by Marilynn Fae
When he walks into the room, he sees her perched on the edge of a wooden chair, wiping away tears with the back of her hand. Alex is standing by her side and is trying to calm her down with his hand on the back of her neck, but she's still crying little hiccuping sobs. There's a man kneeling in front of her, attaching heavy metal cuffs to the ankles with a chain in between the cuffs, linking her ankles together.
"What is the meaning of this?" The only reason why he hasn't attacked the man is because he is aware that he's in a police station. There is a limit to how much he can get away with and murder in a police station is pushing it a little. The man backs off with remarkable speed, having done what he set out to do already and attached a pair of metal cuffs on her ankles.
Her eyes are wide when she sees him and there's a sudden scent of acrid fear in the air. "Master Darius!" she whimpers.
"They found her standing on a ledge," Alex says, the veins on his neck pronounced and angry.
"Were you going to jump, love?" he draws back and asks, his heart seizing at the mere thought of losing her.
Her expression shifts from panicked to guilty in an instant. "I- I wasn't!" she explains hastily. "I didn't mean to leave, Master Darius! Honest! I know- I know I'm not allowed out. I was just- there was a cat on the window and I thought it was in trouble so I tried to catch her but then she kept getting away and I- I- I got stuck," she says She dissolves into tears and the weight on his shoulders lift. He knows her well enough to know that she's not lying. She went after a cat on the window ledge. As ridiculous as that sounds, he believes her. He runs his hands over her face, wiping away her tears and then leans down to nuzzle against her neck, making low, worried noises in the back of his throat.
"Shh... You're alright, darling. I'm here now. I'm not upset with you." He's only lying a little when he says it too. It surprises him how much he's willing to let her get away with.
She tucks her face against his chest, shaking all over. "I'm sorry, Master Darius," she whimpers. She's so soft now. When he first got her, she was mostly skin and bones. Now, there's soft fat clinging to her bones, a little belly around her waist that only accentuates her round hips and soft thighs. She sniffles and rubs her ears under his chin. "I'm sorry," she slurs. She's still so tiny.
"Shh... It's fine," he says. Her going after a cat up on a ledge makes more sense than her trying to jump to her death. "There's nothing to be sorry about," he says.
Ethan clears his throat and they draw apart, wary of the audience around them. "You should've told us all that earlier, darling. Now, can you just take that off? It's barbaric," he waves at the chains on her ankles. It is barbaric but Darius can't help but feel a stir of arousal seeing them on her ankles. It would keep her from running or something something as silly as climb out the window after someone's stray cat. It'd keep her home. Safe.
"It's- it's required by law," the officer straightens up.
"Take it off," Darius demands, voice pitched low and authoritative.
The officer shivers. "I- I can't. She's a half-shift who's not in the facility. She should have been registered and locked-"
"Don't finish that if you value your life," Ethan warns him and he has enough sense to comply immediately.
Darius thinks about the repercussions of ripping the officer apart with his teeth and decides against it. He doesn't want to frighten Aria, who doesn't understand why she had been chained up. She probably doesn't even understand why being chained up is bad because even as Ethan tries to argue for her release, she lifts her legs and watches the metal rings on the chain dangle with her head tilted in fascination. Poor kit. She does look so lovely in chains.
"As soon as she's mated, she'll be released," the officer straightens up and says. "It's for her own safety too. There's a tracker embedded in that if you ever lose track of her. We have an app you can download to link with it and an alarm she can sound if she's ever in trouble."
"I don't care about your fucking app," Ethan growls, fast losing his patience with the officer.
"Can we go home now, Master Darius?" she asks softly, tugging his wrist, her dainty fingers not long enough to circle around his wrist completely. Belatedly, he remembers she doesn't like it when they raise their voice around her.
He nods and she jumps up to her feet. She takes one step before the chains get tangled up and she's tilting forward. He scoops her up into his arms easily, loving how she clings to him when he does.
"Right. Fine. Leave. I'll handle the rest of this. Good job, Alex. I'm so glad you're here to help," Alex mumbles as he watched them leave.
Aria giggles and peers at the man from over his shoulder. "Bye, Alex. Thank you," she says shyly.
He growls, shifting his grip on her so she can no longer see Alex.
She's such an innocent little thing. He's glad the fire department had gotten her and is grateful that his reach extends far enough that he was informed immediately. He doesn't want anyone to take advantage of her. The mere thought of it is enough to make his teeth lengthen and his claws sharpen.
"Master Darius," she murmurs, arms wrapped tightly around his neck. "I'm sorry Master Darius. I'm a good girl. I promise," she says.
Innocent talk like that shouldn't make his dick hard, but his body betrays him nevertheless. "I know you are, baby," he says because he can smell her getting anxious again, embarrassment and guilt mixed together as he carries her out of the station. He wants to snarl at everyone looking at them - at her.
"I'm sorry," she mumbles. The salty scent of her tears shouldn't make his cock strain in his pants but it does. At least carrying her would shield his arousal. His driver hastens to get the door open for him the moment he sees him.
He climbs in with her in his arms. She's still light even though she's gotten wonderfully soft in all the right places. "You shouldn't have climbed out the window, Aria," he chastises once the car starts towards their home.
