The ‘Fugitive’

ALPHA ANDRAS

"If I complete this surrogacy deal, will you let me go?" The girl asks again, a little less confident this time, and I clench my teeth.

My wolf begins to emerge due to her arrogance, and I look at her, puzzled as to how someone so small could be so daring. Daring enough to challenge an Alpha who has dominated werewolf packs for years. Brave enough to question me. Me?! Nobody, not even other Alphas or Betas, dares to disagree with me or query my decisions. But now I'm being interrogated by a petty woman who isn't even royalty! A woman who is now at my mercy.

As I irritably rake my hands through my hair, my wolf stirs within me again, restless and agitated, questioning her stubbornness, and I'm discreetly reminded of the gory reason I'm here in the first place.

I stare at her, my jaw clenched, and my mind wanders back to the day I made the most crucial decision of my life. The day I accepted Jenna as my Luna, my first love. Our mating rite was performed years ago, and our wedding ceremony was promptly followed, but Jenna had yet to conceive successfully.

She would become pregnant but then miscarry within months, and after facing a battery of tests and being forced to eat bitter herbs, we were forced to face a painful reality in our third year of marriage - no heir would grace our lineage due to her infertility. Also, Jenna was unable to take a child to term because it might result in her death. Her womb was that frail.

The knowledge had hit us like a lightning bolt, but Jenna’s reaction was more severe. She'd cried so hard that her eyes had changed from the vivid blue I loved to see to a haunting dark red. She transformed into a shell of herself, and I couldn't tolerate how miserable and depressed she was all the time. Her character also deteriorated, and that hurt my heart.

We couldn't face the curious stares of our folks or the burning thoughts of living without an heir any longer, so we decided to get a breeder.

Initially, we chose to take the in-vitro fertilization route. It was unthinkable to be intimate with anyone other than Jenna. Jenna was very jealous and possessive, and I was utterly devoted. I didn't want to violate our marital home by sleeping with someone else without her permission.

However, our IVF treatments failed miserably. The first, second, third, and fourth slave girls we purchased all lost their pregnancies for reasons we couldn't fathom.

I gave up and lost all chance of having an heir after the fourth slave girl miscarried, but Jenna certainly hadn't. I suggested we live without children or adopt a stray wolf, but she refused. She persisted, her dominating attitude increasing by the day, and even surprised me one day when she delivered a bombshell.

She encouraged me to experiment naturally with someone new. The Royal doctor had recommended it a few months before, and we both balked at it, but Jenna brought it up again.

I declined, but she continued bugging me until I had no choice but to give in to her demands.

Obtaining the new breeder was not a difficult task because all I had to do was tell Donovan. Apart from being my beta, he had contacts with various slave dealers across and beyond the Moonheart pack. Above all, he's one of the few people who understands all Jenna and I have been through in our marriage. While he disliked the notion of my being intimate with another, there was nothing he could do about it.

On a particular night, I'd informed him of my decision, and the following day, he'd come to me with news of a certain middle-aged man with gray, blond hair who sold slaves in the heart of a motel. He suggested we go look at the slaves for sale, and so we did.

It wasn’t long before we arrived at the motel, and the slave broker was already waiting for us. He'd even reserved a room for us in the motel's east wing with the word "private" written on it.

Several chained girls were lined up, the majority of them unconscious, the others rolling their eyes stubbornly as they glanced at me. My gaze wandered over them before focusing on a particular female who appeared to call out to me.

Her head was slightly bowed, and just like some of the other girls, she was knocked out.

She was nothing out of the ordinary—just a tiny thing, maybe no taller than 5'5. In silky waves, her long chestnut brown hair cascaded over her back and shoulders. I noticed her face, even though she was half-conscious and clueless about what was happening around her. Her oval-shaped facial features were emphasized by her high cheekbones and big, pink lips that were somewhat chapped - most likely due to what she must have been through in the last few hours. I'd clenched my teeth slightly at the thought, something strange stirring within me once more.

My eyes wandered down the length of her soft, delicate curve, my wolf reacting fiercely to her in a way I couldn't even control. The magnetic draw felt almost too strong for me to resist.

And, by the way, why was I feeling this way? What did this woman mean to me? Why was she having such an impact on me? I'd only just met her, but there was something...something fucking inexplicable about her.

"I want her!" I'd instantly said, staking my claim. "Can you tell me her name? Who is she?"

"Azalea. She is one of our newest commodities, and she..."

'Azalea,' I mumbled over and again, testing the name on my tongue while the slave handler continued to speak.

"Are you certain of this, Alpha? You haven't checked out the other girls yet, and—" Desmond, my beta, had whispered something.

My decision obviously took him aback because, on a regular day, I would carefully examine several slave girls before choosing one. Even for him, this was unusual conduct.

But I didn't care, and I repeated. "Yes. She's the one I want.” I affirmed.

The slave broker had cleared his throat after my declaration and waved a poster at me. He began talking, telling me the fee, which was relatively large - I paid without a doubt - and then informing me that Azalea was a runaway wolf from another pack with a bounty on her head.

My initial reaction was skepticism, and I even stated that the girl looked too innocent to be a runaway. However, the poster in front of me said otherwise. She was a fugitive, and with such a large prize on her head, I risked exposing my territory to danger from whoever sought her life if I took her in.

Still, I didn't give a damn. My mind was made up, and no one could change it. Even Desmond tried to talk me out of it, but his efforts were futile.

Now, after all, I’d spent on her, the first fucking question she thought to ask was if she could leave after the arrangement to be my surrogate was finished. For a short second, I considered saying yes. But my wolf, once again, desired otherwise.

"What fucking question did you just ask me?" I half-growled, taking a step closer, my gaze locked on hers.

She steps back, and I notice her body tighten somewhat in response to my commanding presence. Fear suits her, and I like it.

I love the effect I have on her. Even though she gives me a look. One of fear but also challenge, as if she's daring me to do my worst,

And, just like I’m thinking, she surprises me by fiercely repeating the question, her expression stiff. “I said, if I complete this surrogacy deal and give you a child successfully, will you let me go?"

I shoot her a look meant to instill fear, but she stands her ground.

"You have no right to ask me that, Azalea, or whatever the fuck your name is!"

Interpreting her lack of response as a sign of obedience, I continue. “And I'd like you to know that you are now mine. Your body, even your soul, is mine, and I can do whatever I want with it. It is my responsibility to decide what will happen to you after the surrogacy is completed. Do you understand?”

She is still silent, and a hiss escapes my throat as I move an inch closer to her. We're very close now. And I can hear her rapid, hesitant breathing.

She breaks eye contact with me and attempts to move again, but she is trapped. Her back is to the massive bedpost, and she has nowhere else to go.

I reach out with my right hand, grab a fistful of her hair, and yank hard, dragging her head back, forcing her eyes to meet mine again. Pain pierces her, as evidenced by the wordless hiss of pain I hear amid the chattering of her teeth. Good.

"Do you fucking understand what I just said? Am I clear?”

She nods frantically, her eyes darting around, and I let go of her immediately.

My face is emotionless, yet my lips are twisted into a savage smile. I turn away from her and leave the room, but not before leaving an instruction for my Beta.

"Donovan, tie her up. We’re going home.”