Chapter 3

I was shaking, my body had sweat rolling down my back even though the air was cold.

As I stood there, vulnerable and exposed, I couldn't help but wonder what horrors awaited me on this ominous night. All I could do was pray for strength and hope that somehow, I would find a way to survive whatever Adrian had planned for his new pet.

"You are not much, I don't see what's there for you to hide," the guard said, scoffing. I didn't say anything, I bit my lips in fear.

"But do know that as you are the Lycan king, you are also ours. All of us, we are going to share you." He was trying to catch my gaze, to make me look him in the eyes, an opportunity for him to catch my disobedience and hit me. But I didn't meet his demands. I only showed my fear, of how my body was going to be humiliated.

He scoffed, "Someone will come to dress you." I only nodded in reply, my voice caught in my throat, unable to voice the dread that consumed me.

He left me alone, and I crumbled, picking up the bedsheet to cover myself. I was gasping for breath as the fear tried to consume me, my tears were threatening to fall, but I held it in.

A knock on the door signalled the arrival of a maid. She entered the room with a practised air of indifference, her eyes downcast as she motioned for me to follow her. I hesitated for a moment, the fear of the unknown clutching at my heart, but I had no choice. I followed her into the bathroom, my steps heavy with trepidation.

As the maid began to scrub my body, tears welled up in my eyes, and I couldn't hold them back any longer. The sobs that had been building within me spilled forth, my shoulders shaking with each wrenching cry. The tears mingled with the water as it cascaded over me, washing away my innocence and leaving only despair in its wake.

The maid's voice was soft and almost sympathetic as she spoke, "You'll be fine as long as you stop crying. The last person who came cried a lot, too, but she was still bred." Her words were meant to offer reassurance, but they only deepened the pit of dread in my stomach.

My voice trembled as I asked, "There are others?" The question hung heavy in the air, and for a moment, the room was filled with silence.

The maid's eyes flickered with uncertainty, and then she whispered, "I have overstepped my boundaries. I apologize." She turned her attention back to her task, refusing to meet my gaze.

Desperation clawed at me as I pleaded, "Please, tell me. I need to know."

The maid's response was a soft sigh, her hands continuing their work, her movements methodical. "I am only told to bathe you," she said finally. "But my best advice is to accept it as it comes. The Alpha's karma is that no matter how many women he breeds, they all lose the child. Let's just hope you are different."

Her words hung in the air, heavy with the weight of the truth they carried.

I gulped as the maid dressed me in a strapless nightgown, her hands moving with a practised efficiency that left me feeling utterly exposed.

I swallowed hard, trying to suppress the overwhelming sense of vulnerability that washed over me. Beneath the delicate fabric of the gown, I wore nothing, and the realization filled me with shame.

The maid's voice was gentle but firm as she instructed, "Sit properly." Her words were a reminder of the expectations placed upon me, and I obeyed, sitting on the edge of the bed with my back straight.

It was a futile attempt to maintain a semblance of dignity in a situation that had stripped me of everything I held dear.

As I gazed down at my own body, I couldn't help but feel a deep sense of humiliation.

My breasts, which had once been a source of innocence and self-discovery, now felt like objects of scrutiny and judgment. I longed to cover myself, to hide from the world and the cruel fate that had befallen me, but I couldn't.

The questions that had plagued my thoughts since the moment I was sold to Adrian's estate continued to torment me.

Why had my father done this to me? Was it because of money? Our family was wealthy, and my father was an alpha, so it couldn't have been for financial gain. Was it because I was the disgraceful alpha's daughter, an omega with no proper power? I knew I was a disappointment, the first daughter who could never be an heir, but did that warrant my fate?

My mind swirled with doubts and self-recrimination, and I wished I could find answers that would bring some semblance of understanding to my shattered world. But the truth remained elusive, buried beneath layers of secrecy and betrayal.

As the first night of my captivity approached, the weight of my impending loss of innocence pressed down on me like a vice.

I couldn't help but glance at my own body, the curves, and contours that marked my transition from girlhood to womanhood. It was a stark reminder of the innocence that would soon be taken from me, and I felt a profound sense of sorrow.

I wished I could cover up, to shield myself from the prying eyes of those who had orchestrated my downfall. But I couldn't hide, couldn't escape the reality of my situation. All I could do was lay in the cold, unfamiliar bed and stare up at the ceiling, tears flowing silently down my cheeks.

And then sleep came.

I awoke to the sensation of warm hands resting gently on my lap, and my eyes fluttered open, filled with fear and apprehension. My gaze met Adrian's, and for a moment, his intense gray eyes seemed almost kind. He smiled, a cruel juxtaposition to the torment that churned within me. "You look beautiful," he said, his voice honeyed with deception.

The words caught in my throat, and I couldn't hold back the question that burned in my chest. "Why? Why are you doing this?" My voice trembled with a mixture of confusion and sorrow.

Adrian's response was a dismissive shrug, as if my question held no real significance. "No reason," he replied casually, his eyes never leaving mine. "Except I want an heir."

"You want an heir from an omega?" My voice was barely a whisper, choked with disbelief.

Adrian cocked his head to the side, a cruel smile playing at the corners of his lips. "Isn't that what you are for?" he asked, his words like a knife twisting in my chest. "For breeding."

My body quivered with a mixture of fear and revulsion, and I closed my eyes, unable to bear the judgment in his gaze. I waited for the inevitable, for the violation that had become an inescapable part of my life.

But then, to my bewilderment, Adrian's hands retreated, and the weight of his presence lifted from the bed.

I opened my eyes cautiously, my heart still racing, and saw him standing a few paces away, his expression inscrutable.

"No," he said abruptly, his voice devoid of emotion. "I won't do it."

I blinked in disbelief, unable to comprehend the sudden change in his demeanour. My body still quivered with fear, but the absence of his touch left me feeling strangely hollow.

Without another word, Adrian turned and walked out of the room, leaving me alone in the darkness, confused by his change of attitude.