Ice Melts, When It's Hot Ch. 09

I watched video after video of my young mate doing menial tasks that didn't appear to be strange or suspicious at first glance, until I'd look closer. Willow, cooking a large meal while a menacing shadow lingered in the background. Willow, organizing some kind of room but next to him lay a grey plush wolf with its head chopped off, stuffing littered across the floor. Willow, pouring over his schoolwork but his ankles were bound to the desk chair with a thin, tight rope, cutting into his skin. Willow, writing lines over and over and when I zoomed in a saw that they read: 'Omegas are property. Omegas must submit or they will be punished.' Over and over again.

The most disturbing of the videos depicted Willow with his hands and feet bound with handcuffs while his mouth was covered with a strip of tape. He leaned against the wall in a dark hallway and glared defiantly at the camera. I could see the soft green glimmer of a digital timer counting down, reflected in the angry omega's eyes. His hair looked as if it'd been cut recently and it hung in jagged little sections all around his angry little face. The video lasted for twenty minutes with nothing else happening. Everything about it was strange and unnerving. In each video my mate was fully clothed and nearly always silent. He never cried and barely showed any sign of weakness. He never begged or pleaded or broke down and yet.. I could clearly see well concealed moments of helplessness. I shivered when the videos ended, almost wishing I could erase them from my memory. Watching them gave me a sick, twisted feeling in the pit of my stomach and I wanted nothing more than to punish whoever was responsible for them.

Once I'd seen every video the folder had to offer, Sophie directed my attention to a new folder. This one was labeled, Frank's. She opened it and began to play the first of six videos. These were more of the same that had to do with Fae's mistreatment and none of them involved my mate so I didn't understand the connection at first. Thankfully, every clip was no longer than a minute or two so we were able to get through them fairly quickly. The last video began to play and right away I could tell that something was different. Usually, whoever was filming at Frank's made sure to be discreet about the identities of everyone involved. They often cut off heads and filmed without the volume on but this time I could make out a drunken voice. I knew that voice.

"-wayssss filmmm," Frank's slurred as he accidentally jostled the camera, which I assumed was how the volume got turned on. "I know your brat hazzz.. he.. he hazz been a bitch lately. Ssstrutting 'round with that tight! Ass! Of! His!" Frank slurred on aggressively as he thrust his hips forward lewdly. "Use my pet! I won't tell anyone," Frank began to laugh, "If you pretend," he laughed again. "He's your little boyyy."

Frank's smile turned deranged and something inside me broke down even further. Who was this man? Who was this hateful, vile, pathetic, piece of shit?! Clearly, the Frank I knew no longer existed, if he ever had in the first place. The video ended three seconds later without revealing who Frank was speaking to. I slowly checked the time and date stamp on the video, noticing how it was filmed two years ago and oddly enough, on Willow's birthday.

"Where did you get this?" I asked Sophie as the dread I'd been feeling knotted up in my stomach.

"It was in a safe in Frank's attic. I think he kept it as insurance, you know, since it has videos of Willow."

"Then who's phone is this?"

"It belongs to... Adrian Rose."

"You don't mean-"

"Yes.. Willow's father."

White hot rage flooded my system but before I could do anything about it, Sophie turned to her bag and pulled out a small bundle of clothing.

"I found these in the safe too. Max.. please, remember what I said about staying calm."

"Calm?!" I growled, "I'm fucking seething!" I spat.

Then I caught a whiff of the now stale scent of my omega's slick. With shaky hands I slowly unrolled the little bundle revealing my shirt and the boxers I'd given to Willow for his nest. I froze in shock. These were the same clothes Willow had been wearing the day he went into heat. We both assumed they had gotten lost in the woods but now Sophie was telling me that they were found at Frank's?! That didn't make any fucking sense! Once I finally unrolled the bundle, a pair of black leather gloves, crusted with my omega's dried slick, tumbled out onto the table. I brought the gloves to my nose and inhaled deeply, catching the sweaty stench of my former friend, now enemy.

I heard a soft gasp behind me, "The gloves," Willow murmured in a choked up sort of voice. "Oh... Oh no! Oh no, oh no, oh no!"

It took everything I had to turn around calmly and face my mate but once I did, I could tell that something was very, very wrong. My poor little omega looked as if he were on the verge of hyperventilating.

"Oh fuck... my heat," he whimpered while he scrunched his eyes shut and held his hands over his ears, as if he could hear something I couldn't.

I rushed to his side the moment his knees gave out, making it just in time to catch him from hitting the floor. "I've got you sweetheart. No one's going to hurt you," I promised, barely keeping my anger contained.

The boy trembled in my arms, seemingly unable to look up at me. "I remember now. I remember my heat! H-he said I w-would f-forget but I-" he wheezed as large tears rolled down his cheeks. "I remember all of it! Oh.. fuck.. I- I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to!! P-please Alpha.. d-don't hate me now.. not when," he sniffled as if he couldn't get enough oxygen. "Not when I've finally gotten you to l-love meee," he wailed brokenly.

"Baby, tell Daddy what's wrong. I know something bad happened during your heat. You've felt off about everything ever since you came down from it. You keep pushing my affection away even though you said you love me. You were so upset when I finally found you. I know it has something to do with Frank. Please understand me Willow, you couldn't have done anything wrong. Especially not during your heat. You were completely helpless. Whatever it is, I promise I won't be mad at you. Just tell me," I coaxed as I cradled the trembling omega in my arms.

*******

Willow's Pov:

The memories of my heat ran through my mind in a torturous loop and I could hardly believe that I had ever forgotten them. There were plenty of pleasant moments of course, moments of pleasure and passion, but then there were the other memories that seemed to cloud how good my heat had actually been. Not only the one's of Frank defiling me but of every creepy thing the older male had ever done. Memories that had nothing to do with my heat, memories I had been able to block, came rushing to forefront of my mind. No matter how hard I cried or scrunched my eyes shut, they wouldn't go away.

