Unbroken

Nelly smiled at Ava, "Sweetheart, you were brought here the same way we all were brought here. What you are feeling, we have all felt. We have been where you are, and we learned to accept that this is the best it can be for us. We have our own powers and uses that benefit our alpha. You will find yours."

Ava's stomach twisted. She had heard comforting lies before, and this sounded like one of them. The best it can be? Who was she kidding? A cage lined with silk was still a cage.

Before she could voice her thoughts, an omega entered, her eyes flickering between them. "Ava, you will be spending the night with the Alpha."

The words sent a shudder down her spine.

Nelly gave her a sympathetic nod. "Good luck."

Sarah smirked. "Hope you like it rough."

Ava sent her a glare that would have melted steel, but Sarah merely gave a slow hiss and sauntered away.

*****

The alpha's bedroom was dimly lit, the scent of burning wood and musk heavy in the air. A massive bed dominated the room, its dark silk sheets pooling around the figure of Alpha Lucas Raventhorn. The man was a mountain of muscle, his tanned skin rippling. His eyes locked onto Ava the moment she entered, pinning her in place like prey.

Ava swallowed hard.

Lucas smirked, licking his lips as if he had just been served a particularly rare steak. "Alpha Leon should be flogged for dulling your beauty."

"I am glad I meet your expectations," Ava said.

His smirk deepened. "Why don't we put that delicious mouth to good use? Undress."

Ava hesitated, her fingers brushing against the soft silk of her dress as if it were armor. She had chosen this. She had thought she was ready. But standing there, staring at this beast of a man, she was beginning to question every decision that had led her to this moment.

Would being beaten to death by Luna Selene and her minions have been the better option?

Lucas watched her. "Now, now… You aren't regretting your choice, are you? Or are you still wishing your alpha was the one here, not me?"

He stood from the bed, horrifyingly naked.

Ava blushed furiously and looked away.

"You are mine now," he said.

Before she could think to step back, he grabbed her roughly, his lips crushing against hers. There was nothing tender about it, just a man staking his claim. His hands roamed freely, squeezing her breasts so hard she gasped in pain.

He pulled back slightly. "On your knees."

Ava obeyed, her mind scrambling for an escape plan as her face ended up mere inches from his very erect, very intimidating member.

"Suck me," he ordered.

Well, that would be a problem.

"Uhm… Alpha," Ava said. "I am not trying to defy you, but I have absolutely no idea what to do here."

Lucas blinked. "Leon never had you suck him?"

Ava shook her head. "Leon never had me do anything."

Lucas stared at her like she had just declared she could breathe underwater. "Well, fuck. I do not have the motivation to break a new concubine."

He knocked on the door three times. A guard stepped in.

"Get me Sarah."

Still on her knees, Ava blinked up at him. "Do I go?"

He flopped back onto the bed with a sigh. "No. You will learn by watching."

Oh, fantastic. Because that was exactly what she needed, a front-row seat to a private performance she had no interest in.

*****

Lily practically pounced on Ava the moment she entered the common room. "How did it go?"

Ava threw herself onto the nearest sofa and groaned. "Terribly."

Sarah strolled in, "Our little concubine is a virgin."

Lily gasped and clutched her chest like she had just witnessed a murder. "Oh, God. That is not the kind of man you want to lose your virginity to."

Sarah cackled. "Better warm up to the idea because when Alpha Lucas Raventhorn wants to take you, he will and in the roughest way possible."

Ava scowled. "You mean like last night? I thought he was going to rip you in half."

Sarah sighed dreamily. "I like my men rough."

"Well, I don't."

"If you are looking for flowers, love, and vanilla sex, you're a concubine to the wrong alpha," Sarah snorted.

Ava muttered under her breath, "Ain't that the truth."

*****

Ava had barely taken two sips of the tea in her hands when a maid entered.

"Alpha Lucas has requested your presence in the training yard."

Ava sat up. "For what?"

The servant kept her head bowed. "He has assigned Gamma Kade to begin your training in combat."

Ava's heart leapt. "Okay, um, can I get something more appropriate to wear aside from a dress?"

"There is a training outfit on your bed."

Ava didn't need to hear anything else. She practically sprinted to her room, excitement bubbling in her chest.

She was taking the first step toward her independence.