He likes her like this, soft and pliant, a little meek and uncertain too because as much as she likes nuzzling up to him in his lap, a part of her understands that she's courting trouble. The animal part of her recognizes that he wants her, but she is too innocent and naive to understand what that entails exactly. He's not going to take advantage.
"You remember our rules, baby?" he asks.
She trembles a little every time he calls her that. "I remember," she whispers.
"And the first rule?" he asks quietly, letting her answer the question as her own time.
Never leave the house. "I'm sorry, Master Darius," she whimpers, voice wobbly and afraid. "I'm sorry." She's trembling a little, afraid and uncertain because he's never spoken to her like this. He hasn't raised his voice at her, but he's frustrated and worried, the combination of both making him angry.
It's true he lets her get away with a lot of things. He lets her crawl up his lap the first day he got her because she was so small and smelled so frightened and sweet, so he wanted her to feel better. He didn't realize then that it was going to be a problem, that his wolf would see the perfect little cat-girl and decide she's going to be his mate. That she would belong to him.
That she was his.
He didn't want anyone else to see her. He wanted her for himself. All the time.
It's really not fair.
He had run into her when she was just a tiny kit and had clung to her caretaker's hand so tightly, collar around her throat and ears hidden underneath an ugly wrap. She had been so sweet back then too, so full of questions, brave enough to talk to him because no one's told her that she shouldn't yet.
He was supposed to bring her to the facility where the rest of the shifters like her are kept, where they're tested to see how human they are and if they can be integrated into society and live happy, normal lives. If she couldn't, then she was supposed to live inside the facility where her needs are cared for and her innocence isn't exploited.
She was supposed to be free.
He couldn't do it. He wanted her for himself. He didn't want them to
check if she's human enough to live alone because he doesn't want her to live alone. He didn't want to live alone. Not anymore. Not when the alternative is having her with him all the time.
Darius has never been good with letting go of the things he wants but isn't supposed to have.
No one is good at telling him that he can't have what he wants.
So he kept her. He locked her up in his apartment and hired private tutors for her. He bought her gifts, clothes and toys, expensive jewelry and all the books she wanted. And in exchange, she stays his prisoner.
"You're not supposed to leave the house, Aria," he says.
She whimpers and nuzzles her face to his neck. "I know, Master. I'm sorry," she admits. "I won't do it again. Promise." Her tail is all curled up around her waist, the tip nestling between her breasts. He knows if she isn't busy clinging to him, she would be playing with the tip and chewing on the end.
His heart clenches. "Poor baby," he coos. "Were you scared?"
Her heartbeat ratchets up as she nods.
"What were you scared of?" he asks.
"I- I was very high up," she whispers, trembling a little.
"Yeah?"
She nods again and clings tighter to him. "I didn't want to fall, Master Darius."
"And you didn't," he reassures her, his hand flat on the small of her back, letting her lean her weight against him. The street lights flashes into the car and gives her pale skin a silvery glow. All curled up in his lap, her tummy stretches her shirt a little and he can't help but bring his palm to it, curling around the softness with a pleased rumble.
"I'm here now. There's nothing to be scared of, okay?" he says, secretly a little glad that her one adventure out of the door is one that ended in disaster. It would give her even less reason to leave at all. She has gained a little weight since he stole her. He tugs up her shirt and rubs her tummy a little, feeling it give a gurgling sort of rumble.
Her cheeks color. "I'm hungry," she whispers defensively when it does it again, like bubbles bursting on his hand.
"Poor baby," he says, circling her belly button. It's not a very pronounced belly, probably only present because she's not used to lounging around all day, finding different spots near windows to sunbath like a lazy cat. His chest rumbles. "Poor hungry baby. Should I feed you?" he asks.
She nods eagerly, beaming up at him like he hung the moon.
It almost makes him feel bad for saying, "Bad kitties don't get food though, do they?" Almost.
Her eyes begin to water immediately and she lets out a little pleading mewl that goes straight to his cock. "Please, Master Darius?" she whimpers.
"Hmm? What do you want to eat then, baby?" he asks, caving so quickly that he should be ashamed of himself, but he can't even go that much. Her smile is incandescent.
"I want- I want that rice and fish thing you brought last time. The tiny snacks? Sasha?"
"Sushi," he chuckles and taps his knuckles on the divider to give his driver instructions to pick up dinner on the way home.
Chapter Four: Tongue
Aria likes doing housework.
She knows they can afford house-cleaning service. And they have a dishwasher so there's really no need for her to be washing her plates individually with soapy water and a brush that's biting into her soft palms. But it's nice. She likes doing mundane things. It makes her feels like things are in her control. And she knows for a fact that Master Darius doesn't like hiring outside help to come into the house either. He's made so many changes to keep her in his life, like move into a smaller living space that is easier to clean and keep an eye on her so she doesn't get hurt by strangers, hire bodyguards at the gates, and refused to rent out the three floors downstairs so that they wouldn't get any neighbors. He even stopped talking to his twin, who he says is an unpleasant man and he wouldn't subject anyone to him, much less someone as sweet as her.
