Drag Me Away

Author's Note: There's a mention of rape/non consent in this, though it isn't depicted. Just letting y'all know in case you don't like that. It's near the end, started by 'some werewolves punish their pets by' and is two short little dialogue paragraphs. The third paragraph is safe.

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Parker is dragged outside the van via her leash and looks up at the massive hotel.

Parker's dragged inside. She wishes she could grab the leash, yank it out of the asshole's hands. But her hands are ziptied behind her back and all she can do is helplessly follow the yanks. As she's dragged inside, werewolves whoop and leer at her. She hears whistles and cat-calls. She wishes that she could yell at them, but the rag is tied around her head and fitted firmly in her mouth. She's dragged through the lobby and the werewolf yanks so hard she stumbles forward. She keeps her feet under her, but just barely.

The werewolf puts a hand on her shoulder and pushes and she falls on her knees painfully. She looks up but the werewolf puts his other hand on her head and shoves, making her look at the floor. The lobby silences and she can hear footsteps approach her. "Let her look up," a man says and the werewolf lets her head go. She lifts it, glaring at the probable-werewolf in front of her. He's flanked by two guards and the werewolf is wearing jeans and a t-shirt. "Take the gag out."

The werewolf unties it and she spits it out. The leader examines her. He reaches down and grabs her hair, yanking her head back so she bares her throat. He hums, smiling. "She's pretty," he says and releases her. She looks at him again, setting her jaw. "She's the best friend's daughter, right," he asks the heavyset werewolf.

"If you want to know something, ask me yourself," she snaps. The leader looks at her and smirks.

"You're either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid," he says. He grabs her hair again and drags her closer, though he puts his other hand on her shoulder to keep her on her knees. "But you're also gorgeous. Make your choice."

"Choice between what," she asks. He chuckles.

"More like 'between who,' sweetheart. Me or my cousin?"

"Your cousin," she snaps.

"You didn't even see him," the leader says, amused.

"I don't give a fuck. He doesn't have a hand in my hair making me bare my fucking throat."

"You know, I can rip your throat out with my teeth."

"Ditto." He raises an eyebrow. "I'm sure I can figure something out if you don't fucking let go of me."

He chuckles and keeps a hand in her hair. "Go on and try, baby. You'll be dead before you make half a move." She glares at him. He lifts the hand on her shoulder and wraps it around her throat. She stills. He smirks and lets go of her with both hands. She goes to stand and the werewolf who has her leash shoves her back down. The leader backs up. "Take her to his room," he says without looking away from her. "And tell my cousin that I want to see him."

"Yes, sir," one of the guards says.

Parker is forced to stay on her knees as the leader walks away. The werewolves he passes kneel when he walks by them, then stand when he's past. Only when he's out of sight is she yanked to her feet. She's dragged into an elevator and the werewolf presses the button for floor 32. She's forced to wait- she's leashed, collared, and tied. She can't do anything.

The elevator arrives at the floor and she's yanked out. She's dragged down the hallway and through a door before she's in an apartment. The werewolf holds the leash taut and grabs a chain hanging from the ceiling, attaching that to the front of her collar. He unclips the leash and leaves. She waits until his footsteps fade and yanks at the tether. It holds firm. She follows it with her eyes to a piece of hardware anchored in the ceiling. She huffs. She walks a few feet, testing the tether. It lets her get that far. She looks around. The apartment is big- she's in a living room, she can see a few closed doors a little ways away. She walks towards them carefully, but the tether pulls tight, making the collar dig in. She backs up. She walks around- she can't sit on any furniture. If she wants to rest her legs- and they're starting to hurt- she has to sit on the carpet. She holds out but she does sit cross-legged.

It feels like hours before the werewolf who had 'greeted' her in this fucking place comes in, with the same guards. Behind him is another werewolf. They have the same eyes. This must be the cousin. Parker gets to her feet. "See, Rowan," the leader says, looking at him. "I told you she was pretty."

"She is," 'Rowan' says in a deep, curt voice. He's looking at her.

"So you have a wonderful new pet."

"Thank you, Devon."

"My pleasure." Devon turns his head towards her. "Rowan, feel free," he says. Parker is confused. Then Rowan walks around his cousin and grabs her throat, slamming her onto her back. He cuts off her air. Devon starts to laugh as she struggles. "Still want him, sweetheart?"

Rowan eases up and she glares at the werewolf with his hand around her throat. "I still choose him over your ass, yeah," Parker says.

