Pain

Ariel slowly opened her heavy eyelids. Peeling them open took such a tremendous effort from her that she immediately felt her the little energy left in her veins drained off like water in a basket. She groaned, only able to open her eyes to a tiny squint. Not only were her eyes swollen, and in pain, but they were also bloodshot, from crying so hard from all the suffering the Alpha inflicted on her last night.

She had cried so hard that her eyes ran dry, with the salty residue of her pain leaving nasty crusts in her eyes that only added to the extreme discomfort.

Slowly she moved her head to the side, blinking to clear her blurry vision. It felt so cold around her, that she could not even tell her surroundings apart. The cold was permeating her head from beneath, soaking into her brain and scattering her senses. She could not even tell left apart from right.

Slowly, she recognized where she lay as the floor of the Alpha's room. She was in the Alpha's room. That realization sent the cold on her skin deeper into her body till it struck her heart like a fist. She was in Alpha Damien's room.

Her body began to tremble as if it had a mind of it's own. Surely her body knew its tormentor. Surely her body knew that pain was all Alpha Damien brought in her direction. One would think that if she has spent years of her life in pain, she would eventually become resistant to it.

That could not be more wrong.

Everyday brought a new type of pain. Just when she began to thinks she could withstand it, another pain comes and breaks her completely to the ground, leaving her groveling, breathless and helpless. She whimpered as she tried to get up from the floor. She could not remain in here. She had to leave immediately.

Her mind could not handle facing Alpha Damien again after he hit, beat and pummeled her to the brink of death last night. She could not handle that degree of fear.

As she managed to flip over to the side, an extremely sharp pain spiked through her body like lightning from the red, bleeding and swollen injuries caused by the Alpha's whip. She could not dare to make a mess in the Alpha's room, so with a pained cry, she swallowed the glob of blood back down. So she screamed to let out the pain, blood spurting up from her mouth. But even her scream was incredibly weak, hoarse and dry. For hours after hours she had screamed and screamed till her throat bled and she could no longer let out a sound.

After all, that was her body's only way to protest against the maltreatment.

Fresh tears streamed down her face and she sniveled, shaking as she struggled to get back up. Spiders of pain traveled down the rest of her body, so fast that she squeezed her eyes shut.

"I have…" She groaned shakily. "I have to— argh!" She forgot about the huge cut she had on the side of her thigh as she tested her weight on it. Fresh red blood immediately began to spread on the part of her tattered clothes that covered the area.

Thankfully, her dirty clothes were thick enough to hold the blood so that it does not leak onto the floor and taint Alpha Damien's floor with her mongrel blood. She was fighting to make even the slightest movement, but it was so difficult when she could clearly remember every hit, every whip and every strike Alpha Damien made against her helpless body.

No one had come to her rescue as usual, and she had remained his punching bag, received all his wild, pent up anger and frustration till the world was black and dead to her.

Now, he was not hitting her. But she woke up exactly where she passed out. On the cold, merciless floor. Taking in a deep, pained breath, she tried to finally push her body up with her arms. But that was going too far.

That was all her body could take, and she collapsed back to the floor, unconscious.

~

When Ariel managed to come back to consciousness, she found that someone was crouching over her. Immediately, she assumed it was the Alpha, and her body froze up, pulse skittering with maddening fear.

It had been so silent and peaceful when she was unconscious. Why did the world hate her so much to kept bringing her back to this reality where pain was all she knew? Where nightmares and memories blurred together so much that she had no idea anymore of which was which?

"I know you are awake." A strong male voice said, and her panicking thoughts froze.

It was not the Alpha. It was Alex. Alpha Damien's beta. Slowly, she pried her eyes open. It was easier to move now, than the other time she gained consciousness. Her body still thrummed with hot pain, but at least it was a tiny bit bearable now.

When her vision clearly focused, she saw Alex staring down at her. Even in his crouched position, he still loomed over her body like a hulk. He moved his hand, and she heard the sound of a plate scraping along the floor.

"Eat up." He said.

Ariel didn't need to be told twice. Her starved stomach growled, prompting her body to lift itself up from the ground and grab the small plate of food like it was going to vanish into thin air if she did not move fast enough.

The food smelled amazing, and her starved taste buds watered hungrily. As a bonus, the food was even warm, fresh from the kitchen. She could not even find the words to describe her appreciation because she was too starved to think. Using her hands, she plunged into the food, scarfing it down and devouring it like she would die in the next second.

She swallowed incessantly, throwing more food into her mouth before the one in there was even gone. Soon, the small amount of food in the plate drastically reduced in size, until there was nothing but crumbs left. Still, she chased the crumbs around the plate until she had them all in her hand. Throwing it in her mouth, she chewed and swallowed, staring longingly at the now empty and shiny plate, wishing there was more.

But what she ate today was better than what she was able to scrape off leftovers most days, and she was extremely grateful to Alex for his kind deed towards her.

So she looked up from her plate, up to Alex who was still staring at her, with an expression on his face that showed how uncivilized and wild he thought she was. Especially with the way she devoured the entire plate of food in just seconds, right in front of him.

"Thank you so much." She lowered her eyes respectfully, trying to make her words as clear as possible, despite her scratchy throat. "I am very grateful for the food.."

He arched an eyebrow in disdain, his stare turning into a merciless glare. "Why are you acting like we are friends just because I gave you some leftovers I found in the kitchen after all the slaves had their share?" His harsh voice shocked her and crushed any hope she had lingering in her mind.

It was like a boulder to an egg. He destroyed any ray of light his action might have shone on her, leaving nothing but the same old darkness to engulf her again.

"You are nothing but a murderer's daughter." He snarled. "And you should know and remain in your place. Now, get up and leave this instant, before the Alpha gets back."

That was a direct order, that she would not even dare dream to defy. With rejection and dejection rolling through her, she pulled herself up from the floor, grabbing her used plate as well.

The food she just ate suddenly felt like rocks in her stomach, and her belly growled louder in more hunger, discontent and nausea.

With every step she took towards the door, her body hurt but she had to hurry and leave this place before the Beta got angry. Or worse, before Alpha Damien returned.

Motivated by her fear, she quickened her pace across the large room to the door. Pulling it open, she stepped outside, letting out a silent sigh of relief when she no longer felt Alex's accusing glare on her back. But as she closed the door and turned forward, her eyes fell on a familiar tall, broad and masculine figure storming towards this direction, from a few meters away.

It was Alpha Damien, and he was coming back to his room, which she still currently stood in front of.

That was terribly bad. Her eyes widened in raw petrification once she spotted him, and in her frozen state, the closer he got.