The Alphas bond

Rain pounds my back as I follow Alpha Ernest up the wide marble steps to a home I never expected to see in real life. I quickly survey my surroundings; his rapid pace means I only briefly view the mansion's exterior. I know it resembles a castle, but nothing more. The dreary sky seems fitting, considering my bleak outlook. Likewise, this castle is fitting for an Alpha King. Under the wide porch, there is some shelter from the wind. I pull my flimsy cloak around my shoulders. When Alpha Ernest pounds on the door, I jump. Everything about this day is unexpected, leaving me on edge. The door opens, and a man with a thin, long nose gapes out at us. His suit indicates he is only a butler, so I relax but only slightly. Not that I expected the cruel king to open his own door, but I am thankful not to face him right away. "Greetings! Greetings!" Alpha Ernest's voice is exceedingly loud and jovial. He laughs in the back of his throat, his gruff tone as raspy as the thunder in the distance. "It is I, Alpha Ernest of Willow Pack! His Majesty is expecting me." The butler looks him over, and then his eyes fall on me for a moment as if he isn't sure whether the rotund, sweaty man in the white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows could be an actual Alpha. The detail of Omegas stationed near the car that brought us the two hours make it more convincing. "Enter." The butler pulls the heavy wooden door open. "Thank you, thank you," my Alpha replies, and I follow him inside, absently wondering why he must say everything twice. My happiness at being let in from the rain lasts only a moment as I trail along behind the two men who walk quickly down a long corridor. The house's interior doesn't resemble the castle; its floors are wood, not stone, and its walls are covered in sheetrock. But it is a huge building, and it is lavishly decorated with fine furnishings, a variety of pieces of art from paintings to sculptures to ancient vases, and I try to keep up with our guide while my eyes roam over objects that are worth a hundred times more than what my parents make in a year-a thousand times more. The sale of just one of these objects would have been plenty to pay off my parents' debts. If I'd had just one painting to sell, I wouldn't be here now. I can't think of that at the moment. My fate is sealed. I grasp my small bag and struggle to keep up. It doesn't help that I have eaten next to nothing this past week. I feel lightheaded. We turn down a few corridors, and it's clear to me we are now in a part of the castle that is for work instead of show. Artwork still hangs on the walls, but it's not as elaborate. The doors we are passing appear to be offices, not libraries or parlors. "Wait here," the butler says, pausing outside of a closed door. He knocks, and I hear a low, gravelly voice call him in. I feel my heart thump in my chest. I'm still not quite clear what Alpha Ernest has in mind for me. When I came to him for help earlier in the day, he asked me a few personal questions, a smile split his face, and then he told me to go home and pack all of my most prized possessions. He said to tell my family goodbye if I was serious about paying off my family's debts and to be back in his office in one hour. Then, we got in the car and drove here. I asked no questions other than for him to put it in writing. "John and Constance Moon are no longer in debt to Alpha Ernest Rock if their daughter, Isla Moon, follows through with the agreement made with said Alpha on this day...." Dated, signed by both parties, and here I am. I'm still not sure what the agreement is. Alpha Ernest enters the office, and I am tempted to strain to see inside, too, but I don't. I've never seen him before, the Alpha King, the head of all the Alphas and all the territories in our region, for thousands and thousands of miles. I've heard lots of stories about him, though. Presently, I hope that most of them are not true. I would like to see his face, to know if the rumors of his attractiveness are accurate. But I'd rather not see him at all if I have a choice. Word of his cruelty precedes him, and it is said that he is as brutal as he is handsome. "You may sit." The butler gestures to a chair near the door that closed behind Alpha Ernest. I nod, but I'm not capable of thanking him verbally right now, not when my teeth are almost chattering with fear. I sit down, still holding tight to my bag. I wish I had put on more than the thin cloak my mother gave me last winter. Cloaks are cheaper than coats, so that's what I have. A coat wouldn't hide the trembling that's ravaging my body, anyway. Doing my best to ignore the shaking, I try to focus on the faint voices I hear coming from behind the thick wooden door. I don't expect to hear anything because the door looks sturdy, but Alpha Ernest is loud. And Alpha Maddox... well, he just sounds agitated. "Thank you for seeing me on such short notice." Alpha Ernest laughs. When Alpha Maddox replies, it is harder to hear. His voice is softer. "I don't know why you're here unless it's to pay me the money you owe me." At least, that's what I think he says. "Unfortunately, sir, I don't have the money-not exactly," the other man replies. I hear Alpha Maddox grumble in response. "But I have something else to offer you instead. Something better." "Something better than the one and a half million dollars you owe me?" My heart catches in my throat, and I nearly choke. One and a half million dollars? Did I hear that correctly? What in the world could Alpha Ernest have that is worth that kind of money? "Oh, yes!" Alpha Ernest says. "Please, Sir, hear me out. I have a bargain for you. One that will allow me to settle our debt and help you with a certain... problem you have." Problem? What problem could Alpha Maddox possibly have-other than that he might run out of people to chastise if he's already killed them all? I sit with my feet flat on the floor, my eyes focused on the eggshell wall across from me, listening, not believing what I'm hearing. Alpha Maddox states, "Ernest, you are the absolute last person I would seek help from, although I'm not sure what you are talking about." "Let me enlighten you, Sir, if you don't mind?" Alpha Maddox growls again. If he says anything else, I don't hear it. Alpha Ernest continues. "You turned twenty-nine last month, yes?" I assume Alpha Maddox confirms this because my pack Alpha goes on. "Everyone knows that the Alpha King must have an heir by age thirty." "Alpha Ernest-" the king says. "Give me only a few moments of your time, Alpha," Ernest requests, and I can imagine his hands up in front of him. "You need someone who can bear you a child, someone with no complicated relationship involved, someone who is beautiful, with good, healthy genes. One with a strapping mother who has borne many children and proven herself to be from excellent stock." With every word he speaks, my heart leaps higher into my throat, even though my brain still doesn't want to compute what he is saying. "What are you proposing, Ernest?" Alpha Maddox says. "I have no problem picking up women. You know that, don't you?" "Yes, yes, of course!" Alpha Ernest says. "But ladies in the court are complicated. They have expectations. I know you don't intend to marry again. So... what you need is a willing, compliant, beautiful girl who is eager to spread her legs to earn money, bear you a child-or two or three-and then fade away. And I have just the girl for you." I take a deep breath and hold it. Surely, Alpha Maddox will not agree to this. Why would he agree to this? Why did I agree to this? Did I agree to this? "Let me see if I understand you correctly, Alpha Ernest," I hear Alpha Maddox say, and I can't tell if he's angry, offended... or intrigued. "Are you proposing I take some girl you've brought with you into my home for the sole purpose of having a child?" "That's right, Your Majesty," Ernest says. "I'm suggesting you take on... a breeder."