Asher’s POV:
I hated paperwork.Everything about it felt like it was set to frustrate me. From the tiny fonts of the documents to the never-ending stack of papers that seemed to multiply on my desk every day. It annoyed the shit out of me, but it was still my responsibility and I powered through it knowing that, I would only be coming back to it tomorrow if I decided to pack up and call it a day right now.A knock came on my door once, before it was pushed open and I knew who it was without having to raise my head from my position. There was only one person I knew that would have the audacity to do it.“I didn’t say you could come in,” I said, as I scribbled furiously into the sheets.“I didn’t ask.” Nikolai’s annoying voice filled the space and I raised my head to shoot a glare at him.It didn’t faze him like I expected and instead he moved to settle into the seat opposite me.“It’s almost time for dinner, Asher.” He called and I hummed in response but that was all he got from me.“You’re done here. Michelle texted me to let me know that the girls were been prepared already and I think you should do the same. You don’t want them to have to wait for you when they get there.” He said and I scoffed, finally pausing on my writing“Why not? I’m their King. They should wait for me.” I said calmly, leaning in my seat with a raised brow when Nikolai shook his head at my statement.“One of them might be the mother of your child Asher. The least you could do is treat them with respect. Remember you can’t force them to do this, so you have to find a way to convince them and tardiness is not a great start.”“You sound like a grandpa right now. Whatever you say, I’m not leaving here till I’m done with these stupid paperwork you keep sending into my office.” I responded, picking up the pen I had discarded earlier.“Asher, come on! You’re being very frustrating about this process. This is for you! You’ve been nothing but difficult from the very start of it, Michelle let me know that there are just a couple of girls left and if you don’t make a choice then that’s it. White omega wolves are rare to come by and almost every pack has been searched to gather the few that we have at the moment.”For the first time since this process began, I could hear the frustration in my Beta’s voice and a slither of guilt ran through me. He didn’t understand though and there was no way that I could explain to him that after the last incident, the thought of sharing my bed with another woman terrified me to my bones.“Fine, this paperwork is on you tomorrow though.” I responded after a stretched silence before packing up the rest of my things and heading out to my car with Nikolai in tow.“Wear some nice dress pants and slick your hair back.” Nikolai advised the moment we pulled into the house and I rolled my eyes.“I’m not taking fashion advice from you.” Came my response as I made my way into my home.“Welcome Alpha.” A handmaiden greeted, the moment I stepped into the house but I could barely hear her above my burning thoughts.This routine had been going on for weeks now and I was starting to get sick of it. I had instructed Michelle to plan out a schedule so I only had to endure these dinners a couple of times every week instead of every night and although it slowed the process, but I appreciated the breaks too much to complain.As much as I understood the importance of picking an omega to carry my child, a large part of me didn’t want to do it. I could just see everything going wrong, plus none of the omegas that had been showcased to me earlier caught my attention.They all looked and spoke the same. Blonde hair, blue eyes. With the occasional green eyes. Naive, and obedient. It seemed like they had been bred to be perfect vessels for someone else's desires. That was not my cup of tea. At all.“Looking good.” Nikolai complimented the moment I stepped into the room and took a seat at the head of the table.“Shut up.”The idiot had the nerve to snicker. I didn’t get the chance to tell him off though because a guard announced Michelle’s arrival and I straightened up in my seat. Willing myself to power through the night.As per usual, the door opened and the girls flooded into the room. Heads bowed, lips quivering as they dutifully took their assigned places around the table. I counted the girls as they made their way into the room and did a double take when I realized they were just three.They used to always be four. Were the numbers down bad already?I look to the entrance to find the last girl hovering by the door and it hit me like a brick.I struggled to take in her features all at once. Flaming red hair, chocolate brown eyes that seemed to call anyone that dared to look deep inside, but her features weren’t the thing that stood out to me.It was her scent. A mixture of something sweet and burnt I could only describe it as a tantalizing blend of caramel and smoky woods. It wrapped around me like a comforting embrace, stirring memories that had long been buried deep within.And then there was the hatred that burned within her brown eyes.Now, I knew that I wasn’t the favorite of many people but no one ever dared to look me in the eyes and maybe that was why I had never seen such hatred before. She was smaller, smaller than the rest of the girls that had filed into the room but she had such fierce energy around her that it piqued my curiosity.Eventually she broke the eye contact and made her way into the room, no doubt prompted by Michelle. She settled down in her seat which was unfortunately the farthest one from me and for some reason, I couldn’t seem to take my eyes of her. I knew that I had never met her before, I would have never forgotten that head full of red, but something about her seemed familiar.Elysia.That was her name according to her introduction and it didn’t ring a bell but I liked the sound of it.Nikolai’s voice asking questions after questions filled the room and I had the urge to ask him to shut it but I didn’t. Better he did the talking than myself.The way that she froze when I called her name satisfied the sadistic part of me. I tried to remember the last time I had been to the Blood Moon pack and it seemed like such a long time ago, so it meant that we had definitely not met before. Why did she seem so familiar though?