"Your loss. Rowan," Devon says. He looks at him. "Have fun."

Devon and his guards leave. Rowan glares at her and keeps his hand on her throat long after they're gone. Then he moves his hand to her collar. He unclips the chain and walks away. She gets to her feet. "Sorry about that," Rowan says, making her attention snap to him. He's facing her, his arms at his sides. "I had to do that. What's your name?"

"Parker."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Rowan. I'm going to cut off your zip tie," he says. "I have to get behind you. I won't hurt you."

Parker stills and he comes around her. He takes her wrists gently and slices through her ties. She can feel the coolness of his claws, but he doesn't so much as nick her with them.

She brings her hands to her front and rubs the raw skin. He comes around and looks at her. "Can I see those," he asks as he extends his hand. She pauses. "I'm not going to hurt you, Parker." She lays one hand in his and he brings it up for a look. He's gentle with her, and he examines the wound all the way around. "Do they hurt?"

"Not bad."

He nods and lets go. "You hungry?"

"No."

"Liar."

"What?"

"Your heart skipped," he explains. "Werewolves, especially Alphas, can hear that."

"You're an Alpha?"

"Yes. So what do you want to eat?"

"Something not poisoned or drugged."

Rowan sighs. "I'm not going to hurt, kill, poison, or drug you."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?"

"You don't." He walks past her and she watches him go through a drawer in a server at the other end of the room. He comes back with aloe. "This will help," he says, offering the bottle. "With your wrists." She takes it warily and uncaps it. She spreads the cooling substance on the raw wounds and sighs in relief. "So what do you want to eat?"

Parker scoffs. "I've eaten nothing but fast food for a week as I was dragged across the country. So anything green would be nice."

Rowan nods. "I'll get you a salad. Anything you don't want on it?"

"Onions. I hate onions."

"What dressing?"

"Balsamic."

"Any meat on it?"

"Chicken."

"Grilled?"

"Sounds good."

Rowan nods and pulls out his phone. She can hear tones as he texts. She caps the aloe and puts it on the table. She pauses and then lifts her hands to the collar. "I can't let you do that," Rowan says, and she looks at him. "The collar has to stay on, I'm sorry about that."

"Even when I sleep?"

"Even then."

She scoffs but drops her hands. "What angle are you working?"

"What?"

"I mean is this some kind of bullshit 'niceness' to put me off guard, then when I relax you'll do...whatever it is you want?"

"What I want is to let you go home," Rowan says. "But since my cousin would probably kill us both, I can't exactly do that." He walks past her to the fridge. He comes back with a water bottle. He hands it over. She examines the top- sealed. She cracks it and drinks deeply. She lowers it and caps it. He sits on the couch and watches her. "I'm glad you chose me. My cousin is a brute."

"Yeah, I can tell," she scoffs. "So why are you being so fucking nice?"

"Because as much as my species would like to pretend otherwise, we have some humanity in us."

She huffs and shakes her head. "Why am I here, Rowan?"

"Because your father's best friend is who he is. Max Irving is the leader of the human resistance in New York," he says.

"How do you know that," she asks, wary.

"My cousin may be a colossal douchebag, but he's smart. He has spies all over the place, feeding him information. Most of it is little. Some of it is big. And very rarely, he gets huge information. He's been trying to figure out who's the human in charge in New York for months. He finally got the answer. So he sent a hunting party to grab him. Turns out Max was elsewhere. So Devon sent them for the next best thing- his best friend. You were in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"So what exactly would Devon have done with Max or my dad if he had gotten them?"

"Max? Tortured him to death. He would have kept your father for ransom, try to get Max to meet him. He probably wouldn't have, so he would have gotten your dad's head in a box."

"And me?"

Rowan sighs. "You're a 'pet.' Horrible term for the poor humans that get captured."

"And what am I supposed to do?"

"Be a slave." She stills. "I won't hurt you. But pets tend to be...more sex slaves than anything."

"Jesus fucking Christ!"

"I know, I don't like it either. But I'm glad you chose me over Devon. Devon would have done things you wouldn't be able to imagine until you were...broken. He's very good at breaking humans. He does it a lot for other wolves." He sighs and leans forward, putting his clasped hands between his knees. "So now you 'belong' to me," he stresses the horrible word. "Which means the collar stays on, you'll be leashed when you leave this apartment, and you won't speak unless you're spoken to."

"This is a nightmare," she says. She's thought that for a week.

"I know, and I'm sorry. But I'll teach you how to survive here." He stands. "Can you tell werewolves from humans?"

