Chapter 5: Sold To The Enemy Alpha

DEXTERA

Opening my eyes felt like dragging myself out of freezing water.

A bone-deep chill clung to my body while pain pulsed through every limb. My lower abdomen throbbed dully, instantly dragging back flashes of blood, screams and unbearable agony. My throat burned as though I had cried for hours.

Where was I?

This wasn’t the cab.

The dampness of the unfamiliar room seeped into my bones as I blinked repeatedly, trying to adjust to the dim surroundings. Gray walls. A low fire burning weakly somewhere nearby. The heavy scent of herbs, damp earth and smoke filled the air.

Slowly, I remembered it all.

The water bottle. The pain. The blood. My baby.

Quickly, I pressed a trembling hand to my abdomen.

“My baby…” The words barely escaped my lips, brittle and broken.

Panic surged through me immediately and I tried to sit up, but the pain that tore through my abdomen forced me back onto the bed with a gasp.

“No…” My voice broke instantly. “My baby…”

Footsteps approached quickly.

I hadn’t even realized someone else was in the room until a woman suddenly appeared beside the bed. She looked to be in her late forties, dressed in dark clothing with silver strands woven through her thick braid. Her sharp eyes swept over me with something close to irritation.

“You're awake,” she muttered briskly. “Good. Now listen carefully, girl.”

I stared at her in a daze. Before I could ask who, she was, she continued.

“The baby is gone.” She confirmed my suspicion.

A broken sound escaped my throat as my fingers curled tightly against my stomach, desperate to feel something still there. Anything.

But there was nothing. All I felt was pain and emptiness. The woman watched me closely for a while without saying a word.

The woman's lips thinned as she watched me. 

“You shouldn't have done it the way you did,” she snapped. “If you didn’t want the child, there are less harmful ways to let it go.”

I didn’t fully understand her.

She huffed, shaking her head. “The Frux root is one of the deadliest poisons a pregnant werewolf can take. It does more than take the child. It also takes the womb.”

My heart nearly stopped. Frux root? What was that?

The woman leaned in, staring at me like a mother angry at her child. The world tilted and a strange ringing filled my ears as her words sank in.

“No…” I whispered shakily.

The woman sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of her nose before speaking again.

“Your womb survived somehow,” she continued. “Barely. Another woman would’ve lost the ability to ever carry life again.”

My breathing became uneven.

“But the damage is still there,” she added. “If you ever get pregnant again, carrying the child to full term is going to be difficult. The root left scars, so you’ll likely experience several miscarriages.”

Her words echoed endlessly inside my head.

Scars.

My baby was gone forever. And now even the future had been ripped away from me too. A strangled sob clawed up my throat as I pressed both hands against my mouth. My chest hurt so badly it felt impossible to breathe.

Why? Why would Valeria do this to me?

The memory of her trembling hands flashed through my mind. The water bottle. Her strange behavior. The tears in her eyes.

My stomach twisted violently as realization dawned upon me. 

Valeria had given me that bottle of water with shaky hands which I overlooked. She knew what it would do to me. But why? My emotions teetered between sorrow and fury.

Why? I really trusted her. Out of everyone in Bisclaveret, she was the only person I thought truly cared about me. Something in me could just tell it was Adira’s handwork, and not Valeria’s intent, but even then, the betrayal still burned too deeply for me to care. 

Tears burned down my cheeks uncontrollably.

“If I survive this,” I whispered in a broken tone while trembling, “they’ll all pay for this. They have to pay for doing this to me.”

The woman’s gaze eased, as though my reaction didn’t match what she had expected. Silence lingered briefly before I forced myself to look at her.

“Who are you?” I asked weakly. “And where am I?”

She crossed her arms.

“Roxanne,” she replied. “You’re in Astrald territory. The Woodhound Pack.”

The moment those words left her mouth, my blood ran cold.

Woodhound.

Bisclaveret’s greatest rival.

Alpha Thor.

Fear took over me instantly. Thor. His name alone sent shivers down my spine. Stories of his brutality weren’t just rumours; they were warnings based on reality. He was said to be a man drenched in blood and known for his close ties to the Lycan King himself. Unlike Kestrel, who was calculated in his cruelty, Thor was pure savagery. A pack that was an enemy to Kestrel could be a potential ally, but it could also be a greater danger to me.

