Fight for Me

She hears the metal door opening, and the sound of his footsteps follow.

She knows he’s probably bringing her food again, to feed it to her. Like he has for the past two days.

Opening the gate to her cell, he puts the tray down in front of her and sits next to her on the mattress on the floor. He apologized before, about the conditions he’s putting her in, but said it was all for her own good. Whatever that is supposed to mean.

He brings the spoon to her lips. But she attempts to ask the same question she’s been asking for the past few days.

“Why are you doing this?”

He sighs. “Eat, Layla.”

“Blake, please.” She sees him clenching his jaws, getting a bit worried that she may be pushing him too far with her stubbornness.

He drops the spoon in the bowl and combs his fingers through his slick black hair as he leans against the wall, avoiding eye contact.

But she continues. “Why? What is all this about?” She drags her hands with the heavy chains towards him. “What are you going to do to me?”

He swings his head to her with another angry look.

“Are you scared of me?” But she doesn’t answer. “Of me? The one that was always there for you?”

“You are the one that walked away.” She almost screams, but feels it’s time to let a few things off her chest as well. “You left me there.”

He grips his fisted hand as he rests his elbows on his bended knees.

“I was confused. Angry.”

“I get that. But,……why did you take it out on me? You didn’t even give me a chance to properly explain things.”

“Would you have? Would you ever have told me about your,….secrets?”

“Of course. I thought that with time,…-”

“So you didn’t lie to me?” He asks as he suddenly cups her face, pulling her to him. “You weren’t just playing me for a fool? Right?”

She hears the desperation in his voice, and so responds in a gentle tone. “No, I wasn’t.” She still doesn’t understand why he would think she would ‘play him for a fool’.

“I knew it.” He suddenly pulls her into his lap and hugs her tightly, which has her gasping from shock. She tries to push herself up from his chest, but instead, he grabs her face in his hands again. “I knew it.” He brushes her hair out of her face and she can see the smile on his lips. Though, there is a look in his eyes she can’t make out. One she hasn’t seen before. But one that sends a cold shiver to run through her. “You chose me, after all.” He leans his forehead against hers. “You are mine.” He whispers as he leans in closer.

But she pushes back with an instant reply. “No.”

They both look at each other with confusion, though, Blake’s expression soon turns to a livid one.

“What do you mean, no?”

“I-,..” She stutters, almost afraid of him and his tightening grip on her. Not knowing what to say. “I don’t know.”

“You chose me.” He reiterates, not hiding the annoyance in his tone. “You were going to leave with me.”

“That was then.” She tries to make her voice loud and firm, but a slight quiver was still present.

“And what has changed since then?” His grip tightens around her waist with a golden glow in his eyes.

She bites the inside of her cheeks, not knowing what to say. All she knows is that he’s angry, and she’s still in chains. And whether or not Blake regrets it now, the moment he walked away from Layla, was the moment she closed her heart to him. All she remembers from that night regarding Blake was pain and embarrassment, from choosing someone she thought she could trust and come to love, just for him to throw her away in a split second, like she’s nothing. Nick’s initial rejection to their mate bond, and Blake’s distrust in her that night, convinced her that perhaps she is just meant to be alone. That she is no one’s first or final choice.

“Please. Let go.” She asks as she tries to pull his fingers off of her.

“Why?” He nudges her closer. “You’ve slept in my arms like this for many nights. Don’t you remember? Just like this. Why would my touch bother you now? Mmh?!”

“That was different.” She tries to explain, remembering those nights they shared in his cell, when he was just trying to keep her warm, alive and away from the guards.

“No!” He shouts in her face as he pushes her down onto the skinny mattress. He forces a kiss on her as he shoves her hands above her head and keeps her body still with his heavy weight on her.

She whines as she tries to pull her face away from his, but he’s quick to hold her face firm as he forces more kisses on her sealed lips.

Pulling back and looking down at her, he sees her eyes tightly shut with small tears at the corners.

“Why are you like this? You were the one that said you like kissing me.”

Opening her eyes, she can see a genuine look of confusion on his face. Her tears fall free, realizing he doesn’t understand how any of this is wrong. She just lays motionless under him. What’s the point? She can’t move her hands with those chains weighing them down, and there is no way for her to push him off her with just her legs, which he has firmly pinned down with his own.

The only way for her to perhaps have a chance and get out of this, is to maybe talk and just be honest.

“I don’t want you anymore.” She says softly.

But his face turns angry again as he forces another but very rough kiss on her. Before she can even bite his lips, he grips her neck tightly and firmly as he gives hungry and wet kisses down her neck.

“Blake, stop.” She shrieks, but he quickly shuts her mouth with his large hand. She tries pulling her arms up, but they’re too heavy.

His heavy breathing is partly silenced by her muffled screams, as she feels his tongue and teeth grazing her skin.

But he suddenly stops. His body going rigid. He sniffs up her neck, his nose tracing back up the trail where he kissed her. Her cries have quietened and her body finally but hesitantly relaxes. He moves further up, sniffing along her arm lying above her head.

Ggggrrrhhhh!!!!! He releases a large growl, jumping up from her and releasing her.

He stands up and starts pacing the cell as he grips his hair in frustration.

“Fuck!” He shouts as he looks back down at her, but specifically at the pink mark on her wrist. “His scent is in you.” He says with disgust.

She slowly sits up with her back against the wall, dragging her hands into her lap, refusing to look at Blake. Focusing on her hands, she sees she mark and prefers to put her focus rather on its outline than on Blake’s accusatory rants.

“Dammit!” He punches the wall above her, leaving cracks and small pieces of rubble falling to the ground.

Layla yelps in surprise, distracted from her thoughts and now looking up at the towering figure above her.

“Shit.” He says under his breath, kneeling down to her. She tries to pull back, but he grips her shoulders and holds her in place. “I know it’s not your fault. He’s the one that forced his mark on you. This is why.” He brushes her hair out of her face again and rubs her lips with his thumb. She defiantly pulls her face away from him, making him grunt in anger. “This is why you are not yourself.”

He pulls her face back to face him, but he looks at her with pity, seeing the confused look on her face.

“I know you don’t understand. But as long as his mark is on you, he will have a hold on you. You need to fight it, Layla. It’s not real……….But it’s fine. In a few days it will be gone. Then there will be no trace of him or his brainwashing left on you.”

He pulls her head closer and forces another firm kiss on her, despite her protesting whines. He immediately turns and leaves, sure to lock the gate.

Left in silence, she starts to full on cry. Not caring anymore of how loud it may be. She wails as she thinks back to everything that just happened.

Why would Blake do this? He’s never forced anything on me before. He had always tried to protect me. And what does he mean Nick is brainwashing me? She looks down at her wrist through teary eyes.

This mark isn’t even permanent. And Nick just said that it could strengthen the bond, especially if we spend more time together. He didn’t say anything of him having a hold on me because of it. Is this why he never took me seriously when I said I’d leave one day?

She kicks the tray of food away from her in frustration. Clearly not hungry for anything right now. She falls back down onto the mattress and cries herself to sleep.