Chapter 6

Taylor refused to let her life be ruined like this. Most of all, she couldn't bear the sympathetic looks Alice and Renee were sending her way. For how long would she let herself be trampled upon?

Duncan, looking nonplussed mere seconds after he had destroyed Taylor's world, turned to walk away. Acting on instinct, Taylor grabbed ahold of his arm.

"Please!" She pleaded, desperate. " I can't be your breeder! I won't be your breeder!"

Duncan glanced at her, eyes dark and readable.

"I'm sure you'll tell me why you're so against it." He queried.

Taylor opened and closed her mouth. She didn't want to sound foolish or naive when she told him about the dream she had had ever since she was little.

However, she gathered courage around her like a cloak and voiced out her thoughts.

"I can't give you my virginity. I believe that one day, I will meet my mate whom I love and who loves me in return."

She paused before shaking her head and forging on. "If I give myself to you, if I become your breeder, my one true dream will be lost." She concluded.

Her monologue seemed to incense Duncan. He withdrew his arm from her grasp forcefully, the action surprising Taylor. Then, he proceeded to glare so deep into her eyes until she was forced to lower her stare in fear.

A small part of her wondered if what she had just jeopardized her safety by daring to speak out. The rest of her, however, didn't regret telling the Alpha what she had just told him. From what had been explained to her, a breeder was only useful for bearing cubs. After the Alpha used her to strengthen his bloodline, she would be cast aside. She also wasn't interested in entering a loveless relationship.

"I frankly do not care about what your little tirade. You want freedom? It can be yours." Duncan said.

Taylor's heart leaped in joy. The Alpha would grant her the freedom she wanted! And here she was, thinking he'd be an ass about it. There was nobody nicer than Alpha Duncan.

Taylor spoke too soon. Of course, she did.

"However, I am not running a charity here. If you want your freedom, you have to pay back the money I gave your father." He declared with a smirk.

Taylor could only hope the amount was reasonable. Maybe it was a few thousand dollars; she coul earn that back if she worked really hard for some years.

"How much did you give my father?" Taylor asked, mentally crossing her fingers.

"Five million dollars." Duncan replied casually.

For the second time in less than an hour, Taylor went into shock. The first thing that came to mind was disbelief. Did they really think she was worth five million dollars? On the heels of disbelief came dread. Five million dollars was a whole lot of money. Even if she slaved away for ten years, she didn't see herself making that kind of money.

She finally found her voice and protested, "But five million dollars is too much!"

The Alpha shrugged carelessly. "It's what I paid your father."

She was sick to the stomach. Her situation was getting more grim by the second. There was still the alternative of running away, though...

As if she had spoken her thoughts out loud, the Alpha said, "If you were to flee without paying your debt," He paused warningly. "Your whole pack will be in danger."

Taylor gasped. "You wouldn't dare! They're innocent!" She yelled.

That was the wrong thing to say. Duncan’s features were schooled into a mask of indifference but she could feel his anger rising.

"Sounds like a challenge, Darling. I take challenges very seriously."  He growled.

"But my Pack is innocent! They did nothing wrong." Taylor insisted.

"I don't give a fuck. You do something stupid, they suffer." He replied. It was then that Taylor knew just how ruthless Duncan was. In fact, Drago Pack as a whole was ruthless. They were known to slaughter their enemies and leave their corpses exposed for all to see and learn that they were not to be messed with.

Taylor's heart sank. There was no way out of this. She didn't have a snowball's chance in hell of getting that amount of money in her lifetime. Even if she could, she would be old and worn out by then. How would she be able to find her mate?

Alice and Renee watched as she struggled to stuff her rising despair deep, deep down. She could feel herself trembling like a leaf but she couldn't help it. She was terrified of what her father had gotten her into. She would do anything humanly possible to get out of this horrible place. Thinking back on all the beatings she had received from her father and stepmother, and all of Logan's disgusting gropings, She realized that they weren't as bad as what she was going through now. At least they had been family. These people were strangers and they wanted nothing but to make her their Alpha's human baby incubator.

"But then, I guess your Pack isn't useful to you," Duncan continued contemplatively, oblivious to her tumultuous musings.

"I heard about how you were treated in your own home, the things your family made you do. Wouldn't it be the icing on the cake for you if you got them all killed?" He asked rhetorically.

Taylor flinched away from his ugly words. She would never risk the lives of others just to get back at her family and this was a testament to the fact that the Alpha knew nothing about her.

"I wouldn't think of doing that! I love my pack!" She vehemently shook her head. 

The Alpha though wasn't buying it.

"You mean the same pack who stood by and did nothing while you were abused for years?" His tone dripped skepticism.

"I think that's enough, Alpha." Renee said quietly but firmly. 

The Alpha growled in his throat and nodded.

"You should give her some time to process this information," Alice admonished gently. "She's not even strong enough to breed now."

Taylor was grateful for Alice's and Renee's interruption. She didn't think she could bear any more of the Alpha's mocking.

He seemed to mull their words over before he turned and ate up the distance to the door with long strides.

Stopping just before the door, he delivered his final order with his back to the women.

"She has only three weeks to recover. Then, she will begin bearing my cubs."