Forced to Become

ch 20 strategy

Days had passed since that dinner where I finally started making some sort of sense of this place. The bruises on my side weren't as tender anymore, and I decided to do some careful experimenting.

"We should to do a few sit-ups this morning," I announced suddenly, "limber up our bodies some before we become wolf this morning."

The guys looked at me kinda crazy, and not all of them joined me in sitting on the floor. "Down, and up. That's one. And two..."

I was honestly surprised at how hard the sit-ups were to do, feeling a few twinges along my ribs. I wasn't surprised at the growl I heard as Alpha made his way over. I was expecting him. Everyone else hurriedly went to their knees before him, forming our usual line-up.

I stayed where I was, struggling with my third sit-up. Alpha grabbed a handful of hair from the back of my head, pulling me up. In no time he spun me around, shoving his face into mine, growling. I had already lowered my head even as he pulled me up. I felt his breath on my forehead before he threw me across the room, over the couch.

I kept my head tucked in, even as I struggled to stand. Alpha was quick to follow me across the room, yanking me to my feet. He pushed me against the wall, one arm pushing against my chest, his other hand wrapping around my throat.

"What do you think you are doing, giving commands," he demanded, spittle flying against my face as the pressure disappeared from my chest and he grabbed my jaw, wrenching my face up to look at him.

I kept myself submissive, calm. I kept my eyes down, despite his grip on my jaw trying to force me to look at him. I took a deep breath, struggling to keep my voice steady as I answered him. "I would never give commands, Alpha. You command. You are our Alpha," I assured him, making sure to keep my voice soft, submissive. "I merely suggested doing the sit-ups. You noticed not everyone chose to do them?" I didn't wait for him to answer before continuing. "I wanted to see if doing some exercises might help us when we changed into wolf, so we can be better pack-members."

I stayed still, keeping my head bowed even though it made breathing tough, with his hand squeezing my throat. I remembered a gym class where we did yoga for a day. The teacher had us do some breathing exercises, and we were supposed to meditate. I focused on my breathing now, trying to keep it slow and steady. Make yourself fat when you breathe in to fill your diaphragm. Use your stomach muscles to push the air out, like you're playing an accordion. I could hear the teacher's voice, steady in my head, and pushed out my belly as I drew in a breath. Us boys had joked around at the time, exaggerating what we were doing. Now however, I used it to stay calm. Push the air out. In, breath wheezing through constructed windpipes, feeling my belly expand. Out. Keep my head tucked down. In. Look at my belly, watch myself breath. Out.

Alpha let go of me, and I fell, quickly going to my knees before him. I felt fear creeping it's way in. Breath, I told myself while waiting for Alpha to hit me. In. Out.

"Let me see these exercises. I will decide if they are worth doing," Alpha commanded.

I felt a bit of elation as I started to lower myself down where I was. Alpha kicked me. Without a word, I got up and went past Alpha, around the couch, to lay on my back in front of my pack-mates, who were still kneeling in a line. I should have known Alpha would want an audience, but not obeying him immediately would bring more consequences than a kick.

"This is called a sit-up," I said quietly, laying down and sitting up, my fingers not quite reaching my toes. When Alpha didn't say anything I did a second one.

"What is the purpose of doing this?" Alpha asked. He sounded calmer, for him, and not furious; his voice sounding truly curious.

How could he not know what a sit-up was? What else didn't he know that he might get mad about? How long have they lived here, alone? It made me realize just how isolated we were, how totally isolated our young lord had been.

"It stretches the muscles in your legs, back, and arms... Alpha." I tried not to cringe as I realized I hadn't used his title before, and almost didn't use his title now. That was one of the very first rules. My experiment was making me nervous, distracted. I couldn't afford to be anything other than The Good One right now. I felt sweat break out on my forehead.

Alpha still didn't say anything. I did a total of five, counting them out before going back to my knees, waiting on Alpha's reaction. So far, being thrown across the room and a single kick was a light punishment, and worth the cost for doing this experiment.

"Isn't the good one doing wonderful, trying to improve himself, to be a good pack-member?"

Our boy lord's voice rang out across the apartment. My eyes glanced across the floor. Our lord came out of the hall where the bedrooms were, striding across the apartment with his two guards behind him, until he was next to Alpha. I saw his two guards go down on their knees behind them.

Suddenly our lord stepped up in front of me, his hand stroking my face, running along the new bruise forming on my throat, going up to play in my hair.

I wondered at his timing, showing up right then, repeating the words I had spoken. He came from the hall, past Alpha's closed door, but I didn't remember seeing him go in the hall. He had gone into Alpha's room, which was right at the beginning of the hall. Maybe there was a connecting passage or something, or air-vents, like in the movies. That would explain how he was able to disappear and escape from Alpha for awhile. I quickly squelched the image of that key Alpha had used when I first arrived, but my heart fluttered. That key had to be in Alpha's room, somewhere.

My lord lifted my chin, and I raised my eyes briefly. He had a puzzled expression on his face. I gave him a slight smile before looking down. My heart raced; to me it's frantic thudding filled the silent room.

"Aren't you proud of the good one, Alpha?" our lord asked in that stupid happy voice of his.

"His desire is good," Alpha agreed grudgingly, "but I'm not sure if these exercises will do anything to help them shift faster."

"Well, we can only wait to find out. If nothing else, it might help lessen the pain they feel, and that would be good, right? It can't hurt them to do these things."

Alpha merely grunted, then commanded us to shift. He seemingly dismissed the matter.

Today I didn't mind the pain as my body warped and changed. It hid my elation at the success of my strategy, my slight victory over Alpha, even if my lord's intervention helped distract Alpha for me.