Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Txälina

I strode into my room, silently hating it here. Escaping was a fantasy I no longer indulged in. With the throng of warriors guarding the house, it was nearly impossible to run. But it wasn't just the idea of escape that petrified me, it was what would come after. I could get caught, captured by other werewolves, and stripped of even the delusion of a sliver of freedom.

All I ever wanted was one moment of freedom. To remain untouched. Not to be viewed as a commodity. Just one breath of my own.

Striding toward the bed, I sat at the edge and drew my knees to my chest, burying my face. But the sound of a female's cry from the other room soon pulled me from my reverie.

A whip cracked through the air, striking skin with a lethal sound. Her searing sob filled the silence.

"Yes! Yes! Yes, my Lord!"

Emotions drowned me, and I felt anger rattle through my body. Wanting to banish any murky thoughts from my head, my trembling hands reached for the wineskin. 

I gulped it down. It was red, strong, and spiced with cloves and cinnamon. I indulged in the saccharine warmth of the drink, hoping it would drown out my surroundings.

But the woman's screams scorched through my ears, and I clenched my eyes shut.

I could feel her pain. In those moments, as I lapsed into my mind, I wondered: Would my life end like that? Would I even live long enough to endure more suffering?

Kaluen hadn't sold me to any males, not yet.

But that was the only stark difference between me and the woman in the other room. A choice not yet made by Kaluen. But would he capitulate to the endless demands of the males, all wanting me as their whore? Their breeder?

When I was a child, when my mind had not yet been warped with anger and sorrow, my little mind was crammed with wonders. I remembered the questions that always rose in my throat. I remembered once asking my mother why the males never sat with us, why their eyes flared with anger when they looked at us.

My mind had been full of questions, bright-eyed, and believing there were answers that made sense. But my mother died, and Kaluen took me in. And I grew up. And the questions quieted in my mind, because I started to notice.

I learned that even the illusion of freedom was only earned when the King paid us a visit. Then, we were dressed like dolls and ferried to Alpha Wyränkla's house. He would honor us like guests.

I remembered wanting to expose the atrocities to the King. I remembered how the words died in my throat when Alpha Wyränkla sent me a hard glare. And after the King's visit, I was hauled to Alpha Wyränkla's room. I recalled the horror on my face when he struck me with his belt, when he trailed his rough hands along my skin and whispered vile things.

"You should be lucky you're still too young to be made a breeder."

"Rats," he would call me, and the other children. 

Every full moon, we weep to the Moon Goddess. We press our heads against stones, hoping our prayers will reach her.

We beg for the suffering to end. We receive only silence in response.

But I do not despise her. Because when I look at the moon, I see my mother staring back at me. And somehow, that keeps me alive. That keeps me enduring the pain every day. A slim memory of my mother's face morphed in sadness appeared in my mind and i quickly buried it.

I drank more wine, the dose was strong, coating me in dizziness and, pulling me into a world of complete darkness.

….

I woke to the screams of two females. The sound was blaring and throbbed in my head. I rubbed my temples, scanning the room, when suddenly the door flung open.

Akläna, Kaluen's guard, stood there, short brown hair, serrated jawline. He wore a smirk, though he was far too young to be this vicious.

"About time you woke up, slave," he spat. His words seeped into my pores like venom.

A disgruntled sigh escaped my lips as I stared at him, waiting for him to leave. But instead, he stood there like a leech against the wall.

"One day," he said, a smarmy twitch curling the corner of his mouth, "I'll have a taste of that cunt of yours."

I felt my stomach combust, anger coaxing out of me.

"You're disgusting," I said through gritted teeth.

His glare hardened.

"And what are you?" he questioned, stepping closer. "You're only useful for one thing. And that's the hole between your legs."

Every muscle in my jaw ticked at his words. My hands balled into fists.

"Did it make you feel powerful?" I asked, tilting my head to the side.

"Careful, bitch. You don't want me striking that pretty face of yours," he snarled.

My lips curled into a smirk. He couldn't. He wouldn't strike. not without ramifications. Kaluen would flay him.

"Get dressed," he said, turning around and leaving the room.

…..

When the door slammed shut, I exhaled sharply.

The names no longer burned like they used to, no longer carved into my mind and soul like a cartographer's blade.

Cunt. Slave. Whore. Bitch. Rat. Breed mate.

The water in the basin was cold as I scooped it into a bowl and washed the foam from my body.

I stepped out of the bathing chamber, a towel wrapped around my chest. Tonight, Kaluen wanted me to impress Mätxin. I didn't need to worry, I had oodles of minuscule gowns in the wardrobe.

After I finished dressing, I strode out of my room.

The dining room was spacious, with a long table and enough chairs to accommodate more than ten people. Kaluen liked to treat himself like an Alpha.

The dining table was embellished with food, enough to feed an entire pack. From steamed vegetables to roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, lamb, beef, and a variety of desserts.

As expected, there was wine, spiced with cinnamon, cloves, and slices of orange.

My stomach churned at the sight of the food. I racked my brain, trying to remember the last time I'd eaten anything this good.

As I finished climbing the stairs, my eyes immediately found Kaluen at the end of the table. He was dressed in a dark blue tunic, his brown hair braided with silver thread. 

Kaluen's breed mate–as he called her—sat close to him in meditative silence, her eyes focused on nothing. With every day that passed, she looked frailer and sicker.

She was beautiful, with short braids, light caramel skin, and golden eyes. Her face was plastered with heavy makeup, hiding the bruises.

The moment I sat, Mätxin's eyes were on me, a smile curled on his lips.

"Ah, look who decided to join us," Kaluen said, his voice laced with mock surprise.

The urge to plunge the bread knife into his heart indulged me. Instead, I smeared a smile across my face, one that didn't belong to me; one that Kaluen was expecting from me.

"Mmm," Mätxin purred, a glint bracketing his eyes. "I enjoy staring at that pretty-faced slave."

I didn't react. Expletives had long replaced the names of Säli women. But the sting still burned like venom in my mind.

Kaluen scoffed.

"Why is she unclaimed?" Mätxin asked, the question that had long been singing in his mind. "She's ripe for breeding. I bet she'd make a good whore in bed, too."

Kaluen smiled cloyingly. "What do you think?"

"I want to claim her. Name your price."

My head snapped toward Kaluen. He'd rejected significant offers from other males, all wanting me as their breed mate. He flaunted me like a prize, but never sold me.

A dull smile formed on Kaluen's lips as the corners of his eyes pinched.

"Name your price for that little bitch," Mätxin said. "How much coins do you want?"

"Coins?" Kaluen scoffed, his shoulders rising with proudness as he scanned the room. "Look around. You really think I need your coins? I'm the second-richest male in this pack after Alpha Wyränkla."

A knot twisted in my stomach.

"Then what do you want?"

Kaluen leaned back in his chair, fingers perched on his chin.

"You can have her as your whore. Your breeder. Whatever you wish. But you'll make me the commander of the male warriors in Säli."

Mätxin waved his hand in a dismissive gesture.

"Commander? Is that all?"

Kaluen's eyes gleamed.

"I'll give you more," Mätxin said, glancing at the locked door. "I'll make you the Beta of the Säli pack."

Shock froze the hard lines of my face. My stomach somersaulted.

He is the Beta of the Säli pack. What was he planning? Was he going to abdicate?

But the look on Mätxin's face was incriminating, it made me wonder what reckless plan he was contriving.