Wildling

Chapter 20

Pic of Trent ^

~~~Jaxson's POV~~~

Sean, Ashton, and Ember seemed to get along okay. Ember, I could tell, was still a bit hesitant and reserved. She learned that Sean was my alpha and had taken time to come meet her. She was confused at why he would leave such an important job just to come meet her. That sent him on a long-winded story telling about how we met and that we were best friends, practically brothers.

He retold how I had saved him when we were kids from drowning in a rapidly flowing river. He hadn't had many lessons yet and wasn't a strong swimmer. Since then, we have been inseparable, both protecting each other. So, meeting his brother's mate after he finally found her was of utmost importance to him.

We obviously didn't tell her the real reason they had come. Ashton remained relatively silent. He would cut in here or there, but his main interest was watching Ember for behavior cues as she talked. He was here to help her come to grips on her past and hopefully overcome it. He could understand her more than either of us and could have that mutual bond.

The day past quickly and we bunked down for the night. Sean repeatedly assuring Ember that they were fine sharing the couch even though it wasn't that big. He took the opportunity to joke that Ashton now couldn't reject his advances on cuddling. Cue eye roll.

We all fell into a blissful sleep, our mates in our arms. I had probably only been asleep for a few hours when I was awoken with the feeling of my thumbs being popped from their sockets. I gasped, darting up in bed, alerting Sean and Ashton who jumped at the sound.

"Jaxson? What is it?" I shook my head unable to form words yet. My breathing came out in sharp pants. I felt terrified for some reason. Sean came to my side trying to calm me.

"It's not me!" I managed to gasp out as I looked at Ember who was beginning to toss in her sleep, her face morphing into a painful grimace. Ashton scrambled to her side. Just as he was about to touch her arm, Ember let out a soul piercing scream. She writhed on the bed as she continued screaming. Her voice becomes hoarse. Accalia whined as she watched her friend in distress, not knowing how to help her when she wasn't awake.

I quite literally fell out of bed as my back exploded in pain. I looked to Sean in terror. His eyes widened at my expression. He had never seen me so scared before.

"She's getting whipped!" I screamed as I felt a lash rain down on my back. The pain was unbearable how had she survived this?!

Ashton leaped onto the bed as Ember continued to thrash in her sleep. He straddled her legs, keeping them still, as he braced her arms against her side. I watched his eyes turn white as he delved into her mind. It wasn't supposed to be like this. It was supposed to happen when she was ready, with her consent! God she's going to be pissed. She will never forgive me.

~~~Ember's POV~~~

Trigger warning.

I frantically jerked my hands back and forth, trying to escape the chains. I needed to escape. I wouldn't survive this if I didn't. Every day it got worse and worse. I wouldn't break for him. I couldn't.

Seeing this he changed his tactics. Trent would bring some random male rouge before me as I was chained up. He let them survey the "merchandise". They were allowed to look and touch, but they couldn't do anything else. Trent would be watching from the entrance, smirking as he saw my discomfort and unease. My arms would stay chained while my legs were free. Several times I tried to overpower the men he brought, thrashing and kicking to keep them away from me. Trent would punch me until I was "compliant", meaning about to lose consciousness.