In the Alpha’s Arms

Marks And Their Owners

It was all so clear in the lines of his face, the creases of his eye, the small tick of a muscle in his jaw. That he had seen…

“Get aw-” Lita started to back away, pushing herself against the metal of the tub. She was already trying to find a weapon or an advantage. Obviously she was exhausted and bruised but she wasn’t going to be raped. Over her dead body.

“Relax,” Ren said, cutting her off, “It’s not… That’s not–” Ren signed, leaning back to ruffle his hands through his hair, “Who marked you?”

“What?” She floundered. That mark was hard to notice. And the place it sat was deeply intimate. For Ren to have seen it… she shuddered. Perhaps he had been a gentleman up to this point but to have glimpsed the underside of her breast meant he had taken a full tour of her body, had looked his fill.

“Who marked you Lita? I saw it. The half moon on your ribcage. Is he still alive?”

“Of course he’s still alive!” she yelled as the water sloshed away from her and came back, unsure why even the mention of Cole being harmed was sending her into a frenzy. Because she knew better. He was fine and he was searching for her. He was going to get her out of here. She studied Ren. Was this a ploy? Some tactic Maxim thought up? Some emotional warfare meant to weaken her defenses? Her resolve?

“Fuck,” Ren blew out a breath, reaching over for a cloth and dunking it into the warm bath water. Lita instinctually shifted her legs away from his arm but he seemed not to even notice.

“Why did you ask me that, Ren?” Lita lowered her voice, squinting. He didn’t answer, only lathered the cloth and looked off into the distance.

“Ren?!” she barked and his eyes found hers, a little cloudy but aware, “Why did you ask me that?”

“Who pissed off Maxim? You or your mate?” She hated when people evaded questions with another question. It made her want to refuse to answer. Made her want to say fuck you and look for a weapon.

“Because for me, it was her. She offended-” Ren gulped, a muscle in his eye twitching, “Anyway. That’s how I ended up here in the first place. A bargain in exchange for my mate’s life.”

A beat of silence and then, “Of course… that didn’t stop her from leaving here with a desenter first chance she got. Heard she had pups a few years back.”

He turned to Lita, “We’re not allowed to have mates here, you know? Everything is just… clinical. A job. A duty. Everything we’re told to do is for the preservation of the line.” Lita would have been hard pressed to miss the roll of his eyes or the subtle shake of his head. Was he saying he didn’t subscribe to Maxim’s beliefs? That he didn’t like it here?

matter. She would still be subject to breeding, you know?” Lita felt sick, felt like the tub she was in took on a whole new meaning, like she would rather claw out her own eyes than

throwing her fists up in half–hearted defense. But he only held out the washcloth

you need help, Lita,” he said quietly, “I’m sure there’s much of yourself

of what to do with all the whiplash his behavior was causing. One minute he was eye–fucking her, the next he was asking about mates, then he was dessenting from Maxim and now he was back to being a decent guy. For a moment, she didn’t move but when he turned around to put his back to

“Been mated long?”

really seeing the point in lying, “Only

it all fell apart either. I still remember it though. I still miss feeling any kind

it was both. Both of us are on Maxim’s bad side.” She didn’t think she should mention Cole by name. Lita ran the cloth under her arms hard enough to rub the skin raw

let me guess, you’re the collateral to use against

began

Marks And Their Owners

the situation is. But I’ll help you any way that I

own neck. And that nothing you do is out of the kindness of

shitty one. Even if I couldn’t keep her. And you don’t seem to be like she was. You don’t like to be touched. You don’t get undressed in front of any of us unless you have to. At first, I thought it was because you were afraid. But then I saw you in the pits and I know that wasn’t it. You

I–‘

saved your life that day. I may not be much, but

then why do you even know I’m mated? That’s not a common place for one to look

I’m sorry. It was a moment of weakness. I thought maybe something was wrong with you… and maybe that’s why you never wanted to be seen…” he cringed, “I know that sounds bad but I never said I was perfect, only that I would help you if

gain from making her say she wanted help escaping? Of course she did. That wasn’t some secret.

toes by myself.” Ren

“Thirty minutes. You’re going to need your strength to escape. I know you’ve been starved so just stay put for a few minutes, I’ll be

he had a small paper sack with fruit and a sandwich, “The kitchen makes these for us when we’re on duty. Here, you

me your

unwrapped the sandwich and took a hearty bite of the turkey and cheese, he knelt down next to the tub, pulling out a vial from his pocket. “This

with the pin pulled. How many people here were actually not loyal to Maxim? At first glance