6: Sealing the Agreement

ROSENTINE

I wanted to step outside, to feel something other than the stale air of my room, but with Alpha Bastian away from the pack house, I wasn’t allowed to leave, not so much as a foot past my room.

I couldn’t help but let out a sigh as I crouched on the bed, knees drawn up, with a blanket thrown around my shoulders. I tried to lose myself in the book Via had lent me yesterday, but my mind was too preoccupied.

After Mrs. Jane took a sample of my blood and checked my overall health yesterday, she dismissed me, saying she would share the lab results as soon as they arrived.

I was supposed to meet the Alpha in his study after that, but before I could even head back to the main house, the Beta told me to go back to my room.

Since then, I had been stuck in this room. It felt like a prison, but who was I to voice my frustration? I just sighed again, shutting the book and swinging my legs over the side of the bed.

When I walked toward the window, there were warriors outside, their shouts and the thud of their boots rising faintly through the glass. I scanned the crowd, my eyes catching on the one with red hair, who stared up at me.

For a second, he looked straight up, locking eyes with me. There was nothing neutral in his stare; it was sharp and cold, enough that it was making me uncomfortable.

He just watched me, hatred plain on his face, before turning back to the others as if I was nothing at all.

“What’s his problem?” I muttered, still staring after him, the memory of that glare prickling under my skin. Like I’d wronged him in some unforgivable way, and he wanted me to know it.

Then, out of nowhere, I heard it, the soft click of a lock being released from the other side of the door. I tensed, spinning around as the door swung open.

I was expecting Via or Beta Owen, but a maid stepped in, holding a tray. It was the same girl from yesterday, the one who’d woken me. Melissa, if I remembered right.

“Here’s your lunch,” she said in a dull voice as she approached the table, setting the tray down with a careless thud. Without another word, she turned and left, shutting the door behind her.

For a moment, I just stared at the door, blinking, a little stunned. I guess I’d half-hoped things might be different here. But when I finally stepped over to the table, the sight that greeted me was all too familiar. Soup spilled off the tray, food scattered like it was meant for the floor and not for me. I had to bite my lip to keep from cursing out loud.

Leaving the Frozen Valley pack was supposed to mean leaving this sort of thing behind. But I should have known better. No matter where I went, it always came back to this—a quiet reminder that people thought I didn’t deserve even the smallest measure of respect.

I pressed my lips together. Instead of forcing myself to eat, I just left everything as it was and went back to bed. But then, just as I turned away, the sound of the lock clicking open made me freeze.

Someone else was coming in. The handle turned, and Beta Owen stepped inside, his expression unreadable, causing me to swallow hard.

“The Alpha has returned,” he said, and I nodded, watching him look around the room, as if he was checking if there was any sign that I was trying to do something funny. Then, his brow knitted together as he noticed the mess of food on the tray resting on the table. “If you don’t want to eat, don’t waste—”

“I didn’t,” I cut in before he could finish, my voice sharper than I meant. “The maid put the tray down carelessly. That’s why everything spilled.”

He didn’t react at first, just blinked and asked, “Who?” His voice was calm, but I could sense something cold underneath.

“Melissa,” I answered, but he didn’t say anything. He just nodded and turned, causing me to follow him. “Did Mrs. Jane already hand in the lab results?”

“She did. The result is in the Alpha’s hands now.” Beta Owen turned to me, and for a second, my heart skipped a beat and suddenly became heavy in my chest.

“What will happen to me if I’m not fit to carry his pup?” I blurted out, my palm growing clammy at the idea of being sent back to my old pack.

After all, I had already claimed that I was no longer part of them, so there was no way they would take me back.

“I’m sure you already know. Didn’t my sister talk to you about this yesterday?” Beta Owen didn’t even look at me as he strode ahead, his tone casual, almost bored. “She told me everything, so surely, you know that you’ll be sent back.”

I shuddered; just the thought of it was enough to twist my stomach. All I could do was pray that my lab results were good. If they were, I’d get to stay, even if it meant being the Alpha’s breeder.

It wasn’t what I’d ever wanted, but between that and going back home, the choice was obvious—I’d rather stay here, even as his breeder.

When we arrived at the study, my heart began hammering in my chest. My hand then found my own arm, and I started scratching, desperate for some kind of relief from the nerves gnawing at me.

Beta Owen seemed to be bothered by it, especially when blood started to appear on my pale skin.

“Stop.” He frowned, taking my hand before he knocked and opened the door, tugging me inside.

“Why are you holding her? Is she struggling?” Alpha Bastian’s eyes flicked from Owen’s hand on my wrist to my face, his gaze sharp and cold.

For a moment, the room felt smaller, the air heavier, as if a wild animal was watching me from the shadows, waiting for me to step out of line.

“No, but she was scratching her arm, so I had to hold her to make her stop.” Beta Owen released my wrist, and I clutched it, as if that alone could steady the strange, fluttery anxiety rising in my stomach.

“All right, you can leave us.” Alpha Bastian’s chair scraped against the floor as he rose, his gaze never wavering from my face, even as he addressed his beta. “And tell Jane to prepare the procedure.”

My eyes grew wide, but as soon as the meaning of his words sank in, my shoulders eased. The door opened, then shut, and only then did I realize that I was already alone with the Alpha.

“What? You look relieved.” His lips curled into a smirk, clearly entertained. “Just the other night, you seemed to hate the idea of being my breeder. Now you’re happy to become mine.”

He didn’t phrase it as a question. It was more like he was stating a fact, and somehow, that irritated me. Still, I kept my face blank.

The idea that I belonged to him was ridiculous, yet I couldn’t help the wave of relief that washed over me. Being his breeder meant I could remain here, and even if the treatment I received was harsh at the moment, I held onto the hope that things would improve once I became pregnant.

I mean, who would dare mistreat a she-wolf carrying the Alpha and his mate’s child?

“Now, why don’t you take a seat so we can go over the contract?” he added, picking up a sheet of paper and a pen from his desk and walking toward the couch. I followed him, settling onto the couch across from him, my eyes fixed on the document he laid on the table between us. “Go ahead and read it.”

I nodded and focused on the paper. The clauses of the contract didn’t state any conditions for me to refuse. Most of the terms actually seemed to benefit me, if I overlooked the fact that I would lose my freedom and be expected to satisfy his needs without any intercourse.

From now on, someone would always be watching me, making sure I didn’t run away or do anything reckless that might threaten the unborn child once I got pregnant.

Leaving the pack house? Not allowed, but that wasn’t much of a shock anymore. I’d already resigned myself to the reality of all this, so the contract itself didn’t seem so terrible, not really.

So, after reading it, I took the pen and wrote my signature, sealing the agreement.

For a moment, I just stared at the paper, numbness spreading through my hands, realizing how little I’d changed over the past years, how easily I still accepted whatever was thrown at me.

Maybe I’d grown used to it. Back home, I never had the luxury of complaint or curiosity, let alone defending myself. If I did, the outcome was always the same: locked up, or worse, whipped until my skin stung and burned.

“Once you successfully become pregnant, I promise to provide you with a life of comfort, and after you give birth, I’ll reward you with gold and make sure you have a brighter future,” Alpha Bastian said, pulling my attention away from the paper in front of me.

Then, I flinched as I realized he was already standing right next to me, his presence looming. Slowly, he extended his hand, and I took it hesitantly, meeting his gaze filled with something I couldn’t quite point to.

“I look forward to our relationship, Rosentine.”