His Hunted Mate

Episode 1

I feel the chains on my ankles as I walk down the big hallway. My heart beats fast. I have to tell him about the baby. I have to make him understand.

I get close to Alpha King Aleron's room. Then I hear a woman laugh inside. I stop walking.

"No," I whisper. I put my hand on my stomach. There's no bump yet, but I know the baby is there. "Please, no."

I should have known better. I should have seen that he was lying to me. How was I so stupid?

My hand shakes as I lift it to knock on the door. This is my one chance to change everything.

The door opens. Aleron stands there, looking scary and powerful. His blue eyes get smaller when he sees me.

"What are you doing here, pet?" he says in an angry voice. "Who let you out of your chains?"

I try to talk, but no words come out. Behind Aleron, I see a naked woman. She walks up and puts her arms around him.

"Baby, come back to bed," she says in a soft voice.

My whole world falls apart. I thought Aleron was my mate. I thought we had a special bond. But I was wrong.

I'm just a slave to him. A toy. And now I'm carrying his baby - a baby that shouldn't even be possible. I feel so trapped.

Unless...

I look at the open window behind them. I think about how far it is to the ground. How far to freedom?

This is my one chance. My one moment to change everything.

I take a deep breath. I made my choice. But inside, I'm scared and angry. I look at Aleron, trying not to cry.

"I... I have something to tell you," I say, my voice shaking. "I thought I'd come here and..."

The woman cuts me off. "Baby, come back to bed," she calls to Aleron.

I hear the bed move. Then the naked woman walks up to Aleron. She puts her arm around him and kisses his cheek. I feel sick.

"You... you got another slave?" I ask, trying to hide how much it hurts.

Suddenly, the woman slaps me hard across the face. It stings, and I can't stop the tears now.

"Slave? Is this your little pet?" she asks Aleron. He doesn't say anything. He just sits on the bed, like he's enjoying watching this.

"You little b***h, I'm not a slave," the woman yells at me. "I am the daughter of Alpha Sylvester Dalgaras."

I don't know what that means. I look at Aleron again. He's smirking, like this is fun for him.

The woman grabs my collar and pulls me into the room. Before I can do anything, she's trying to tear my dress.

"I'm going to kill you," she screams.

I cover myself, but it doesn't help. I scream and beg her to stop. It feels like forever before Aleron finally pulls her off me.

"Come on Lucia, leave the thing alone," he says, like I'm nothing.

I look up at him, tears in my eyes. What went wrong? Two weeks ago, he told me I was the only woman he was with. I thought... I thought he cared about me.

"I thought that..." I can't finish. The pain in my heart is too much. "We are mates," I whisper.

Aleron looks at me. Then he starts laughing.

I feel like my heart is breaking. Aleron's laughing at me, and it hurts more than anything.

"Mates? You silly girl," he says, still laughing. "I didn't buy you so you can feel special. You're my property. I used you, and now I'm bored with you."

His words cut deep. I can't believe what I'm hearing. Lucia, the woman in his arms, looks at me with an evil smile.

"You said you wanted me to give you a child," I say, trying to understand what's happening.

"I did, little one," Aleron says. "But I've changed my mind. I can't stand the thought of having a child from your weak body. I have an Alpha's daughter here. We will mate, and I will marry her. You will stay my slave. I'll use you however I want."

His words are like poison. I feel so stupid for believing him, for falling for him.

"Besides," he adds, "after a month of having you, I think you're probably barren."

That's the final blow. I feel like he's just killed something inside me. I know about the baby growing in me, but he doesn't. And now, I don't want him to know.

"Get out of my sight, slave," he says. "And don't come in here unless I call for you. You think you're too important, and it's ridiculous."

I watch as he turns back to Lucia, kissing her like I'm not even there. I'm completely forgotten.

I walk out of the room like I'm in a daze. As soon as the door closes, I run down the stairs. I want to scream. I want to cry.

I touch my stomach, thinking about my baby. My mate has rejected me. He's disgusted by me. How can I live like this?

When I get to my room, I know what I have to do. I gather the few things I own. I wrap them in a small bedsheet.

I have to leave. I have to protect my baby. I can't let my child grow up with a monster like Aleron as a father.

I take a deep breath and look at the door. It's time to run.