SURROGATE FOR THE RUTHLESS ALPHA

His mate

“Get up”,

I knew the sound instantly even without opening my eyes. Instantly I pushed myself upright but my muscles protested and I winced when my bare feet met the ground. Leaves were stuck to my skin , my clothes were torn, damp with sweat and dirt. I was painfully aware of how I must have looked weak and disheveled to Alex, the leader who monitors omegas.

“Do you have any idea what time it is?” He snapped and I nodded my head.

“Yes but.....”

“Silence.” He cut me off with a hard cuff to the back of my head, not enough to knock me out but enough to make tears form in my eyes.

“The kitchen is in chaos. The Luna of Red Moon pack is going to arrive and you’re out here sleeping in the dirt like an animal.” He murmured staring down at me with disgust on his face.

“My assignment is the Alpha’s headquarters. That’s where I work.” I retorted.

“You work where I tell you to work.” He hissed. I shook my head before I could stop myself. “Please. If Alpha Bane notices I’m not where I’m supposed to be ..”.

“Save it.” He straightened and jabbed a finger toward the compound. “You’re needed in the kitchen. Now. Floors to scrub. Vegetables to cut. Fires to tend. The upper ranks will be eating all morning, and someone has to make sure nothing goes wrong.”.

“You will do as you’re told, and you will be grateful you’re still allowed to stay in this pack at all. Disobey me again, and I’ll make sure you regret it.”

He stepped back and gestured at me. “Move.”

I stared at the ground for a second longer, jaw clenched, nails biting into my palms. Defiance burned briefly in my chest but I could do nothing to him.

“You hear me?” he spoke when he noticed that I wasn’t standing up. “Alpha doesn’t need excuses. Alpha needs things done. Start with the kitchen . Then clean his rooms And if you try any act of defiance...”

Before he could finish his words, I was already on my feet, standing up.

“Good,” he said coldly. “At least you still understand commands.”

I swallowed, my throat tight, and nodded. “Kitchen,” he repeated. “Yes,” I said quietly.

He turned on his heel without another glance. I waited until his footsteps faded before letting out the breath I’d been holding. My hands shook as I brushed dirt from my arms, smearing it uselessly across my skin. My wolf stirred faintly beneath the surface as I limped toward the path leading back to the pack

Omegas were already everywhere Orders were barked over one another, sharp and impatient, and every omega was responding quickly to them.

A tray with plates full of food was shoved into my arms before I’d even fully crossed the threshold. “Take it to the dining too”, someone snapped, already turning away.

I adjusted my grip quickly, fingers tightening around the hot metal as heat bit into my palms.

The upper class werewolves were happy, eating their own food. I kept my head low, shoulders curled inward, then made my way inside. I knew the rules: don’t meet their gaze, don’t linger, don’t speak unless spoken to. My presence was tolerated only as long as it was useful.

A half-eaten piece of toast out of the blue slipped from a plate and landed at my feet as I walked. I bent to scoop it up before anyone saw, but a sharp bark of derisive laughter cut across the hall out of the blue.

“Well, look at that.” The voice was loud enough to turn heads. My fingers froze inches from the floor but later i slowly reached out and picked it then laughter burst in the room again.

“They really just let any useless omega wander around these days.” I heard one murmur and others laughed but I ignored them. However just as I was about to move, someone instantly seized a fistful of my hair and yanked. Pain flared along my scalp and I staggered, letting out a small, involuntary sound.

Laughter rang out, cruel and bright.

“This omega is not only useless but also a slut,” a male hissed in my ear. “Bet that’s why you’re always in the Alpha’s room .. you practicing.”

Another vicious tug. Tears burned my eyes and anger rose in my body. My jaw clenched until the muscles ached. My hands balled at my sides. I was supposed to endure. I always did.

But today something inside me snapped.

