t know what.

I was shaking, trying to think of any way out of this situation.

He pushed his finger past my lips as I had an idea.

I opened my mouth and started slowly sucking on his finger, trying not to gag at the taste. He loosened his grip on me, thinking I was finally giving in.

I took my chance and stepped on his foot as hard as I could, he froze for a moment in shock, but it was all I needed. I turned around and kneed him in the groin, something Abigail said to do to hurt a man, but I didn’t understand why I would ever have to.

Until now.

He bent over himself, groaning in pain. I didn’t have time to think, just react. I needed to get out of here.

As I ran past him, he reached up and grabbed my dress in one last attempt to stop me. I pulled away as hard as possible, and some buttons ripped off as he pawed me.

I ran out of his room down the main staircase we weren’t allowed to use, but nothing besides my safety, nothing besides putting distance between us, mattered.

I passed a few pack members that were milling about the first floor. They stopped to look at me in confusion.

I kept running, ignoring them.

I burst through the kitchen where the Omegas were finishing up their meal. I almost ran into Meghan. I grabbed onto the wall to help stop myself while catching my breath.

“Well, well, well, there you are.” Meghan looked over my disheveled appearance. My bra visibly showed, and I could feel my face flush from the running. “I assigned you to cleaning duty, not to go and f**k, you little whore.”

“I just want to be alone and go to bed,” I said, taking a deep breath filling my burning lungs.

I pushed myself off the wall, righting myself, and walked past her.

She grabbed my ear and pulled me back. “Who were you with?” She glared at me. I saw the jealousy in her eyes as she realized the possibility that I slept with the Alpha, her Alpha.

“Does it matter? I cleaned the bathrooms, and I’m back here before bed. I didn’t know you were in charge of my extracurricular activities.” I smiled sweetly at her, sick of her s**t and reveling in her anger.

She grabbed my arm, and I pulled it away. I had nothing left in me, and she was grating on my last nerve. “Get the f**k away from me, Meghan. I did what you asked me to do. Now I’m going to bed, so sort out your jealousy yourself.”

She was fuming now; her breathing came out in short pants, her face reddening. “He would never stoop as low as to be with a mutt like you.”

“Then why are you so worried about it?” I retorted, raising an eyebrow.

“Fine, go to bed.” I turned my back on her. “But you’re sleeping outside tonight chained to the post like the stray dog you are.”

I felt utterly hopeless, completely empty.

Hot tears welled up in my eyes, but thankfully, my back was turned to Meghan, so she didn’t get the satisfaction of seeing how much this broke me. After what happened today, I just wanted the comfort of my attic bed, and now I was being punished for Meghan’s misplaced jealousy.

I wish I hadn't stood up to her. I should have told her I had fallen or something. There was no use fighting her on this; her word was as good as law when it came to the Omegas, and I didn’t want to be forced to face the Alpha again.

I had already made myself known today, which I had always tried to avoid, and did so successfully. I had managed to go relatively unnoticed for almost fourteen years. Of course, right before my eighteenth birthday, everything seemed to be crumbling around me.

Meghan had been singling me out, I had a run-in with the Alpha in his office, and Seth tried to force himself on me. The only two I hadn’t managed to piss off personally yet were Hailey and The Luna. At the rate I was going, I was sure I would have a run-in with them before the week was over.

I followed Meghan out to the post behind the back kitchen entrance. It was a new punishment that the Alpha and her concocted. They’ve only used it on a few people; one girl burnt a batch of chili, the other stained the Alpha’s expensive sheets, and me at the other end of Meghan's jealousy.

I'm lucky I'm not a rogue, I'm lucky I'm not a rogue, I kept repeating to myself.

A group of Omegas followed us out that Meghan commanded to join us. She loved an audience.

"Kneel." She smiled down at me.

A bit dramatic, but she always had a flair for theatrics. Apparently, I was taking too long because she shoved me to the hard ground. I glared up at her.

"I wouldn't be looking at me with anything but respect, you dog. If you think you're in trouble now, I'll find out exactly what happened today, and you'll be lucky if you ever see the light of day again." She spat.

