Aurora's Point Of View

Glazed arrays of sunlight coax my stiff body awake, and I realize I'm right where I left off-handcuffed to a chair. Still kidnapped. I look up to the window above me and see the melatonin bottle still covered on the window sill. I'm surprised I fell asleep on my own, and who knows what's really in that bottle.

I look to the bed to see the covers tossed aside, Arlan gone. My joints ache from sitting uncomfortably for so long, so I stretch out my legs before looking down to my cuffed left hand. I move it slightly, the metal handcuff chain clinking.

"Good morning."

The door bursts open and I whip my head up and seize all movements to see Arlan in black jeans and a black hoodie. My heart begins pounding with anxiety, I can only assume my pupils are dilated. His obsidian ringlets drip with shower water over his eyes as the rich, clean smell of blackberry body wash emits from him. He comes over to me and kisses my forehead, wet curly hair touching my forehead, making my stomach sink in disgust, before he goes over to his bedside table. I watch as he puts his black and silver rings on his tattooed fingers, one by one. He winces slightly and I notice a white bandage over his pinky on his left hand. It looks like he had gotten another tattoo. Didn't he have enough...?

He turns over to me and offers a small, hospitable smile. "Will you join me for breakfast?"

"I'd rather not," I mumble sourly, my voice raspy and unrecognisable. He laughed.

"I'm sorry, let me rephrase," His voice went deeper, darker, in a chill-inducing tone he spoke, "You're going to join me for breakfast."

"No I'm not," I mumble. He exhaled curtly in exasperation.

"Yeah, I'm starting to think you really do have a handcuff kink. Come on," He came towards me.

"Stop it," I said louder, looking away from him. "Don't touch me, just leave me alone."

"Aurora," He snarled gruffly, leaning over me with his hands on the arms of the chair. "Don't start with this attitude shit again," He lifted my chin with one finger, "Now, you're gonna come down or so help me God, I'll make you. Say Yes Sir."

I give him a glare full of hatred.

"I'm not,"-

I shriek as I feel my feet off the ground and look around, bewildered, to see he's lifted the chair and we're moving out of the room.

"Arlan, okay, okay!" I whimper, terrified, gripping the arm chairs. I look down to see I'm high off the ground. "Please, I don't want you to drop this I could get hurt!" He's lifted an entire 500 pound chair and is actually carrying me down! I can't believe he has this much strength, I don't hear him groaning and the chair doesn't wobble. It terrifies me seeing how much stronger he is than me.

"I told you," His voice was slightly strained as we start to make our way down the stairs. I whimper loudly, wincing tightly and shutting my eyes. He's carrying this down the stairs?!! He's definitely going to drop me! "Either you...come down...or I'll...make you!"

So much for him saying he understands my anxiety, here he is enabling it! Thankfully, by the grace of God, I feel myself being settled down. When I hear him sit across from me, I open my eyes hesitantly. He's already wolfing down a bowl of cereal in annoyance, not looking at me. I'm panting quietly, my chest heaving, just thankful that I'm not hurt.

I can't believe he did that! I could've fallen down the stairs and broke my neck!

Looking down, I see a large serving of colorful fruit loops bobbing in milk. I have no appetite.

"I eat with my left hand," I lie in a sassy tone, leaning back and looking away from the cereal. I see him in the corner of my eye glaring at me. He gets up and I start to feel nervous. He hovers over me and I blink up at his incredibly intimidating appearance. He fishes around in his pocket and my heart is hammering, expecting he'll gag me again. God, Aurora, why did you have to make a snark comment?! I squeeze my eyes shut. Instead, he turns a key and the handcuff breaks open, letting my hand go. I'm shocked, to say the least, eyes snapping open to see my free hand.

"Every door is locked and bolted with mafia men on the other side, don't even try to escape," He mutters boredly, seating himself across from me. I rub my sore hand in utter relief, and feel a twinge of gratefulness.

"And by the way, I know you're right-handed."

I blink at him before glancing at the white bandaging on his finger. I lamely swirled the spoon around the milk, Kacelynn's words starting to play in my head.

'Get. out'

I froze as I felt a chill down my spine, then continued swirling my spoon anxiously.

'He's dangerous, Aurora'

I looked at Arlan eating cereal, a man I seemingly trusted 24 hours ago.