"I'm gonna go out on a limb and say the ones not in collars will be werewolves." Rowan laughs quietly.

"That's a good assumption. If you're ever unsure, err on the side of caution. Don't look in anyone's eyes."

"Got it."

"Other humans, they're safer. But some of them are more loyal to their 'masters' than you might expect, so still be really careful."

"Stockholm Syndrome."

"A very extreme case, yeah." Rowan looks at her. "Come on. Your food's coming, so that means I have to tie you up again."

Parker nods and he grabs the chain again. He clips it to her collar. He walks past her and goes to the door. Parker tries to see around him, but he closes the door behind him. She strains her ears, but can't catch anything. The door opens again and Rowan is there, followed by a probable-werewolf pushing a cart. The cart is brought to within a few feet of her distance.

"Parker, this is Leigh," Rowan introduces them. "She's part of my pack. She's safe."

"I'm sorry this is happening to you," Leigh says.

"Thanks."

"We still have to talk about some things," Rowan says to Leigh.

"Ok, Rowan. Let me know if I can help."

"I will." He bends his head and they press foreheads. Then Leigh leaves. Rowan comes to her and unclips her. He lifts the cover on the plate there, exposing a big salad. He takes it off the cart and brings it to the coffee table. He puts it down and puts silverware beside it. Parker follows the food. He stands aside and she sits. She slices through the salad, making sure the bites are small enough she can eat. She pokes through it- olives and tomatoes and chicken and mozzarella. It's delicious. She eats every bite and sits back. Rowan clears her dishes and puts them back on the cart. He pushes it outside the door and comes back.

"So what else do I have to know to not get killed," Parker asks.

"Do you know about the different levels of werewolves?"

"Alphas, Betas, Omegas, yeah. Alphas have red eyes, Omegas and Betas gold."

"Right. There's also levels to humans' collars here," he says. "You'll get a new collar soon. It should be more comfortable than that one. Shouldn't scratch." She nods- the collar she's wearing right now is rough, she hates the way it scratches her skin and how it feels when she moves her head or talks. "As you might expect, the higher the status of the werewolf, the better the collar. Lower werewolves have their pets in simple collars, but as they get more prestigious, the collars get fancier."

"And how prestigious are you, Rowan," she smiles.

Rowan laughs. "Prestigious enough to put you in a collar with diamonds and platinum in it." She stares at him. "The one I chose with Devon won't be that flashy, I promise. It'll be red, with a brass buckle and ring. The inside will be made of padded satin. It should be a lot more comfortable."

"Thank you."

"Besides, it'll be better for you to keep a low profile."

"Why?"

"Because most werewolves have to 'claim' their pets."

"You mean rape them."

"Yeah. So since I won't do that to you, the werewolves will be able to smell that. Now since I'm high ranking, that shouldn't matter. It should matter even less because I'm direct blood with Devon, who's the head honcho. But there are always power struggles here. Assassination attempts all the fucking time. So if you don't wear the collar of someone high-ranking, that should keep you safer."

"Rowan, I was practically paraded to Devon and publicly chose you over him."

"I know, and word will spread. The gossip here is worse than middle school." Parker laughs. Rowan smiles. "But still, anything we can do to keep you safe is good."

"Thank you."

He nods. "Is there anything else I can do for you, make you more comfortable?"

"Can I take a shower and get new clothes to change into?"

"Yeah, come on." She follows him and he brings her to a bathroom. "Hot," he says, laying a hand on a knob. "Cold." The other one. "When you get undressed, wrap a towel around yourself and give me your clothes. I'll send your size to Leigh, she'll be able to find you other clothes."

"Thanks."

He walks out of the bathroom and closes the door behind himself. She sets the shower up and it gets hot in no time. She strips and leaves her underwear and socks on the floor, grabbing her jeans, shirt, and bra. She wraps a towel around herself and opens the door. Rowan is waiting outside and extends his hands. She hands them over. He walks away and she ducks back into the bathroom and gets in the shower, relieved. She can get clean. She washes her hair four times before she feels good. She conditions and rinses off. She turns off the water and steps out, drying herself. She wraps the towel around herself and opens the door, poking her head out. "Rowan," she calls. No answer. She steps out and walks around the apartment. He's not around. She looks through every room- a kitchen attached to the living room, the bathroom she just used, and a single bedroom. She looks at the safe beside the bed but leaves it alone. She sits in the living room and shivers. She's still wet, especially her hair, and she runs cold anyway.