‘Do any of them interest you?’ Nikolai asked through the mind-link‘The red head.’‘She does seem interesting although she’s very quiet, but maybe she’s shy? Remember you can’t force her though, if she doesn’t want to carry your child then you can pick another one of the girls or wait to have dinner with the remaining girls.’I was about to respond to him when Michelle came into the room and I did not expect Elysia’s reaction when I picked her but I only leaned back in my seat as I watched Michelle usher the rest of the girls out of room and Elysia fight the guards that were clearly struggling to contain her. For someone her size, she knew how to put up a good fight.The thought of that sent a thrum through my veins and excited me more than I wanted to admit. It stirred something in me that I thought was long dead and I could feel the hair on my neck stand in response.“What are you doing? Order the guards to let go of her! She clearly doesn’t want it”“That’s not my problem Nikolai. You’ve been on my ass to make a choice and I just did.” I didn’t wait for my Beta to respond before I made my way to my room.I could still hear her screams as I approached and as much as it excited a part of me, it still pissed off a bigger part. She was pinned on the ground by two guards and the sight of it made my blood boil for some reason.“Bring her to her knees.” I instructed and they did as I said.And just like before, she had a wild fire burning in her eyes. Maybe even fiercer than it had been earlier.“You know I could have your voice box taken out for disturbing the peace of my home.” I said in a chilly voice that I could see clearly affected her“Then what are you waiting for?” Gone was the softness in her voice from earlier.Now it was hoarse with screaming and laced with hatred as she spoke.“What’s the use fighting against them? Eventually they’ll let go of you on my command and I’ll do with you as I please. I have chosen you to bear me a child and that’s what you will do omega.”There were many things that I had been expecting as a response from the girl before me. A snarky remark, something along the lines of the Goddess forbidding, more screaming?But what I did not expect was the spittle that landed on my face. It burned my skin, stinging like acid and setting my blood on fire and my hands moved before I could think about it or control it. The sound of the slap echoed through the room. The force behind it startled even myself, and for a moment, silence hung heavily in the air.“Take her to the dungeon and have her chained to the beam.” I instructed and watched as the guards dragged her out of the room.It was time to break an Omega.Elysia’s POV:I was never much of a fighter. In truth, I was the opposite of one, but the events of the last couple of days had somehow managed to make me see myself in a different light. I could still remember Michelle’s words from her visit at some point. “I didn’t know you were this foolish, I would have never even brought you with me. You asked to replace your friend! Do you remember? And now you’ve been chosen and you don’t want it? How foolish are you? Many will kill to be in your position!” She had said and the venom in her tone had scared me but I was too angry to hold my tongue. “Then let them take my position.” I spat out and she tsked“That’s the fucking problem! For some reason, the Alpha insists on you which complicates this situation even more. Here’s a piece of advice for you; this is not a game. There’s no price for being stubborn. You don’t get to have a choice in this situation. He’s your king and he has chosen you and you only get two options. Have his heir or
Asher’s POV:I watched the girl in front of me with a frown painting my face. I didn’t understand, was having a child for me that terrible of an idea that she would choose death over it? I knew that I was far from an angel and thanks to my Lycan many people knew me as a demon, but I was sure that I had never met this girl before so I couldn’t understand the hatred that she had for me. I pulled open the door and stepped out of the dungeon room, running into someone the moment that I did.“Really Asher? It’s been one week! One whole week of starving the girl and having her locked up. How far will you go and for how long?” Nikolai said, his eyes glowing with an anger that matched his toneI pushed past him, deciding to ignore him since I didn’t really have an answer for him.“She’s going to die if you continue to leave her there Asher.” He called after me as I made my way down the hall but I continued to ignore him.I gave her an option. She made her choice and there was nothing that I c
