.

and disgust that Neema had felt earlier on had transformed into untamed unbridled anger. She was absolutely livid by the time the mating ceremony came about. The wolves had puled her last string and she did not know if she had anything left in her to deal with the ordeal. Her body was sore and tired and her mind was running a muck with ways to kill. Today had been one of her worst days yet and that was saying a lot.

After khan had left she had been escorted to another white room that was filled with appliances a large shower and an even bigger bath. She had been stripped bare and roughly shoved in the shower as the women stood around her scowling and tugging at her body and that was how the rest of her night went. She was pulled and prodded by spiteful and vindictive women who hated her on sight, not that she was anything great to look at. They were all jealous cows. They wanted to be the ones mating with of a wolf of her 'mates' stature but Neema would do anything to be them. She craved to be free, but they did not care that she didn't want the "good fortune" he was bestowing upon her. No, they had been mad that she had him and remained so ungrateful.

They had surely taken their anger out on her and there was not much she could have done in defence. It wasn't as if they had viscously attacked her with punches and kicks. No they had been much more discrete.

They had dunked her head under the bath for much longer than necessary, scrubbed her skin raw and yanked on her hair all in their bid to make her presentable. It had taken her hair at least 10 washes to be completely clean, the shower water had run a disgustingly brown colour with streaks of red from the dried blood that was clotted along her skin and in her hair. After they had given her a preliminary shower they had taken her over to a scolding hot bath that smelt of camomile and honey, the water was murky white and felt nourishing against her skin, but their hands did not.

Neema knew she was dirty, living underground was full of dirt and dust and with there being a limited supply of running water they had been living off of rations. One token per family a week and with two kids she barely felt the water on her skin before it cut out. She knew she did not smell or look the greatest but the damn wolves had treated her like vermin. As if she was scum on the heel of their shoe, so many times she wanted to kill them and she had even tried to at one point. It had really shaken them up when she dragged the black girl by her long frizzy hair and dunked her into the water, head first. Keeping the girls head submerged under the water she had stared down all the she-wolves in the vicinity, daring them to at like the bitches they really were. When none even flinched in her direction she released the woman who came up sputtering and crying like Neema had stabbed her. The damn weakling did not know anything of pain, but it had served its purpose.

The she wolves calmed down after that, they had even been nice for a while. They fed her chicken while her nails dried and placed some soft buttermilk cream onto her skin while she drank a pink frothy drink through something they called a straw, all fancy stuff. Neema had wanted to refuse the food, she couldn't imagine eating without knowing that her siblings had eaten first but one of the women had assured her that they did not starve kids in this facility. Though Neema did not trust any of the wolves before her it was as close as she would get to making sure they ate and so she took the woman's words for truth, if only to ease her own guilt.

Neema had thought it was all going well and that they were all getting along after the rough start. What a shock she had received when they had led her over to a white bed where they proceeded to rip all the hair from her body, one painstaking strip at a time until she looked like a bald chicken ready for cooking, all pink and tender and hairless. Neema couldn't understand why any woman would want to hurt herself so much just to look like a naked mole rat. Sahina had stood by the door still yapping along as she explained that being hairless would maximise her pleasure, assuming that Neema would feel any in the first place.

By the time the grooming process was finished her eyebrows had been shaped, any body hair was promptly removed, her scalp and body was scrubbed raw and her mental disposition had been worn thin. Her mate had to be suicidal if he thought to touch her this night she was not in an entertaining mood and would probably remain so for a whole millennium.

They tried to make her look seductive in a transparent silky gown, the cups of the dress crossed over and swooped low at her breasts giving a brief view of her dark nipples. The dress barely reached her thighs and was all she was permitted to wear. No underwear, nothing. She had asked for a coat or something to cover herself but they had merely snickered at her as they shoved her out the door and into the strong arms of her mate. The same mate who was currently carrying her over his shoulders because she had spat in his face for the lewd comment he had made.

Neema really couldn't take any more, she had been pushed over her breaking point long ago, she was surely going to become a murderess by the end of the night. Gods, she was hoping it was her mate she killed.

Khan had been unprepared for the seductive sight Neema made in nothing but her mating gown. Her previously untamed hair lay in silky curls across her chest, though the curls did nothing to hide the swells of her succulent body, her skin smelt of sugar and her previously chapped lips were soft and dewy. Her eyes, well her eyes were still spitting fire at him. Releasing a slight chuckle, Khan had told her how he was looking forward to ploughing her into submission, that comment had not ended well and he had a slightly damp beard as evidence.

He only hoped they had explained to her what would happen because he had no patience to fight with her.

Growling under his breath he pushed open the big hall doors with Neema still placed securely on his shoulder. Her hips wiggling as she tried to drop free of his hold, the moves tempting his hands to move further up her thigh only to find she wore nothing underneath the small garment, he couldn't wait to secure his bloodline.

The warmth emitting from the juncture between her thighs caused his gait to speed up as he all but ran to the bed that lay in the middle of the podium. The little female released a hesitant gasp when she met the many eyes of the people in the room, their eyes glowed as the candle light lit the dim room. Candelabras hung from posts and a large chandelier was dangling from the ceiling giving the witnesses more than enough light to see them.

