1| The Alpha King’s Breeder.

“Starlette!” My father’s thunderous voice growled, jolting me awake.

 

Fear gripped me by the throat as I sat up, wondering what I had done again.

 

My father hated me; that was a known fact. He believed I was the cause of my mother’s death since she died giving birth to me. And to add more salt to the injury, I turned out to be an Omega, which made him hate me even more.

 

My sisters, Maeve and Sabrina, didn’t treat me any better. They bullied and taunted me for a living, making me wake up every day wishing it was my last.

 

I hated my life!

 

“You useless bitch. Get up!” He growled again.

 

My eyes still heavy with sleep, I scampered out of bed and stood before him, cowering.

 

“Yes, father.” My lips trembled, fearing what he might do to me with the blazing rage flickering beneath his eyes.

 

Perhaps lock me up. Or hit me?

 

I didn’t even know what I had done.

 

“How many times have I told you that I am not your father?!” He bellowed, taking an intimidating step forward.

 

I recoiled, picking my finger nails anxiously as I corrected myself. “Yes, Alpha.”

 

He cleared his throat, and his cold countenance finally loosened a little.

 

“For the first time in your useless life, you’re finally useful."

 

Confusion graced my features, my brows furrowing as I wondered what he was talking about. I had never imagined that a day would come where my father would call me 'useful'.

 

Before I could ask any questions, he elaborated. “You’ve made me a lot of money. I sold you to the Alpha King, and you are to leave now. Pack your dirty bag. His men are outside.”

 

I blinked repeatedly as that information sank in. My vision blurred, and a torrent of unpleasant emotions swirled painfully within me.

 

 Sold? What did he mean by sold? To be a slave or what? What could the Alpha King possibly want with me? An Omega like me?

 

My life couldn’t have been worse.

 

***

 

Everything still felt like a dream. From the moment my father divulged the devastating news to when I was forced to pack my bag, get into the car of total strangers, and journey here.

 

It really did feel like a dream. Only that, it was a dream I’ll never wake up from.

 

I knew my father hated me, but I never imagined that he hated me to the extent of selling me as a slave. Without hesitation. I guess I underestimated the extent of his hatred for me.

 

I stood in front of the giant pack house—the Royal Crest pack—thinking of the torment that awaited me in there.

 

Slaves were never treated with kindness, and I only hoped that things would be better than they were at my father’s pack.

 

“This way.” The Alpha King’s Beta—Kade—who picked me up from my father’s pack said as he began to lead me inside the pack house.

 

I wished I could just turn back and run for my life, but I couldn’t. Kade was way stronger and much faster than I was; he would catch me before I could even blink.

 

So, drawing in a sharp breath, I obediently followed him. Without protest.

 

As we walked through the pack house, I could feel burning gazes piercing my skin, but I didn’t dare to look up. I was too paranoid to do so. I just hurriedly walked behind Beta Kade, avoiding gazes, until he came to a stop in front of an oak door.

 

“This is your room.” He informed me before pushing the door open and holding it for me to enter.

 

Cautiously, I trudged inside. The room was huge and beautifully decorated with expensive furniture. As I glanced around, I couldn’t help but wonder if Beta Kade had made a mistake. This couldn’t possibly be the room of a slave.

 

“Do slaves usually get this type of room here?” I asked him as I turned to look at him, curling my toes nervously.

 

A deep, throaty laughter emanated from him, surprising me.

 

“Slaves?” He laughed again.

 

What was so funny?

 

“Yes.” I nodded innocently.

 

“I guess you think you’re here to be a slave. But you are not.” He cleared his throat, lifting his shoulder in a half-shrug. “You’ll know soon enough.”

 

He didn’t even allow me to ask more questions before bolting out of the room, leaving me to my curiosity.

 

Why else would the Alpha King buy me like I was some sort of property if I wasn’t here to be a slave? No matter how hard I tried to rack my brain, I couldn’t come up with any ideas.

