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Chapter 96
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2024-12-28 07:11:22Related chapters
In Service of the Alpha Chapter 97
JohnathanThe mood in the dining room is thick and uncomfortable tonight. Everyone keeps stealing glances at Rose who is sitting quietly and obediently in her place next to Mara's seat.In the harsh light of the glittering chandelier, she looks deathly pale and sick, but her eyes are starting to clear up a bit.Perhaps Kahn was right. All she needs is a little sunshine and proper food. I know the vampires feed their blood bags well, but I’m not so sure that diet extends to a wolf slave.Preston is back at the end of the table, Donovan on his right side, Gregory next to him and to my left.Mara quietly takes her seat on my right and looks around the room. Every seat at the table is occupied. “At this rate, we’re going to need a bigger dining table.”“We’re going to need a bigger dining room first,” I reply with a chuckle.For a while, no one speaks, and again Mara is the one who breaks the uncomfortable silence. “Tell Daddy what we did,” she says with a smile, trying to break the heavy
Last Updated : 2024-12-28In Service of the Alpha Chapter 1
MaraI climb the steps to my father’s mansion with heavy legs. Haley, my best and probably only friend, dropped me off at the gate because Lucas, my mate, won’t allow me to drive.The guard refused to let Haley in, and I was forced to walk up the kilometre long driveway, while my bruised and battered body screamed out in agony.I haven’t been home in two years. Today is my twenty-first birthday, and my father wanted to see me for the first time since I married Lucas Mattfield - the future Alpha of Red Ridge.I am in a sad state. I’m only allowed to eat once a day - Lucas wants a hot wife - and last night I took a particularly brutal beating. It was one of the worst he’d ever given me, and he laughed the whole time. I think it’s one of the reasons my father refuses to see me. I’m always covered in fresh and healing bruises now, and he can’t stand to look at the thing he had done to me.On the night of our wedding, Lucas took me into the bond room - the place where newly wed couples h
Last Updated : 2024-09-23In Service of the Alpha Chapter 2
MaraI wake to the sound of tyres humming softly on the tarmac, the woodsy scent of Beta Preston’s cologne in my nose, and the more flowery lavender scent of a woman. Frowning, I sit upright and look out of the windshield of the moving SUV. Ahead of us is a long, deserted road and the setting sun.I have no idea where we are. Red Ridge must be far behind us. I’ve never seen anything so empty and desolate in all my life. The world here is flat, with nothing but the road and grasslands as far as the eye can see. How long was I out?“Hello lovely,” a chirpy voice says from the front seat. “Did yeh have a good sleep?”I look over at the platinum blonde sitting in the passenger seat. She’s in her mid-twenties. Her make-up is heavy, and she’s dressed in a tight, red dress that leaves little to the imagination. All I manage in way of an answer is a croak.“Give her some water,” Beta Preston says, his voice deep and even.He’s a handsome man, with salt and pepper hair, hazel eyes, and a bea
Last Updated : 2024-09-23In Service of the Alpha Chapter 3
MaraI stare in wonder at the winding road ahead of us. It disappears around several bends, leading all the way to the top of the mountain, and the town of Haven’s Crest.Who the hell builds an entire town on the top of a mountain?We crawl up the road. There’s literally nothing between us and a sheer drop into the canyon below, but it’s idyllic, with the green mountain rising up against the bright blue sky. Cotton candy clouds drift in the azure heavens.As we round one of the many dangerous bends, a waterfall comes into view. Rainbows dance in the misty water that vanishes into the pond below. “Wow,” I gasp.“Pretty, ain’t it?” Rhoda says with a soft laugh.I can’t tear my eyes away from the beautiful scenery. It’s like a postcard sent from some exotic place I never knew existed. Far below and in the distance, a blue lake glimmers in the bright sun. At long last, we reach the top. A massive white and black sign welcomes us to *Haven’s Crest - A home for every soul.*I smile wryly. H
Last Updated : 2024-09-23In Service of the Alpha Chapter 4
