Forced to Become

Ch 18 obedience

We all kept our heads down as we left the room containing the bad one, following our young lord out into the main room of the apartment. It had been another object lesson, being made to walk around the bad one. We were obedient. He wasn't. We were guards now, and the bad one... was still defiant. Alpha decreed that he would always be known as The Bad One now, no matter what.

Alpha made us take turns taking food into him over the next few days, never enough for a full meal, so we were all exposed to the damage that Alpha's wrath could cause. When it was my turn, I made sure to level the small scoop. Alpha had gut-punched some of the others for filling the scoop too full, making them spill the dog-food. Alpha proceeded to beat them up more for making a mess, making them eat what they spilled. Alpha called the paltry amount their next meal, that was now forfeited, because they had already eaten.

I kept a steady pace across the room, stopping before Alpha so he could inspect how I obeyed his command. He found no fault in the amount of dog food in the scoop, allowing me to proceed. I cringed inside, not looking forward to the next step that every boy... guard... had failed to perform to Alpha's satisfaction.

After carefully pouring the small amount of dog food into the bad one's bowl, I squatted down in front of him, my back to Alpha. The bowl was just out of the bad one's reach. I begged forgiveness with my eyes for what I was about to do.

The bad one gave me the barest hint of an understanding smile, along with the slightest nod. By now he knew what was coming. I could only hope to do things right and spare him worse from Alpha.

"You are a bad one," I said sternly, feeling the sweat coming from my palms coat the handle of the small plastic scoop. "You deserve to be an omega. Accept your position in the pack."

"Go to hell," he rasped out for Alpha to hear, but he gave me a wink, bracing himself.

I braced myself as well, inadvertently holding my breath. Pulling back my elbow, I sent a punch into the side of the bad one's face. I hit hard enough he was jerked to the end of his chain, and I don't think he was faking the groans he made.

Alpha strode over, grasping the bad one by his jaw. Alpha wrenched the bad one's face up to look at what I had done.

"Well done, good one," he said in surprise.

I bowed my head down, more so I wouldn't have to see the red mark I had made than to satisfy Alpha. The thought of him being pleased by what I had done sickened me. I saw Alpha's foot slide the food bowl close enough so the bad could eat. Alpha's hand dug into my shoulder, propelling me around. With a hard shove that had me stumbling, he sent me from the room.

I was tense as I walked into the living room that Alpha referred to as the common area. I kept waiting for the screams that had come after every boy had failed to punish the bad one to Alpha's satisfaction, but there were no screams.  I took my place in the line of guards to continuing silence.

Alpha came back out. My stomach clenched with anxiety when he stopped in front of me. One hand came out and grasped my jaw like he loved to do. I kept my head down, waiting on his pleasure. He held me for the longest while, doing nothing. My throbbing heart seemed to echo in my ears. As much as I wanted to swallow, my throat seemed locked down and frozen. Finally his hand moved to the top of my head. He patted me, not gently.

"Good guard," he finally said, "one, out of the whole group of you, who understands how to obey. The rest of you had better learn to do as well, before I decide the only thing you are worth being is an omega yourselves. You may go to your quarters until dinner is ready."

"Yes, Alpha," we responded as a group. I led the way to a bedroom whose door had been removed.

We were being given free time, if you could call it that. If he didn't hear us reviewing the rules, he would beat us. If I didn't encourage them to do what Alpha wanted, since I was "the good one" and so often praised, Alpha would beat me. Beating was all Alpha seemed to be able to do.

Our lord was no where around. I wondered where he went at times. He disappeared with the two original younger boys more and more often. While he was forced to encourage us to obey Alpha, I could see the resentment in him every time we did. The two of them often squabbled over what to have us do. Most of the time it was Alpha who won those arguments, often at the cost of bruises on our young lord. I wondered if he could hold out to see his dream of actually being our leader come to pass. He seldom smiled anymore, and never laughed. It had to have been at least a few weeks since Alpha had first beaten the bad one unconscious. Weeks since I had transformed into a wolf.

The bad one was not doing well. The lack of food and constant beatings were taking its toll on his body. And he still wouldn't give in. Our young lord had tried to offer him more hope and less damage than Alpha promised. We knew now just how empty those words were; especially after Alpha beat the bad one unconscious a second time after hearing our boy lord's whispered promises. The bad one's second beating seemed to have the effect of breaking our young lord as well.

I paused in my rote recitation of the rules, wondering how broken I had become.