NOVEL NEXT Chapter 11: Forced submission
Rowan
"I said mind your business, you bastard! You don't get to question me,"
I flinched a little when he yelled, the word 'bastard' the words hit their intended mark when it lands square on my chest.
As if the verbal abuse wasn't enough, he yanked me up by the chains enough to strangle my neck, bringing me face to face with him,
"You mutt, you do not get to sit down there and question me, you are a worthless piece of shit who do not deserve to live,"
He released me and I let out a grunt of pain, refusing to let him relish in my torture.
I stood there, staring at the chains on my wrists, he wanted a reaction from me. Something to quench his anger but I kept mute,
"Why are you sulking now?" he asked, his tone laced with irritation.
I didn't respond right away. Instead, I tightened my hands into fists, the cold steel of the chains biting into my skin. The weight of everything of my past, my present, and the bleak prospect of my future pressed down on me.
I would do anything to get out of this situation.
He took a step closer, his tall frame looming over me, a predator assessing his prey. "Did you hear me?" he demanded, his voice rising. "Or are you going to pretend you're deaf now?"
I finally looked up, meeting his piercing gaze. "I'm not sulking," I said quietly, but the bitterness in my voice betrayed me.
He snorted, a humorless sound. "Oh, you're sulking. I don't have time for whatever tantrum you're throwing today, pet. You're not here to make friends or wonder about what doesn't concern you. You're here to pay off your debt. Or did you forget that?"
I wanted to scream at him, to tell him that I hadn't forgotten for even a second. How could I? Every breath I took in this place was a reminder of how trapped I was. Instead, I lowered my head and bit my tongue.
Today, I stared at the empty space till someone got me food. I had no freedom or will to do anything. I was a flight risk to them so they kept me chained up and confined in a room.
"Of course, you're silent now," Soren said, his voice dripping with disdain. "Do you know how much I regret keeping you alive sometimes? You're useless to me. Absolutely useless."
The words stung, even though I told myself I was used to them by now. My father's voice echoed in my mind, overlapping with Soren's, telling me I wasn't enough, that I was weak, that I'd never amount to anything.
Soren continued, pacing now, the tension radiating off him like a storm. "One of these days, I might just kill you myself. Do you know why?" He didn't wait for an answer. "Because I'm tired of looking at you and seeing nothing but wasted potential. You're in debt up to your worthless neck, and you're giving me nothing in return?"
I clenched my fists tighter, nails digging into my palms. I wanted to argue, to defend myself, but the words wouldn't come. I knew he was right, at least in part. I was in debt, and I had no real way out.
He stopped pacing and turned to face me. "Say something," he ordered, his eyes narrowing.
But I didn't. I couldn't. Instead, I lowered my head even further, feeling the weight of his gaze bore into me.
"Of course," he muttered. "You fucking bastard."
The silence that followed was suffocating. I kept my head down until I was sure he had left the room. When I finally looked up, the space felt emptier, though the air was still heavy with his lingering presence. I slumped against the wall, letting the chains dig into my skin as I slid to the floor.
Memories surfaced, unbidden and unwelcome. I closed my eyes, and suddenly I was a child again, sitting at a rickety wooden table with my father.
"Eat," he said, his tone harsh and impatient. "We don't waste food in this house."
I stared at the meager portion in front of me, my stomach twisting. It wasn't enough, but I didn't dare complain. My father's temper was as short as the rations we lived on.
He would yell till I started crying, it was a normal day for us. He never raised his hands on me but his words made me cry still.
As I forced the stale bread down, I wondered as I often did about my other father. The one I had never met.
My omega father had told me stories when I was younger, before he died. She spoke of him like he was some sort of mythical figure, a man who had swept into his life like a whirlwind and left just as quickly. He never gave me his name, only vague hints and cryptic remarks.
Apparently, he was an Alpha and a powerful one at that, I always saw the expensive black cars he used to come see us, my omega father would be dressed in his Sunday best only to be shunned like a common whore.
I hated seeing that, he never cared for me or bothered to get to know me, he was only interested in having somewhere to put his dick in.
I had stopped caring about him a long time ago. What use was wondering about a man who had never been there for me?
Life with my father had been hard, but it was the only life I had known. There were days when we didn't eat, days when I thought I might die of hunger. My father wasn't kind, but he kept me alive, and I supposed that was something.
Sitting here like a pitiful slave, I couldn't help but think back to those days, back when I had nothing but my freedom was mine.
Right now, I was dreaming of the same thing, all over again and if it meant submitting to Soren then so be it.
I stayed in my thoughts, dreaming of when I would kill him for putting me in this condition, for being the reason why people like my father committed suicide just to escape the punishments they would have gotten.
When Soren returned, his presence filled the room like a dark cloud. He didn't say anything at first, just stood there, watching me with those sharp, assessing eyes.
I forced myself to meet his gaze this time, though it took all the strength I had. All traces of resentment were gone from my face, the more he saw it, the more he stuck back.
"I don't know what's going on in that head of yours," he said finally, his voice low and dangerous, "but you'd better get your priorities straight. Do you hear me?"
"Yes," I said quietly.
"Yes, what?" he pressed.
"Yes, I heard you," I repeated, louder this time.
"Good." He took a step closer, the sound of his boots against the floor echoing in the space between us. "Because I'm done with your sulking. You're going to do what you're here for. No more excuses. No more defiance."
I swallowed hard and nodded.
He tilted his head, studying me like I was some sort of puzzle he couldn't quite figure out. "You're finally starting to understand, aren't you?"
I didn't respond.
Soren smirked, a cruel twist of his lips. "That's what I thought."