chapter five

Pov Eleanor

Those words were like a punch to the stomach, making my body freeze and every hair stand on end. A lump formed in my throat, choking me with the weight of impending despair. In King Alpha's harem, women disappeared from the sight of the world, becoming his property. No one, not even the most powerful alphas, would dare to challenge him. Being taken meant losing everything: family, freedom, life.

"I was so close..." I murmured, stunned by the relentless reality.

"Sign this paper, dear." The lady handed me a pen, placing the contract on the table, waiting for my signature.

"What is this?" I asked, confused and fearful.

"A contract. The King Alpha bought you for two hundred dollars. Now, you must commit to serving him faithfully. If you find your mate, you must reject him, or he will be killed. If you refuse to sign, we will kill your family, the King Alpha does not share his women with any other man," she said, with icy seriousness.

"But I'm an orphan," I shrugged, although a part of me hoped that the King Alpha would fulfill his threat regarding my step-sister and stepmother. Maybe it would even be a favor.

"Then, we'll kill you. Or we'll find someone you care about. Believe me, dear, the King Alpha has many ways to torture you without you even suspecting it. He has devastated countless packs... He's not kind, nor merciful." The threat hung in the air, enveloping me in a veil of despair and uncertainty.

At that moment, my mind turned to Amber, the only person who truly mattered to me. I couldn't drag her into this mess. I took a deep breath, picked up the paper and pen, and signed my name: Eleanor Grace Parker. As I was about to put down the pen, I noticed something written in small letters: the only way to break that contract was if King Alpha rejected me or expelled me from the pack. My eyes sparkled with new hope, and a faint smile formed on my lips. But before I could react, the woman in front of me snatched the paper and pen from my hand forcefully.

"Don't fool yourself, dear. The only women who managed to leave this place left dead," she said seriously, making me swallow hard. "I'll send the maids to get you ready. Now, you've officially become one of the women in the harem," she added, before leaving, leaving me alone.

Shortly after, three girls my age entered, dressed as maids and carrying clothes, jewelry, and other adornments. They led me to a bathtub filled with rose petals, where they bathed me and scrubbed my body. It was the best bath I had ever taken in a long time, leaving me feeling truly clean. They then dried my red hair and made a stunning braid. As I looked at myself in the mirror, I was surprised by my own beauty, something I never imagined achieving.

"You look stunning," said the lady, entering again with a smile on her face, clearly impressed with my transformation.

I admired myself in the mirror again, surprised by my own appearance. I hadn't imagined I could look so beautiful.

"It's time for you to spend the night with the King Alpha. Come, he's waiting for you," announced the woman, opening the door and indicating that I should step out.

I walked slowly, following her through the immense corridor. With each step towards King Alpha's quarters, my heart beat faster, a mixture of nervousness and anticipation taking hold of me. When we finally stopped in front of the huge door, the woman in front of me knocked a few times, and soon we heard a deep, imperious voice command: "Enter!"

Swallowing hard, I allowed her to push me into the room, and soon the door was closed behind me. With courage, I lifted my head and faced a man seemingly young but imposing. His defined muscles, piercing blue eyes, and straight dark hair immediately captured my attention. When his gaze met mine, a shiver ran down my spine. He was tall, and strong, with battle scars on his back and a wolf tattoo adorning his chest.

"Who is this?" he asked, his narrowed eyes studying me intently.

That's when I realized we weren't alone. Beside him stood the same blond-haired man I had seen on the day I was bought. It was evident that he was the alpha king's beta.

"This is the human girl I told you about! We bought her from those men, the Lockes," said the blond man, watching me with interest, perhaps surprised to see that I could look beautiful, considering how I arrived here, completely disheveled and with tangled hair.

"What's your name?" The alpha king's voice echoed through the room, his expression serious and penetrating as his eyes devoured every inch of my body. He approached, his fingers caressing my face before sliding down to my waist, his eyes fixed on the neckline of my dress.

"Eleanor... Eleanor Parker..." My voice trembled, echoing through the tense atmosphere.

"Parker?" He took a step back, his piercing gaze piercing mine. "You're Tyler Parker's daughter?" His expression hardened as if a storm was approaching, and I felt like a fragile leaf at the mercy of the wind.

"Yes... he's my father... but he passed away a long time ago, and I was raised by my stepmother. How did you know him?" I gathered the courage to ask, wishing to unravel the hidden mysteries about my family. If I were to die, at least I wanted to know the truth about my parents.

"Your father did a service for me a long time ago and was duly rewarded for it, but soon after he mysteriously disappeared, and I had no knowledge that he had a daughter with a human." His eyes continued to scrutinize me closely, until a sudden light flooded the room, reflecting in my green eyes.

"Your eyes... I've seen this before..." His voice echoed with authority, leaving me intrigued and fearful of what would come next. At that moment, he approached me, his warm breath meeting my face as he breathed in my scent through his nostrils, and his eyes acquired a dark hue, filled with restrained fury. "You are definitely not human! But I also can't detect your wolf..." He growled angrily, his voice laden with suspicion and a touch of dark fascination. "What are you?" The question echoed in the room, making my body shudder.

How could I explain that my wolf hadn't awakened yet, even though I had turned eighteen? Or that I had been poisoned and should be dead, but somehow, I had managed to survive? Questions echoed in my mind as I stared at the alpha king with a mixture of confusion and apprehension. I knew nothing about my past and had no answers to offer. Uncertainty enveloped me like a dense fog, as I struggled to find some plausible explanation. But the words seemed stuck in my throat, unable to come out. And in the face of the alpha king's intense gaze, I felt more vulnerable than ever, as if every secret were a fragile link about to break under his relentless pressure.