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“Trish,” Bella whispered. “Trish…”

The petite blonde looked over at her with a worried expression. For once, she wasn’t glued to Jordan’s side, and Bella had decided to take the opportunity.

Alex was still doing laps in the pool, slowly but steadily, despite his stomach growling like mad that morning. Both she and Trish had been given breakfast, but Alex hadn’t, and he hadn’t been given the chance to earn some. The grim expression on his face told Bella what his answer to the Wolf would be at lunch. She couldn’t imagine how Alex was still going, and she didn’t know whether it was pride, stupidity, or bravery that drove him.

“What?” Trish whispered back after an anxious glance over at Jordan. He was talking with two of the guards, about fifty feet away from Bella and Trish.

“Are you allowed to talk to us?”

Another worried, little glance over at Jordan. “I don’t know. He hasn’t told me not to.”

Reassured, Bella scooted over closer to the bench where Trish sat. Since Bella was seated on the side of the pool, with her feet dangling in the water, it wouldn’t look like they were conspiring. Which, they wouldn’t be. Bella just wanted to ask Trish some questions.

“Bella… I just wanted to say I’m really sorry.” Trish’s big blue eyes filled with tears. “About… you know…”

“No, don’t apologize,” Bella whispered furiously and made a cutting motion with her hand. “I’m sorry that I had to… but it’s not either of our faults, okay?”

Trish nodded but appeared unconvinced. Today, she was dressed in a pink top and a short, white skirt she’d been able to put on as soon as she’d finished in the pool. Bella envied her only briefly. She had become almost used to being naked on a constant basis, and she’d rather just be naked than naked and walking around with the butt plug. Which, fortunately, so far, had not been inserted today.

“Have you seen any of the news shows?” Bella whispered.

Trish shook her head, and her cheeks turned a bright pink as she glanced over at Jordan again. “He never turns on the television.”

“The Wolf let us watch some yesterday. They were reporting on our disappearance, but they didn’t mention you.” Bella wished she could have phrased it in a way that didn’t make Trish sound unimportant, but blunt honesty was the fastest way to communicate. Trish didn’t seem distressed by the revelation. She just shrugged.

“I’m an orphan. I was on Earth on scholarship.”

“I don’t understand.”

Trish sighed. Not in a mean or derisive way, but like she was disappointed that Bella needed it spelled out. “When was the last time an orphan was taken by the Wolf?”

“Umm…” Bella cast her mind back. Some people on the Moon who were obsessed with the Wolf knew every name of every person taken and as many facts about the victims’ past and current lives as they could collect. “Sorry, I’ve never been a Wolf follower.”

“Five years ago. He was kept for one month.”

“Oh!” Bella dimly remembered that, mostly because it was such an odd amount of time. Most people were either kept for a few days or months on end. “He was taken with that other guy, Bryce-something.” That had been huge news because Bryce had been kept for much longer. It was the only time something like that had happened. “I don’t think I realized he was an orphan.”

“Why would you? I only knew because he was from the same orphanage as me,” Trish said, a sad kind of little smile on her face. “The news stations aren’t as interested in people like me as they are in people like you and Alex.”

“But that’s wrong!”

“You have families. People they can interview. Important people. Connections. I don’t have any of that.” The young blonde said it matter-of-factly, not at all put out by her own description. She looked at Bella curiously, as if surprised she was disturbed by the implications. “I’m sure if you and Alex hadn’t been taken at the same time, I would have been bigger news.”

Bella pushed down her gut reactions. Feeling defensive was stupid. If the news shows weren’t talking about Trish, that wasn’t her fault, and it didn’t seem like Trish was blaming Bella, anyway. She needed to focus, not get upset about the disparity of the situation.

“Have you been around the compound? Seen anything that might help us escape?”

Trish shook her head. “I haven’t even been able to figure out which doors lead to the outside. Any time Jordan’s going out, he locks me into the room.”

“Do you have any computer access or anything?” That would have been incredibly helpful.

Trish was already shaking her head again. “Not really. He leaves me there, and I can access games or books or things to entertain me, but it’s not connected to anything. I can’t access anything that’s not saved to the computer, itself.”

There were a million more questions Bella wanted to ask, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement. When she looked over, Jordan was turning around. Bella snapped her head back toward the pool. Alex was on the far side, holding onto the edge and watching them. He looked exhausted and curious; how long had he been over there staring but not wanting to interrupt?

As Jordan’s footsteps came closer, Bella could only hope that she hadn’t gotten Trish into trouble with the big man.

“Time to go back in,” he said. Bella peeked up at him while he took Trish’s hand and pulled her up from the bench. His expression was stoically blank, so Bella had no idea if he was upset with them or not.

* * *

Food. All Alex could think about was food. Bella had tried to talk to him about her conversation with Trish, but he couldn’t focus on it. His body ached. Working out with the anticipation of food, rather than the reality, had been stupid. But what else was he supposed to do? Sit around and think about his upcoming surrender?

He tried to tell himself it wasn’t really a surrender, but that was still what he felt like.

