Chapter 2: The Breeder Contract
1258 Words
The room spun.
Elara stared at the man from Moonstone as his words echoed through her mind.
His Majesty’s heir cannot wait forever.
The sentence felt wrong.
Twisted.
Like something poisonous hidden beneath silk.
“What does that mean?” she demanded.
The stranger remained calm.
Almost bored.
“As I said, Miss Thorn, transportation leaves at noon.”
“I asked you a question.”
His expression never changed.
“That information will be explained upon your arrival.”
Elara’s hands clenched into fists.
She turned toward her father.
“Tell me.”
Victor’s face had gone pale.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
The silence spoke louder than any confession.
“You knew.”
Her voice cracked.
“You knew exactly what they wanted from me.”
“Elara”
“No!”
The word exploded from her.
Years of trust shattered in an instant.
She had defended him.
Believed in him.
Sacrificed for him.
And all this time he had been planning to hand her over like a piece of property.
Tears burned her eyes.
“You told me it was a marriage.”
Victor lowered his head.
“I didn’t know how else to tell you.”
The answer felt like a knife.
Elara laughed bitterly.
A broken sound.
“So you lied.”
“I was trying to protect you.”
“Protect me?” she whispered.
Her chest tightened.
“You sold me.”
The stranger shifted impatiently.
“The arrangements have already been finalized.”
Elara rounded on him.
“I don’t care.”
The room suddenly felt too small.
Too suffocating.
Without another word, she shoved past the guards and ran.
The morning air hit her face.
She barely noticed.
She sprinted across the manor grounds.
Past empty stables.
Past abandoned training fields.
Past everything she had once called home.
Her lungs burned.
Her vision blurred.
She didn’t stop.
Couldn’t stop.
Not until she reached the forest beyond the estate.
Only then did she collapse against a tree.
A sob escaped her.
The forest remained silent.
No comfort.
No answers.
Just the crushing reality of betrayal.
The image of her father’s face haunted her.
The guilt.
The shame.
The refusal to meet her eyes.
He had known.
Every second.
Every signature.
Every detail.
And still he had done it.
A twig snapped nearby.
Elara instantly stood.
Her wolf stirred uneasily beneath her skin.
“Who’s there?”
No response.
The underbrush rustled.
Then a familiar figure emerged.
Her childhood friend.
Lena.
Relief flooded her.
“Lena.”
The other woman hurried forward.
“What happened?” Lena asked.
“I saw Moonstone guards arriving.”
Elara swallowed hard.
“My father sold me.”
Lena froze.
“What?”
“He sold me to the royal family.”
Shock flashed across Lena’s face.
“That’s impossible.”
“I wish it was.”
For several moments neither woman spoke.
The truth sounded insane even when spoken aloud.
Finally Lena reached for her hand.
“You don’t have to go.”
Hope flickered inside Elara.
A tiny spark.
“Exactly.”
Lena nodded.
“You can leave.”
The idea hit her like lightning.
Leave.
Disappear.
Run.
Moonstone couldn’t take what it couldn’t find.
For the first time all morning, Elara felt something other than despair.
Determination.
She squeezed Lena’s hand.
“I need money.”
“I have some saved.”
“I’ll pay you back.”
“You don’t have to.”
Elara almost cried.
Not because of the money.
Because someone still cared.
Someone still saw her as a person.
Not property.
Not an asset.
Not a breeder.
The word made her stomach turn.
“What do they even mean by heir?” Lena asked.
Elara shook her head.
“I don’t know.”
But deep down she feared she already did.
By noon, she was gone.
Or at least she hoped she was.
A small travel bag hung from her shoulder as she moved through the crowded streets of Ashwood Village.
The marketplace buzzed with activity.
Merchants shouted.
Children laughed.
Wagons rolled through muddy roads.
Life continued as though her world hadn’t just ended.
Elara kept her hood low.
Every passing guard made her heart race.
Every stranger looked suspicious.
She headed toward the train station.
If she could reach another kingdom, she might have a chance.
A slim one.
But a chance.
The station appeared ahead.
Relief flooded her.
Almost there.
Almost free.
Then she heard it.
A distant howl.
Her blood froze.
Another followed.
Then another.
Moonstone wolves.
Searching.
The realization hit instantly.
They knew she had run.
Panic surged through her veins.
Elara pushed through the crowd.
Faster.
Faster.
The train whistle sounded.
Steam filled the air.
Passengers boarded.
She reached for the ticket counter.
A large hand suddenly closed around her wrist.
Her entire body stiffened.
Slowly, she turned.
A towering man stood before her.
One of the Moonstone guards.
The same man who had arrived at the manor.
His grip tightened.
“You are causing unnecessary difficulties.”
Fear flashed through her.
She yanked her arm.
The guard didn’t budge.
“Let me go.”
“No.”
People stared.
Nobody intervened.
Nobody dared.
Moonstone’s authority reached far beyond its borders.
The guard stepped closer.
“The Crown has paid for you.”
The words ignited her anger.
“I am not an object.”
His expression remained indifferent.
“That is not for me to decide.”
She slapped him.
Hard.
Gasps erupted around them.
The guard slowly turned his head back toward her.
A red mark appeared on his cheek.
For a terrifying second, Elara wondered if he might kill her.
Instead, he sighed.
“As troublesome as reported.”
Before she could react, another figure emerged from the crowd.
A woman.
Elegant.
Beautiful.
Dressed in royal black.
She approached with measured steps.
“Enough.”
The guard immediately released Elara.
The woman studied her carefully.
Almost curiously.
“So this is her.”
Elara frowned.
“Who are you?”
The woman’s lips curved into a faint smile.
“Lady Evelyn Blackthorne.”
The name struck like thunder.
Blackthorne.
Royal blood.
“My aunt serves on the royal council,” Evelyn explained.
Her gaze lingered.
Evaluating.
Judging.
“Interesting.”
Elara hated that look.
“What do you want?”
Evelyn folded her arms.
“To see what all this trouble is about.”
“Then you’ve seen enough.”
The older woman laughed softly.
“You have spirit.”
Elara remained silent.
Evelyn’s expression gradually turned serious.
“You should stop running.”
“No.”
“Moonstone will find you.”
“Then they’ll have to keep looking.”
Something flickered in Evelyn’s eyes.
Amusement.
Respect.
Perhaps both.
“You’re nothing like I expected.”
Before Elara could answer, Evelyn stepped closer.
Her voice dropped.
Low enough that only Elara could hear.
“You should save your strength.”
A chill crawled down Elara’s spine.
“What does that mean?”
Evelyn’s gaze darkened.
“Because once you meet Kael, running will be the least of your concerns.”
The station suddenly felt colder.
More dangerous.
Elara swallowed hard.
The name alone carried weight.
Fear.
Power.
Authority.
Kael Blackthorne.
The man she had been sold to.
The man waiting at the end of this nightmare.
The future Alpha King.
And somehow, without ever meeting him, Elara already hated him.
Unfortunately for her…
The train to Moonstone Kingdom had just arrived.
And there was no escaping it now.
- Writer
