Skinned
Cage the Beast

Killian.

It was with great tenacity to his voice when he spoke his name, and I had come to notice that that was the only thing that he was sure about himself.

The realization brought a slight pressure to my chest, my gaze softening on the male laying before me.

Killian’s attention dropped to the shackles, and I expected him to show his aggression, to act out on his resistance, but he didn’t make any attempts to break free from the thick restraints that bound him down to the bed.

Although he was under the influence of the drug meant to put him down, he could easily break the shackles, but he didn’t even make an effort to fight it.

He just observed them with unseeing eyes as he let his raging thoughts consume the entirety of him.

“Why am I here?” He asked me momentarily. He was lost and frustrated while he looked up at me, and I could clearly see the constant glow of his right blue eye and how it easily saw through me.

Waiting. Scrutinizing. Warning.

It was all directed at me.

The beast’s eye proudly shone, the glint of it easy to catch as it made its intentions known.

I was the prey.

I ignored his gaze and chose to focus on his shaved head instead. I ran a tongue over my dry lips and shoved my cold, numb hands into the pockets of my coat.

“I don’t... exactly know what happened to you, but you crossed my pack’s border by the lake. You took a lot of damages, including the bullets in your chest.”

“Which way did I come from?”

“North.”

Killian’s perfectly arched eyebrows furrowed before looking at the window in front of him.

So far, the answers to his questions only brought him more headache and confusion.

The strong cut of his jaw locked tight as he silenced himself once again, and the war going through his head could be seen right through his sharp features.

He was thoroughly lost.

“Killian, I-”

A low, thunderous growl escaped his throat, the sound of it so feral and demanding that it sent a wave of fear to wash over my body, causing me to take an immediate step back for the sake of keeping my throat intact.

Killian shut his eyes tight and shook his head, his hands forming into tight fists as he fought against his wild.

“I’m sorry, it’s not what you think,” Killian bit out, as if speaking brought him a lot of pain. “I won’t change.”

And to me, it seemed that the statement was meant more towards himself.

I was quick to conclude that Killian could indeed shift, but beneath his skin was not a wolf, it was a monster that goes beyond any Alpha’s limits, and once it rules him over, its path could only be paved by peril. But I couldn’t shake off the fact that the humans managed to put him down easily, and it only meant that we were susceptible to their attacks as well.

If even the strongest beast can be conquered by man, what form of defense did we have as mere werewolves?

Even predators can be hunted.

“Oh man,” A familiar voice trailed off from behind me and I didn’t have to turn around to know who it was.

Heath. The Beta’s younger brother.

“What fucking realm did this guy come from?” Heath asked with a taunting chuckle. I heard a quick shuffle of his feet before casually taking his seat in front of Killian’s bed.

I glared at him, while Killian simply looked at him with his eyebrows furrowed, not ashamed to hide his immediate dislike for the Beta’s younger brother.

It was natural to hate Heath; his demeanor reeked of devilry.

Heath acknowledged Killian for a few seconds before bringing his attention back to me, returning my sour look by leaning back on the chair comfortably and spreading his long legs apart. He angled his head to the side and sent me a smile.

Despite the fact that Reed and Heath were of the same blood, they did not hold any resemblance except for their cerulean eyes. While Reed liked his jet black hair messy and unkempt, Heath had a dirty blond hair that was always pushed back to his head with a lock of hair hanging loosely in front of his forehead.

Heath was overall a mischief, he was everything that his brother was not. Although he had the attitude of a teenager for a twenty four year old, he was exceptional when it came to combat. He had tactics better than his brother and he knew better when it came down to teeth and claw.

Reed was the intellect, while Heath was the strength.

“What are you doing here?” I asked him.

Heath’s smile grew wider, revealing his teeth as his tongue pressed against the inside of his cheek.

“I wanted to see our visitor; the new talk of the pack, and when I saw Alpha Azeil heading back to his house like he was ready to rip someone’s head off, I just had to see this guy for myself,” he said, his enthusiasm only making my jaw tick.

Everything just seemed like an entertaining movie for him.

“Aren’t you supposed to be joining the feast with the pack?” I let my eyes narrow at Heath who merely shrugged in response.

“I could care less about that dinner,” Heath snorted. “Seeing the Alpha and the Luna with all of those mutts ready to kiss their ass just isn’t a good sight for-are his eyes supposed to be this threatening?” Heath pressed his lips together and tried to uncurl his coiling shoulders; even he could feel the beast’s strength pressing down on him.

Killian blinked several times and broke his attention from Heath, choosing to cast his eyes down instead.

He was not fully aware of his influence on other werewolves. I wasn’t even sure if he knew the extent of his strength.

“He’s here,” Heath clenched his jaw and stood up from the chair to stand in his full height with his hands obediently placed behind his back.

A posture that matched his original place in the pack, a warrior.

It was then when the Alpha entered the room and let his silver eyes fall on Killian who returned his attention with an unperturbed gaze. Their eyes challenged one another, in which me and Heath were more than happy to watch.

I noticed the Alpha’s gaze waver, the pain of defeat written on his face as he let his accusing attention fall onto me instead.

“I thought I told you to sedate him,” Alpha Azeil sent me a dark look.

“I did, Alpha Azeil,” I mumbled. “It seems that his body is resistant to the drug, I even tried giving him the dosage enough to take out an elephant.”

Alpha Azeil’s jaw clenched, his muscles bunching beneath his grey shirt as he turned his head over his shoulder to look at Beta Reed. “Those shackles won’t be enough. Chain him up and put him in the cell.”