The gnawing emptiness in his stomach and the hazy way his brain was working made eating a priority. He wouldn’t be able to go another day. Hell, he didn’t know if he’d make it to dinner at this rate. Even after his slow, lazy laps in the pool, his muscles felt so weak that, for one awful moment, he’d thought the soldiers might actually need to help support him.

The only thing saving Alex was that no one denied him water. But that had stopped helping the emptiness yesterday.

As he and Bella came into the main room, Alex looked up at the dais, and his gaze crossed the Wolf’s almost immediately. Alex could practically feel the hate burning out of himself. The collar around his neck felt like it was choking him, and, for one savage moment, he wished it actually would. But then Bella would be unprotected and alone with the Wolf and these twisted bastards.

To his surprise, the Wolf kept his face blank as Alex and Bella approached. The came around to the front of the dais and stood at the edge. There were only a few people sitting at the mostly empty tables in the room, but Alex didn’t focus on them. He kept reminding himself why he was doing this. And the girl to his left—beautiful Bella with her soft, pink lips and nipples, her nervous trembling and bouncing, brown curls—filled his vision.

Yeah. That’s why.

“Sit over here, Pet.” The Wolf’s lips curled up in an anticipatory smile. He pointed to his left, right at the edge of the dais, and Bella obediently trotted forward.

An incredible smell wafted up from the back of the room, and Alex’s mouth watered as his knees nearly buckled. God, he was so hungry. His stomach growled loudly enough that he was pretty sure everyone within ten feet of him had heard it.

“Do you want to eat today, Toy?” the Wolf asked, softly. Almost coaxingly. The way a man might do with an animal he wanted to tame.

Alex had never felt more like growling. He nodded his head: one short nod, barely perceptible. That was all the Wolf needed. That one small gesture. He didn’t force another answer from Alex. Instead, he just pointed to the spot right in front of him.

“Come here and kneel, Toy.”

There were men who stayed on either side of Alex as he approached the Wolf, and he felt a small spurt of pride that they still considered him worth guarding. Unfortunately, he was too weak right now to be of any threat. He practically fell to his knees in front of the Wolf and cursed himself for his lack of control over his muscles. His knees hit the ground with a thud that seemed to echo throughout the room.

Behind him, a few people called out, but the words in their sentences blurred together. He didn’t look up. He looked straight ahead at the bulging front of dark-green pants.

“Undo my pants, Toy.”

The Wolf’s voice was a low purr in Alex’s ears. He gritted his teeth and reached up to undo the heavy buckle on the brown belt and pull it open, and then he undid the snaps holding the Wolf’s pants closed. Alex wished it was a zipper so he could try to catch the Wolf’s obvious erection in the metal.

The heavy, thick cock sprang out, nearly hitting him in the face. The Wolf hadn’t worn any kind of underwear. He was already completely hard, and the masculine musk of his body filled Alex’s nose.

Alex jerked as a large hand caressed the top of his head and wound around to grip his hair and pull his head back. He was forced to look up at the Wolf’s glowing green eyes, to see the hungry anticipation in them. With his other hand, the Wolf gripped his dick and rubbed it over Alex’s lips, smearing pre-cum across them.

“Lick me,” he said throatily.

As if in response, as if warning Alex not to follow his instincts, his stomach rumbled again. He wanted to do nothing more than dart forward and bite the bastard.

He saw a hint of movement and glanced over at Bella. She was watching. Worried.

I’m doing this for her.

And he stuck out his tongue and licked. The Wolf hummed his approval. Alex closed his eyes and tried to pretend he was somewhere else. With someone else. Back when he’d been experimenting with friends, young men he actually cared about. Not some twisted, older asshole.

He went by feel so he didn’t have to look, and slid his tongue up to the tip and away again. Back down the shaft. The skin was soft; the cock hard as rock underneath.

“Open up.”

Alex opened his mouth, his muscles tensing even as he tried to force them to relax. The Wolf’s grip on his hair tightened to tip his head back slightly. Then something hard whacked him on the cheek. It didn’t hurt, but Alex had just been cock-slapped.

He growled, and his eyes flew open to glare up at the Wolf.

“Good. That’s what I wanted to see.” The Wolf’s lips curved up. He held his dick in his free hand and tapped it against Alex’s cheek again. Alex tried to jerk away, but he was held in place by the Wolf’s hand on his hair, which tugged painfully. “Bite me and you’ll regret it.”

He shoved his cock into Alex’s mouth.

For a moment, Alex seriously considered biting down on the thick shaft of meat that pressed in, heavy and salty on his tongue. But looking up into the Wolf’s eyes, he saw a cold flatness. It wasn’t a threat; it was a void, an emptiness. Maybe people were allowed to go free, unharmed, because no one ever went against the Wolf’s orders. Maybe no one before had ever fought against him.

But Alex didn’t want to get killed. He didn’t want to be the first discrepancy in the Wolf’s record. And he sure as hell didn’t want to put Bella in real danger.

The Wolf stared down at him, waiting, as if he knew Alex weighed the consequences. It took every ounce of willpower he possessed to relax his jaw, and Alex closed his eyes again. Submitted.

