Mate

Serene's Pov

My heart hammered in my chest as I stared at the strip, my hands shaking.

No, no, no.

I dropped the strip like a hot cake and wiped the tears rapidly falling from my eyes. This was no time for tears.

I could get rid of the pregnancy. But how?

I didn't want the baby. I couldn't give a monster a baby.

He did not deserve anything from me. And he would get nothing.

Hands still shaking, I picked up the strip and shoved it into my pocket. I would trash it outside the house.

Back in the bedroom, I picked up the card he had given me and made my way out the door.

This was not the time to dwell on the pregnancy. I could run mad if I did.

With three guards, I made my way to a clothing boutique nearest to us and picked out clothes for the meeting tomorrow.

“How about you try this out, ma'am?” asked the sales woman with a smile.

I nodded absentmindedly and grabbed the dress from her. When I came back out from the dressing room, she nodded in approval.

“Perfect. It looks perfect on you.”

“Thanks,” I let her pick the rest of the dresses for me. Right now, I have had greater things in mind.

When we were done, she asked, “Are you not going to shop for underwear as well?”

I jolted back to the present at her question. “What?”

“Are you not going to shop for underwear?” She gave a knowing smile and continued, “You know, to compliment the gorgeous dresses.”

“Oh. Uh... no, no need for underwear,” I said

This wasn't the time to go looking sexy for a man whose baby I wanted to get rid of. I had even contemplated making an escape from the mall, but the guards had stuck to the entrance like glue. And there hadn't been a way through the dressing room and bathroom.

“That's fine then,” said the woman. “Let's go pay for our purchases, shall we, ma'am?”

****

Bile rose inside me as we got back to the accursed mansion.

On my way in, I met Ianthe at the doorstep.

“I hope you know that no amount of fancy apparel can cover up the fact that you're a slave, Serena. A slave and nothing but a slave.”

I wasn't in the mood for this, so I replied to her — damning the consequences. “At least this slave gets to share his bed. At least this slave will be the one at his arm tomorrow at the Alphas' ball while you die and rot here of a broken heart,”

With that, I shoved her aside and matched up the stairs and into my room, shutting the door with a loud bang.

****

THE NEXT DAY

It didn't take an oracle to know that I felt extremely out of place here.

I nibbled at my food — a fancy snack whose name I couldn't pronounce — and watched as the other Breeders laughed gayly with themselves. The Lunas, on the other hand, had a separate table all to themselves. We Breeders might have come with the Alphas as well, but the Lunas will still always be above us.

The table with which the Alphas were sitted was in the picturesque backyard of Alpha Noel — this year's host of the dinner.

From where I sat, I watched as they laughed and talked — their lives a whole world away from ours.

They were the predators. We were the prey. They were the players, and we were the pawn.

I stared longingly at the lake in the distance. What if I just pretended I fell into it and drowned?

No one would know it wasn't an accident, and I wouldn't have to deal with any baby.

Suddenly, we could hear a loud roar of cars, and I wondered who else wasn't here. All of the Alphas were here, including the Alpha King.

The cars, three of them, soon raced into the compound and snared everyone's attention.

“Holy fuck!” one of the Breeders cursed out loudly. I repeated the words silently after her, because coming out of the first of the three cars was the man who was lord over the rogues.

The man who had forcefully demanded the title of Alpha — and had gotten it.

“Hello, family,” he said, a grin on his face as he made his way to the Alphas' table. He paused, bowed and paid dues to the King before taking a seat without asking.

“I learnt from a little bird that there is a gathering of all us Alphas today, but I wasn't invited.” He placed a hand on his heart. “Breaks my heart.”

“You don't belong here,” my master, Alpha Roman, growled. “This is not a space for you.”

From where I sat, I watched as Agnar raised an eyebrow. “How so, Alpha Roman? As I clearly recall, his majesty the King has bestowed upon me the revered title of Alpha — a person who is the leader and lord of his own pack.”

I remembered that day clearly — no one could forget.

Agnar, born to an omega mother and an abusive father, had killed his father when he got home to find that his father had choked his mother to death. He fled and had gathered strays and other rogues to him, forming some sort of rough make-shift pack. When a threat had risen in form of vampires in our world, he had propose help to us. And in return, he would be made a proper Alpha and his pack would be duly recognise.

With no other choice, we had agreed and Agnar had been made Alpha in front of legions. But not everyone was happy with it.

“Fuck! He is sexy,” I heard a voice near me. It was one of the Breeders. They had moved closer to me so they could see Agnar clearly, and although I hated it, I had to agree.

He was lean and lithe with thick black hair, and had a air of carelessness about him, his green eyes sleepy and lazy.

But you could tell that was a ruse. There was nothing lazy about this man — nor about the eight other men he had brought with him.

Tough looking, well-muscled men with tattoos all over them.

I watched Agnar made a gesture and one of his men — a tall tattooed black man — stepped forward and gave him a bottle of wine.

“Rosé Dom Pérignon 1996,” he said as he placed the bottle on the table. “Nothing but the best for you fine gentlemen.”

“No one wants your filthy wine,” I heard Alpha Gerald growl. “You can take it and leave. You're not wanted here.”

Agnar sighed like someone tired to the bones.

“I would hate to pull out your tongue in front of your Luna, Gerald,” he said, his voice calm as if he was discussing the weather. “Please, behave.”

Everyone fell silent and I swear I could see the King hid a smile with a cough.

Agnar looked towards us Breeders, turned away, then jerked back again.

Then he stood up, a face of deadly concentration on his face.

“Ohmygosh,” squealed one lunatic behind me. “He's coming to us.”

It was true. He was making straight for us, and not only that, he was staring right at me.

And that was when it hit me too — a smell of rain and lemon.

“Mate,”