Mara“Your father asked me to take you off his hands,” Johnathan says in a straightforward, almost bored voice. “Actually, he put you on the open market. There was a fierce bidding war for you.”My eyes almost bulge out of my skull and fresh tears burn my throat. How could my father do that to me? He did not put me on that market to sell me to an Alpha. It’s a slave market where wolves sell their used up wives or unwanted daughters. Most end up as breeders or prostitutes in the wolf pleasure houses.“Everyone thought you came with an inheritance and that you were worth the investment,” Johnathan goes on.I have no idea how much he paid for me, but my father would not have settled for anything less than the compensation Kysan and Lucas demanded. “My father disowned me,” I whisper. “You won’t get your money back.”“I know. Preston told me.” His eyes slide over my ravaged face. “That is not why I bought you. You do not need to fear me,” he says and leans over to take one of the drinks. “
Last Updated : 2024-09-23In Service of the Alpha Chapter 5
JohnathanI take out my phone and pull up the listing for Mara. She has been removed from the site, but I screenshot it right before the auction came to an end.I spent roughly half the money in my bank account on her. It’s way more than I can afford to waste on a she-wolf. I did not need someone like Mara. Technically, I can take any mate and declare her my Luna for my pack to be recognised by the council. But I wanted Mara.Establishing a new pack takes a lot of money. Money I don’t have. The modern world destroyed a lot of packs. Humans are encroaching on our territories, and to keep the unknowns, as we call them, out, we have to buy the land that has been our homes for centuries. The human authorities who are aware of our existence also keep increasing our taxes. They are convinced we’re rich even though most of us don’t even have a pot to piss in.Douglas used the word heiress in Mara’s listing, knowing that a lot of Alphas are struggling to get by now and would jump at the chanc
Last Updated : 2024-09-27In Service of the Alpha Chapter 6
Mara I thought I’d enjoy my excursion into town with Rhoda, but I’ve been isolated for so long that all the people made me nervous. Everyone seemed to know who I am. People stopped me to introduced themselves, welcomed me to the town, and asked me if I’m happy to be here, when the wedding would be, if I like the Alpha, and wanted to know who bruised me up. Who dared to touch a hair on our Luna’s pretty little head? Is your father happy with the new arrangement? All questions I couldn’t answer, or didn’t want to answer Rhoda was no help. She basked in the attention. Or perhaps people here are just like that and she’s so used to it that she didn't even notice. I couldn’t quite figure out which one of the two it was. By the time we made it back to the mansion, I was exhausted and ready to crawl into a hole. There was a time, not so long ago when I think about it, that I enjoyed going out. I was popular in school - no doubt because of my father's money - and I had no shortage of in
Last Updated : 2024-09-27In Service of the Alpha Chapter 7
MaraThe dining room is one of the smallest places I’ve seen so far. It’s big enough to hold a six-seater table, carved by hand like everything else, a sideboard and serving trolley piled high with food and plates.There’s enough room to move around, but no one’s going to throw any lavish parties in here. I get the feeling that it’s Johnathan’s private dining room, but somewhere in this massive mansion there must be some kind of reception hall for parties. Wolves love to throw parties.Preston is sitting at the end of the table with a lovely blonde woman next to him. She’s dressed comfortably in a strappy sundress. I remember when I was able to wear clothes like that. Jealousy tucks at my heart - not because the girl is a hundred times more beautiful than I am, but because she has the kind of freedom I’ve forgotten.“Hello,” she chirps and sits upright. “I’m Ally, Preston’s mate. You are Mara right?”I nod and smile at her. Like everyone else in Haven’s Crest, she’s almost uncomfortab
Last Updated : 2024-09-27
Latest chapter
In Service of the Alpha Chapter 97
