"Alpha Erik," I whispered against my breath.
I felt my breath leave out of my lungs as realization dawned on me. Alpha Erik? Why did it have to be him?
I staggered back and felt the air in my lungs left. The alpha of the Haverstone? But Iris made sure she would be the alpha’s mate.
I was on the brink of running away from him when he noticed my presence.
“Slave!” he called me. “Do not run,” he ordered. “Face me.”
I halted.
Thank the Moon Goddess we were all alone. Or others might have known we were mates.
“A-Alpha Erik,” I greeted. “A pleasant evening.”
He was alone. No women.
The more he went closer to me, the more the scent was too strong. I no longer need my wolf to certify that we were indeed mates.
His lips curled as he looked at my body. “At first glance, everyone would think you not a slave because of your dress.”
I slightly bowed my head. To appease his mood.
“It is I, your humble slave, Alpha Erik. Forgive me for disturbing you in this place. I will go now,” I said softly.
“You are my mate. A slave? Impossible.” My heart hammered against my chest. He encircled me and stopped.
It would be better if my mate was an ordinary person in the pack. Someone who was not holding any positions. Perhaps he still had the heart to accept me for who I am.
“I-I am.”
Did he scoff? “A slave? Really? Is the Moon Goddess joking right now? What kind of cruel joke is this? I got excited about finding my mate this evening only to know it is you, Dog Slave?"
He laughed as if he was a madman.
It felt like something was blocking my throat. Touching my mouth, I tried to calm my breath.
“Forgive me, Alpha Erik. It also not my intention to—”
“I, Alpha Erik of the Haverstone Pack reject River Williams as my mate. Your position in the pack sickened me. Did you use some sort of sorcery so that my wolf will acknowledge you as mine?”
I was astonished at his declarations. He easily rejected me without even knowing me. How cruel of him to do that!
“Alpha Erik, I... can't you give me a chance? I promise. I will be a good mate. I will serve you and honor you with all my life. I can be your slave if you want. I can pleasure you in bed. Tell me anything and I will do it. Just don't reject me, please?”
I tried to touch his hands, but he easily shook them off and pushed me. I nearly lost my footing but maintained my balance.
My eyes watered as I saw his disgust. “Do you listen to yourself? How could I let someone, a slave be my Luna? The other alpha will ridicule me and I will be the talk of the town, woman." He turned his back to me, ending our conversation. "Go, Dog Slave. Before anyone will see us. I don’t want to create another confusion. Remember. No one must know about our connection. No one. If they find out about this, I will severely punish you and put you in a dungeon where you will never see the sun for a few days.”
And he turned his back on me without batting an eye.
---------------------
"Wait for it, Alpha Erik. You will regret what you just did," I told myself.
After swallowing in pain, I realized I never wanted to be the loser this evening. So, I decided I will look for someone who will mark me and I will show it to Alpha Erik. I will tell him straight in his face that someone out there had accepted me despite my slave status.
"Tonight, everyone will look at me in envy."
I was glad that during the Mating Ceremony, I had been given the chance to participate in the said activity since we were all given the chance to look for our mate regardless of the status.
So I sauntered onto the dance floor and danced my way out (thankful I had some dance moves with me). Everyone was having the best time of their lives, while I did not. My heart was silently weeping and bleeding.
Suddenly, someone wrapped his arms around my waist. And oh, boy, he smelled so good.
"Remember. You are not a slave of Haverstone Pack now," I told myself.
My mood instantly became better and I swung my hips seductively, moving toward the man's body.
He groaned and felt his member getting hard as moments passed.
“Woman...” the deep voice said.
Woman. Not beautiful nor slave. But a woman. Someone called me without mocking me or making fun of me.
"You know how to seduce me," the stranger said again.
"Well, you asked for it," I replied using my sultry voice. I grinned my butt in his front and he buried his face in my neck and inhaled.
"Hmmm. Your scent is driving me crazy," he whispered against my skin.
The hairs on my skin stood. In a nice way.
I refused to be choosy and faced someone who had the guts to dance with me and came face to face with a man who was sexy as hell.
This man literally took my breath away.
“Close your mouth. But if you want, I can do something about that,” he said. He leaned on me, nearly kissing me.