Elysia’s POV:A groan escaped my lips as I slowly came into consciousness, every part of me ached like I had been run over by a truck and my eyes seemed to be glued shut because no matter what I did, I couldn’t get them to open. I shifted from my position and a sob escaped my lips at the effort and pain I had to go through for such a simple action. There was an incessant ringing in my ears and it felt like I had fire bubbling within my stomach waiting to burst out at the slightest opportunity. I felt the tears as it slipped past my closed eyes and for some reason it made me feel even worse.I could barely feel my wolf and for a second, I panicked that she had died due to the torture and starvation but just as the thought crossed my mind, I felt her stir from within and it reassured me. I shuffled once more on the bed before letting out a sigh and letting the sleep take over once again.The next time that I came awake, it was to a familiar scent somewhere around me. I felt better than
Elysia’s POV: I sat in place for several seconds, trying to weigh my options. I could already guess what he had to say to me and no part of me wanted to even give him a chance to say them. Our last encounter at dinner had ended with him locking me up in a dungeon and leaving me to die, I couldn’t put it past him to try and do the same thing over and over again, for as long as it took me to break.“It’s okay. He won’t hurt you again, that I can promise.” Nikolai, as if reading my doubtful thoughts said beside me and I nodded, taking the hand that he offered before slipping out of bed. He led me out of the room and for a moment it crossed my mind that I had not taken a normal bath in maybe weeks and I could only imagine what my outward appearance looked like at the moment. I tucked a strand of hair behind my eyes and attempted to straighten my dress as I walked behind Nikolai, I might have just been through the worst hell but I wasn’t going to allow that monster to get the satisfactio
Elysia’s POV: Light filled the room and I scurried to my feet almost choking on my breath when my eyes landed on the bare-chested frame of the alpha, leaning against the side of my bed. He watched me with careful eyes and the silence in which he did it, creeped me out enough and had me more conscious that I ran a hand through my hair in an attempt to tame my bed hair. “Good morning Master.” I greeted him, avoiding eye contact with him. He grunted in reply and pushed off the wall heading out of the room. “Get me a hot towel and a bottle of water and bring them both to the gym room.” He instructed, walking out of the room before I could form a response. I placed my hand against my chest, hoping to calm my racing heart as I moved towards the bathroom to splash some water on my face, hoping to drive out the rest of the sleep. I ran my fingers along my hair before pulling it into a messy bun at the top of my head. The moment I stepped out of my room, I knew that I was somehow going to
Elysia’s POV:I couldn’t tell how long I stayed crying on the floor but eventually I picked up myself and moved into the bathroom to wash my face. I felt unbelievably lonely and I longed for some sort of company. I didn’t care who it belonged to.as long as there was just another presence with me that didn’t feel the need to mock or enslave me. I splashed some cold water on my face, flinching when I caught sight of myself in the mirror. I looked like a different person. My eyes were bloodshot, my hair was dry and messy and I looked like I was hanging on for dear life. There was not much I could do about looking like a ghost but I fixed my hair, combing it out until it fell over my shoulders in thick long waves. I changed my dress into something that made me feel a little prettier, before heading out of the room, satisfied with the way I looked. I had a long time to mourn my situation, but a part of me also knew that no matter how much I whined or cried about it, it wasn’t going to jus
Elysia’s POV: It had been a total of thirty minutes since the Alpha had left me in the room and maybe I wasn’t the best with instructions or patience because I was tired of being locked up in the room, and not knowing what was happening outside of my door or what the screams that were coming from below meant was starting to drive me crazy and against my wolf’s warning, I pushed open the door and stepped out of the room.‘Elysia, why do you always choose to ignore me?’ I heard my wolf through the mind link but before I could respond the voices from below the stairs reached my ears and I hurried in the direction. The Alpha’s home that was usually empty and quiet was now packed full with various people. Mostly woman, the pups or the older people. There were also some injured guards and I could spot the pack’s healer move from place to place trying to take care of them all at once. The living space was chaotic and I watched with horror as the maids dashed in and out of the crowd with ar
CHAPTER SIXTEEN ELYSIA’S POV: His scent was overwhelming, the bitter tang of blood that had been around him when he had first come in was nowhere to be found and it was now replaced by his masculine body wash that made my mouth water for some reason. I could feel Freya get more restless as the seconds went by and when she began to fight for control panic flooded through my veins causing me to swallow heavily. “Let me go.” I whispered, although my voice sounded coarse. The Alpha's eyes dimmed and he pulled me even closer against his body causing a shiver to run through my already sensitive body. “I asked you a question Elysia and I expect a response.” he said and that was the softest i had ever heard the man's voice and in that moment it felt like my entire body became liquid. I could feel my resolve melting away and my body accepting his warm arms that had wrapped against my waist and his bare chest that was now in contact with mine. “He's my friend and I'm wor-” I had begun sa