ALPHA EZRA BLACKWOOD
A splitting headache hammered between my eyes and a vein throbbed in my temples as the circle of elders continued their debate.“Our pack legacy is on the brink of extinction Alpha Blackwood! We simply cannot wait around for Luna Cassandra any longer!” One of the elders thundered loudly, pumping his fists in the air.It was enough that they expected me to dethrone Cassandra who had been by my side since forever, but to put my seed into any willing maid?What the hell did they think this was? Fucking Russian roulette?“Actions must be taken if we’re ever going to beat those bastards at the Doveclan pack!” Another of the big muscular wolves piped up, his eyes sliding away from mine when I turned my gaze to his red, blotchy face.“Enough! I’ve heard enough! You want an heir? Fine. I’ll see the maids, one. And not another word more if they fail too.” I deadpanned, and the silence in the hall was deafening.“Of course, Your Highness, nothing more will be required for now.” The red-faced wolf spoke first as I rubbed at the sore spot on my temples.“Leave me. All of you.” I grunted, rising from the leather seat to pace over to the window just as a woman’s piercing scream tore through the space.The hell?“Who the fuck is she?” I growled with clenched fists as my eyes narrowed on the red-haired vixen who was causing all the ruckus in Blackwood.I could feel the eyes of the men turn toward the blue-tinted window with interest as I glared down at the scene.I prided my pack and rule on peace and quiet unless some motherfucker really wanted to die, and yet, here I was, unable to tear my eyes away from the woman who was screaming loudly in the entryway to my castle.Of course the surrogates were here already! Not even a second had passed since I agreed to the preposterous idea, and I was already regretting it.“It’s the human the council selected Your Highness. The Milkhart surrogate. Her mother has served the pack greatly in the past-“ The long-bearded scribe beside me droned on before I cut him off with one raised hand.My breath caught in my throat as I leaned forward reflexively, noting the flare of the woman’s shapely hips, and the swell of her full breasts as she panted heavily and screamed at the guards.A human? How the hell was I so drawn to a mere human?It was obvious from the panic on her face that she didn't want to be here, which was absurd! Blackwood Castle was the one place every woman was dying to come to!If the woman was as put off by seeing me as I was with her, then this might not be so bad after all. I intended to make it quick, for both our sakes.“Well, what do you know? This might be fun after all.” I drawled, leaning away from the windows a split second before the woman’s sharp green eyes would have locked on me.My skin felt like it had caught on fire and for a moment I froze, awed by her beauty. The almond shape of those fiery eyes, the full pout of her pink lips…There was something about her that seemed to call to me, I wanted to fist my hands in her hair, to grip the small of her waist as I buried my cock inside her...“Fucking hell, Ezra, focus!” I growled to myself, trying to ignore the hardness that pressed against my pants as I signaled for the chief guard, watching his bright orange gaze lock on mine with acknowledgment.I watched the woman’s curvy figure slump after the guard pressed his elbow into the back of her neck.Darkness weaved in and out of my vision as I made my way downstairs, through the long, beautifully decorated hallways and courtyards before breaking into the foyer where the gasps of surprise echoed as I walked through the crowd.The effect I had on the women did not catch me by surprise. It had been like this ever since I had grown into my Wolf.With a towering, muscular frame, wolf-cut gray eyes, and a shock of obsidian black hair that parted around my unsmiling face, there was no woman I knew of who could resist me.None, except this one. The feisty redhead.“Y-Your Highness, we caught her just as she was trying to escape. It is an insult punishable by death-” Rudolf growled indignantly before I cut him off with a raised hand, pleased to quietly admire the faint freckles on the woman’s unconscious face.“A-Alpha Blackwood? What a pleasure it is to finally meet you!” One of the maids I had seen standing dutifully in the line a second ago approached me before the guards stopped her with their spears.I turned to face the intruder, slightly irritated to find that she was equally beautiful. A wolf woman with long blonde hair and the damnedest orange tattoo on her collarbone.I stared at her mutely for a beat, watching the mask of confidence on her face falter as she glanced around the crowd before bowing again.