The Scarlet Hunter

Chapter 47-4

Isla is pinned to the eye hook Jackson installed, with him brushing her hair and fresh bruises on her face. As she feared, he did make her pay for her flinch at hearing about his brother. Jackson pulled through with long strokes that frizzed her hair but got the tangles out. "I don't understand how you are supposed to style curly hair. It's no wonder you always use braids." He parted her hair and braided each side before getting up and walking towards the closet.

When she sees him next, he's in a dark blue suit. She wished it didn't fit him well, that it didn't hang so nicely on him. She craved for him to be as ugly on the outside as he was inside. But he wasn't.

"You look nice, Alpha Jackson." Isla presented sweet and sucked down her sickness. "Are you going somewhere?"

She watched Jackson start to glow. "My clever girl," he beamed. "I am sorry that I am going to have to leave you, but yes, I have business to attend to." He carried out a handful of clothes. Even with them folded, Isla could tell it was another obnoxious costume made from material that would grab funny and be ripped off later. "I want to be honest with you. I am going to see your ex."

Plans to scent Jackson flooded her mind. Could she somehow mark Jackson so that Alec, or Jax, would be able to suspect him?

His eyes were trained on her. "I'm sorry to see that you aren't over him yet." He sighed, "You will be soon enough." Unclipping her from the eyehook, "Let's get you dressed now."

While carrying her down to the cell, Isla tucked her head into Jackson. It was typical for her to placate him by doing that. She focused hard on getting her breath on him, getting as much of her scent on him as she could.

He placed her on the mattress when they got to the cell. Standing in front of her, he rolled his hand over her head and cupped her chin.

"Don't worry, my precious. I'll keep you safe." He smiled down on her, "They won't know you're with me, not until after we're mated."

After kissing her goodbye on her forehead, Isla was left alone, dressed as Chun-Li. She took in a deep breath to help quell her nerves. There were a couple books left for her. "Bared to You"? She picked it up and noticed some pages marked with notes written on them. She threw the BDSM novel to the far side of the cell, watching it bounce off the bars and land on the concrete floor. That was not the relationship they were in, and it sickened her to think Jackson believed they were.

About six o'clock that night, the lights went out. Isla's eyes were adjusting to the darkness when she heard someone walk down the corridor. Her human eyes could not see anything more than a vague outline. There was a noise and some shuffling, and Isla realized that he or she was dropping off her dinner.

She took a chance. "You know I don't want to be here, right?"

The figure held still for a couple seconds. With an emotion akin to sadness, the response she heard was, "I know."

Isla gasped, recognizing Alex's voice, and heard him walk away quickly.

She was doubled over when the lights came on. She eyed the toilet, thinking she would throw up. Anger coursed through her system as the realization of the extent of his betrayal hit her. Yes, she knew that he assisted in the "meeting" with Alpha Cole, but this? To know she was locked down here against her will, with Jackson abusing her daily, and to still support this?

Isla was still fuming a couple hours later when the lights went out again. She heard some shuffling, and the untouched dinner tray was pulled out.

"Alpha Jackson is not going to be happy that you didn't eat," Alex told her.

Isla remained quiet, biding her time until he walked away.

"The lights will stay out until morning." With his departing message delivered he walked away, leaving her alone, in the dark.

Early the following morning, she heard more shuffling, and after the corridor was empty of bodies, the lights turned on. She looked over to see breakfast and a new pair of panties. Humiliation spread through her chest. She got up and grabbed the underwear to change hers. Getting a rash wasn't going to help with anything. She was a little hungry and ate a couple sausage links before looking up at the TV. If she had known she would be here this long, she would have given Jackson some actual book recommendations instead of playing cute.

After doing a few bodyweight exercises and yoga, the lights went out again. Isla had been expecting lunch.

There were footsteps down the corridor, and she heard the breakfast tray being taken and a new one left behind.

"You're OK with all of this?" Isla asked, realizing that Jackson trusted Alex with her on the outside, and he's probably the only one he trusts with her now. It had to be Alex.

He froze for a few seconds before walking away.

A glimmer of hope caught Isla before the lights came on. He was not OK with this.

By that evening, Isla was getting the hang of the meal swaps. Darkness engulfed her, and she knew dinner would be coming.

"You don't have to agree with your alpha to follow orders, Isla."

She was expecting that. It's evident that Jackson has support in his claim as alpha to Dark Moon. Loyalty to who you deem your true alpha would be the only way you could betray your pack's titled alpha.

"You aren't innocent of what you do because your alpha told you to do it."

"You'll be taken care of. You'll be luna to Dark Moon." Alex kept his voice steady, "I want you as my luna."

Alex walked away in silence. This time, when the lights flipped on, they found a troubled red headed Mortal Combat character. How was she going to convince him that he was in the wrong?

Isla was still stewing when the lights went out again that night.

"You aren't eating enough." Alex sighed.

Isla is lying in bed, with a bruised face, in her Chun-Li costume, and this guy wants to talk about how much she's eating?

After a few uncomfortable seconds, he walked away.

The next day went without any conversation between the two, and about an hour after the lights went out for the last time, Isla heard footsteps.

Different footsteps. A longer gait. A stronger pace.

The door opened, and a pair of arms reached down and lifted her up. She knew it wasn't possible, but she swore she smelled Alec on Jackson. She buried her face into Jackson's chest, unable to hold back the sobs.

"You missed me, precious." She heard through Jackson's chest. "That's so sweet of you."