The last male Alpha

6: Punished and losing his wolf

 *Dacian*

 I quickly pull back Achak, who is prancing about triumphantly, and slowly walks closer to the girl. “I am not gonna hurt you.. you are safe now”.

 “Stay away..”. She is still crying. 

 “I will stay here.. but there is no need to worry”. I get that she is scared, she looks to only be around sixteen, so I can’t blame her for being frightened.

 I keep speaking softly to her, hoping to calm her down. Inside my mind Achak is happy. ‘That is how a real.. wolf acts.. protecting the weak, punishing the bad ones.. we did good’.

 I close my eyes, thinking my answer. ‘I know we did the right thing.. but both you and I know that doing the right thing tends to come and bite our tail’.

 After talking to her for about ten minutes, I hold out my hand. “Come, I will get you safely to your room.. I think you could use the rest”.

 “Thanks”. She whispers.

 But just as she reaches for my hand the door to the shed is slammed open, and both my alpha, her beta and the beta’s mate comes in, followed by those 2 idiots.

 Kye points to me. “That one.. he attacked us”.

 “I did no such thing”. I huff as Achak growls in offence. “Those two were trying to force themself on the poor girl”.

 “That’s a lie”. The other guy yells. “We were just talking to her, and that deranged lunatic let out his Wolf at us”.

 Achak throws himself at the guy, I manage to keep him back, taking two steps forward, growling. “You lying scum”.

 “Be quiet Dacian”. Alpha Kioja says, then she looks at the girl. “Did these two men hurt you ?” She indicates Kye and the Butt-face. “And be careful what you say, remember who they are before accusing them”.

 ‘She is threatening that girl.. this is not right’. Achak is outraged. I tell him I agree, but I can’t really do anything.

 The girl looks at me with panicked eyes and the apology I see there tells me what is about to happen before she says it. “No Alpha Kioja, they weren’t”.

 “What do you have to say to your defence Dacian”. Kioja says, turning to me.

 I shake my head and Achak is roaring angrily. “What’s the use, my words carry no weight here”.

 “I want him punished..”. The beta glares at me. “And hard, no one makes accusations against my son”.

 “Sorry Dacian, but she is right”. Alpha Kioja says, not sounding sorry at all. “Grab him”.

 Two guards step forward to grab me. I could fight them, they might be big, but I actually think I could manage. But it would only get me in worse trouble. So for now I let them pull me out of there.

 Very soon I regret it, but then it is too late, as I am cuffed to a pole in one of the courtyards, my hands over my head.

 “Rip his shirt”. Kioja says, as she slowly slaps a whip against her hand and a guard steps up, ripping my shirt and baring my back to the chill evening air.

 I am considering doing a full change, but I have a feeling the cuffs are silver and it wouldn’t work. “You want to.. whip me ?”

 “Not only am I going to whip you, I am going to enjoy doing it”. She says in a voice so soft it scares me.

 I grind my teeth, bracing myself, I refuse to show her fear or pain. The first couple of times the whip kisses my skin hurts, but it is bearable… For the first couple of slashes, then it starts to burn, and I feel my eyes water. 

 ‘Hold on.. I got you’. Achak keeps telling me and I lean on him for strength, hoping she will get tired of torturing me soon.

 But Alpha Kioja doesn’t let up on the harshness of her punishment. The whip is ripping into my skin, and no matter how much my wolf tries to carry me through it, I can’t help but cry out at the burning sensation rolling over my back.

 In the end the repeated whistle of the whip makes my body arch back and my wolf is pushed in the forefront, having me growl and bare my teeth.

  When I am finally released I have to lean heavily on the pole. Alpha Kioja leans in, half whispering in my ear. “Never cross me again or any other wolf that stands above you… slave”.

  About an hour later:

 I walk along the lake thinking, basically I am not allowed here, as I am just outside our territory, but who is really gonna care ? I doubt anyone cares to punish me again and it is late at night and no one is around.

 Honestly I just needed to be alone for a bit, think about what to do. Sometimes I wonder if this is worth it, for having the security of a pack.. Maybe going rogue is better when it comes down to it, at least I would be free and not have to stand for Kioja’s harassment of me.

 My back burns even if it is healing fast, one of the perks of being a wolf.

 ‘We should leave… here you will never grow to your full potential’. Achak says, at least he hasn’t been hassling me for letting a woman whip me, even though he gets that I couldn’t do anything and that it hurts enough as is.

 There is a rustle in the trees, and Achak instantly pokes up his ears, confirming it’s not a small animal, and that it sounds suspicious, so I call out. “Who’s there ?”

 No answer, but I hear a weird growl and Achak bristles inside my head. ‘Danger, this is danger’.

 “Hello ! Who is there ?” I call out again.

 Now it is clear that someone or something is approaching, branches are snapping and bushes rustling.

 Then the trees part and two pack members step into the clearing, low ranking ones, to be honest I am not even sure about their names, Jax and Bjin or something like that. “Oh hi guys.. what are you..”.

 I instantly realise something is wrong, their eyes have this milky colour and one of them has froth at the corner of his mouth. “Guys !?”

 The frothing one growls deeply and lunges at me, making me stumble back. “Hey, what the f**k”.

 I suddenly remember that these two are part of the wolves that work outside the pack.

 But it’s like they are not even hearing me, like they are just focused on getting to me and I wonder if they are rabid.. Can werewolves go rabid ?

 They kinda half morph, which they should not be able to. But this doesn’t seem controlled at all, it looks more like something out of a horror movie. The nearest one grabs me in a choke hold trying to bite into my shoulder.

 I call out Achak, making me grow taller and wider, and as he loses some of his hold, I reach over my shoulder, getting the best grab I can, flipping him over me and down on his back with a loud  thud.

 Achak and I are fighting side by side, morphing back and forth at needed.

 Soon I realise this is no easy battle, that I am trying to survive, while those guys just don’t care and that makes them more dangerous.

 Sweat is dripping from my brow and I can feel that the streaks on my back have opened again under the strain. My muscles are burning, but I ignore it all.. I need to keep going or I am done for.

 I very quickly lose track of time, at a point, both of them have sunk their teeth into me and I let go, letting my wolf have full control. He manages to shake them off him, but the wounds are not healing fast enough.

 Leaving him in charge I give into my most feral incarnation. At one point I almost lose contact with myself totally, pure survival instinct driving me.

 Next I realise I am crawling through the forest, Achak whimpering and moaning in pain and I try to comfort him despite my own pain.

 I know I am badly injured and I feel my wolf slip away, not like changing, I am actually not capable of changing, but it is like he is disappearing, like he is dying almost and I panic feeling trapped in his body. “Achak ! ACHAK ?” 

 But I am too weak and darkness pulls at me, I slump to the ground in my wolf form, and let a deep dreamless sleep claim me.