Breeding Mate

The shed smelled like dirt and old wood.

Rina sat on the cold floor, arms wrapped around her knees. Her dress was torn. Her back still ached from the long ride and the heavy chores.

There was no bed. No blanket. Just a pile of hay in the corner. Alpha prince was as cruel as the rest of her tormentors had been. He had mentioned that she would have better living conditions, but he didn't care. He didn't want to make her life any easier. He just wanted a servant that he could experiment with.

This life was much worse than anything she'd ever had. She was in a strange place, far away from lands she was familiar with, and with equally cold people who were complete strangers to her.

A rat ran past her foot. She didn’t move.

Her voice was dry when she whispered, “Mel… are you still there?”

A soft voice echoed in her mind.

“I’m here. I see your inner battles and the hurt…and I see all the pain.”

Rina closed her eyes. “I want to go home.”

“You have no home there anymore.”

Tears rolled down her cheeks. “Then I want to disappear.”

Mel didn’t answer. Rina sat in silence for a while, wondering what her fate would be now.

The only person who had dared to speak up for her was alpha prince Kendrick. When he'd first looked at her, she'd seen the softness in his eyes and she had thought, maybe she would be shown kindness this one time.

Kendrick had tried to help her but he could not do that because she was officially a gift that had been handed over to alpha prince Rowland.

Rina fell asleep where she sat in the shed.

Morning came too soon.

The door burst open. A soldier barked, “Up. To the kitchens.”

Rina stood slowly. Her limbs were stiff. Her stomach empty.

She washed dishes. She scrubbed the floors. She served meat she wasn’t allowed to taste.

Each time she crossed the halls, heads turned.

Some stared. Some whispered.

“She’s the cursed girl from Sauna Pack.”

“The one Rowland got as a gift.”

“Just a breeder.”

Some already knew her backstory.

“It's a pity her parents left her to suffer. Heard her mother died on the day she was born and her father was killed. He was a traitor.”

“They say she is cursed. The Sauna pack had their worst raid on the night she was born…”

They would go on and on until Rina ran away and hid somewhere.

She had not set eyes on alpha prince Kendrick in all of this. Rowland had simply given orders for her to be left alone and he didn't seem to care what next happened to her.

Late afternoon, she was made to clean the prince’s hall.

As she wiped the floor, Rowland walked in.

He looked down at her without smiling.

“You missed a spot,” he said coldly.

Rina didn’t reply.

He crouched beside her.

“You should be grateful,” he said. “You were nothing. Now you live in a prince’s house.”

She looked away.

“You will give me sons,” he continued. “Strong ones. That is your only purpose here. Tonight, you'll be moved to a room here in the main hiuse. It's better than a cursed slave deserves.”

“I’m not an object,” Rina whispered under her breath.

He grabbed her chin. “Don’t make the mistake of thinking this is your chance to be where you shouldn't be. You’re here to obey. Nothing more.”

She pulled her face from his hand.

“You were born cursed,” he said. “Everyone knows it. Don’t forget it.”

Then he stood and walked away.

Rina sat still for a long time.

***

Kendrick was leaning on the balcony, eyes fixed on the training yard below. Maggie, the girl who he was supposed to be courting, stood next to him, her eyes following his own. Maggie wanted to be married to Kendrick and she proved it in the way she carried herself and spoke to everyone who was not from the royal pack house.

Kendrick wasn’t watching the training.

He was watching Rina as she went about her duties.

“You’re staring again,” Maggie said, her tone sharp.

Kendrick looked at her. “What do you want?”

“She’s a servant,” Maggie snapped. “She’s not yours to care about.”

“I didn’t say I care.”

“You think I can’t see it? You look at her and clench your fists. She's your brother's slave and he can do what he wants with her.”

Kendrick didn’t answer.

Maggie stepped closer. “She’s cursed, Kendrick. She was born during bloodshed. She’s bad luck.”

“She’s suffering,” he said quietly. “That’s not her fault.”

“She’s Rowland’s,” Maggie hissed. “Stay away from her.”

Kendrick walked past her. “Don’t tell me what to do.”

That night, Rina sat outside the shed, her hands shaking. Rowland said she'll be moved into the main house but no one had come for her yet.

She hadn’t eaten all day. Her feet were bleeding. Her shoulders burned.

The stars above looked cold.

Suddenly, she heard soft footsteps.

She turned, alarmed.

Kendrick stood there, holding a thick cloth and a piece of bread and some roasted meat.

“I brought you this,” he said.

She shook her head. “I can’t take it.”

“It’s just food. And this balm will help your cuts.”

“I said no,” she whispered. “He’ll punish me.”

“I won’t tell him.”

“You don’t understand. I'm his.”

He sat beside her. “You need help.”

She looked at the bread, then at him.

Tears filled her eyes.

“I’m tired,” she whispered.

He said nothing.

“I’m tired of being treated like I’m not a person. I didn’t choose this. I didn’t ask to be born cursed.”

“You’re not cursed,” Kendrick said.

She stared at the ground. “Then why does everyone hate me?”

He placed the bread in her hand. “Eat.”

Her fingers trembled.

Then, the tears came.

She tried to hold them back but couldn’t. She covered her face and cried quietly.

Kendrick slowly reached out and touched her shoulder.

That small touch broke her.

She leaned into him, her body shaking with sobs.

“I don’t want to stay here,” she cried. “I’m scared.”

He didn’t speak. He just let her cry.

Inside her mind, Mel whispered:

“His presence makes us stronger.”

But just then, a voice cut through the air, cold and sharp.

“Well, isn’t this sweet.”

They turned.

Rowland stood at the edge of the path, arms crossed, face hard.

“Get your hands off my property, brother.”