“Alpha Azeil, he’s still healing, I can’t-”

“One more word from you, and I’ll let you join this thing,” Alpha Azeil flashed his teeth.

I kept my mouth shut and remained silent, refusing to look behind me as I heard the sound of chains being carelessly dragged, followed by Killian’s wince that went straight through my chest.

It took all of the self control in me to not lash out on the Alpha. Azeil didn’t care if Killian was a predator or a victim, he saw him as a rival to his Alpha title, and maintaining that man’s condition was not his best interest.

His world revolved around his greed.

Wrapped tightly in thick silver chains and shackles, Killian was escorted out of the room with Beta Reed and Heath to hold him firmly. Before Killian could fully take his leave, he looked at me over his shoulder to give me lingering stare.

“Your job’s done here,” Alpha Azeil scowled down at me. “And I expect you to attend tonight’s feast.”

I clenched my jaw and bowed my head respectfully, “Very well, Alpha.”

I could hear it.

The sound of werewolves united in the long table as they prepared the night’s feast.

As soon as I entered the room in my same attire of button up shirt and skirt from work, the pack members didn’t shy away from giving me several looks as I took my seat on the table with my shoulders back and head held high.

At that exact moment, I was thankful for the antiserum lowering my auditory range, as the words being passed onto each of the werewolves were only words meant to whip the back of me.

Enemy of the Moon.

It was a few minutes upon my arrival when Alpha Azeil entered the room with Luna Celeste.

Like every other day, Celeste’s dark red hair was swept to the side, proudly exhibiting her trophy as the mate of our leader’s pack. Her mark stood out from her pale complexion, and it was just as red as the natural color of her lips; I couldn’t help but feel envious of her effortless beauty.

She was so regal, so graceful, while I was anything but that.

Luna Celeste wore the same stunning smile on her lips as her hand was placed underneath Alpha Azeil’s arm, and I didn’t miss how he leaned down to plant a soft kiss to the side of her head lovingly.

Mate.

Despite my complete rejection of my wolf, having something as precious as a mate had always been something I wanted, but sadly, I couldn’t get that chance... yet.

Beta Reed and Heath were close to follow behind them. They were glaring at each other until they reached their seats in front of me. Without waiting for any sort of word of commencement, they began piling up their foods, but not forgetting to send greedy, warning growls with one another.

I turned my head to the side and noticed Luna Celeste eyeing me with a grin, and I regarded her by nodding my head in respect.

After giving each wolves a look, I began to fill up my own plate of various meals.

Before I could take a bite out of the hot, well-roasted rib of a lamb, I quickly came to a halt and looked at the two brothers in front of me.

“Was Killian given his food?”

Heath ignored my question completely as he dug onto his food and Beta Reed looked up at me.

“Alpha Azeil wants him to eat after everyone else,” Beta Reed told me curtly and continued on with his food.

I shot the Alpha a black look and grabbed my plate before standing up from my seat. “Excuse me,” I said with a clipped tone to my voice, “I think I need to leave early, my stomach doesn’t hold enough greed to eat what’s in my plate.”

Luna Celeste was quick to catch my tone, and she raised an eyebrow in response to my show of attitude while her Alpha remained oblivious, too preoccupied to have his ego fed as he basked in the glory of the wolves acknowledging him respectively.

“Luna Celeste,” I bowed my head and turned to the bastard sitting beside her, “Alpha Azeil.”

With werewolves quieted down and watching, I let my chair screech against the floor and make my leave with the plate full of food in my hand.

I took a short walk to the penitentiary section settled only a few miles from the pack’s quarters. As soon as I caught sight of the heavily enclosed building, two burly men were already standing on guard on each side of the metal door.

“Let me in,” I told them, my voice holding no sign of faltering as I looked up at them head on.

“We can’t do that, doctor, no one comes in unless given the word by the Alpha,” One of the guards hissed, the scorn on his dark, beady eyes was not hard to miss as he looked down at me.

“I only wish to give food to the prisoner, now let. Me. In.” I snarled.

“You’re an entitled little-”

“Let her in, Amell,” a voice said from behind me, and it was easy to distinguish that it belonged to Heath.

“I’m sorry, Heath, but Alpha Azeil-”

“The Alpha allowed her to. Now let her give the food to the damn mutt.”

The guards didn’t budge and only looked at each other in doubt.

“Do I look like I’m lying?” Heath’s voice dropped its tone, crossing his arms above his chest as he raised an eyebrow at the two men in front of me.

Reluctantly, the werewolves stepped aside and pushed open the metal doors, and the smell of rot infiltrated my nostrils.

“Make it quick, Valerie,” Heath told me firmly from behind.

“I will,” I looked at him over my shoulder and sent him a thankful grin before going inside the area.

The doors closed behind me and I was submerged into the darkness of the sector.

At the very end of the place was Killian, his wrists bound tight over his head as he endured the pain of his fresh wounds, his bandages slightly soaked with his own blood.

It was obvious that Alpha Azeil had done something to cause more pain for Killian.

The familiar pressure within my chest grew, and it coiled tightly around my heart and lungs, forcing me to choke out the air.

Sympathy.

“I’m sorry they did this to you,” I told him weakly as I knelt before him and placed the plate of food beside me.

You’re a victim. Not a beast.

I wanted to tell him this, to remind him as I saw his eyes looking up at me in wonder. He remained silent as I held up the food in front of him.

“You need to eat,” I told him, almost pleadingly as he merely watched me try to make an effort to at least get a reaction out of him.

Slowly, with eyes dazed, he smiled. “Thank you.”

With trembling hands and an odd tightening to my throat, I fed him with the food I had taken.