THE ALPHA'S NEW PREY

“Guards!” King Benjamin’s roar cracked through the hall like thunder splitting the sky. “Throw her into the woods. She does not belong to my pack—she is banished.”

My knees buckled instantly, and I dropped to the floor, pleading desperately for any punishment but banishment. I had nowhere else to go—nowhere to survive.

“Would you prefer death instead?” the king asked, his voice cold and dangerous. The question wasn’t meant to be answered, but fear wrapped itself around my bones. Two massive guards strode toward me and gripped me by the arms. As they dragged me forward, I saw Ethan and his family smirking with satisfaction. This had been their plan all along.

“I’ll do anything!” I cried as they pulled me across the palace floor. “Anything you want—I’ll serve as a slave for the rest of my life, just don’t send me away!”

The guards at the grand doors unsealed them and began to open the entrance.

“Wait!” King Benjamin’s voice boomed again as he stepped slowly toward me.

He circled me slowly, inspecting me like I was some cheap, revolting object. Then he stopped right in front of me.

“You will be punished,” he declared. “You will work as a slave in the palace for the rest of your life—that is your sentence.” King Benjamin’s voice was cold and final. “That is the extent of my mercy,” he added in a low whisper before turning sharply and striding back to his throne.

The guards grabbed me and dragged me toward the back of the palace. They tossed me into a small room, the door slamming shut behind me. In the corner lay a heap of filthy rags—clothes meant for slaves like me. I had no choice but to accept them. After all, this fate was still better than death or being thrown into the wild where untamed wolves would tear me apart.

I eventually fell asleep on top of the pile of clothes. Morning came with a loud bang against the door. The sunlight was so bright it blurred my vision, making it hard to make out the massive figure standing before me. Even the guard who had brought me here wasn’t as large as this person. I rubbed my eyes hard, only to realize it was a very large woman, her face tightened in anger, her hands planted firmly on her waist.

“Get up, you filth!” she thundered, her voice shaking the entire room.

I scrambled to my feet, staring at her helplessly. Several maids stood behind her, eyes wide with fear.

“Come with me,” she ordered.

It wasn’t until I followed her out that I realized who she was—the head of all the maids, the one in charge of everyone in the palace except Alpha Benjamin himself. I couldn’t help the small smirk forming inside me. Of course he made the rules. He was the Alpha, after all.

"You will be assigned to clean the Alpha’s bedroom," Madam Laura announced.

That was the name I’d heard the other maids whisper about. None of them ever dared to speak it out loud.

As soon as Madam Laura gave the instruction, everyone’s mouths fell open. They all stared at me—shocked, even terrified. I didn’t understand the meaning behind their expressions, but my curiosity grew instantly.

Madam Laura had served as the chief maiden for more than ten years, even before Alpha Benjamin’s mother passed away. Since her death, Madam Laura had been the one looking after him, attending to his needs, and filling the role of the only mother figure he had left. She had vowed with her life to protect and care for him.

She led me through a long, dim corridor that twisted deeper into the palace. Every step I took echoed with a heaviness that sat in my chest. None of the other maids dared walk beside me. They trailed behind at a distance, whispering anxiously to one another as though escorting me to my execution.

We stopped in front of a towering black door engraved with silver symbols. The moment I saw it, a strange chill rippled through me. This had to be Alpha Benjamin's Bedroom.

Madam Laura turned to face me, her expression unreadable.

“This is where you will be working from now on,” she said. “You clean only when he’s gone. Never when he is inside. You speak only when spoken to. And you obey every instruction. Alpha Benjamin doesn’t tolerate mistakes.”

Her warning sank into me like ice.

“Yes, Madam Laura,” I whispered.

She opened the door, stared at me, urging me to go inside. If the Alpha wasn't in his room, where would be have gone to? I asked myself rhetorically.

The room was enormous—far grander than anything I had ever seen. A massive bed carved from dark oak stood in the center, its sheets a little bit scattered, but smelling of pine and something darker… something dangerous.

I walked slowly, taking in every detail. The windows were heavy with thick, dark curtains. The floor was spotless. Weapons hung on the walls—claws, old blades, jagged pieces of steel—each one polished to shine. There were claw marks on the bedposts and long scratches on the stone floor, as though something powerful had been restrained here.

I swallowed hard.

So this was where I’d spend the rest of my life. I thought to myself.

“Get to work,” Madam Laura ordered before stepping out, closing the door behind her.

I exhaled shakily and began cleaning. I dusted shelves, polished the weapons, arranged the scattered papers on his desk. A soft whisper drifted from the hallway.

“Poor girl… she won’t last long here either.” One of the maidens whispered quietly.

My heart jumped. I moved closer to the door where theu gossiped softly, pressing my ear gently against it.

“They never last,” another maid whispered. “You remember the last one? She disappeared the same night she cleaned his room.”

“I heard she talked back to him,” someone else murmured, voice trembling.

“No,” another hissed. “She didn’t talk back—she looked him in the eyes. You know he hates that.”

A cold sweat formed on my neck. Killed… or banished. Just like that?

I held my breath, listening harder.

“And the maiden before her?” one of them whispered. “She was found in the woods. Dead. They said she tried to run, but he caught her before she crossed the border.”

My stomach twisted painfully.

Alpha Benjamin. What kind of monster was he?

I stepped back from the door slowly, heart pounding so loudly I could hear it echoing inside my skull. I turned around, taking in the room again—the weapons, the claw marks, the blood. Suddenly, everything made sense.

I was not cleaning a bedroom. I was cleaning a cage. And I was the newest prey thrown inside it.

Still, I forced myself to keep working. I tucked the sheets tighter, wiped the floor twice, my hands shook the entire time.

Hours passed before the door creaked open again.

Madam Laura stood there, staring at me with an unreadable expression.

“You’re done for the day,” she said. “Report back here tomorrow at dawn.”

I nodded, wiping my sweaty palms on my dress. But before I could step out, she placed a hand on my shoulder—firm, heavy, final.

“One last warning,” she whispered. “Never anger him. Do what you’re told, and pray he never looks at you the wrong way. If he does…” She shook her head. “Not even I can save you.”

She walked away.

And for the first time since coming to the palace, I truly understood: I wasn’t spared. I was sentenced. This may even be worse than banishment.