Chapter 6 Continued

"Mommy, please stop! I don't want dad to hear you!" I whispered, keeping my voice low as I knew my dad's hearing was extremely sensitive.

My mom smiled up at me through her tears, reaching up to gently wave away my hand that wiped at her tears. I sat back down in my seat quickly, trying to seem like nothing had happened as I began to shovel the peas into my mouth.

As if on cue, my dad's intimidating form entered the kitchen, eyes ablaze as he looked down at me. My hand shook, fork trembling as I brought it to my mouth, trying my best to keep my composure around the man that terrified me so.

"What is the meaning of this?" He said, looking down at my mom who wiped at a few remaining tears that rolled down her cheeks.

"Nothing, hun. We were just eating dinner, that's all." My mom replied, smiling up at her husband before looking at me. "Right, honey?"

I nodded, still staring down at my plate as I resisted the urge to vomit at the lie. I knew what happened if my dad found out that I'd lied to him, and it usually ended with my mom tending to me with our extensive first-aid kit.

My dad looked back and forth between us quizzically, his eyes dark and scary as they settled on me.

"You did this." My eyes snapped up from my plate, my heart frantically beginning to pound in my chest at the realization that he knew that I'd lied. I felt like a fool for trying to cover it up, he always found out the truth in the end, even if it meant he had to beat it out of me. 

"No, honey, Ortiz didn't do anything! I was just cutting some onions and rubbing my eyes and that's all!" My mother tried to convince my dad, standing up from her seat at the table and looking up at my dad hopefully. He paused for a moment, looking down at her.

"Show me the scraps of the onions that you threw away then." 

My mother paled, her mouth opening and closing for a moment as she was stunned into silence. My father grunted, pushing past my mother as he walked towards the garbage can. My mother followed behind him closely, visibly trying to come up with something to say to convince him of her lie. 

My father's eyes turned impossibly darker as he peered into the empty garbage can, and I froze, gripping my fork so hard it began to bend when he lifted his eyes slowly, muscles bunching as they met with mine. 

He lunged so fast I didn't even know what hit me as I fell back onto the floor of the kitchen, my head harshly hitting the tiles with a sickening crack. I choked, the world spinning around me as I turned my body over, trying to scurry away on my hands and knees from the predator who I knew was coming after me. 

I went to stand so that I could run, but before I could a large hand grabbed at my hair, yanking my scalp as I was slammed into the wall.

"So you are just going to run, hm?" My dad's breath was hot against my face, and I bit my lip hard to keep the tears from falling down my face. "You will never be half the Beta I am when you keep acting like this!" he screamed, spittle hitting my face as I stared back at him. I tasted blood in my mouth, the metallic taste enough to make me snap me out of my fear momentarily as I met my father's eyes, unable to stop myself as the words fell from my lips.

"WELL MAYBE I DON'T WANT TO BE LIKE YOU!"

My world stopped as my father pulled back, a grin forming on his lips before he began to laugh.

I stood frozen against the wall, thrown for a loop as I'd never experienced this kind of reaction from him before. Maybe this was it? Maybe he had finally changed his mind and decided that I didn't need this awful training I'd been subjected to since I could walk?

My hopes were dashed as he looked down at me again, his eyes just as dark as before.

"You think that you can be a great Beta without being like me? You are my son, Ortiz. You are destined to be like me. Destined to walk in my footsteps when you take your place as Beta."

I shivered, having no idea what was coming next. But whatever it was, I knew it would be bad. 

He shoved my shoulder. 

"Show me, then. Show me how you are going to fight back. Show me that you are ready to be a Beta, since you seem to know how to do it better than I do." My father's voice chilled me to my bones, knowing his invitation meant nothing good. My fight-or-flight kicked in, and I turned on my heel, going to run but stumbling forward instead as I felt another harsh shove.

"I SAID SHOW ME." My father's voice bellowed, angry and loud as I turned back around, fear struck straight into my soul by the evil look on his face. My mother was huddled in a corner in fear herself, hands across her mouth as she tried not to cry. I didn't blame her, she was a lower-ranking wolf that could easily be hurt by the demon of a man above me.

He shoved my shoulder again, this time hard enough to send me flying to the ground, hitting my tailbone so hard against the floor that I heard another sickening crack. 

Pain seethed through my body, arresting me in my spot as I looked up at my father who towered over me with wide eyes. 

I knew that I couldn't walk from the pain in my tailbone, so I attempted to scoot away, grabbing at the hardwood floors with the pads of my fingers as I began to cry, one arm coming up to wrap around my head to protect it as I pleaded.

"Please! Please dad don't! It hurts!" 

My cries fell on deaf ears as he simply laughed again, brushing off my cries of pain.

"See? You will never be a Beta without my help. You can't even fight." He looked down with shame in his eyes, but not shame towards himself, but rather towards me. "And tears? I thought that I taught you better, Ortiz. I guess I you need a review of that lesson again, eh?"

All that I could do was scream as he lunged at me again. 

