Page 100 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 1

Alex sprinted up the stairs three at a time. Anna was so damned concerned about being obedient it worried him to no end.

Damn fucking Devin! Every time he thought about the man, he wanted to grab his rifle from downstairs and take it up to the roof and—Alex shook his head. No. Killing an Elder without permission was a death sentence. Literally. He had to do the one thing within his power: assure Anna that he cared for her.

Alex sighed. He was doing a terrible job at that, too.

Okay, concentrate on the task at hand. Anna was distressed and he needed to find out what was going on and fix it.

Alex pushed open her door and saw Anna hunched over her knees, her face buried in the carpet. She looked up as he walked into the room, her face red, her eyes swollen with tears. Terror filled her eyes and she scrambled over to him, bowing low.

“I’m sorry, Master.” Her voice trembled along with her body. “I wasn’t thinking.”

“Anna...” Alex’s heart broke as he kneeled and pulled her up to sit back on her heels. “Anna, look at me.” He looked into her beautiful, wet green eyes. “What did you do that you feel deserves punishment?”

“I smirked at Kirsty. I was disrespectful.” She dropped her gaze to his chest. “I’m sorry, Master.”

Alex wanted to laugh, but held it in check. “Anna, Schatzi, it’s alright. It’s not a big deal.” He cupped her chin to bring her face up to his again. “Really.”

She looked into his eyes with such distress his amusement vaporized. “I’m sorry, Master,” she whispered again and sucked in a deep breath. “I’m ready to receive my punishment.” She winced, bracing herself for a blow he had no intention of delivering.

Alex sighed. “Anna, I’m not going to?—‍”

“Alex, you need to discipline her.” Vati spoke softly in German from the doorway, a pained expression on his face.

Alex responded in German. “You can’t be serious, Vati. She did nothing wrong.”

“If she smirked at Kirsty, she was disrespectful. It doesn’t matter if you don’t think it was a big deal. It certainly would have been to Devin if she’d acted that way toward his wife, or any other woman in his social circle.” He grimaced. “I would not have allowed one of my girls to act in such a way.”

“She’s not a Dirne, Vati. She’s?—‍”

“Whether we like it or not, Alex, she is.” Vati sighed. “I don’t like it either, but she is what she is. She has been raised as such and we cannot convince her differently after just one night.”

Alex glared at his father. For the first time in a very long time, he resented his father’s presence in his life and in his home. “Vati,” he growled. “I will not let her think of me as she does Devin and that horrible guardian of hers. I won’t?—‍”

Vati held up his hand and shook his head. “You are not them and she will learn that in time.” Vati continued speaking gently. He wasn’t angry; Alex was. “If you don’t discipline her, you will confuse her, and she won’t know what to expect from you.”

“How does beating her make her feel better?”

“I didn’t say beat her. I disciplined you as a child, but I certainly didn’t beat you.” Vati sighed. “You must think of her as a child. Children feel secure when their parents set boundaries and enforce them. Have you sat her down and told her what you expect from her?”

Alex frowned. “No. I didn’t think I needed to.” It hadn’t even crossed his mind. But Vati had a valid point. Anna was very childlike, and she needed to know what he expected of her. She knew exactly what Devin expected. Alex just wanted her to be free. Perhaps telling her that would be enough. He sighed. “How do I discipline her?”

Vati’s eyes twinkled. “Perhaps a spanking. Then you should make love to her.”

“Vati! Kirsty is downstairs.”

His father’s eyes turned from mischievous to angry in a flash. “That is not my problem, nor is it Anna’s. You should have made love to her already. It will solidify her bond to you.”

Alex closed his eyes. He couldn’t. Not while he was with Kirsty. Not for Kirsty’s consideration, though. He didn’t want Anna to think he was fucking her and then leaving her to make love to Kirsty. When he made love to Anna, he wanted it to be the beginning of his commitment to her as a person, not as a slave.

“I can’t. I can’t hit her. She’ll never forgive me.” He looked up, desperate for his father to understand.

Vati gritted his teeth. “Sometimes we must do things we don’t want to. Both as Elders and as parents.” He looked pointedly at Anna, then at Alex. “If you don’t discipline her, things will be much more difficult between you two.” He turned and disappeared into the hallway.

Alex ran his hand through his hair. As often as he got frustrated and repeated this motion, he wondered how he still had a thick head of hair.

He looked back at Anna, who cowered in front of him. His father was right; she was like a child. He hadn’t given her any boundaries, nor had he told her that it was okay to express her feelings. And Dirne were expected to be respectful at all times, no matter how they felt. God, he hated the whole situation. It wasn’t fair, it wasn’t right.

And it was his fault she was in this situation. If only he’d listened...

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