“You not that ugly, I’m going to make you my slu...”, The moment he said so, I lost it. I spun before I could think, hauled at his wrist and shoved him with everything I had left. It wasn’t graceful or powerful but it was enough. Enough to break his hold. Enough to surprise him.

He stumbled back a step, chair legs scraping loudly against the stone floor.

The room went dead silent immediately. Every laugh cut off at once and all stared with shock on their faces. I had just pushed the Beta’s son Fred. He straightened up instantly with a snarl.

“You little b***h,” he spat, lunging but I didn’t flinch.

A hot, wild thing rose in my chest, a fierce drum in my veins that no longer cared about consequences. For the first time in a long time, I didn’t shrink. I sidestepped his grab and shoved him harder, sending him sprawling into a chair.

The chair crashed backward with a deafening clatter, wood splintering as he hit the floor hard again.

Gasps ripped through the hall again. “You’re dead,” he growled, scrambling to his feet. “I’ll have you whipped for this. I’ll make sure...”

“My name isn’t slut. Or b***h. Or mutt.” A low, dangerous growl rumbled in my throat angrily cutting him short in mid sentence.

“She’s going to get in trouble,” an omega whispered behind me, fear lacing her words. I ignored her. All I felt was the heat inside me clawing outward. With a sick, sharp crack, claws split through my fingertips black, curved and glinting under the light. My hands shook; it wasn’t fear, it was barely contained fury. The werwolves gasped again and Fred’s confident stare cracked.

“No matter what you do... you will still remain an omega, a useless...,” he stammered, his voice uneven. “Say that again,” I said softly, something feral threading my words. My wolf was surfacing, hungry and raw.

“You a cursed slut” he blurted, and whatever control I had dissolved. A savage snarl tore from me. My body moved before I could reason. I launched forward and I slammed into him with enough force to knock the breath from his lungs.

But I didn’t stop. I was done with his insults.

I stalked him, claws flashing, my wolf roaring just under skin furious, liberated and free in a way I hadn’t felt in years. The gasps and shouts folded around me like wind but I could barely register them.

I saw only his sneering face and his cruelty. “Get away from me!” He squealed as he crawled back, until a chair slammed behind him but I was already there, grabbing his shirt front and hauling him up as if he weighed nothing. His eyes rolled white at the rims with fear.

“I am not anyone’s slut and I will never be”,

“Say it again,” I hissed, breath hot against his cheek. “I dare you.”

He whimpered. He actually whimpered.

“Alpha Bane is going to kill you this time,” he blurted.

I forced a bitter twist of a smile. “Do you think I give a damn about him?” The words rang hollow. I did care of course. I feared Alpha Bane, I would have given anything to be invisible to him but now, I could not let him see weakness.

I was really unlucky because out of the blue, a voice cut across everything cold and authoritative.

“Are you talking about me?”, His voice made me to instantly freeze. I was seriously dead.

“i ... i”, My blood ran cold.

What was he even doing here?

I slowly turned, my heart pounding so loudly it drowned out the distant murmurs and gasps from the pack. But the moment my eyes met with his evergreen eyes, the world seemed to still. My heart stuttered in my chest,

And then...

Mate.

The word echoed through my mind, foreign yet somehow familiar, as if it had always been there, buried under the layers of my existence. My wolf, who has been silent since I shifted, roared to life inside me. It was like a spark ignited in the deepest recesses of my soul, a deep connection that made my skin flush, my heart race.

I blinked rapidly, the realization hitting me.

No. No, it couldn’t be true. Not him.

Alpha Bane’s eyes narrowed, watching me carefully, the tension between us thickening with every passing second. I could feel my body trembling, my breath shallow and erratic as the bond tugged at me, desperate for connection.

His lips twisted into a cruel smirk, his gaze scanning me with a coldness that sent a chill down my spine.

“No. You can't be my mate” His voice was low, but the finality of it hit me like a slap. “Get her out of my sight right now.” He turned to his warriors and ordered rudely.