Gone?
His mouth was slightly open as he stared at the bed, she had been left in. His eyes were perplexed.
When he had left her, she was sleeping! He slammed the doors as he dashed upstairs to look for her.
Cayden smelled the air slowly. His sniffs were agitated. She had not visited the bathroom. He took a deep breath and gave the closet a critical glance before turning abruptly to the balcony and hurriedly approaching it.
Did she truly leave him once more? That thought brought his anger and resentment back to him.
Through their mind link, He projected, "Selena, where are you?!"
It was a lovely day. There were no clouds in the sky, and the sun was glowing. Selena finally arrived in the dining room after loitering around aimlessly in the forest. She was ravenous after their passionate night together. The mansion's wide French doors let in a refreshing wind that carried the aroma of fresh grass and fertile land. Selena could see several trees lining the exterior of the mansion that were changing colour from where she was sitting. She cherished autumn, especially as the leaves turned gold and red. She allowed the presence and discussion of the unpaired pups to wash over her as she carelessly fiddled with the food in front of her.
"Where are you?" Her head immediately erupted with Cayden's words.
She groaned.
"I'm eating breakfast." She answered.
"We need to talk, so please come to my office," He spoke.
In an instant, Selena raced to her room. She took a shower before donning the staff outfit. She didn't need to, but she still wanted to convince Cayden that yesterday didn't matter. It was a mistake. She showed up in front of Cayden two minutes late.
He approached, stalking her.
"You've arrived late."
He ordered before Selena could respond.
"Kneel."
"Excuse me?"
She exclaimed in shock.
"First rule: don't challenge my authority. Follow my instructions right away."
"I don't understand, I'm sorry," Selena mumbled.
He folded his arms and leaned back on his desk while gazing at her. She wondered whether he usually had this aura surrounding him, proclaiming he was superior to all males within a 50-kilometre range.
"You agreed to help me, right? His voice sounded ominous and low. "You'll join me for a presentation the following week. I'll introduce you as my slave. You'll need to act appropriately. You will do as I ask, including kneeling when I ask you to and undressing when I ask you to. You must follow my instructions."
She trembled at the prospect because it made her think of her promise. So that's the reason he wanted to speak to her? What else could be the reason?
"Do I have to have sex with you, too?"
His lips quirked as though he had just heard the funniest thing ever.
"That shouldn't be an issue."
She unintentionally flushed.
"In front of others?"
His golden eyes sparkled.
"It will be embarrassing, I can tell you that. They will shred your dignity like paper. More so because you are hawk's daughter. Your dad constantly brings his sex slaves in."
"I get it, " she replied.
Her father had a reputation for being enraged and violent. Her family's warriors operated more out of fear than out of respect.
"All right, let's get you training."
She bit her lips until they bled while nodding. She clenched her hands into fists as her nails stabbed into her palms. Knowing what lay ahead, her heart was beating irrationally.
************
One week later:
He lowered Selena's underwear and motioned for her to go over his knee for a soothing spanking and rub, saying, "You need calming down."
Soon after finishing all the duties, she realized Cayden would choose multiple courses of action.
Sometimes he would sit back and watch while she wanked him, rode him, or was fucked.
At breakfast and supper, she would receive additional bare spankings.
There were just 20 gentle spankings, followed by hugs, and every time she had to say thanks.
Selena cherished the part of the day when Alpha would strap her with his belt and fuck her in that position as she lay over her pillows in some evenings.
She was instructed to take a shower and wait to get dressed for work until after breakfast while remaining in her room. He wanted to increase her awareness of sexuality.
She was unaware that the genital regions could be so pleasurably touched by competent hands. She had to always remain undressed, but that wasn't a problem. She just had one little but the significant issue—Cumming anywhere, sometimes while doing her duties because she did not wear any underpants.
After a session, they were lying in bed. She extended her hand to stroke a scar.
He quietly commanded, "Don't." His haunting eyes were locked on her the entire time.
She released her hold on him and placed her hand back in her lap. "Why? I have touched all your other scars, either. and every part of your body."
He repeated in a voice that chilled her, "Don't. Nobody is permitted."
She couldn't help but think of more questions.
"Did it hurt badly?"
He shrugged. "The abuse gave me more strength. After some time, you stop feeling pain the way other people do. It gets comfortable, almost like a friend. You no longer fear it and may even enjoy it. Pain makes you resilient."
The tattoo on his back was to hide worse memories.
She was astounded by his seemingly tranquil countenance when she finally got a good look at his face, thanks to her movement. If he was as calm about the entire situation, there was little hope for him. Therefore, she hoped it was a flawless façade. She almost exhaled in relief as she detected a flicker in the flawless mask he had developed over time and met her gaze. She lowered her chin onto his shoulder and pressed her cheek to his.
"Not just pain, but other things can also make people resilient. What happened to you was awful. Someone ought to have guarded you. All the witnesses to your torture deserve to burn in hell."
"You shouldn't be concerned," Cayden muttered.
"I know." Her comments ended there. She cared, right? The man in front of her today wasn't deserving of her sympathy or help. He was no longer the defenceless child from long ago. But she still had some sympathy for him. She could not resist.
"Why did you choose a new name?" Selena inquired out of the blue.
Unspoken words seemed to hover in the air between them as they stared at one other for several heartbeats.
"Max can't fuck keep his mouth shut." He muttered.
"Why?" she asked again.
"I required a new identity to forget things," he said.
"No amount of name changes can undo the past. You hide your pain behind tattoos and names."
She came close to piercing his defences and winning his trust.
"Stop overthinking every fucking thing," he murmured. "You can't understand."
She replied, "Perhaps. But to some extent, I can relate to your suffering."
He got up out of bed. "I have a lot of scars, but they all helped shape who I am as a person today."
She looked for signs of humanity that she had previously noticed on his face, but he appeared to be acting so strangely.
"That doesn't exclude it from being different, though. You put on this powerful, unflappable front, but your existence is dictated by your past and predetermined fate. Why not put up a fight for a better tomorrow?"
"I have no hope for the future." He snapped.
She said, "But there might be."
He looked at her face once again. There was a yearning. Even if he couldn't yet confess to himself that he wanted more from life.
"I have expectations for tomorrow night. Expectations that will be met." He continued to stare at her.
She remained awake while lying in the dark as he left, saying nothing.