Chapter four

“Wake up, El,” Alaric’s deep, almost soothing voice drifts to my ears, waking me up from a deep sleep full of burning wolves and a dying pack I’ve just been taken from. I open my eyes to see his face inches from mine, his large hand on my shoulder. He is really handsome, flawless and his face looks sculpted from the gods themselves.

“Did I fall asleep?” I ask, a little shocked and confused. It was a long day, but with how nervous I was and still am, there is no way I would just go to sleep. There is a thick, red blanket resting over me that has appeared out of nowhere. I try to think back to what happened. I remember Alaric giving me a drink of water after we had been riding through the forest for a long time, and the next thing I know, we are here. I sit up, feeling like everything is spinning for a moment, until I notice the carriage has stopped moving.

“No, I drugged you with heminglocka herbs as you needed to rest,” Alaric admits to me, though there isn’t a touch of guilt in his voice. What a complete ass he is.

“Y—You drugged me?” I question, openly glaring at him and he shrugs his shoulders before pushing the door to the carriage open, letting in the bright sunlight. I hold my hand above my eyes as I climb out, waiting for my eyes to adjust to the light before seeing where we are. The smell of salt, water and smoke fill my senses along with the sounds of moving water fill my ears. A warm breeze blows my dress around my legs and I almost stumble from the force of it.

“Welcome to your new pack, El. The Luxa Pack,” Alaric says as my mouth parts open at the beautiful sight in front of me. We are nearly on an island, which is full of bright green trees, with a stunning beach where waves brush against the soft sand. There are wolves running around on the beach, and people swimming in the sea with nets. Everything looks so peaceful, relaxing and I’m stunned silent. We have stopped is on a long red brick bridge and I look back to see it leads to the mainland, looking like the only entrance to the island. The middle of the island is built up, and huts lead up to a large grey stone castle that sits in the center. The castle has three towers, each of them facing a different direction, and the castle looks old. There were older parts of the world int he forests outside of our pack, made with stone that isn’t around anymore and the elements have worn it to nothing. This castle looks like the elements have tried to wear it down but it’s still standing tall.

“This place, it’s so different than anything I have ever seen,” I whisper, my voice getting lost in the breeze, and the dead horses let out a long neigh.

“As it should be. We worked hard to build our pack home,” Alaric proudly says and waves his hand for us to go back in the carriage as he clearly only wanted to show me the island from a distance. They built all this?

“Take us to the towers,” Alaric directs the hooded man holding the horses’ reins before we get into the carriage, and he shuts the door behind himself once I’m in.

“Where will I be living?” I ask him as the carriage takes off. I’m curious about my place in this new pack and how much of a slave I’m going to be. I’m not foolish, I know they want me for more than just cleaning and cooking, but I can’t think about that right now. I’m not expecting much at all in terms of a space for me, but a bed would be nice. “I had a small room at my pack, but I can work with any space. I once lived in the stables for a month when I upset the alpha’s mother. It was fine…except for a leak in the roof but I fixed that.”

Alaric narrows his eyes at me like I said something wrong, and I have no clue what it was, but I pull myself back on the seat just in case. “Let me make something perfectly clear to you. You belong to the Alpha Brothers. All of us. We never let anyone we own live in conditions like that,” he spits out. “I hate how any wolf is treated like dirt and you will not be. No one hurts you or they die.”

“But I’m a no claim. I don’t have a wolf,” I admit to him, though I know he’s already aware.

“And?” he questions, crossing his arms. “We do not follow the old ways here. No matter what you are, if you belong to our pack, you are someone who will be looked after.” His words are sweet, and I want to believe them so much, even if my common sense tells me that they are using sweet words to get me into Alpha’s bed—and then his. My cheeks brighten at the thought. They have all made it clear I am some sort of game to them.

“I’ve heard rumors that no claims, even outcasts, are welcomed here. That you look after them,” I say, remembering the one night Lucy told me about the famous Alpha Brothers. I don’t know if the rumors are true about their pack, but Lucy said it was all a fairytale. That no wolf in their right mind would see a no claim as an equal in their pack.

“We do. You will see, and you will be staying in our rooms. I expect Alpha will have you stay in his tonight,” he says, crossing his arms. “He always has the female we keep first.”

“That’s what you want me for then,” I say in disgust, because it’s clear they just want me for sex, and their poor mates must just put up with it because they are alphas. I don’t want my first time to be with someone else’s mate, but it sounds like I’m not going to have a choice. I’m just going to be a whore to them until they get what they want and leave. Lucy told me that’s what wolf males do best: leave after they catch the prize. “I’m not a whore and I don’t want to be killed by one of your angry mates for lying with you.”

Alaric frowns at me, like he can see what I’m thinking before he moves across the carriage and grabs my face with both his hands. “We will have you in our beds because you are beautiful and smart. We are loyal to no one. None of us has chosen a mate. We never have, and you are not a whore for lying with us. You will be rewarded for your time with us, pleasured by our touch and treated as an equal,” he explains to me, but everything from when he said they don’t have mates seems like a blur.

“You’ve all never claimed anyone?” I ask in shock. That’s… unheard of.

“No,” he solemnly replies. His blue eyes seem desperate to tell me more before he suddenly goes cold and starts to move away.

“Wait, I have more questions,” I say, gasping as he pulls away from me and goes back to sit on the other side.

“Quiet now. We will be home soon,” he commands, altogether dismissing me. I scowl at him before crossing my arms and resting back on the seat once more. No mates, accept no claims… all at the price of being in their beds. It doesn’t seem like the worst deal I’ve been offered. Under every sweet deal is a cruel intent. I just haven’t seen it yet.