 

A few minutes after Beta Kade left, the oak door was suddenly slammed open, revealing a blonde she-wolf who was about my age. Her face was beautifully sculpted, complemented by a well-proportioned and attractive body. She looked like a goddess if not for the scowl embedded deep in her face that made her look like a raging tiger.

 

“So, you are the breeder.” She blurted out as she moved further into the room, not bothering to close the door.

 

Confusion saturated my features at her statement.

 

“Maximus is so very tasteless.” She continued, folding her arms over her chest as she rounded me. “You are so very ugly.”

 

I wasn’t one bit offended by her statement. I had heard even worse. And moreover, I could tell that she was talking from a place of jealousy.

 

Perhaps the Alpha King was her mate. But from what I heard, he didn’t have a Luna yet.

 

Though that wasn’t my concern. What seemed to baffle me was the statement she made when she came in. A sickening possibility bubbled up my throat, and I willed it shut, hoping she was just blabbing.

 

“What do you mean by breeder?” I inquired promptly, my eyes narrowing as I stared at her annoying figure.

 

“Oh, you didn’t know?“ She sneered, a wicked glint in her eyes as she continued rounding me like I was an item on an auction.

 

“Know what?” I gritted out. She was beginning to get on my nerves.

 

Suddenly, she grabbed my hair tightly and pulled it back, looking straight into my eyes as she threatened. “Don’t you for a second think you can take my man away from me? I would kill you if you tried to.”

 

“I want nothing to do with your man. Let me go.” I demanded, wincing in pain as I tried to wiggle out of her hold, but I couldn’t. She was stronger than me.

 

A wide, satisfying smile curled at her lips, evidently enjoying the pain she was inflicting on me. Such a maniac!

 

“Oops.” She suddenly gasped after a while, releasing her grip on my hair. “I’m sorry.” She said, a smug smile playing at her lips.

 

Psycho.

 

“What—“ I started, but she cut me off with a low growl.

 

“Or not!”

 

Before I knew what was happening, her grip had already returned to my hair, pulling it hard until I tripped to the ground, my butt making first contact.

 

I was still wincing in pain when she crouched beside me, lifting my chin up with two fingers, forcing me to look into her menacing evil eyes.

 

“You are here to pop out pups for me and Maximus.” She announced, and my stomach began to churn uneasily.

 

My heart pounded rapidly against my ribcage as I tried to process the devastating information I just got hit with.

 

My life couldn’t have gotten any worse. From an Omega who had always been abused by her own family to a breeder? 

 

A breeder whose only job is to give birth to pups that’ll eventually be taken away from her?

 

No. Fate can’t be so cruel to me. No. No. No.

 

This was the definition of hell. She had to be joking.

 

“Are you—are you sure?” My lips trembled as I asked the blonde she-wolf, hoping she’d give me a different reply.

 

But what I hoped for never came.

 

She looked me in the eyes, her lips quirking up in a mischievous smile, as she replied blatantly. “Yes!”

 

“But why—“ I wanted to ask why she couldn’t conceive for him since she seemed to be his mate or something when a strong scent suddenly hit my nostrils.

 

It was so intoxicating that I lost sense of everything else. Not even the terrible situation I was in at that moment. All I could think of and desperately wanted was to get to the source of the scent.

 

So, leaping to my feet despite the painful stinging sensations on my buttocks, I began to walk away from the blonde wolf. I could hear her ranting, but her voice faded into the background as my senses were clouded.

 

I walked out of the room, sniffing and tracing the scent. The more distance I covered, the more the alluring scent captivated my senses. It was like I was in a hypnotic state and had only one mission—to find the source of the hypnotising scent.

 

As I took a turn down the corridor, my eyes caught sight of a strikingly handsome figure, and I came to an abrupt stop, the mesmerising blend of cedar wood, musk, and a sweet hint of lavender hitting my nostrils like a tsunami.

 

“Mate!” I breathed out, and he growled, our voices in sync.

 

Underneath the entrancing sweet scent was an undeniable, raw power that could only be exuded by one Alpha.

 

The Alpha King!

 

King of the Seven Northern Kingdoms.

 

Alpha King Maximus Northwood.