She pulled a heavy metal dog collar and fastened it around my neck. The collar was chained to a thick pole with only about ten feet of movement allowed from it. This couldn’t be more humiliating, but I counted myself lucky it was already dark, and only a few Omegas were here to witness this.

“That’s better then.” She sneered at me, pulling the chain too hard, making me gasp for breath. “Right back where you belong. They shouldn’t have taken you in; you’re nothing but a stray. You'll never pass as a house dog, no matter how pretty you think you are.” What was she talking about? I never said I was pretty.

“Alright, you lazy bastards. Off to bed, we have lots to prepare, which means an early wake-up call.” Everyone groaned as they shuffled inside. Any time there was a party or event, all the pack members were excited about it, and the Omegas were forced to do double the work without any of the fun ourselves.

“If I catch any of you sneaking food to the mutt, I’ll assume you want to join her. I’m sure an extra leash can be found around here,” she cackled, “Do I make myself clear?” Her voice was louder, sterner.

“Yes, Meghan.” The Omegas mumbled before she slammed the door shut.

I took a deep breath and surveyed my surroundings. Honestly, this didn’t seem so bad. Packhouse Omegas were rarely allowed outside if we weren’t assigned to maintain the pack grounds. Only a few chosen Omegas were trusted with gardening and other outside duties, and I knew that I would never be as lucky, especially not with Meghan in charge of assigning those roles.

I had always loved this land and felt a deep connection to it; I was sure it was the wolf in me talking. I was so at ease outside that I began to see this as a positive thing. The wind rustled through the trees, and the ground still held some lingering heat from the afternoon sun. I thought I heard a whisper of water lapping on the lake, but it could have been my imagination.

Finally, some alone time, something I didn’t get sharing a small room with six others. I laid down on a bed of grass and took a deep breath that smelled of warm earth; the calming scent soothed away any lingering unease.

I was about to drift off when a light flickered at the back of the packhouse from the Alpha’s floor. Seth came to the illuminated window, and I swear he stared at me. He had his wolf with him for years, so his sight was better than mine. A smirk settled on his face that sent a chill down my spine.

I knew he saw me. He knew I was alone out here.

He was gone from the window, and the light flickered off.

Panic started to rise, clutching at me. My stomach constricted, and my hands felt clammy.

He knew I was out here.

Alone.

Literally chained to a pole, with no one to save me.

I tried to see if there was any way to get this leash off me, but it was made of steel. I went to the pole to see if I could slip it off or pull it somehow. The chain was welded to the large ring that ran through the wood. They really didn’t want anyone getting out of this.

My breath started to quicken, coming out shallow. Every breath was harder than the one before it. If I were lucky, I might die of suffocation before Seth could touch me. There was no way I could fight him off again.

I got lucky earlier. I couldn’t mindlink anyone else in the pack because I wasn’t eighteen and hadn't gotten my wolf yet. I couldn’t call for anyone; the Omegas were in their rooms in the attic or basement.

The back door opened softly. I froze, my heartbeat quickened, and it was the only thing I could hear.

This can’t be happening.

Goddess, please help me.

There was no way out of this. I had never felt fear like this, not even in Seth's bathroom today. This fear was complete, icy in its resolve, without a flicker of hope.

No one would hear me scream when he inevitably - I didn’t even want to think of what he was about to do to me. I would lose my virginity chained to a pole, exactly as Meghan would have wanted it.

I was straining to see the back of the packhouse, trying to see where he went, but the black of night settled over these lands completely. Soft footsteps and a rustle of leaves barely sounded over my thudding heart, or maybe I imagined it.

I tried to run, but the chain pulled me back, choking me. I grabbed at the collar, but of course, it stayed in place.

Frantic, I fell to the ground and started shaking. I let the panic consume me. I could only wait for him to come and hope it didn’t last long or was too painful.

Moments or an eternity later, a hand touched my shoulder.

“Get the f**k away from me,” I shouted, jerking the hand away. My voice sounded far away and broken.