I'd known Frank longer than I wished too. When he was in school, his father died and my father sort of took him under his wing. Though I would say they were friends more than my father was his mentor. He didn't live with us or anything but he always seemed to be around. I could remember how he would sometimes be present for my training and punishments, always lurking in the corner with a smirk, his eyes never leaving my backside. I could remember the conspiratorial whispers between Frank and my father right before word of my pelvis cage began to spread like wildfire around my school. I could remember every single time Frank would grab the back of my neck and whisper about how pretty I was in my ear as I grew up.

I could also remember how he was there after the first and second times I got drunk. The first time was right after I'd confronted Max about kissing other people. I managed to steal something from The Fire Pit and put it to good use. I had planned on staying home but in my drunken stupor I wondered off for several hours and got myself lost. Frank found me later, stumbling in the woods. He ended up having to carry me home and the whole time he teased me about how stupid I looked confronting Maxwell the way I had. I did my best to ignore him even though I silently agreed. Once I was safely tucked in bed, I mocked him for being jealous. He only glared at me and shoved a pillow on top of my face before he left.

The second time I got drunk was because of what happened at school and how everyone called me the Ice Princess for it. I got home, cut my hair while drinking and then promptly got in trouble for both. I knew all of it was Frank's fault but he never admitted to spreading the rumors. Instead he gaslit me, saying I was crazy for thinking he would do something like that when he didn't even go to that school anymore. In fact, because I was being so belligerent towards him, Frank was allowed to sit across from me the entire time I was being punished. The whole time he told about me random things that would be expected of me once I became Luna. None of it made much sense at the time. He never spoke in clear terms. However, now I could understand a little better and I was humiliated to realize how badly he had degraded me. It was genuinely a relief when the rest of the pack began to hate him due to his brother's transgressions.

I even remembered things that weren't about me. I could remember how he'd sit in the corner of the pack house and watch the newly presented omega's with longing and lust. I could remember the fights he would start amongst the other beta's if he got too close to one of their mates, right after he came of age. He was always starting some kind of problem, using his authority as a commander against anyone he didn't like before he eventually withdrew from pack gatherings altogether. I could also remember the times I'd see Frank in the corner of the woods near my house, with a newly of age omega. I'd walk by and pretend that I didn't hear him offer up a large sum of money for their heat and how some of them truly considered it. Worst of all, I could finally remember what he did to me during my own.

I could almost feel how his fingers raped me as I remembered. Bringing my body to undeniable pleasure before I completely lost my shit and ran to the nearest lake. I could remember how dirty and used I felt as I tried to scrub his scent off of me. I rubbed my skin until it hurt and still I didn't feel good enough. At one point I tried to drown myself, convinced I'd never be clean again, but then Frank pulled me out of the water. I finally realized I couldn't fix this on my own. The only one who could was my mate. If he took me back and cleaned me properly, then maybe everything would be okay. The only thing was, Max didn't actually know what had happened. He didn't know how much of a slut I'd become. I came on that degenerate's fingers before Max had even been inside me! I hated Frank! How could I?!

I could feel myself hyperventilating and I did my best to try focus on Maxwell's scent. I tried my hardest to get the words out but I could barley form a complete sentence. I was so beyond terrified that I had ruined my entire life before it had even gotten started. My mate would change his mind now and get rid of me. There was no way he'd get over this! I'd cum because of his best friend! There was no way he'd keep loving me. It was too much to hope for. I didn't want to tell him the truth but I couldn't keep myself from submitting to my alpha.

"F-frank.. fingers.." I gasped as I clung to my mate for dear life, praying hard that he wouldn't hate me.

"What. Did. He. Do?" The alpha asked in a soft, sinister sort of tone as he gently massaged my back in an effort to calm me.

"His fingers... went inside me... and... he made me cum," I whimpered miserably as my head hung in shame.

The moment the words left my mouth I felt Maxwell's body go rigid.

"Oh fuck!" Sophie yelled and before I could process what was happening she'd scooped me right out of Maxwell's arms.

"Stay with him!" My alpha commanded, drowning us in such a dominanting scent that Sophie was forced to her knees while she cradled me against her chest.

I watched as the color drained out of my mate's eyes, turning them completely black, like that of a demon's, right before he shifted into his ginormous silver haired wolf. The beast smelled of absolute power and rage and my own wolf preened over the glorious display. He was simply incredible to behold like this. The wolf bared his huge, razor sharp teeth and with a ferocious howl, he charged through the kitchen, completely crushing the wooden floor beneath his paws as he broke through the front door. I watched, speechlessly as wood and glass shattered into a million little pieces, unable to ever be repaired. Then I watched as my one true love ran far, far, far away from me.

"Sophie?" I asked in a broken little voice while tears rolled down my cheeks.

"Max didn't mean to leave you little one. He couldn't help it."

"I.. I know. He's gone feral, hasn't he?"

"I'm afraid so," the gentle beta replied as she rubbed my back, attempting to copy how Max had done it but she was hardly a good enough replacement.

"Will he hate me now?" I asked miserably, unable to be soothed with the way my head was spinning.

"No my Luna, of course not! The only one's who have anything to fear are those that have hurt his omega." I wondered what she meant by "those" but before I could ask she suddenly sat up in a panic. "Fuck! Where's my phone?! I need to get in touch with Lotus Pack! It's obvious he has his sites set on Frank and they need to be prepared!"

"I hope he kills that sick son of a bitch! Frank is a monster!" I screamed with all the rage I'd buried deep down in my soul for years. Then I burst into terrible, heart wrenching, inconsolable sobs.