G H O S T R U N N E R

< E L E V E N >

“You okay?” he asks softly.

Her lower lip trembles but she nods before facing the equally concerned looking Alpha’s before her.

“I’m okay.” She assures them before beginning again, “T-The cell was small and made of concrete. I had little else but a bucket as a toilet, a large dog bed and a thin scratchy green army blanket. I had a woman named Fiona as my guard first. She was an older woman of the pack and though hard hearted she never did anything to me other then ignore me. She even let Farah come down to visit me and turned the other way when Farah would sneak food in for me.

The Alpha ordered I was to be fed rations and when he caught Farah’s scent in the cells he was outraged. He punished both Fiona and Farah by whipping them with a silver tipped whip while I was forced to watch. Farah was Alpha ordered never to come near the cells again and I didn’t see her again until she recently showed up again.”

“And she is the wolf who is downstairs? Your friend?” Alpha Hank asks gently.

“Yes, Alpha.”

“Hank.”

Arden looks up and frowns, “I’m sorry?”

“Call me Hank, Arden. I think you’ve earned it.”

Arden feels tears build in her eyes again but she forces them down. She still has much to tell the Alphas of White Moon and too little time.

“Um,” She gasps then takes another deep breath, needing to keep some idea of composure before speaking again, “I was fed road kill or moldy bread with only rain water as something to drink. My wolf was weak, I was weak and that was the perfect time for them t strike. I was in the cells for six months before the Alpha thought I was weak enough to give him what he wanted. He came in one night and held me by my hair over a bucket before he took out a knife and…slit my throat. It was then I realized the reason he was so dead set on having me at his disposal was that he wanted my blood.

I didn’t understand why until he brought me in chains to his house and I saw what my blood was being used for. The Alpha’s son, Jeremy, was born with a genetic disease. He was a hemophiliac.

A fall, a scrape or even a bruise could turn into days of internal bleeding that could have lead to his death. Jeremy was seven when I was brought to him and he was like a little king, spoiled and cruel. The Alpha demanded I make his son like us, bite him but I refused, people can’t turn people who aren’t their mates, it’s impossible.

So I was brought back to the cells and as a punishment for my refusal I was…the Alpha allowed a guard to take mating rights not meant for him.” Arden whispers the last part only to hear a fierce growl and a shocked gasp to echo back at her from the Alpha’s in front of her.

“Fuck.” Sam whispers roughly and strained.

Arden ignores them all and continues on with a dead blank tone, “Soon, this became a regular thing. Once a week the un-mated males would come to take out their frustrations on me. I was used as a stress ball of sorts. Beatings were common and torture was frequent, mental as well as physical. My wolf was angry all the time and when she tried to take over they would try to beat her into submission. When that didn’t work they began collaring me.”

Arden moves her hair from her neck and hears Alpha Neema let out a muffled sob. She doesn’t look at the Alphas but instead averts her gaze to her dirt covered bare feet below her. She wonders absently if they have maids or if Neema, considering how far along she is does it all herself.

“Silver?” Hank asks in a very controlled tone.

“Yes, Sir.”

“How did you escape?”