She still blushes when she thinks about that conversation.
Master Darius owns the entire building they're living in. The subsequent thirty floors are rented to his pack members and employees too, but none of them are allowed anywhere near the top floor where she's at. She's grateful but also a little unhappy about that because it keeps her from making new friends. When she was younger, she would fantasize about moving into house with a white picket fence and two dogs in their garden, exchanging recipes with the neighbors and trying each other's freshly made cookies. She used to fantasize a lot. There's not much she's allowed to do back then because she's not allowed to go to school. She's not allowed to leave the basement.
She's so grateful for Master Darius, who buys her everything she wants and then some. The apartment downstairs has so many books it's almost like a library now. She spends days rearranging everything to her liking, cleaning every nook and cranny and making sure that their house is perfect when Master Darius comes home.
She spends a lot of time cooking too, trying new recipes and tossing away experiments that aren't successful. Master Darius had hired a chef to teach her a few months ago, but he ended up being a little too friendly for Master Darius's taste. He does this a lot, hire people to come tutor her and then get upset when the house begins to smell like strangers instead of just the two of them.
She doesn't mind it too terribly. She knows Master Darius has a very powerful nose and he doesn't like smelling other people in his territory. She supposes she's part of his territory too. In any case, it's not like the lessons are much help for her. She's not smart enough to understand most of it and most days, she kind of just wants to find a nice patch of sun to bask in. She likes doing housework though.
Master Darius likes to joke that she makes a good housewife and she always blushes when he jokes about it, inclining to agree. Were it not for the chains on her ankles and the collar around her neck, she would easily be mistaken for a shy housewife who doesn't leave her home very often instead of a pet. Master Darius doesn't treat her like a pet, though. He treats her well, buys her all the things she wants and doesn't make her do anything that she's uncomfortable with.
She had been so afraid that he was just toying with her in the beginning of their relationship but as the time passes, she begins to understand that she's not just a passing obsession for him. He wants to keep her and she's immeasurably grateful for that. Master Darius is a kind master. She's heard plenty of horror stories about how young shifters like her are taken from their homes and forced to be pack whores, filled until they're always full and heavy with cubs or put to work in a brothel. But Master Darius has never treated her with anything but kindness, even if he can be a little overbearing sometimes.
She hasn't been outside ever since she moved in here years ago.
Not that she's not grateful for Master Darius because she is.
It's just-
She's bored all the time when he's not here with her. She gets he has to go to work, but she wishes he will spend all his time with her.
She's eighteen now and she thinks she's old enough to leave the apartment on her own but she also understands that it's a risk. Master Darius is a very powerful man. People would want to hurt her just for that and he's terrified of her getting hurt. Her little stunt climbing on the ledge made sure she's no longer allowed anywhere now. It's hard to miss the heavy chains linking her ankles together.
She remembers what the officer said though. She gets them off once she's mated. She wonders if Master Darius would mate with her. She could be happily mated to him. It would be just like what they're doing already, except he would pet her more and put cubs inside her belly. Just thinking about it makes her a little giddy, which is silly because she knows she's just a pet. She's not someone Master Darius would want to mate with. There's nothing special about her except for that fact that she's not completely human, not with her cat ears and long fluffy tail.
Feeling a little unhappy now, she presses the hard green side of the sponge into a particularly stubborn piece of food and lets the soapy water soak in before scrubbing hard. It does
n't come off. She considers being more forceful about it, but everything in the house is expensive and delicate. She doesn't want to break anything.
Huffing, she sets the plate down and lets it soak. She washes her hands and crosses her arms, glaring at the stain as though that would be enough to make it disappear.
Master Darius isn't home right now, which makes her a little bit upset too. She misses him. He's been out since early that morning after pressing a kiss on her forehead and telling her to behave herself. He's ridiculous. She always behaves herself. She wishes he would take her outside with him but knows why he can't. It's nice to fantasize about being free, but she remembers when she was free to go outside. Her hand comes to the collar around her throat automatically. It's a pretty little thing, silver and gold with sparkling colorful gemstones that makes her look more like she's wearing a decorative choker instead of a collar. Master Darius bought it for her on her seventeenth birthday last year. She loves it.
Alpha Franklin used to collar her too, but that was leather and metal thing that would bite into her skin and make her chaff something horrible. This one is much lovelier. And even though Alpha Franklin used to bring her outside, she knows it's only so he can show her off. Like she's something for him to show off in the first place. She remembers people looking at her weird because of her ears and tail. She knows shifters like her aren't protected by law. She's something in between human and animal. Someone could snatch her off the streets and take advantage of her.
Master Darius keeps her home to keep her safe.
She just wishes he would come home soon. It's almost eight. She doesn't like it when he doesn't have dinner with her.
As if summoned by her maudlin thoughts, the apartment door slides open. She stands up automatically, her ears and tail perking up in anticipation. Between one heartbeat and the next, Master Darius is in front of her, standing at the archway to the kitchen.
"Welcome home, Master Darius," she greets with a cherry smile, happy to see him already. She walks over to greet him, wanting to rub off the scent of strangers and outside and replace it with her own.
