Chapter 57 - Captive

Ace -

Once Cassie is tucked away in my room, I head to check on Alpha Sven to make sure he is still under my control, then I need to check in with my potential Beta. If all has gone well in my absence, then I will inform him of his impending promotion. To put my plans for Cassie into motion, I also need one or two of the maids, but she is still out of it so I have some time. Maybe I will summon Maddie to see if she is willing to be one of my examples for Cassie. I need people who don't mind being on display. The maids don't really have a choice, if I tell them to do something they have to do it, or face the consequences of displeasing me, but it would be good to have an overly willing participant to show her the basics. I may be able to let out my frustrations on Maddie, but I still need to hold myself back some, with the maids though, I can do as I wish, so they will be used for my main training. I might even have a couple of them talk with her, explain with words what we will be doing before the show.

With that running through my mind and my trousers tight again for the umpteenth time since I managed to retrieve my prize, I head to the Alpha and summon a maid with food so I might feast whilst I gloat. I do love to gloat, and with Sven in his pathetic state and me with my success, I have plenty to gloat about.

I don't bother knocking on Sven's door, I just stroll right in and make myself comfortable in the armchair beside his bed. As I settled in, I heard a scurrying noise and glanced behind me to see one of the maids who dared to defy me trying to sneak out of the room.

"What are you doing here? Nobody has permission to be here unless I say otherwise," I don't raise my voice, there is no need," as the room fell deathly silent as soon as I spotted her.

"S.. s.. sorry Alpha Ace," she stutters, her fear excites me as I take a closer look at her face.

"What is your name?" I know it, I know I know it, but I can't put my finger on it.

"Some Alpha," comes a harsh croaky whisper from the bed, "an Alpha should know all his pack members, but most especially those he has tortured for his own pleasure," he wheezes.

I look from him to her, frozen a mere foot from the door, and I notice the slight discoloration of healing bruises dotted across her skin.

At this point she begins babbling something about medicine and food and that damned doctor, but I tune her out as I turn to the man in the bed and snarl.

"An Alpha should be strong enough to hold his position, as you were not, I hardly think taking advice from you will help me. You," I turned back to the maid, "go to my rooms, deal with Cassie, clean her up, give her some food, fruit I think, and then wait for me beside the cage," the color drains from her face and she scampers away quickly.

I turn back to the bed and see Sven lying there with shock and fear flashing across his face and I smirk, I can't help it. He tried so hard to keep her from me, to protect her, he didn't expect me to find her.

"She was at the Rival River Pack, cosied up to their Gamma, but I took care of him when I grabbed her and now she is where she belongs," I rubbed my success in his face and watched as the fear overpowered the shock. I also see a hint of anger as he croaks at me.

"A cage? You have her in a cage? She isn't some wild animal, she is a beautiful being, she should be cherished, not trapped."

"Maybe I will cherish her when she learns her place, she will need to learn how to please me as well, though of course, once I know she is mine she will be let out of her cage," I. shrug, indifferent to her supposed plight, "now, excuse me,, I have a pack to run and a b!tch to train, and tonight you will hand over your title or you will die, I am fed up of you holding out on me, if you won't help yourself by handing it over then I will take it by force."

I walk calmly from the room and head to my office, sending one of Sven's guards to fetch Maddie.

Cassie -

I felt reassured when, after opening my eyes, I could still sense Lexi inside me, with me even though she didn't speak. I awoke inside a cage that wasn't nearly big enough for me and I am not a big wolf. I'm not able to stand up or stretch out, but one small blessing is that the cage is lined with a large number of cushions and blankets. Bright soft fluffy cushions and blankets, enough that I can't feel the bars beneath me though I know they are there. But it is a cage nonetheless. I try to locate the opening quickly to see what kind of lock is entrapping me. After locating the padlock buried close to the ground under some cushions, I finally looked beyond the cage and took in my surroundings. I couldn't forget this room if I tried. I was in his bedroom. Caged like an animal, held captive in the bedroom of my former mate. The horror of the situation settles around me like a suffocating shroud, but before it transforms into a full blown panic attack, the door to Ace's room opens and a slight woman slides in through the small gap carrying a plate and glancing over her shoulder.

"I've been sent to prepare you, I'm so sorry to have to do this," the poor woman is shaking as she approaches, reaching out the arm holding the plate.

"Prepare me for what?"

"I'm not 100 percent sure, but since we are here I can probably guess he wants you to eat this and he wants you to be clean."

"Are you loyal to Ace?" I think I know the answer she will give. She is covered in bruises that are all too familiar to me, but I have to be sure.

"Goddess no," she spoke clearly at that moment, her hatred for him evident, "but I must comply for now. I am good friends with Dr Thorne and will tell him about this as soon as I can, because he will help you get free. Please eat, miss, or I will be punished. I'm Tara, by the way."

I eat, I wash when she passes me the warm washcloth and we barely talk. I want to talk, I want to ask her about Dr Thorne, and about what has happened here, but both of us are terrified of the consequences should we be caught. The main door of the suite bangs loudly as it is thrown open and the woman beside me flinches. I reach my hand through the bars and give her hand a gentle squeeze before withdrawing quickly so the action is not seen. She was trembling like a leaf and color drained from her face the instant we heard his voice.