“F-Forgive my manners, my name is Princess Sarah Sossen. I come from a long line of royal surrogates and I am extremely pleased to make your acquaintance!” She announced, her seductive eyes catching mine once more before I nodded to the guards.“Prepare the royal quarters for the women. We feast tonight.” I ordered, ignoring the chief guard's startled look.“And the runaway, Your Highness? Is she to be put in with the rest or held at the castle dungeons?” Rudolf whispered, his bright orange eyes glowing with vengeance.They didn't call him the royal defender for no reason.I could have had the woman hanged for her actions if I wanted to…I SHOULD have her hanged for treason, but as I watched her snoring softly in the guard’s arms, something that had been frozen in my chest seemed to thaw.“No…room her with the other surrogates,” I growled, and a few more gasps and murmurs swept across the crowd.No one runs away from me. Not even beautiful redheads with flaming green eyes.ELIZABETH MILKHARTI slowly realized that my hands were shaking as I stood before the full-length mirror, trying to ignore the embarrassment that heated my face as the maidservants nicked and tucked at my dress.Every bone in my body hurt, and not just from the force of the guard’s blow when he knocked me out. It was something deeper, the fear that made my heart pound restlessly in my chest like a freight train.The room surrounding us was a mess of silk fabrics and pins and rich, beautiful embroidery as the surrogates got ready for the Alpha’s welcoming party.“Oh my god, I think I'm going to be sick,” I muttered to myself, glancing back at the woman in the mirror to see that I looked terrified, with wide green eyes and curly red hair that fell over bare shoulders in curly waves.“There we go Miss, you're all done up and ready.” One of the maids, Leila whispered. She was a soft mousy thing with brown hair and a small pleasant face, unlike the others who stared at me with open disgust
ELIZABETH MILKHART“Are you finding your meal agreeable darling?” Cassandra Blackwood’s sweet voice surprised me and I snapped my head up to see that she had been talking to Sarah Sossen.“Yes, thank you, Your Grace, it's wonderful cuisine,” The bitch whispered, giving me a sly smirk.The damned thing had won over the Luna before I could! But how? What the hell did she have that I didn't besides crippling good looks and the confidence of Johnny fucking Bravo.“I bet YOU’VE never tasted anything this good, say, do you even have food where you live or do you have to farm? Miss. Milkhart?” The Luna quipped coldly and the blood drained from my face as chuckles rose at the dinner table.I risked a glance at the Alpha to see that his thick black lashes were pointed downward, brushing his high cheekbones almost delicately as he picked at his food.He hadn't eaten anything either, same as me.“My mother has a small vegetable patch in our backyard, Your Grace, we make do as best as we can,” I
CASSANDRA BLACKWOOD“Come to bed, Your Highness, it's late already,” I purred, widening my legs for the dark-haired Alpha but his penetrating iron-grey eyes were noticeably turned away from me.I was wearing nothing underneath my pink night slip and I could already feel the tingle of arousal stirring in my sex where I had dipped my fingers, hoping to catch my husband’s attention.“Did you see that woman back at the welcoming dinner Sandra? What the hell were the elders thinking, summoning a human for the surrogate match? Why, I could kill her if I snapped my fingers hard enough,” Ezra murmured, and my heart skipped a beat in my chest. Why was he asking about her now, when he should have been in bed with me? Something painful hooked the back of my throat and I struggled to blink back the tears that had already pooled in my eyes.There was a part of every woman that knew when her man was drifting away and every alarm bell in my body went off as I slid my fingers slowly out of my pussy