Chiseled cheekbones. Check. Blue eyes. Check. Ripped muscles. Check.
My mind was screaming that I had found the perfect man. All I needed to do was ask him to mark me. As simple as that. Or that was what I thought.
I looked beside him but saw no one. Not a woman. No marks. He was still unmated.
“I-I want you,” I said, gathering all my courage. Perhaps it would be better if I just drank some liquor to give me more boldness.
The surprise on his face was evident. But it quickly disappeared.
“Really?”
“Y-yes!” I said. "My insides are dying to touch you."
The world stopped. Well. That's what I felt upon staring at him.
He dipped his mouth into mine. The world exploded at my back and the only thing I felt was his expert mouth exploring me, kissing me while all I could do was stand frozen.
"We have to go somewhere silent."
The next thing I knew, he brought me into an empty corridor of the pack house and we were kissing wildly as I learned it from him.
This man was smoking hot and his expert hands were roaming all over my body. I felt hot all over despite my inexperience in this field. All I did was learn from him and viola!
"You're so good at kissing," I commented.
He chuckled and could not get enough of kissing me as if it had been a thousand years since he last kissed a woman.
Remembering the reason why I was kissing him, I put my hands on his broad chest and said, “Wait. Let me know your name first.”
The man’s eyes were filled with lust and my face flushed as I realized I was the reason for that.
Both of us were breathing deeply, both catching our breaths.
“Ahm...may I know your name now? I don’t want to kiss a complete stranger without even knowing his name, to begin with. Let me make it clear that I am not a slut.”
He smirked. “Maxxwell. Call me Maxxwell.”
Maxxwell. The name rang a bell. It seemed like I had heard that one but forgot about it. I looked up at him, forcing myself to remember, and scowled. “Maxxwell? What pack do you belong to?”“I live in the kingdom,” he said, nonchalantly. That made me even more confused. The only one who lived in the palace was the king and his subordinates. “Why do you live in the kingdom? Are you the king?” I asked, chuckling. I put another distance between us and fixed myself, always glancing if someone was nearby. I did not want to be the talk of the town again. “I am.”I stared at him. Longer than I intended. I threw back my head and laughed. “If you are the king, then I am the Lycan queen,” I said. I waited for him to laugh also. But he did not. The man did not share my happiness. He folded his arms in front of his chest and watched me with curiosity. I gulped. Oh, Moon Goddess. “Wait. Are you for real? You really are the king? The alpha king?”“I am the alpha king.” My heart skipped a bi
I slapped my mouth when I realized what I had asked. An alpha king marking a slave? Impossible. There was no history recorded about that. "What can you give in return?" King Maxxwell asked me again. "Give and take, River. That's how the world works. Marking someone is not an easy thing to do."“And it is usually done between mates. But we are not, Your Majesty.” I looked at the ground realizing I have nothing in return. No money. No identity. "I-I can offer my body, Your Majesty. If you want. I can be your slave. You can ask me to clean your kingdom and work with the other servants you have."He looked at me sharply. "Your body?""I-I can give you a moment of pleasure?" Even if I did not know how? Perhaps I will learn if King Maxxwell would teach me. His cold stairs burned at my soul. "I have lots of women waiting for my disposal," he said. "You're nothing compared to them, River. They are more experienced than you. Besides, you look like a child. I do not want anyone thinking I co
I felt the world stop as I waited for the alpha king’s reaction. Alpha Erik was definitely right for saying I was filthy, to begin with. I smiled bitterly as I listened to Alpha Erik’s voice. The word slave was forever imprinted in me regardless if I rose to rank by having a mate who had some positions in the pack. “Filthy, you say?”Alpha Erik lifted his chin and stood proudly. My other pack members agreed with him and gave me a mocking gaze. “Yes, Your Highness. She is filthy. A slave. An omega. She does not even have a wolf. She was almost a human. If I were you, it is better to stay away from her.”I wanted the ground to swallow me up. I felt so little as my breathing became faster than normal. The will to flee away from them was getting stronger. The alpha king glanced at me. “Are you referring to this woman beside me, Alpha Erik?”“No other than, Your Highness. She is the only servant who had the guts to attend the Mating Ceremony while the others were in their room, refusin
