Breaking the Cage

4.

Willow

      Willow stretched her limbs as she tried to swallow the yawn that dared to burst from her mouth. She uncurled her body and stood from the dog bed careful not to make too much noise. She glanced at the Alphas bed to find it empty, the blankets strewn about after he had taken her the previous night. Her muscles hurt as she gingerly checked each and every one. As she moved to get dressed pain rang through the right side of her ribs. Glancing down she saw four three inch long gashes from below her breast to her hip. It stung as she lifted her dress over her head. After quickly cleaning herself up and finishing her morning chores, Willow headed to the clinic. Doctor Grant didn't bother to look up as she moved the flap aside. She could feel the tension that carried itself over from the previous day as she neared the desk.

      "What can I do for you today Willow?" His voice was colder than it had ever been and Willow felt her heart cinch. "Can you look at this?" She kept her voice formal and small as her training dictated. He nodded and she followed him into the examination section of the tent. She lifted her dress over her head hissing at the pain that bloomed in her side as she did so. The doctor's eyes grazed her naked flesh darkening as he lingers on her breasts and Willow felt her cheeks heat as she climbed onto the bed gingerly. She turned to allow him access to the gashes and his groan was audible to anyone in the tent. He brought his fingers to the tops of the longest slash of flesh just under her left breast as she tensed readying herself for the pain that would come if he actually came into contact with the seeping wound.

      "Sephtis do this to you?" his eyes did not reach her face as he asked his question. He turned and got out the items he needed to treat the four gashes. "He wasn't too impressed with the fact that others had touched me." She once again kept her voice soft and yielding. The doctor grunted as he cleaned the wounds earning a small gasp from her. "Is that what that damn collar was about yesterday?" He still wouldn't look at her face as he worked. "Yes. Markus took libraries and Sephtis was more than pissed. But they never say anything to each other about this. I'm always the one they take their feelings out on." She dropped the training and decided to speak frankly to her friend. "Does this have anything to do with me?" His voice was laced with concern. Willow merely shrugged as he got the items needed for the stitches out and set up on the tray before her. "Willow, I am sorry. I hate that he can do this to you. I want to protect you so much. I want to be the one that lays down beside you, to make love to you. I want it to be my scent that surrounds you not that sadistic bastard's. This pisses me off. I am having a very hard time keeping my distance from you. I have to find a way of getting you away from him." His words came out in a rush as his hands readied the needle. Willow grasped the edge of the bed as the needle slid through her flesh forcing the two torn pieces of flesh back together again.

      Willow sat as still as she could while he worked on closing the wounds that would serve as a reminder of the cruelty of Alphas for the rest of her life. Neither spoke a word as he taped gauze over the four rows of strait neat stitches. After he finished he laid his head against hers ever so softly his hand still on the bandage as he just breathed in her scent. "I need to get you away from him. I just don't know how." If he wasn't close to her she wasn't sure she would have heard him at all. His hand snaked up her side to cup her breast, his hand warm against the chilled flesh of her body. His head snaked down to her neck and she felt his tongue snake out to lick her tenderly. She sat still while his hands kneaded her plump globe. His breathing hitched as he pulled back to look at her.

      "Do you feel anything for me?" She looked into his face and saw hurt pulling at the corners of his eyes, his mouth pulling down into a very small frown. "It's not my place to feel. My place is to be there and ready whenever my body is needed." She kept her head down and her eyes trained on the good doctors shoes. He heaved a heavy sigh dropping his hand from her body and taking a step back. "That isn't right. This whole place isn't right. I hate what he's doing to you, to all of us. I hate this place and all the other camps. I just want to burn it to the ground with him in it." His voice rose as anger wound its way into his words. He began to pace back and forth his hands fisted at his sides. Willow sat still and silent unsure what the wolf wanted from her.