ELIZABETH MILKHARTThe shrill sound of an alarm bell tearing through the quiet air of my room made me groan, throwing my hands painfully over my ears to shut out the awful noise.“Come on up girls! Today is the day you all learn how to be dutiful surrogates to this pack! Out of bed now!” The head maid’s manly voice bled through the corridor walls and my heart skipped a beat when I heard her heavy knuckles bash angrily against my door.Shit. I stumbled out of bed with bleary eyes, splashing water on my face and cursing the dark circles under my startling green eyes in the mirror.I hadn't been sleeping well since I came to Blackwood and I found myself longing for the small, rundown comfort of my old slum house instead. The wild curls of my red hair were braided into a ponytail by one of the quiet maids who never replied to anything I said and I was out of my quarters before I knew it.“Just this way, Miss.” The girl breathed, pointing me at an open courtyard where all the surrogates sa
ELIZABETH MILKHARTI was going to have sex with the Alpha tonight…there were no doubts in my mind about it.It was the third time I had brushed my sweaty palms on the lovely orange taffeta dress the maids had put me in. I could hardly recognize the luxurious woman in the mirror, the way my hair had been removed from the messy pigtail braids and curled into loose waves that fell over my shoulders and bare back.“I think you're ready Miss,” Theresa whispered, her warm brown eyes meeting mine in the mirror before she smiled reassuringly.I tried to smile back but it came out as a grimace instead. The fluttering in my belly only got worse when the girl led me through the corridors out into the mouth of the beautiful garden.“Here?!” I groaned, hoping she could have at least been with me when I saw the Alpha but knowing it was a crime that would have her executed if she dared.She shrugged, giving me another regretful smile before pausing to squeeze my hand. If I didn't know any better I
ALPHA EZRA BLACKWOODExquisite…it was the only way I could describe the red-haired human with bewitching green eyes that had run away from me.I could still taste her cherry lips in my mouth as I stormed into my chambers, ignoring the temptation to punch a guard who stood too close to me.Could they not see that I was losing my mind? I fucking hated breaking character like this.Who the hell did she think she was? Refusing me like that? And why the fuck couldn't I get a simple human out of my head?“Your Highness, the elders have assembled as you requested, for the surrogate showing-” Rudolf, my best man and guard announced from the doorway and I half-turned to face him, nodding my consent before exhaling a deep breath.“The Queen has requested Your Highness choose Sarah Sossen as the royal surrogate. She says to tell you she is more…at ease with the maiden.” Rudolf whispered as he stalked into the room, his bald, tattooed head glinting in the mirror where I watched him from.He had b
ELIZABETH MILKHARTI could hardly hear the girls’ angry murmuring above the frantic beating of my heart as we tumbled out of the gothic throne room into the cool air of the castle outside.My cheeks were wet with tears and it was all i could do to reign in the frustrated scream that rose to my throat when I felt a hand shove me roughly from behind.“What the fuck did you do cunt?! I should have known a whore like you would try to one-up us by sleeping with the Alpha!” Sarah Sossen’s vile insults cut through my heart like a knife.“I didn't sleep with him! I didn't even WANT to be here!” I wanted to scream, instead, I wrapped my arms around my body, shaking my head weakly for lack of anything better to say.There was no denying the fact that I had just made the entire wolf pack my enemy…a fate that was worse than death itself.“Enough. This way please, Miss Milkhart.” The big guard I had seen earlier interrupted us, his orange-brown eyes locking on mine with an intensity that made my
ELIZABETH MILKHART“Please-” I croaked, beating desperately against the tall Luna’s hard chest as darkness surged in my vision before a woman’s shrill voice made her drop me instantly.“Your Grace!” Theresa shrieked as I tumbled to the floor, catching only a glimpse of the fear in her reddened face before pain exploded in the side of my head as I hit the ground. HARD.“Miss Milkhart! I-Is everything alright?!” Theresa wheezed, rushing over to kneel beside me with her soft hands moving comfortingly inside my hair.I gasped, tears filling my vision as I scrambled away from the woman who towered above me like a wraith, her narrowed hazel eyes and long blonde hair billowed around her shoulders like waterfalls.“Listen to me, Elizabeth Milkhart, because I will only repeat this over your grave.” Cassandra Blackwood hissed, pointing one crooked black claw at me as a scream lodged in my throat.“You will not see MY husband outside of the council’s permission, do you understand? And no jewelry