'Get. out'

I looked behind him, trying to see an exit.

'Get. out'

I looked at the cabinets above him, could I hit him with a pot or pan? Did I even have the courage to be violent?

'when he starts coming home with bruised lips...you'll wish you'd listened to me.'

Bruised lip.

Dustin's bruise lip.

I pause from my cereal bowl, realization dawning on me. I remember Arlan's curled fist from that night at Little Louisa's, and I remember Dustin's bruise lip, and the pieces connect in a horrifying puzzle.

"It was you," I breathe, looking at him in an epiphany. It was hard to get the words out, to realize and admit a very violent man was before me. "You beat up Dustin."

Arlan didn't look up from his bowl or miss a beat, continuing eating. Was he deaf!?

Everything made sense, why dustin didn't tell me the truth and seemed so weird. Arlan had always said he wouldn't be violent, but he had his fist curled at the cafe. I should've known what kind of person he really was. It was a violent one.

"I could've done far worse," Arlan muttered, finally acknowledging my comment. "And, it was for you."

"I asked you not to be violent," I breathe out, remembering our phone call. "You agreed."

"Yeah, well maybe I have a listening problem. I haven't been to a doctor in three years." Sarcasm was clearly a coping mechanism for him.

"Can we just forget about the stupid fucker?" He shook his head in disgust. " You don't have to deal with him, or your stupid dead end job-yeah, I put in your two weeks notice, you're welcome-or school, all thanks to me. And If it makes you feel any better about all of this, I dropped out of school, too."

"What? Why? Wait, why are you even in school? How old are you?"

"I'm your age, Aurora," He looked at me in annoyance, "But anyway," He shrugs as if none of that is a big deal. "Now, I can have more time with you. All I want is to be with you, protect you, keep you safe,"-

"Enough, please!" I cried, sniffling loudly. "You lied to me! I-it's too much Arlan!"

He sighed empathetically.

"I know, okay, I'm getting ahead of myself, again...I know it's a lot," He looked to me 'sincerely', "That's why I told you, you can have dinner on your own so we have some time apart so you can process. I don't want to trigger your anxiety too much. I know this is a lot to take in. I'm sorry, I'm just kind of numb to my lifestyle at this point, it's not a big deal to me, I'm forgetting it must be a shock to you. In my kind of job, lying is the easiest part of anything. Fucking believe me," He bristled his lips, shaking his head.

"What about Dacie?" I said, heartbroken. "Arlan, I'm like her big sister, I'm like the mom she never had! Don't you feel bad about this?" I whisper, vision blurred with salty tears. "About who you are? How can you be so cruel?"

It was silent as he swirled his spoon around as if pretending to ignore me. Finally, he mumbled, "Kind of."

"Kind of?!" I said incredulously. "How do you only KIND OF feel bad about kidnapping me?" I lean forward, screaming.

"Aurora, of course I fucking feel bad," He slammed his fist down and I leaned back instantly.

"I hate to see you suffering like this, I care about you so much, so, so fucking much- but I can't cave in and let you go! I-I can't give you back to a cruel world! I have to stick to my guns and protect you and that's by leaving you here. If it means I have to give you some tough love, it means I have to give you some tough love."

I laughed under my breath.

"Yeah, I've heard that sentence before. Only no real love has ever come after that."

"And that's why you're here. Things are going to be different here."

"Okay, w-why not just get me adopted or something? I-I don't want to live in a mafia house! It's dangerous, and I don't like drugs or criminals or violence,"-

"I'm the boss, Aurora, the alpha. I can assure you nothing and will ever touch you."

"Well, what if I go back home, but we just keep dating?" I quickly attempted to negotiate.

His lip curled up in a smirk. His eyes float up to meet my timid ones with confidence.

"Oh, so we're dating?"

My lips parted in shock and formed to say something, but I just stuttered incoherently. I wanted to scream no, but didn't want to get in trouble. I also couldn't bring myself to say yes.

"In my eyes, you're my girlfriend. Am I your boyfriend?" He pressed, eyes boring into mine.

I felt my heart break and again, couldn't force myself to agree, but was too scared to disagree.

"Y-you would be if you let me go," I lied weakly.

His upper lip snarled up, as he looked down and kept eating. "Yeah, cause I'm sure you're so inclined to be my girlfriend."