JohnathanThe mood in the dining room is thick and uncomfortable tonight. Everyone keeps stealing glances at Rose who is sitting quietly and obediently in her place next to Mara's seat.In the harsh light of the glittering chandelier, she looks deathly pale and sick, but her eyes are starting to clear up a bit.Perhaps Kahn was right. All she needs is a little sunshine and proper food. I know the vampires feed their blood bags well, but I’m not so sure that diet extends to a wolf slave.Preston is back at the end of the table, Donovan on his right side, Gregory next to him and to my left.Mara quietly takes her seat on my right and looks around the room. Every seat at the table is occupied. “At this rate, we’re going to need a bigger dining table.”“We’re going to need a bigger dining room first,” I reply with a chuckle.For a while, no one speaks, and again Mara is the one who breaks the uncomfortable silence. “Tell Daddy what we did,” she says with a smile, trying to break the heavy
In Service of the Alpha Chapter 96
JohnathanI would love nothing more than to spend the rest of the afternoon with my mate and son, but I can’t. As I shower and change into my regular clothes, I’m assaulted by images of Rose. I’m pretty sure the Goddess is sending them purely to torment me. “Stop it,” I growl after a while. “Do you not care about Mara at all?”*The matters of your frivolous love lives doesn’t concern me,* the Goddess answers.“Then why did you bother to create fated mates? Make us feel the pain of their death as if it’s our own?”She doesn’t answer me, but I am not surprised. When I ask such questions, she never bothers with an answer - perhaps because I won’t like what she has to say.*The girl is is wasting away in the darkness. She is one of yours. You must protect her.*“Yeah, okay, fine!” I snap. “I’ll go get her. Just leave me the fuck alone.”I swear I hear the Goddess laugh as she retreats. Shaking my head, I pull my loafers out of the closet and go to Gergory’s room. He’s on the floor with
In Service of the Alpha Chapter 95
JohnathanMy Beta’s scent hits me when I step into the pack house. Bergamot and oak - his favourite cologne. Mara actually managed to convince him to come back. I smile to myself. I really have to stop underestimating my mate. I gently nudge Gregory on the small of his back, turning him in the direction of the stairs. “Run upstairs and change for supper, buddy.”His skin is glowing after a day spent in the sunshine, and he’s in good spirits. More like the boy I remember. “I don’t like my woo-” he stops, frowns, and deliberately corrects himself, “rrrrr-oom anymore, Daddy.”“Why not?” I ask. “It’s where all your toys live.”“It makes me think of Susarah, and it makes me sad.”I nod, and crouch in front of him. “I know it’s difficult, kid… but people die. They leave us here and we have to find a way to go on.” It’s just a shame he had to find that out before he even turned six years old.“She didn’t die, you killed her,” my son says, his tone flat, even, and scary cold.I flinch at my
In Service of the Alpha Chapter 94
MaraI slowly walk back to the pack house, swinging the heavy velvet bag by my side. I haven’t given Rose any thought since Johnathan took her to live with the vampires. I don’t know if she’s doing okay, if they’re mistreating her, or if she’s even learning anything.Guilt gnaws at me like a hungry caterpillar. After what happened with Ally, I should have gone and gotten my sister. What she is, and what she became, isn’t her fault. Just as it wasn’t Ally’s fault for being raised in a man eater pack. She was a child. She didn’t know any better. Rose doesn't know any better.I come up to our pack house from the back, walking across the sunny deck and past the glittering pool. The days are getting cooler, but not cold. The heat is just about bearable, but the pool still looks very inviting.Instead of jumping in, as I’m prone to do of late, I walk past the blue water and into the mansion. Everyone should be back by now, and they need to know that the Lunae is on their way.I wonder what
In Service of the Alpha Chapter 93
MaraOnce outside the town, I easily trace Preston’s scent. He doesn’t bother to hide himself, and the newer wolves are afraid of him. He smells of despair and sorrow. body odour and blood.I find him close to the foot of the mountains, staring up at the peaks he will never be able to reach. When he sees me coming he turns to run away, but I quickly hold him in place, using my new magical talents.Elemental magic can harm or heal. Earth elements heal. I’m still not sure how it all works, or what it really is, but I know how to wield it, and that’s the only thing that matters now.Preston freezes and slowly turns to look at me. He is a mess. Dirty, smelly, his unkempt beard covered in twigs and the dried blood of the animals he killed to survive.“What is that?” he asks, his voice hoarse and low.“My magic,” I answer. “It’s new.” And I'm getting really good at it too. I'm often surprised by my own abilities.“I know it’s your magic.” Preston huffs, his voice laced with anger. “I was th
