Chapter 3

Emma pov.

  I was bound in chains. I couldn't think of anything more degrading than that.

The guard who had brought me asked me to stand before the door and wait for the signal to enter. I had no idea what was going on on the other side of the door, neither was I sure I was prepared for it.

Were they going to finally kill me? Would I be sold into slavery? Would the alpha take pity on me and release me because of the steamy night we shared together?

I wasn't very certain of the last thought. The look in his eyes as he had told me to get out of his room was one of pure hatred. I didn't think he liked me. All he just wanted was a good hard fuck.

Lost in my gloomy thoughts, I barely noticed when the door opened. The guard who peeked from the opened door must have called my name several times, but I was too deep in thought. Then he yanked on my chains forcefully and I gave a small start, standing up and looking towards the door.

"The alpha is requesting for you." He said with a bored voice, then closed the door in my face as I reached it.

I blinked in surprise as he closed the door in my face. This sort of behaviour wasn't unusual to me. All the slaves around here were treated the same: less than animals. I sighed woefully and managed to grab the handle between my bound hands. I grunted, trying to maneuver the handle, but my hands were useless. It took several seconds of sweating and grunting before I could finally open the door. Then I walked into the room.

My mouth immediately dropped open in awe as I looked around. The room was built like a standard court room. Several rows of wooden benches stood to my right, with an aisle between them. The benches were empty: I guessed this was a closed meeting. On the far end of the room, opposite me, was another row of smaller benches, on which sat several men. They were all looking at me with disdain on their faces.

I looked to my left and saw the alpha sitting on a table. To his right sat two men. The first one I knew to be his beta, but the face of the second man was unrecognisable. And to his left sat a woman, one of the most beautiful I had ever seen. She had short, glossy blonde hair and a prominent chin. Her hands were folded on the table and her back was straight. Even I, as a former princess, couldn't afford that sort of composure. A twang of jealousy came alive in my heart as I guessed that she was the mistress—or probably mate—of the alpha.

I dragged my eyes from the alpha's table and looked up at the roof of the court room. A mural had been painted there, depicting a war between the werewolves and the vampires. It looked beautiful. Beautiful and sad.

Suddenly a guard walked towards me and grabbed the end of my chain, yanking me forward. I stumbled and fell flat on my face, then slowly lifted myself up with my bound hands and knelt before the table of the alpha.

"Who is this?" I heard someone say from the group of old men. I turned and saw an elderly man, who was looking at the alpha with questions in his eyes.

"She's one of the slaves that was captured from the last battle  with the vampires." The alpha answered coldly. He wasn't looking at me.

The elderly man stood up from his seat and walked closer to me. He circled me for a few seconds, then sniffed once. I watched as his wrinkled face closed up in annoyance as he turned back to the alpha.

"She's one of your toys, isn't she? She's only the newest among the long line of women you have chosen to defile in this pack. I know it, I could smell your scent all over her body the moment she walked in."

The alpha looked at the man with disinterest in his eyes. "I have no desire to answer your question, Elder Ryker. I only brought her here to show you one of the spoils that we captured during the battle. It is not in your place to intrude in my personal affairs."

"Your personal affairs?" The elder answered, his voice rising. "What do you mean, your personal affairs? This concerns the whole pack!"

"Weren't we just discussing about strategies for the battle? Should we drop that and instead talk about how many women I choose to sleep with?" The alpha asked, sarcasm etched in his tone.

"This disgusting behaviour stops from now on, alpha." The elder yelled. "We can't have you disgracing this pack this way!"

The alpha opened his mouth as though to say something in response, but he was cut short.

"Another one." The woman beside him spoke up. "Another sex toy, Lucas. Why do you do this every time? Why do you choose to treat me this way?" 

I looked up at the alpha. It was clear he wasn't comfortable with the direction of the conversation. His face was closed up and his brows were drawn together in a frown. He was sitting up, his eyes set on the woman beside him.

The woman stood up from the chair. I could see that she was trying valiantly to hold back tears. "I will not have any more of this, Lucas. I'm tired of your escapades with other women. I'm out of here." She said and walked out on him, the sound of her heels echoing around the large court room.

I didn't know what to feel. The fact that these people were standing up for me was in a way comforting, but I knew that they were no different from the man who had slept with me.

They were all monsters, every one of them. I was just a human girl in a room full of monsters.