If only they knew….
Chewing on my bottom lip like a lifeline, I miraculously make it through another day full of chores, barely having a moment to put a piece of bread between my chapped lips when Dax marches into the kitchen to retrieve me for the meeting.
“Don't get used to this, eh!” he remarks, grabbing my arm and forcing me to my feet. His grimy breath is hot in my earwhen he hisses, “The only reason I'm picking ya up is ‘cause the boss told me to come get ya.”
Despite my silence as Dax drags me out of the pack center, I can't help but wonder what's going on. Why is this meeting so important that Alpha Grant sent Dax to personally escort me to the pack den? The bamboo hut hidden between the trees is lit up by candles, while a gentle crackle of the fire outside is the only evidence of the feast the alpha and his men have enjoyed before our arrival.
Dax knocks on the door, and it's immediately thrown open by the beta of Blood Claw, his raven-black eyes falling on my face with a heinous glint of something sinister.
“Willow Barker,” he purrs, the vibration of his rugged voice churning my gut as soon as he grabs my arm from Dax. He pulls me into the den, forcefully turning me with both hands on my shoulders to face the alpha.
My heart sinks as my breath catches with fear. The pack den is full of the main perpetrators behind my abuse in Blood Claw—close friends of Alpha Grant who constantly degrade and belittle me as if it's their favorite pastime.
Gulping hard, I pretend to be indifferent even if my heart is hammering in my chest with dread, fear, worry that I haven't been called out here for anything pleasant.
They're all cruel brutes, and I'm the only she-wolf in the pack den.
This isn't going to end well…
“Aha! There you are!” Alpha Grant whistles before he chugs down what's left of his beer. He flings the empty bottle into the trash can, then slides off the table where he'd been sitting. He reaches out toward me, then stops and retracts hishand with a grimace as if he caught himself before touching something filthy.
“Did you forget how to act in front of your alpha, you stupid mongrel?”
I quickly bow my head, murmuring an apology as Beta Warren releases my arm.
“Right,” Alpha Grant continues. “You're here because I have a new job for you.”
Lifting my face, curiosity knits my brows as I meet the alpha's eyes. There's a triumphant glint in those dark pools of brown that sends a flicker of fear coursing down my spine.
What is it this time?
Chapped lips peel back to reveal yellowing teeth as the alpha leans in. “You can't continue living in Seward as a useless, wolfless female.” Alpha Grant turns and nods toward one of his men—a sleazy older wolf with a missing front tooth and dark circles framing his dead eyes. A mop of ginger hair with noticeable bald patches is swiped back with calloused fingers as the man comes over, and Alpha Grant flings his arm over his shoulder and turns back to me with a sinister smirk.
“You're gonna be a pupmill for my buddy, Sam, over here.”
“Pupmill?” I whisper in confusion, prompting the alpha to let out a roaring laugh as he throws his head back.
“Well, I was tryna be tactful by calling it that. But it doesn't matter for a gal like you. You're gonna be Sam's breeding ground. His bitch. You're gonna mate with him and have his pups.”
My jaw drops as I feel the color seeping from my face, my heart pounding with terror.
Mate?
Did Alpha Grant just tell me that I needed to mate with one of his friends?
“I—I can't…” I murmur, shaking my head slowly, and without warning, Alpha Grant grabs my neck and slams me against the wall, eyes vindictive and cold as he glares at me in warning.
“What makes you think you have a choice, mongrel?” he spits venomously at my face.
I squeak out an apology and struggle to breathe against the tightness of his hand around my neck, my breath becoming shallower as I lose air. My eyes roll back, and just as I'm about to pass out, Alpha Grant releases me.
Choking and sputtering as I attempt to catch my breath, Alpha Grant's foreboding glare is a warning. He sticks a finger between my eyes, spitting venom when he grates out, “This isn't up for debate. Got it?”
I nod tersely, struggling to move my head against the bruises on my neck. But it's enough to satisfy the alpha, who straightens up and pulls Sam forward, patting his chest.
“Now, because I am a kind alpha, I will allow for the mating to take place tomorrow, instead of tonight.”
Sam nods with a grin on his face, and I nod reluctantly, mentally trying to calculate an escape before the night runs out.