There were more people than Khan was used to seeing at a mating but it could be because there were quite a few alpha mattings this evening, though he was sure they were here to witness a descendant of the Manasseh line take his first mate. It could also be due to the fact that by mating Neema he could begin transitioning into his role of regional alpha. Mating Neema was more than just having a mate and creating the next generation of Manasseh descendants, through mating Neema he was finally accepting his father's legacy and would begin creating his own pack that would be at the helm of wolf society politics. Khan had been a man for over a century but through this mating he was fully becoming the man he was destined to be. This was one of the most important ceremonies he would ever participate in and they had set the stage for him.

The room was shroud in dimness and the smell of anticipation was strong in the air as was Neema's fear. It was a heady aroma, one that beckoned him to shed his skin and release his fur.

"Are all of them gonna watch" Neema whispered up to khan, her big eyes filled with fear. She hoped that the crowd would have been smaller but there was at least 50 people present if not more and they all seemed eager to view this sham of a mating ceremony.

Khan only grunted in response as he continued his march towards the bed that was placed on top of a risen podium. Neema felt sick to her stomach, the damn wolves had tried to set some type of mood but she only felt repulsed. There was a heavy stench of release in the air and she automatically knew she wasn't the only one to endure this fate. She wasn't scared of intimacy and she wasn't waiting for love mainly because women in the underground villages often married for protection, sustenance and the opportunity of children, sometimes love would blossom but often times it was only companionship.

The main issue for Neema though was that she did not have a choice and she hated that fact, for the past year and a half she had been in control of her and her siblings lives and now all of it was being viciously ripped from her hands. There was no preliminary let's get to know each other period, just a straight wham bam thank you mam and then what, Children? Did they really expect her to want to have his children, it was not beneath a woman to terminate an unwanted pregnancy? Neema was not the type to do so but still, did they not fear that would be her reaction or did they have that much faith in humanity.

These wolves disgusted her, they represented everything she felt was wrong with society. Women and men were forced into relationships with these wolves who acted as if they were the very gods themselves. Women were forced to have "bonds" and bare pups for these vicious males who had no care to their mate's feelings and human males were emasculated. Families were torn apart to create these artificial and supposedly superior ones, humans were whipped for hiding and for preventing the procreation of the very race that enslaved them.

How would she ever be able to look at her children without remembering this odious night?

Clenching her fist, she felt her body shaking as she tried to pry his arms from her thigh, his fingers flexed deeper into her skin and his free hand swatted against her behind. The loud crack caused a harsh gasp to slip from her lips and for the people to move closer to the bed. They moved away from the chairs that were placed in the alcoves and moved a few paces forward as if they found his actions interesting.

"Please don't" she sobbed, her word muffled as she tried to control her tears.

"I- I – I'd be willing, if - if we could just go somewhere else." she whispered as she tried to slide off his shoulder. His hand loosened its hold over her legs and allowed her to slide halfway down his body leaving her propelled halfway off the ground and eye to eye with him.

His nostrils flared as his eyes became impossibly black, his thick tongue flicked out as if he was contemplating changing his mind. Her body was sent hurtling into the air, her hair splaying across her face as she tumbled onto the bed, her eyes wide as she stared up in shock. She had her answer as he stripped off his top and discarded it on the floor, his eyes never staying from her stagnant form as he made his way over to the bed.

The sheets were plain in furnishing due to the continuous changing of the linens after each mating, the blankets lay folded at the foot of the bed and was there for modesties sake in case some fool wanted to hide his dominance from the room. Khan of course thought it was pointless. He wanted the room to watch as he took his mate and revel in the fact that they could never have the beautiful woman who lay waiting for him. This would be the only time they would catch a glimpse of her body and then she would be his for the rest of her life. Only his. Climbing onto the bed, he moved forward as if he was on the hunt, stalking his prey and laying in wait for any signs of flight. He felt his eyes sharpening and his nostrils flaring with the scent of her fear and reluctant arousal, tonight she would be his.

"This wolf grows restless" He panted in her ear as he gripped her right thigh.

Pushing her legs wider to make room for him he caught a glimpse of the pinkness that awaited him. Roughly forcing her down on the bed his body quickly followed, as he aligned his hips with her bare centre.

Staring into his darkening eyes Neema began to squirm underneath his heavy body, her hips rubbing against his as tried to overthrow him off her body and her legs pushing against the mattress, making a perfect ladle for him to lay in.

Feeling the rock hard evidence of his willingness to participate Neema put more effort into her struggles, what was once feeble pushing of his body became harsh scratching and ripping of flesh. The coppery scent of blood only adding to the heated atmosphere.

She could not believe that not only was he prepared to actually secure the bond but that he was willing to do it in a room full of eager wolves, it should have been no surprise to her as they were feral animals in every sense of their being. Still, Neema had held out hope for some humanity.

She had been almost certain that he was going to change his mind.

What a fool she had been.