Half an hour later, Rowan comes back with Leigh. They're both carrying several big white shopping bags. They walk in and Leigh shuts the door behind them.

"Ok, clothes," Rowan says. He sets the bags on the floor. She gets up and walks to the bags. "I'll be in my room, you can pick out whatever you want."

"Thanks," Parker says.

He walks away. She turns her attention to Leigh. "He's safe, I promise," Leigh says.

"You're only saying that because he can hear you."

"Has he hurt you yet?"

"Well, no-"

"Is he telling you how to be safe?"

"Yeah-"

"Trust him," Leigh tells her. "My Alpha has a good head on his shoulders. And he's kind. He won't hurt you."

Parker looks at the bags. "Are you clothing an army?"

Leigh laughs. "Pick out an outfit to wear now, I'll help you put away the rest."

Parker grabs a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, picking out a bra and accepting the package of simple underwear from Leigh. She goes into the bathroom and changes, pulling off the tags. She keeps the towel around her shoulders, soaking up the water from her hair. She goes back to Leigh and Rowan is in the living room. "You'll have to put everything in my room," he says. "And," he pauses. "You'll have to share my bed." She glares. "You have to smell as much like me as you can- it'll keep you safer."

"Fine." The girls bring the bags into Rowan's room and put everything away in his closet and a spare dresser.

When they come out, Rowan is standing in the middle of the living room. "Leigh, we still have to talk about some things, if you don't mind."

"Sure," she nods. "Rowan, could you give her my number when she gets a phone?"

Rowan pauses. "I don't think that's a good idea," he admits. "If anyone found out she has a phone," he starts. "It wouldn't be good for her, me, or the pack." Leigh sighs.

"You're right," she says. She turns to Parker. "I'm here," she promises.

Parker nods. "Thanks."

Leigh and Rowan do the forehead press again and she leaves.

"What's that all about, anyway," Parker asks.

"The forehead press?"

"Yeah."

"It's a sign of trust. Equality."

"You're her Alpha," she says, shocked.

"Which is why I only do it with the pack when we're alone," he says. "I'm fair, Parker. I try my best to be a good man." He sighs. "But we still have to go over some stuff. Now, you should stay in the apartment for a few days, maybe a week. So we can talk about stuff when we can, but also to make you smell as much like me as we can without me claiming you."

"What do you even do," Parker asks.

"I help my cousin. We have another cousin, Jason. He isn't as high-ranking as I am since he isn't an Alpha, but he's a good man. You'll meet him when I introduce you to the pack."

"He's part of yours?"

"Yeah. He's my second." Rowan pauses. "I'm just going to say this as early as I can," he says. "In public, I'm going to have to be a whole lot different."

"What will you do to me," Parker asks, her heart beating hard.

"Nothing you can't handle. I'll pull your leash a little hard, treat you a little roughly, but nothing that will actually hurt you. I give you my word on that. But you will have to defer to me."

"I don't know what that means."

"Look, humans have very, very specific rules about how they interact with werewolves here. If you break any of them, it won't be good."

"Oh, great. Maybe you can give me a book, I'll read up. You can quiz me!"

"I'm trying to help, Parker," Rowan snaps. He breathes deeply. "I know this sucks. But I'm your best option. Unless you'd rather go with Devon."

Parker sighs. "What kind of rules," she asks.

"Like I said before- don't speak unless you're spoken to, don't look werewolves in the eye. But there are some things they may tell you to do that you absolutely, positively, can never do."

"Then why would they ask me to do them?"

"To see if I'm treating you the way werewolves should treat a pet. They may ask you to bare your throat or kneel. Don't. Unless it's Devon, then do it as fast as you can."

"But-"

"Devon is the most dangerous werewolf here," Rowan says, approaching her. "He's the leader because he rules by terror. He won't be happy I won't claim you, but there's not much he can do about it. But if you give him any excuse, he will take you for himself. And then you'll really be in a nightmare."

"Rowan, I'm scared enough. Why are you doing this to me?"

"Because you have to understand. If Devon asks you to do anything- get him food, get him a drink, kneel in front of him, bare your throat to him- do it. But if he ever tells you to undress either yourself or him, do nothing. Don't say anything, don't say no, don't turn your back and walk away. Just don't do it. He might get mad, he might just get amused. I don't know because he's unpredictable. But do not let him bully you. You're smart, I can tell that. So keep being smart." Parker nods. "Ok. Now for the really embarrassing part." He looks at her. "You're going to have to learn to walk on a leash."