+

I woke with a scream, sitting straight up in my bed with a heaving chest as I tried to take deep breaths, only to freeze at the sight of my father's form right next to me, reaching out his arms towards me. 

My throat hurt from the bloodcurdling scream that I released from my lungs, legs flying forward as I tried to push myself into the furthest corner of my bed to get as far away from the man who sat on the edge of it. I could feel my hair sticking to my forehead from the cold sweat that coated my skin.

"NO! YOU CAN'T BE HERE! DON'T HURT ME!" I screamed out, beginning to hyperventilate as he moved closer to me, a look of concern on his face. I knew this trick all too well. He was testing me. I recalled one of his rules as I remembered the many training sessions that he used to give me.

Never look outside of yourself for comfort. 

I felt trapped, like a small animal as I pressed against the wall, my back up against it with nowhere to go as I begged my father to back up. At that point, I was breathing a mile a minute. It felt like I was barely able to exhale before I began to inhale again, as if my breaths were overlapping and tripping over one another's feet on the way out of my lungs. 

The look of confusion on my father's face confused me, and I looked down as he reached out again, suddenly grabbing my wrist in his large hand. 

Just as I went to let out another scream of terror, it got stuck in my throat at the feeling of... tingles that ran along my flesh where the hand grasped. 

"Ortiz. I'm not going to hurt you." 

My head snapped up, my eyes widening. 

An overwhelming feeling of relief flooded me at the sight of Corey's face, hair disheveled and eyes that were usually neutral, wide with concern and confusion as he gazed down at me in the dark. 

My breathing was still rapid as I looked up at him. I was unable to control my body as I fell forward, pulled to him like a moth to a flame. I grabbed onto his strong arm with both of my hands as I tried to slow my breathing. My knuckles were white with how hard I gripped him, my mind reeling as I looked around, using him as a reference point as I tried to anchor myself in reality.

It was hard though, because as I tried to remember what was real and fake, I'd noticed that I felt feverish, goosebumps breaking out on my skin even in my room that was usually pretty warm.

"Where did he go?!" I rasped, my eyes flitting around the room frantically as I searched for where my father disappeared to in my room. 

I was so confused as I wondered how he could have been here in the first place. There was no way it was possible, as I was the one that buried him a year ago after he had passed, shedding a tear only for my mother. Regardless of this fact, I knew what I saw. I would recognize those eyes anywhere.

"Who? It's only been you and I in here all night. I can assure you." Corey replied, his brows pulling together in confusion, one of the few emotions that he seemed to know how to express using his facial muscles. 

"My dad! He was right there, he was- he was right in front of me! I saw him, I swear!" I breathed out, finding it hard to catch my breath as I pressed a hand against my forehead, pulling it back suddenly when I felt my blistering flesh underneath my hand. 

"Hm" Corey's brows softened as his face returned to his ever-expressionless one. 

He went to release me but I found myself tightening my grip on him, unwilling to relinquish his touch. I was so scared that if I let go, I'd find myself back in the clutches of the one man that has ever truly hurt me. It took everything in me to disregard all of the walls I had up against the man that sat in front of me, not able to meet his eyes as I said the next words. 

"Please... Stay with me... I think I'm going crazy." I whispered, summoning all of the strength in me to force the lump of tears that was rising in my throat back down.

I could feel Corey hesitate for the fraction of a second before he reached out with his free hand. I closed my eyes, my mind going blank for a moment at the shock of pleasure that went through me when he pressed a steady hand against my forehead. 

"Okay. I am going to link for help right now."

I nodded frantically as he pulled his hand away, my hands still locked in a vice grip on his forearm.

"Yes! Call all of your warrior friends! He could still be on the loose! He could be going to hurt someon-" I was cut off by the gentle giant in front of me as he spoke, eyes soft as he looked down at me. 

"Ortiz, your father was not here. It has only been you and I in this room." He repeated, speaking a little bit slower this time as if he knew that I needed the extra time to comprehend his words. I was grateful for it, as my racing mind was able to slow for a moment as I listened to him. It was like he was able to read my mind to know exactly what I needed in that moment, which was his patience as I tried to figure out what had happened.

"I am linking Benji. You were having a hallucination due to your withdrawals."

Everything fell into place as I breathed out in exasperation. 

It made sense. My father was dead. He wouldn't be coming back. 

My forehead was hot because I was having a fever as my body attempted to cope with the loss of the opiate I'd saturated it with over the past few weeks. 

Even so, I couldn't shake the sick, crawling feeling underneath my skin that terrified me to my core, remembering the all too vivid dream that forced me to relive one of my worst memories. 

"Okay." I mumbled, nodding my head and taking a deep breath as I looked back up at the man in front of me through my lashes. I closed my eyes, mustering all of my strength to say the next thing that tumbled from my mouth. I knew I needed someone who actually cared near me in that moment, and he was the only one who definitely couldn't leave me due to the tether that connected us. 

"... You can sleep in my bed tonight."

__

I hope that you all enjoyed this update! I have really big (and kinky) plans for this book's plot that I am really excited for!

Please like & comment to let me know what you thought of this chapter! Love you all!

Xoxo, Alex