Nathan
The door slammed behind the alpha and the slap echoed it.
Tatum stumbled back from the impact, his hand raising to lightly cup the rapidly reddening skin. My chest constricted with panic as my eyes jumped from my twin to the approaching alpha.
"Since when are you allowed to speak to alphas alone?" Malore asked menacingly, stepping closer to Tatum, trying to intimidate him with his size alone. It worked on my twin. His shoulders drew up to his ears, his head down in submission.
"I'm sorry, alpha." Tatum's voice was small, but his words were not good enough for the alpha. I watched the male's hand raise again before the sound of another smack bounced off the walls. This one was harder and sent Tatum to the floor with a sob. I flinched where I stood.
"What's the point of keeping you, if you're going to throw yourself at any other male."
"No!" Tatum protested between sobs as he was lifted off the floor by his hair. My twin did not fight him, only begged for the male to believe him. "I am yours, alpha."
I bristled at his words, vehemently denying them as I stood by silently. Tatum is mine. My mate and not this pathetic, weak male's.
The realization was enough to clear the fog in my mind that kept me rooted in place.
"I told you to get close with the male's omega, not him, bitch."
When had he told him that?
I rushed to follow as he dragged my twin into the bedroom. Tatum continued to cry softly. His cheek already a deep red in the shape of the male's palm. Familiar blue eyes met my own, silently pleading for me not to react, to not interfere. He was willing to accept whatever this alpha would do to him.
How could I not try? How could he expect me to just stand by as he is hurt again, and again. That was not who I am and although Tatum may be used to the pain this male could deliver, he was not used to the beatings. He was good enough to avoid them. He followed the rules given to us and put up no protest. I knew what it was like in front of the fist of this alpha.
Before he could hit my twin again, I put myself between the two. I took the slap meant for Tatum without a reaction, ignoring the slight pain and the warmth that dripped where his nail had nicked skin. The hit was lighter than any he delivered to me.
I pulled myself up to my full height, back straight as I smiled in his face, taunting the male in the way I knew riled him up. In the way I had stopped for Tatum when he had begged me to years ago, when I had seen how much it was hurting him to have to clean me up afterwards.
"Nate," Tatum tried, his hand gripping the back of my shirt. I remember a similar situation to this. A time I had stood in front of Tatum, wanting to protect my twin from a male who we should have never feared. A male I had only wanted to accept us, to see us.
I ignored Tatum as Malore growled, his hand wrapping around my throat before my back was slammed against the nearest wall.
"Please, no!" Tatum continued to plead in my defense, but I egged the male on more.
"You've always been weak." I hissed out with the little air I could suck down around his tightening hand. There had always been something off about this male we had been given to. He had done well hiding it for the first few months after our forced bonding. But I have always been determined to get Tatum away. I wanted him to have a better life. One I could not fuck up for him. I had snooped and eavesdropped and snuck around until I finally found something.
"So weak," I struggled, digging my claws into his arm.
"Nathan, stop." Tatum cried, tears streaming down his cheeks.
"Your mate didn't even want you, the wrong Surez brother."
The male yelled in my face, spittle hitting my forehead. His canines dropped as his hand tightened further. I could no longer get words past my lips, not as my airway was blocked completely. My claws dug uselessly into the male's arm; toes barely able to brush the carpeted floor as my back slid further up the wall.
He wanted to kill me. I could see it in the dark eyes that I stared back into. My words had hit a nerve, as I had intended.
Despite being unable to breathe, and the threat I could see clear as day, I struggled to smile again at him.
"Alpha, don't hurt the pup." Tatum gasped, rushing to stand beside us, to catch the alphas eye. "Don't hurt your pup."
Disgust bubbled low in my stomach.
Tatum's words got through to the male, the hand around my throat loosening and my feet landing back onto the floor. His crazed eyes flickered down before meeting mine again.
The alpha growled, yanking me from the wall by the front of my shirt until there was only a hairsbreadth between our lips.
"I'll let my pup grow strong within you, but when the time comes, I'm going to cut him out of you and leave you to fucking rot."
"I'll do it for you." I spit, eyes unwavering as I stared into the male.
His lips twitched as he sneered, growling again before he gripped the back of my head and dragged me towards the closet.
"I'll deal with you when we get home." He promised, the closet door shutting with a resounding click.
I stood for a moment, staring at the dark wooden door as dread slowly seeped into my bones.
No.
Rushing forward, I jerked at the locked handle, but the door did not budge. The light switch on the outside of the door was flipped, engulfing me into darkness.
My skin felt cold from within, my heart rising to my throat.
"Tatum!" I pounded my fist against the door once, closing my eyes against the deep shadows that surrounded me.
When there was no answer, I became frantic with my need for escape. Beating my fist against the door repeatedly and feverishly yanking on the handle, all while screaming for my twin to help me.
No. No, no, no...
This was not a part of my plan.
I stumbled away from the door, my breathing ragged, my chest aching as my eyes attempted to scan the dark closet for any way of escaping. I slammed them shut against the looming shadows.
No matter how I tried to rationalize with myself, tried to calm myself, nothing worked. I knew what it was like to be locked in the dark for weeks. How my mind worked against me and imagined things that I knew were not truly there.
A sob slipped through my lips, my aching hands rising to cover my eyes. I regretted my choice to taunt him immediately. Why did I always fuck everything up? If he kept me in here until we left, I will never get the chance to plead our case to the council. We will never get the chance to escape this alpha.
***
I could not tell how long I was left alone in the dark. There were only the sounds of Tatum's crying to distract me before all grew quiet. Alone in the dark, my mind wondered on its own. For a while I tried to think of a plan, some way to get out, to get my twin and I away. I decided that it did not matter if we had to run for the rest of our lives, it would be better than staying with the alpha. Anything would be better than staying with him. My days were already numbered.
At some point I must have drifted off because a soft knock made me jump awake. I struggled to get off the floor and immediately attempted to open the door again.
"Nate?" Tatum's soft voice was hesitant.
"Tate, open the door." I pulled the handle again, rattling the door.
Tatum was so quiet I thought I had imagined him there.
"Tate?"
"I... I'm not going to open the door." Tatum whispered.
"Is he in there?" I asked, lowering my own voice so as to not get my twin into trouble.
"No..."
"Then open the fucking door!" I shouted, jerking on the handle again.
Tatum sobbed on the other side. "Nate, I don't think, I think its best if you stay in there." He struggled to get out between his crying.
I pressed my ear against the door, trying to listen for anyone else within the room, but Tatum was alone. His scent was the only fresh one.
"Tatum, unlock the door."
"No."
I stumbled away from the door, trying to reason against the betrayal I felt wiggling its way into my chest.
"Going against our alpha is not helping us."
"He is not our alpha." I ground my teeth together, my nails digging into the palms of my hands.
"You're only making things worse fighting him."
"So, what, you would rather we willingly spread our legs for him? Huh? Rather us have his pups and wipe his ass?" My fist pounded against the door in anger, and I heard Tatum shuffle away.
"Just...just let me keep you safe."
"Open the fucking door, Tatum!" I screamed, losing patience with him. "It gets no better, I was good for you, and he still hurt us." Tears unwillingly filled my eyes, and I wiped them away roughly.
Tatum did not respond, and I heard the click of the bedroom door as he left. More tears trailed down my cheeks as I dropped onto the floor in defeat.
We will never get away from that alpha and I was starting to wonder if my twin even wanted to.