"I-if you let me go, I would be," I quickly beg, trying to save myself. "I-I think it would be so nice and amazing and, of course I would date you. I would appreciate you forever," I sputtered out the lies.

He slowly looked up, sipping milk from his spoon.

"You're stuttering is really making me believe you," he said sarcastically.

I exhaled exasperatedly, pushing back from the table. "I wanna go upstairs."

"You just woke up," he reasoned.

"Yeah, well, I wanna see if maybe this is all a nightmare and wake up again," Just as I was going to push past him, his hands caught my waist making me gasp. He pulled me to him and I whined quietly in fear. He chuckled. He played with my hair and deep breathed into my back, making me tremble.

"You're adorable. Don't sleep for too long," i shivered as his breath directly cascaded onto my ear, "I want to introduce you to the maids later, they're all females, and they'll bathe you," he mumbled into my ear, giving my side a tight squeeze that had me quivering.

"B-bathe me? Arlan,"-

"Go," he said, sending a harsh slap to my ass that made me tumble a bit forward and whimper.

He spanked me! What the heck?!

Wanting desperately to get away and not be touched I ran up the stairs to his room to nap.

Something tickled my neck and aroused me from my nap. I shook my head a little, thinking it was just my hair or something before my eyes popped open seeing Arlan atop me and feeling him kissing my neck.

"What are you doing!" I cried, pushing at his chest forcefully. The gross, slightly wet feeling on my neck sickened me. He looked to me and spun a lock of my hair around his finger.

"Oh good, you're up."

I pushed at him again, crying out.

"Get up, you're assaulting me!"

"Baby, I'm just showing my affection, don't be silly."

"Well I don't want your attention so take it, shove it, and get off!" I panicked and started fighting.

He rolled his eyes and got off easily, unmarked and un-phased.

"You're no fun," He replies.

I lift myself up and eye him in disbelief and utter disgust. It's like every time I fall asleep I can't stay at peace, I have to wake up to some kind of disturbing mess caused by Arlan!

"If you're my girlfriend, why can't I kiss you?"

"I-I...Arlan, I'm not,"-

"You're not? I thought you said earlier that we were dating."

"Well, I-I meant,"-

"You meant?" He quirked an eyebrow up, daring me to tell the truth.

I felt the words physically stuck in my throat, too afraid to speak the truth. I knew if I wanted a chance of him feeling bad and letting me go, I had to agree that we were together. I lifted myself off the bed and slowly padded to him. I stood below him, my head under his chin. I started nervously playing with my fingers and staring at them.

"I-I meant...I am your girlfriend," I shyly mumble, feeling my heart crush saying the disgusting lie, "B-but...I just want to take things slow. I haven't even kissed someone, or anything. I've never been with a boy before."

He took my hands in his and curled them to his chest, interlacing our fingers and smirking amusedly. I look up at him.

"Baby, you're so adorable," He mumbles in a raspy tone. "I know you've never been with anyone, it's not hard to tell."

I pause, feeling a little offended. What did that mean?

"Thanks?" I whisper in confusion and he laughs.

"I just mean...it's easy to tell you're not experienced with that kinda stuff, and you have a lot of anxiety so you probably have a hard time talking to guys you like."

"Well I...I spoke to Kacelynn and she said,"-

He groaned loudly. "What the fuck did that bitch say? Why is my ex talking to you?"

"Please? Just let me finish?" I plead softly, trying to ease his anger. He swallows harshly and exhales slowly, looking back down to me.

"W-well she just said...said that you were only interested in me for sex. A-and yesterday, when I asked if that's why I'm here, you said not entirely..."

He sighed.

"I meant, I hope to do that with you some day, baby, I do," I felt my eyes well up with terror, "But only when it's right and out of love. So, no, it's not just why you're here."

"Oh," I mumble, not knowing what else to say or feeling any better. Actually, feeling far worse. He just affirmed he wants to sleep with me.

He sighs.

"Come here."

With trembling arms I look up at him. He nods his head at me to come to him. But I don't want to. I really don't want to. I fear the consequences of him getting angry again, and I know I have to. Shaking, I come forward and he wraps me in a bone-crushing hug, caressing my hair, that makes me gasp quietly.

"I will never, ever hurt you, okay?" He speaks into the top of my head, pressing a kiss to it. My tears leak into his hoodie. "Never."