My breathing quickened. 

How did I even end up here? The last thing I remembered was myself bleeding in the cab.  

Suddenly, another horrifying thought struck me. Judging from the faint daylight slipping through the curtains, the sixteenth night was already over. My entire body stiffened.

Had the transformation started while I was unconscious? Did it happen here in Woodhound? What if my beast had attacked someone here? What if I had slaughtered people inside enemy territory without even knowing?

Panic drowned me instantly. I struggled off the bed despite the pain tearing through my body.

“I need to leave,” I muttered frantically.

Roxanne raised an eyebrow but made no move to stop me. “You can barely stand.”

“I can’t stay here,” I insisted, backing away shakily. “I don’t know what happened last night. I don’t know if my beast…”

Pain shot through my abdomen again, forcing me to grip the edge of the small table nearby.

Roxanne sighed. “Where do you think you’re going? You lost a dangerous amount of blood and barely made it through the night. In fact, you should be dead already.”

Dead. Maybe part of me already was.

Still, I shook my head stubbornly. “I need to leave.”

Even if I had nowhere left to run. Even if the world outside terrified me and my own pack no longer wanted me, I couldn’t remain in enemy territory waiting to become someone else’s prisoner.

Just as I opened my mouth to thank Roxanne despite everything, the door creaked open and a tall man stepped inside. Setting my eyes on him, every instinct in my body screamed danger.

He had a well-built figure with broad shoulders, all covered in dark clothing. There was something about him that felt so alluring yet dangerous. The harsh lines of his face, and his piercing gaze felt like it could strip me bare. 

I instinctively stepped back.

Bad idea. Before I could move further, his hand landed heavily on my shoulder. It was just a simple touch. Yet, it felt like heavy chains were placed on my shoulder.

Fear rooted me to the ground instantly.

“Where exactly do you think you’re going?” His deep voice sent chills racing down my spine.

My knees nearly buckled beneath me.

“Please…” I whispered shakily, lowering my head instinctively. “I don’t belong here. I never intended to trespass. I just want to leave.”

“Enough.” He interrupted, dismissing my utterances. They didn't matter to him. Oh heavens, what have I gotten myself into?

I bit my lower lip, swallowing the rest of my words.

“Even if you wanted to leave,” he said coldly, “you can’t.”

My brows furrowed. “Why?”

Without answering, he reached into his coat and pulled out a folded document. Then he tossed it at my feet. Confused, I stared at the paper before slowly bending to pick it up with trembling fingers.

The moment my eyes scanned the contents, my heartbeat skipped a beat. It was a contract. My hands shook violently as I kept reading.

Transfer of custody. Pack authorization. My vision blurred as my eyes skimmed through.

“You’ve been sold to Alpha Thor,” the man announced emotionlessly. “From this moment onward, you belong to the Woodhound Pack.”

“No…”

The word slipped out breathlessly. That couldn’t be real. I wanted to believe it was some kind of prank, but it wasn’t.

I frantically looked toward the bottom of the document, then I saw the official Luna stamp of Bisclaveret, followed by Adira’s signature. 

The paper slipped from my fingers. For several seconds, everything around me felt static. Adira sold me.

Just like that, I wasn’t just discarded and abandoned. I was sold like an unwanted property? For a while, I wanted to believe the document was forged, given that’s such thing can happen in the pack, without the Alpha’s knowledge. 

Thinking about it again, I reminded myself of who Adira was. She always had her means.

Everything shattered inside me all over again.

First, Kestrel.

Then Valeria.

Now Adira.

A broken laugh almost escaped my throat as tears blurred my vision again. So, this was what my life meant to them.

I staggered backward weakly, unable to process the crushing weight pressing against my chest.

“How…” My voice cracked badly. “How is this even possible?”

The man stared at me without sympathy.

“We are clearly informed you were stripped of your rank and rights long ago,” he replied coldly. “It’s not a new thing for packs to sell off offenders.”

Every word felt like another nail sealing my coffin shut. He bent down, picked up the contract and folded it neatly again before slipping it back into his coat.

“Now that you understand your situation,” he stated, “you’ll obey the rules of this pack if you value your life. I’m sure you’ve already heard what kind of pack this is.”