Animals attacked when threatened, out of fear or instinct. The difference between animals and humans was that humans could stifle their instincts, they could think and reason. They could wait.

Besides. Perhaps Alex had been going about this the wrong way. The constant guards, the Wolf’s vigilance… It all stoked Alex’s pride to know he was considered a threat. But how would they ever get a chance to explore the compound, to find routes to escape, when they were constantly watched? He could bend. Let the Wolf and his men think he was beaten, that he’d be compliant. The entire time, he’d be watching and waiting for the right moment.

He wouldn’t risk Bella, or even risk being separated from her if he could help it.

So, he sucked. Hard. And heard the Wolf’s groan, felt the man’s fingers tightening in his hair. This time, the older man allowed him to keep his eyes closed as his cock began to move in and out of Alex’s mouth. It was a rhythmic, almost hypnotic rhythm, and he found it easier and easier to let his mind drift. He focused on breathing whenever he could get air and on sucking and licking the underside of the cock that was fucking his face.

His throat easily accepted the thick length without gagging or choking, and Alex let the Wolf take over and move his head back and forth. Letting go completely was a relief he would have to be wary of. It was easier to bend, to submit, but it was also dangerous. And Alex wasn’t going to let his guard down while he was waiting for the Wolf’s to fall.

* * *

The Wolf shoved his slick cock in and out of Alex’s mouth, and Bella was shocked at how riveting she found the sight. She knew that eventually he would have to give into the Wolf, but she hadn’t been able to picture it. Now she was watching it.

The look the Wolf had given Alex when he’d first pushed between Alex’s lips had made all the hairs stand up on the back of her neck as she shivered uncontrollably. As cruel or toying as the Wolf been with them, she’d never seen that look before. Then again, the Wolf hadn’t considered her a problem the way he did Alex.

His domination over Alex meant more, and he was enjoying it, fucking Alex’s mouth with long, hard strokes, his hands holding the back of Alex’s head. There was something intoxicating about seeing a strong, alpha male like Alex forced to his knees before another alpha male. The guards still stood close; no one truly believed Alex had been beaten.

The entire room was silent, watching the scene. No one cheered or called suggestions the way they had with her. They just savored the sight.

The Wolf groaned and thrust harder, faster. The wet slurping sounds increased, and Alex growled low in his throat. Bella’s breathing increased as she watched, completely wrapped up in the strangely erotic, horribly fascinating scene in front of her. She shuddered as the Wolf threw back his head and the long line of his body surged forward as he buried himself in Alex’s mouth.

Alex’s throat worked as he swallowed, and the Wolf’s fingers and buttocks flexed as he poured his cum down Alex’s throat.

When the Wolf pulled away, Alex’s eyes opened again, and he glared up at the Wolf before looking down at the ground. It was oddly submissive and seemed wrong.

“Good Toy.” The Wolf patted Alex on the head absentmindedly, as though now that Alex had given in, the Wolf had lost interest. He looked over at one of the guards who still hovered behind Alex—the soldier was grinning from ear to ear—and waved his hand. “Take Toy back to the room and feed him.”

Alex’s head swung upwards again to look over at her. “Bella…”

“Ah yes… Pet will stay with me for the afternoon.”

“Bella!” Alex lunged, but the guards caught him.

“Alex, just go!” Bella said loudly enough for him to hear her. The Wolf had returned to ignoring them as he walked back around the table. He didn’t look up at Bella’s insistence that Alex leave or watch Alex struggle against the guards. Bella glared at Alex; his stubborn reluctance was written clearly across his face. “Go.”

Her voice dropped to a whisper, but she couldn’t stand to see him tormented further because he thought she would be unsafe unless he was there. What could he do to protect her anyway? She felt better when he was there, but practically, he couldn’t help her at all.

The guards dragged Alex away, and Bella’s heart sank as she watched him go. When the Wolf spoke again, she shivered and goosebumps covered her body.

“Come here, Pet.”

* * *

The guards joked and laughed as they dragged Alex back to the room.

“Thanks.” One of them patted his back as they pushed him into the room. “We won a hundred bucks each after you held out till today!”

“Longest any of these whining Moon Boys has ever gone,” the other said, laughing.

That was when Alex recognized them as the same guards who had pricked his pride the evening before by taunting him. Even with his brain fogged by shame and hunger, he realized they had done it on purpose. They’d been part of a bet about when he would eat. What kind of people did that?

And he wasn’t the first, either. Others had been subjected to the same treatment. He supposed he should feel glad he’d lasted longer than any of them.

“You’d probably be whining too if you had to go without food for that long,” Alex snapped at them.

They just laughed.

“If you were from Earth, you’d know that most of us have gone that long without eating, and not by choice, like you. Now stop whining and be thankful you get to eat at all,” the first one said, smirking at him. He pointed at the table. “They’ll bring more solid food in a couple of hours.”

A clear broth and some bread waited for him, along with something that looked like fruit juice. The door closed while he looked at the food. His reflexes were all messed up.

He needed to eat. Prepare. Get himself back together because, right now, he needed to be as strong as possible. Not a whiny Moon Boy.

And hope that nothing awful was happening to Bella while he wasn’t there.