Chapter 6: A Breeder for the Alpha

A breeder… What did he mean?

The word hung in the air like cold fog on a wet morning. Vaguely present and murky to navigate. So, that's what Jessica had been referring to. I hadn’t misheard her, after all. Once I was healed, I'd be suitable for taking on the physical rigors of pregnancy.

My father played his best hand and won the bet.

Dad had no qualms about selling me off like an animal. I was at an all-time low, still an extension of the Moon Pack's control. I had been traded from one scenario where I was objectified and replaced with another. It made me feel sick as I pondered my circumstances. I had no choice but to do this with Alpha Arthur.

There was no way out. He was in charge.

I closed my eyes momentarily, shaking my head once, hoping to make the sinking feeling disappear. When I opened them, he was still examining me. I wondered if what I said or felt meant anything to him but in my heart, I knew the answer. He cared only about his goal.

I was not a person to him.

“Any questions?” Arthur asked with a flaccid tone.

“Alpha Arthur, I understand there is a debt to be paid, but I can’t sell my body to you. Can I not become your slave instead and serve you until the debt is cleared?”

Arthur sneered and asked, “I’ve sunk a billion dollars into the Moon Pack. Think you can pay that back?”

Anthony added, “I can confirm what Arthur is saying. After a huge fire that almost made Moon Pack destitute, ShadowClaw was there to supply the funds, allowing them to get back on their feet. This arrangement makes sense.”

I couldn’t recall a fire but that didn’t mean it didn’t happen. There was a chance it had been bashed out of my memory by one too many blows to the head.

There was no doubt about it. My contract to Arthur could never be repaid in a traditional sense. This was an endless maze or a vast ocean where I was treading water indefinitely. I was nothing more than an insurance settlement after the Moon Pack failed.

Arthur whipped out a pack of cigarettes, biting the filter, pressing his attractive lips to it. Anthony was quick to flick the Zippo, lighting up Arthur’s stern features and filling me with fear once more. My heart began to race again, my adrenaline picking up. I tried to swallow but my mouth was too dry.

Just what was I to him?

Arthur, with his keen wolf perception, sensed my question and elaborated. “It’s easy for me to find women. I don’t need to coerce them or engage in tedious courting rituals. There is no need to waste effort to seduce them or play the hero. Plenty try to attain me through various means but only I can choose the one I want.” He continued, “The reason I chose you is because you have a clean background.”

I struggled to wrap my head around what this could mean. It made sense that he’d want an unknown wife, being that he was such a private person, but I knew I wasn’t getting the full story.

“You may be confused but let one thing be clear. I will never love a woman like you.”

Frustrated confusion overtook me. The information I had grown up with was clashing with what Arthur was saying now. Fated mates, pure bloodlines, all of this was tossed aside with ShadowClaw.

I knew that I didn’t have the most charming demeanor in the world and that Arthur didn’t have to use typical methods to woo women. Still, being married to someone purely for breeding purposes felt transactional. It disheartened me.

The heir and next Alpha in the ShadowClaw Pack should have the most powerful bloodlines—ideally Alpha blood from both of his parents to create a pure bloodline. But a breeder like me is just a means to an end. He will use me once and then he'll toss me away.

“I’ll give you nine months to leave after giving birth,” he added.

My chest surged with anxiety, squeezing. My life was being dictated by others yet again, never me, but at this point, it had happened so often that I was beginning to feel numb to it. I’d been stripped down to nothing.

Though the pain of what my father had done was crushing my soul, I had to accept it. I was heartbroken but he could do nothing else to me now.

Rather than wallow or cry, I decided to look at this logically. Perhaps this was an opportunity being presented to me. I just had to view things differently.

“All right, Alpha Arthur. I’ll abide by your conditions. Now, if I can give birth to a child smoothly, can I make a condition?”

"Please confirm."

"May I proceed with my studies?"

He tilted his head in thought, keeping his eyes on me. Was he expecting me to cry or something? He had the wrong girl.

"No, you must ensure absolute secrecy regarding your activities here," he emphasized. "If you manage to accomplish this task discreetly, there will be a bonus involved." He indicated with a hand gesture, implying a monetary reward.

“Half a million?” I guessed.

“I’ll add a zero to that,” he said, as though he were speaking about the most mundane of topics.

“I’ll complete the task,” I replied, feeling even more solid in my answer. “And rest assured, I won’t develop any feelings for you over these nine months,” I began. “However, if you, Alpha Arthur, fall for me first, don’t think for a second you can whisk me away like a fairy tale character. Try as you may, you will never be able to buy my love. I’m not as easily swayed by cash as my simple, greedy father.”

The room was silent and icy. I remained firm in my conviction, my face unchanged though my emotions surged like unrelenting waves eroding the shore of my soul. In the span of a week, I had endured catastrophic abuse. Not only physical but the ultimate betrayal of my father selling my body off to this arrogant Alpha. My pride, principles, and values were like a bunch of puzzle pieces thrown in the air. I was waiting for them to fall so I could snap them back in place but for now, I had to figure out a new way to live.

I must learn how to survive under these novel circumstances, and then deal with the next challenges one step at a time. I knew I could do it because I’d survived before. There was no other option for me. I was without a pack or a home.

Jessica optimistically commented, “I’ll take good care of her, Alpha Arthur. You can count on me to help regain her health quickly.” She pulled out a folder. Enclosed was a stack of instructions that slammed against the desk when she dropped it. I craned my neck to see what she was referring to.

“Here is a full listing of the guidelines you’ll need to be in tip-top shape to carry the Alpha’s child.” I stared at the folder filled with printed pages. It was several centimeters thick. “Okay, now let’s look at page one, Ophelia.”

I internally sighed.

Jessica was going to go page by page to teach me what to do. I guess I’d have to grin and bear it. She was the only friend I had.

Alpha Arthur glanced at me with slightly narrowed eyes and said, “I hope you perform better than your appearance.”

With that, he left the room.

***

In the evening I was joined once again by Jessica who brought me another buffet of exotic, indulgent foods which I savored with every bite.

“Here,” she began as she handed me some expensive clothing—a mixture of dresses, pants suits, flashy shoes, and rare jewelry. “Try these on. You’ll need to be wearing something presentable and flattering when we go to meet the true leaders of the ShadowClaw pack.”

“True leaders?” I questioned, pulling a fiery-tinted dress up to my shoulders.

“Yes,” Jessica said as she adjusted the full-length mirror so I could see myself better.

I zipped up the tight dress, outlining my every curve. I cringed in pain as the material stuck to my back. Jessica immediately unzipped me.

“Your back is still tender,” she gently reminded me. “You’ll need to heal more before we go.”

“There are more people in ShadowClaw?” I asked.

“There are four big shots in the pack. Three of them are villainous and shady, Arthur being the most notorious. Then there is one who is more ethical.”

Jessica looked at me, seriously. Her pupils were set, her face serious.

“Are you sure you want to get caught up in this? This is a huge risk meeting them. It's even riskier getting this close to Arthur, especially only for money.”

Jessica held my chin, putting on plain lip gloss, smokey eyeshadow, and onyx mascara. When she stepped away I glanced at myself in the mirror, the overhead lights causing every curve to be magnified.

"At least now I have no choice."

As I removed the clothing I’d tried on, placing everything back in the closet, I realized my life had just turned down a dark alley with nothing to light my way. Things were no longer simply black and white, good or bad. I had to navigate using instinct and learn along the way.

What would I do with the cards dealt to me? Would I fold or would I risk the bluff? It was time to think about the answer to that.

What was I made of?

At the very least, I didn’t have to endure beatings and starvation. In that sense, things were most certainly looking up.