In Service of the Alpha Chapter 92
JohnathanGregory sits quietly in his car seat, staring out of the window as we drive into town. The two of us haven’t had a lot of father-son time lately. Maybe he’d open up more if I gave him my undivided attention for a few hours. “Hey buddy,” I say on a whim. “How do you feel about ditching school and going to the waterfall slides instead? Just you and me.”“Really?” he asks, his eyes widening with surprise, and his face lighting up with delight.Mara spent the last several months teaching him how to say his Rs properly. I have to admit I sometimes miss the way he used to speak - it was sweat and innocent - but they grow up fast, and as much as we want to, we can’t keep them babies forever.“Yes. Let’s swing by the cafe, get some snacks and drinks, and head out. Winter is around the corner, and this could be our last chance before the rains come.”“Yes,” Gregory says and claps his hands excitedly. “No one else? Just you and me?”“Just you and me.”I just want my exuberant boy back
In Service of the Alpha Chapter 91
JohnathanThe days bleed into weeks, the weeks into months. The wheels at Haven’s Crest keep on turning, the world keeps on spinning. If it weren’t for the wolves that showed up here every day, reporting about the vicious attacks that befell their packs, I could go on in blissful ignorance, believing nothing’s wrong.Every night, the vampires search the town and surrounding forests, looking for the assassins and spies who fled when we started our interrogations. We caught two in my house. One of them was Susarah.Gregory was heartbroken when I arrested his nanny. After all the work he put in to be a good boy for her, her betrayal crushed him. I can't get over the fact that I blamed my son for mistreating Susarah, but after Kahn spent ten minutes with my boy, he declared that Gregory could see her true intentions - he just didn’t understand what he was seeing. His violence was a direct reaction to her true heart. It wasn’t an excuse for his actions, but my son fought against his inst
In Service of the Alpha Chapter 90
MaraI find Donovan at the old pack house where a crew is busy cleaning up, carrying decaying furniture and debris from the crumbling building. “What is going on?” I ask the Beta.Donovan straightens and wipes sweat from his brow with his forearm. “Well, yesterday, before everything went tits up, Beta Preston told us that Alp- King Johnathan wants to fix this place up for the Alphas. "Preston left before he could put a crew together, so I decided to do it.” He gives me an uncertain look. “I- I hope I didn’t overstep. You gave us a home. Safety. We just want to be helpful.”Much as I hate to admit it, Donovan would be a good second Beta. He has all the leadership skills and training for it. The crew consists mostly of the Gammas and Deltas from our old pack, and a handful of Omegas I’ve seen around the town and new pack house. I don't know who we can and can't trust anymore, but I doubt anyone can do much damage while they're busy cleaning up the massive pack house. The ones we need
In Service of the Alpha Chapter 89
JohnathanIt’s business as usual at sunrise. The weekend is drawing to a close and our visitors are leaving, none of them even aware of the drama that unfolded around them over the weekend.I sit on the ridge overlooking the road, watching the humans drive in and out of Haven's Crest. “We have to close the town,” I say to Kahn who decided to join me on my morning excursion.“Those humans bring the money. They're the reason your Omegas have jobs.”“They could also be spies, assassins.” I don’t care about myself, but anyone who knows just a little about me, knows how much my son means to me. How much Mara means to me. They could just as easily kill them to get to me.Kahn snorts loudly. “No human would ever be able to get close enough.”“A sniper could.”“And kill you with what?”“A silver bullet.”Again the vampire lets out a derisive little snort. “Please. Nothing so pedestrian. It will take more than a little silver to kill you, Johnathan. They need to get closer than that.”“In Mara
