The Alpha's Doll || #wattys2023

Chapter 18

Eventually, I fell asleep while counting the drips of a nearby leak. I must have been at three thousand and four hundred something when I finally lost consciousness. The last thing I remember thinking was how much of a fool I was, that just an hour earlier I was in bed wondering if Damon had been so angry at Jacob for touching me for a sentimental reason. I was just property to him, he didn't care if I was dead or alive as long as it was at his will and at his hands.
Damon is the alpha for the Losten Pack Northern Reserve, and I was merely another factor to his pride.

And I will make sure to be the one to take his life, like he's taken mine.
Posion is too merciful, I could remember thinking, I want to torture him.

I awoke to the sounds of someone coming down the stairs. It was still pitch dark inside of the basement, it took me a moment to realize that the footsteps belonged to more than one person. The footsteps stopped.

"Who's there?"  I was still so weak from the jolt I had taken earlier, my bones still shook.
I heard shuffling and the one light bulb that hung adobe the cell had been turned on. I could make out Maria and standing by her side was Evan.

"Ava," Evan hurried to approach the cell," get her out," he spun to face Maria,"now!"

"I can't," Maria calmly responded.

I got to my feet. I could hardly believe that the plan had worked and that Evan really was in front of me. For the first time since I had woken from my ten year coma, I had real hope.

"Why not? Don't you have the keys? Look at her, she's bleeding!"

"Evan?" I did not mean to whisper. I squinted my eyes and grasped the bars for the cell just as Maria had shouted," don't touch that!"

It was already too late and I had no clue as to how I could have forgotten about the electric shocks. This one was indeed much worse than the first. I was flung to the middle of the cell as a blood curdling scream escaped from my raspy throat.

"No! Ava!" Evan had screamed out and rushed to get closer to the cell.

"Back away you idiot! Don't touch it!" Maria screamed at him. I shut my eyes and tried to calm the chaos that the pain had caused underneath my skin. It felt as if my heart had stopped beating. It felt as if my teeth were to fall out one by one if I tried to open my mouth. I clutched to my own fingers in fear that they would come out.

"We have to do something, she's gonna die if she stays here!"

"She's only going to be here for one more night, we can't do anything about it."

"Why is she in there?"

"Most likely she did something to upset him.'

"The alpha?"

"Who else? He's a very powerful man and she often likes to test his patience."

"The key is right there, we can let her out now-"

"If we let her out now, then he will put us in there with her for weeks as punishment, is that what you want?"

There was no response from Evan. I could hear something sliding inside of the cell. I could not move nor see. I was still violently shaking with the aftermath of the pain.

"It's better that we let her ride this out on her own. If it wasn't obvious, this is the cell. All of the werewolves have one. His father used it for his doll as a form of disciple, and now Damon- I mean master will use it for his doll."

"It's not right," Evan sounded helpless," I can't just leave her here."

"If you know what's best for her and yourself, then you will. I only brought you down here so you're well aware of how things happen in this house."

Evan sounded closer when he said," I will kill him Ava, I promise."

I could not respond.

"Shut up!" Maria hissed," lets go, there's more to see."

Before Maria left, she said to me," one more night is what he instructed. You'll be okay, eat your food."

Maria came back alone a few hours later. She schooled me because I hadn't touched my food. I could not explain to her that I was still unable to move. When she came back a third time she said," All three meals are still untouched. You have to eat."

"I'm not hungry," I said although my stomach rumbled.

"Listen to me, you can't let him break you, not now."

I blinked away tears," I just can't."

I spent the rest of the day in complete darkness. I was sure to be on the verge of driving myself crazy. I had grown to despise Damon beyond the word itself. My mind had gone to places of dark thoughts, I imagined digging up the body of his father and planting it on the bed next to him to wake up next to. I pictured myself clutching a dagger made of silver and cutting out his chest. I wanted to hurt Damon in the worst possible ways physically but mentally too.
Maria came back again.

"Damon is coming tomorrow morning to let you out, but only if he feels you learned your lesson."

I chuckled.

"Stop it," she hissed," do you want to spend more time here? Tell him you're sorry and call him master."

I didn't respond.

I spent the night alone once again. I fell asleep to the sound of the same leak.

Damon showed up just like Maria said he would but it wasn't not in the morning. While I was asleep at the dusk of dawn, I heard the heavy footsteps and heard his drunken slurs. I stirred and sat up as the light bulb came back on and watched as he reached for a different lever and flicked it down.

"So," he placed both hands on the bars of the cell and began to open the doors and I wondered if he had turned off the jolts or if they simply had no effect on him. He marched inside of the cell and leaned down to look me in the eye" did you learn your lesson?"

I glared at him. I wished at this very moment that I could hurt him with just my gaze," go to hell."