I gasped as I watched King Maxxwell. Yes. I said that I will do anything for him, for him to mark me, but not this fast. I was not yet prepared for this. Alpha Erik looked at me with disgust. "Your Highness, are you sure taking Dog Slave with you?" Alpha Erik asked. As much as I hated him, he had a point there. The alpha king’s brows furrowed. "Dog Slave? Is that how you will address my mate behind her back?" King Maxxwell scolded. Alpha Erik was embarrassed. "A slip of the tongue—""Why? Is there something wrong with our sleeping arrangements?" His Highness asked, cutting off Alpha Erik’s words. Alpha Erik shook his head a couple of times. "N-none, Your Highness. If you insist upon it. Who am I to question you?"King Maxxwell grabbed me and we stepped into the room before saying, "River needed her clothes. Be sure to give it to her."And the door shut behind Alpha Erik's face.And just like that, we were alone. I stared at King Maxxwell nervously as he took off his clothes. On
I backed to the corner as King Max advanced towards me. My heart hammered against my chest as I gazed at him.What will he do now? What did I get into again? I asked myself. It felt like I was suddenly in a lion's den. I felt like I was the prey and he was the hunter.I hesitated. "You're scaring me, Your Highness," I could not help but say. I stopped when my back hit the wall. Dead end. Breathing was getting difficult. "That's what I am doing, River," he whispered against my ears. "You're a lamb who did not know what she was doing when she entered the wolf's den. It was your desire to have revenge on Alpha Erik. Without even knowing what kind of person I am. Your thirst for your revenge drives you to me."It was true. I had a little knowledge about the alpha king and all of them were rumors from the servants themselves. Baseless rumors without proof of their authenticity. I had zero interaction with him."I know the rumors are true, Your Highness."I squinted when he suddenly imp
I was stuck. With no way to get away from King Maxxwell's hold. It seemed like he was aware of what I was doing and his grip tightened. Damn it. I cannot break away? How can I break away?It was then that I realized I could not. Was he afraid that I would run away and stop going with him to the palace? Or was he only making sure that I will do the end of my deal since he did the same?I sighed. Regardless of the reason, I was not comfortable being with him. He was scary. "Your Highness," I whispered under my breath."Zenith... "I froze. A woman's name? Who could that be? Or was he only dreaming and calling a random name? No. He called the name with so much passion as if he knew her deeply. Curiosity got ahead of me and waited for him to say something more. Something that would give me more information about the woman. "F-forgive me...It was my fault."King Maxxwell trashed and released me from his hold. Sweat soaked his forehead and clutched his chest as if he was in pain. H
I could feel the stares of my packmates as they bade goodbye to King Maxxwell. They did not understand why the alpha king accepted me as his mate when in fact there were others out there who were more gorgeous and sexier than me as Alpha Erik said. Unknown to them, I already sold myself to this person in exchange for showing Alpha Erik that someone still wanted and desired me. "I wish for your safe journey, Your Highness. The coach was already prepared. But if you want a horse, I could offer you to find horses that you can use on your journey.""Coach is fine since I have River with me. I don't want him to be uncomfortable on our journey."He drew me closer to his body and the women sighed in envy. "Are you really sure about this, Your Highness? Perhaps there was something wrong with the Mating Ceremony last night. There was no way that woman could be your mate."I stilled. "Your words carry some weight, Alpha Erik. Explain. Are you River's mate?"Everyone held their breath. Inclu
The rogues continued firing at us while I rooted on the ground, shivering in fear. My blood went cold as one of the bullets passed through and hit the seat of the coach. I shrieked. Breathing was labored. "River! Do not panic or it will kill you!"King Maxxwell continued protecting me even if it should never be the case. I should be the one protecting him! Not the other way around!I glanced at him. His eyebrows met. His fist clenched.My lips quivered, tears brimming in my eyes. "Your Highness, will we die now?" I whispered under my breath.He looked at me and scoffed. I shrieked again when another bullet grazed my skin and fell to the ground. "No one is dying, River. You have to serve me, first in return for helping you. Stay here," he commanded.Before he could go away, I grabbed his hand. I gasped when sparks flew between our connected hands. He gritted his teeth as he stared at it for a long time. What. Just. Happened?Confused, I pulled my hands and touched them. The alpha