Chapter 2: Sold like Property

Alina’s Point of View

I never expected to be anything but invisible. The shadow in the corner. The one who worked, cleaned, and silently endured whatever the pack threw my way. If I could just keep my head down, maybe they'd forget I existed, maybe they'd stop reminding me of how much of a burden I was.

But today… today was different.

I walked through the pack house, as I always did with my head down, hands moving instinctively as I wiped down tables, swept floors, tidied up rooms. No one ever saw me, but I had become adept at it. People in the pack had long since stopped looking at me. I wasn’t the daughter of the Alpha, I wasn’t even a daughter to them. I was just… there.

The weight of my life had settled around me like a second skin, heavy but familiar. But that all came crashing down when I was called to Papa’s office.

I froze in the hallway when the summons came. It was a rare occurrence… Papa didn’t bother with me unless he had something unpleasant to say or he needed someone to vent his anger out on.

I stood at the door, my hand hovering over the handle. I hesitated, my pulse quickening, unsure of what was coming. Taking a deep breath, I pushed the door open. Inside, my father, Alpha Magnus, sat behind his desk, a towering figure of ice and authority. Damien and Caleb flanked him, their eyes as cold as the walls that surrounded us. Eli stood in the corner, his eyes cast down, unwilling to meet my gaze.

“Come in, Alina, don't keep us waiting” Papa’s voice was detached, the same tone he always used when addressing me. I obeyed, walking across the floor, my every step a battle against the crippling anxiety trying to choke me.

I didn’t speak. What was there to say? I’d long since learned that anything I said was a waste of breath. But today, something was different. The tension in the air was thick, suffocating, as if the walls themselves were pressing in on me.

I stood before him, trying to keep my face expressionless. His eyes flicked over me, his gaze calculating, like I was just a tool to be used. A thing.

“You’ve been nothing but a burden and curse to this pack, Alina,” he began, his voice sharp. “A wolf-less freak who can’t contribute to anything of value. No strength, no power, no nothing.”

The words stung, but I had heard them a thousand times before. Still, something about the way he spoke them made my chest tighten.

“But now, you can be of use to someone else,” he continued, his lips curling into a sneer. “I’ve decided it’s time to give you away.”

I blinked, my mind racing to process his words. “What do you mean?” My voice was barely above a whisper, the fear creeping in.

“You’ll be given to Alpha Thorne of the Iron Fang Pack,” Papa said coldly, as if this was a casual decision, like he was discussing dinner plans or something equally inconsequential. “We’ll form an alliance with the Iron Fang Pack. He needs a… breeder. And you, Alina, will fill that role. You’ll be of use to him.”

A breeder. The word echoed in my ears like a death sentence.

Not a mate. Not a Luna. A breeder.

A chill ran through me as I tried to process what he was saying. I couldn’t breathe. Alpha Thorne… he was a known monster, a name whispered in fear by every wolf in the pack. His pack was known for their savagery, their brutality. The mere thought of being handed over to him made my stomach turn.

“You can’t… You can’t do this,” I pleaded, my voice shaking as I looked at Papa, desperate for some shred of humanity to shine through. “Please Papa.”

Papa’s face remained impassive. “This is what’s best for the pack. Your are of no value to me in this pack, but you can at least be useful to someone else. Consider yourself lucky that Thorne wants you.”

I turned to Damien, the eldest. His face was cold, devoid of any hint of sympathy. His eyes, dark and cruel, met mine with amusement. He was enjoying this, enjoying the way I was breaking apart.

“Damien, please,” I whispered, my voice cracking, “help me.”

Damien chuckled, a low, mocking sound. “You’ve never been anything but a burden, Alina. Why would I help you now?”

I looked to Caleb, the Second. His expression mirrored Damien’s, smug and filled with disdain.

“Do not look at me that way you worthless brat!,” Caleb said, his voice dripping with contempt. “This is what you deserve.”

I turned to Eli, the youngest, the only one who had ever shown me a shred of kindness. His eyes flickered with guilt, but that was all. He didn’t speak. He didn’t move. He just… looked away.

My heart shattered in that moment. Even Eli, the one person I thought might protect me, had abandoned me.

Papa signed a parchment with a flourish, dismissing me with the same cold, indifferent attitude he always reserved for me. “Take her to Thorne by Nightfall,” he ordered, his gaze turning back to his paperwork. “She’s his problem now.”

Beta Rafeal stepped forward, his cold hands gripping my arm. His eyes were empty, lifeless. He didn’t care that I was about to be sold like property.

And then it happened. He fastened a silver collar around my neck, cold against my skin, the symbol of my submission, my fate.

I stood there, numb, as he led me out of the room.

My mind felt like it was shutting down. I couldn’t breathe. The reality of it was too much.

I stumbled down the hallway, each step heavy, like I was walking through a nightmare I couldn’t escape. My heart pounded in my chest, but I couldn’t move. There was no fight left in me. I had no one.

As nightfall approached, I sat by my cell window, staring at the moon. It felt like the only thing that still made sense. But even the moon couldn’t bring me peace. I clenched my fists, the anger and frustration bubbling inside me, but I didn’t let it out.

I had been discarded. Sold. No longer a daughter. No longer anything.

The distant sound of hooves reached my ears, and I froze. The Iron Fang Pack had come.

Footsteps echoed down the corridor. Heavy. Relentless.

And I knew I was about to be taken away.