Chapter 1: The King Needs A Surrogate

Kyra's POV 

"Get out!"

Alpha Liam's voice moved through the hallway. I froze halfway down the corridor, the dust clothe still in my hand. I should have slipped into the servant stairwell and vanished the way I always did when he lost his temper, Instead I stood their like an idot because the private chambers still needed cleaning and if they weren't perfect by morning he'd take it out on Lianna.

The door to his office slammed open and two betas scramble out, their heads bowed so low their chins nearly touched their chestd. Their footsteps faded away and the estate settled into that thick, dangerous silence that only happened after midnight when the Alpha was drunk and looking for something to break.

I turned back toward the stairs.

"You." A voice came from behind me.

I felt my stomach turn. Liam stood in the doorway of his private quarters, his shirt half-unbuttoned, dark hair messy, eyes fixed on me like he’d just remembered a toy he’d left lying around. 

"I was just finishing the floors, Alpha." I kept my voice steady. "They're almost-"

"Inside." He said. "Now!"

There was no room to argue, not when he used that tone. I stepped past him into the room that still smelled like polish and the lavender oil I'd used earlier.

"You've been avoiding me." He didn't move, just watched me. "You think I didn't notice?"

"I haven't been avoiding-"

"Don't lie to me!" He crossed the room in three long steps. I backed up until my shoulders hit the wall beside the wardrobe. His hand came up and braced bedside my head, while the other one caught my wrist and pinned it against the wood.

"Everytime I walk into a room you find somewhere else to be." His breath was hot and whiskey sour against my cheek. " You send Anna with my meals instead of coming yourself. You think I'm stupid?"

"I've just been busy, Alpha." I said. "There's the harvest and Lianna has been sick."

"I don't care about Lianna." His free hand slid down the side of my neck. "You've always had excuses since the day your useless parents left you and that sister of yours with their debts. I've been very patient. More patient than most alphas would be with an omega who keeps pretending she doesn't know what she's for."

My pulse jumped under his fingers but I forced my body still. Panic would only make him worse. The only way through was to endure until he lost interest or someone interrupted. I stared at a point over his shoulder to the window. The dark trees beyond the estate. Anywhere but his face.

"Take off your clothes," he gripped my chin and forced my face up.

"Alpha I-"

"Now!" He screamed, his chest rising and falling fast.

My fingers were shaking as I reached for the ties at my waist. The simple grey fabric was already thin from too many washing. I fumbled with the knot as he watched.

"Faster." His voice rose.

I got the first tie loose and the front of the dress gaped, cool air touched the tops of my breasts and goosebumps rose on my skin under his stare. His hand closed over mine and ripped the remaining ties free and the dress slid off my shoulders and pooled at my feet. I stood in the thin shift underneath, arms crossed over my chest without thinking.

"You're still trying to hide from me." Liam's gaze moved down.

He gripped the neckline of the shift and tore it straight down to the middle. The cheap cloth gave a soft sound and cool air hit my bare skin. My nipples tightened hard by the sudden exposure and I bit the inside of my cheek until I tasted blood. His hands moved to my waist, fingers digging into the soft flesh above my hips, then up untill they closed over my breasts and he squeezed it hard enough that a sharp sound came out of me.

“There it is,” he muttered. “Finally making noise.”

I turned my face away. “Please don’t.”

"You've been avoiding this long enough." He laughed and pinched one nipple, twisting it until tears stung my eyes. "Tonight I'm going to take what's mine."

His mouth crashed down on mine, his teeth scraping my lower lip. I tried to stay still,to go somewhere else in my head the way I always did,but his hands were everywhere. One stayed on my breast, squeezing it, while the other shoved between my thighs and cupped me roughly through the last scrap of my underwear.

A heavy knock rattled the door and Liam froze,his fingers stayed buried inside me.

Liam’s head snapped up. “What?”

“Alpha.” The voice belonged to Elder Sebastian, one of the few who still dared speak when Liam was like this. “It cannot wait. The matter concerns the Alpha King.”

Liam’s entire body went stiff and for a second I thought he might ignore it anyway. His free hand still held my breast, thumb still resting against my nipple like he’d forgotten it was there. Then he swore, and he removed his hand. I nearly collapsed from the sudden release of his weight.

"Stay in the hallway," he ordered. "We're not finished."

He yanked the door open. Elder Sebastian stood there, his face carefully blank,his eyes moving over my half-naked body and then looking away.I scrambled for the ruined dress, yanking it up over my shoulders with shaking hands, the ties were gone and I walked out the room, my heart still racing.

Elder Sebastian walked in and Liam pulled the door mostly shut behind him. I was supposed to walk away. He'd told me to wait in the hallway, not to eavesdrop by his office door like some child, but my feet wouldn't move, I stood at the stone floor with my back pressed flat against the wall.

"A rider came from the capital an hour ago," Sebastian spoke. "The Alpha is putting out a formal call. They need a surrogate."

"A surrogate for the Alpha King," Liam laughed again. 

"Yes, Alpha." Sebastian said. "The contract is... extreme. Most of the women do not survive the pregnancy, but the gold offered would settle half of the pack's debts overnight."

"Well then I have omegas." Liam's voice dropped low. "One of them would do nicely. I'll send the prettiest one."

"The risk is high," Sebastian said carefully. "The Alpha King's blood is intense. The surrogated don't live through the third month."

"Then pick a strong one," Liam said. "I want the money. You know Westwood's been bleeding for years."

I couldn't wait to hear the rest, I slipped down the hallway on bare feet. I stopped at the bottom of the stairs, one hand on the rough wall. My breath came too fast. 

The Alpha needed a surrogate. A contract that would be enough to pay all my debts and could free me and Lianna. I had to do it, even if it killed me, at

least Liam would never touch is again.

"I am going to become the King's surrogate."