Enslaved by the Alpha

I slowly pulled the last piece of black lace up my legs while silent tears rolled down my cheeks. Standing upright, I connected gazes with the woman in the mirror before my eyes drifted along my nearly nude body. My silky, straightened platinum blonde hair was pulled into a slick high ponytail, ending just short of the area between the dimples in my lower back. More tears streamed down my face and I inhaled a shaken breath, skimming along the lace. The thin straps rested on my shoulders, holding up the thin, translucent bra cupping my large breasts, pushing them up to create cleavage. My n*****s were visible through the material and I sniffled, lowering my gaze along my bare, flat stomach to my v-string all the way down my legs, stopping on my freshly painted red toenails. A knock pounded against my bedroom door and I jumped, a small gasp leaving my lips as I frantically wiped at my tears. "The King is waiting for you, Ms. Scarlett," a deep voice called through the dark oak door. I took a deep, composing breath and made my way over. My unsteady hand grabbed the knob and opened the door, a hard lump forming in my throat when the guard shamelessly looked me up and down, licking his thin lips. "Mm-mm, baby, if the King doesn't find a place for you..." he trailed off, staring at my breasts with a lip bite. I withheld anymore tears at the possibility of being sold to a werewolf pack. The King is a picky man. And tonight, every woman at the age of twenty-five will be lined up in front of every vampire twenty and older, plus the King, in the ballroom. There, he will do whatever he pleases to us, picking and choosing who will stay and who will be sold off, never to be seen again. Nobody knows what qualifies someone to stay nor what the dealbreaker is to be banished-only the King. No one even knows what happens to those who are sent away, just that they're never heard from again. "Carlos, move it! Ms. Scarlett here is the last one. We don't want to leave the King waiting, do we?" Another man shouted down the wide hallway. The yellow lights were aligned every few feet in the center of the black ceiling, and the walls were a dark red with swirls blended in the design. "Let's go," the guard grumbled, gripping my bicep with his rough palms and yanking me down the hall. My feet continued to trip over the golden rug rolled through the hall trying to keep up, but the guard showed no sign of slowing to accommodate me. We approached the double doors where two men stood guard on each side, pushing the black doors open in unison to let us enter. However, the second they opened, I was blinded by a bright light and overheard different conversations among the crowd. Humiliation filled me as the guard led me through the room and everyone parted to make way, watching us walk up the stage in the center of the room. All the other girls stood there under the spotlight, some crying while some appeared numb. I was suddenly pushed into the line at the end and my heart raced, fear surging through my veins. He shot me a wink, turning around and leaving the stage. I noticed the crowd dispersed into the seats set up all around the room, silence following soon after. "Everyone, welcome our first line up of the night!" The King's voice carried across the room and all the girls down the line, plus I, couldn't help but bow our heads in submission. The crowd cheered in unison, welcoming us in their own unique ways. "You may rise," the King dismissed, his voice closer than before. We lifted our heads and saw him standing in the center of the stage next to the ledge, hushing the crowd with his hands. He turned to us with a grin on his thin pink lips once they settled and my knees grew weak. The King was always rumored to be a handsome man. He had a smooth, sharp jawline, angling up to his pronounced cheekbones that lead my wandering gaze to his Greek nose. I trailed up to his thick eyebrows, moving my line of sight over his forehead to his black hair which was pulled back into a low ponytail, ending just below his shoulder blades. "Ladies," he greeted warmly, his eyes glancing over the eighteen of us to acknowledge each and every one, yet his eyes redirected to me and I froze. "Let us commence, shall we? I have many beautiful girls to meet tonight." Our eye contact didn't waver and I felt faint, uncertain on what to do after seeing him begin advancing toward me. If I looked away, that could be taken as good or bad and I don't want to take that risk. But if I don't, that could also be taken both ways. "Hello, lovely." His voice purred and a shiver ran through me, my naturally cool body suddenly dropping in temperature with ice coursing through my veins. "Your majesty," I went to bow my head, except his hand immediately caught my chin and lifted my face. He stared down at me with a blank expression, his orange eyes searing through my every feature and I couldn't decipher what he may be thinking. "I must say, you're definitely an eye catcher, darling." A smile unexpectedly spread across his lips, revealing his long, sharp fangs. I found myself staring, hardly able to control my arousal upon seeing them. He caught me staring and seemed to enjoy it, convincing me this was part of his test and I just failed. That is until he cupped my jaw, leaning in and planting his soft, cold lips on mine. His smooth hand slid down to my collar, running his fingertips along my bra strap before gently unclipping it. He wrapped his other hand around my waist, pulling my body into his, and I felt his sculpted figure through his expensive red suit. His hand guided my bra straps off my shoulder, causing the fabric to fall at our feet, leaving my bare breasts out, only covered by his body. "Your lips are as soft as petals on a flower," he muttered, hovering his face over mine. I stared up into his eyes, completely dazed from his kiss, then he stepped back and eyed my chest. Redness heated my face from the audience watching and he tilted his head, bringing his gaze up to mine. "Your eyes are a beautiful red, darling, and the snowflake strands of hair on your head make them stand out. Your beauty is quite captivating. But your breasts are very large for your skinny build and they sit so nicely for their size-I find them much more pleasing to look at." Although it was a compliment, what he said felt like a wooden stake to the heart. It could've been because I knew being sexy wasn't good enough to keep me here with my family. My mother and two elder sisters passed the King's judgment, so I have to. The King continued to stare at me in clear contemplation. I swallowed harshly out of nervousness, standing tall with the attempt to appear strong, confident, and brave. My problem's that I'm the only woman from what I can see with platinum blonde hair and blood red eyes. The other women all have dark hair with lighter, almost glowing, eyes. I've always been the odd one out. "Sell her," he shrugged. My world came crumbling in and I overheard my mother wail in the crowd, dragging my attention over to see my distraught mother being held back by my two frowning, teary sisters. "No," I whispered in panic, receiving sorrowful, scared looks from the other women in line. My hearing started fading out as my heartbeat deafened me and tears came rushing down my face. I vaguely saw two tall, muscular guards walk up the wide staircase side-by-side, stopping in front of the King and lowering themselves to kneel. "Which pack, your highness?" One of the men asked. "Take her to Alpha Zeek." Several gasps emitted from the audience and I widened my eyes, the name alone making my throat tighten and my lungs strained for air. Images of how that lunatic will find a way to torment me flashed through my mind and I fell deeper into a forming panic attack. "With all due respect, sir, I don't think his pack is on the list," the guard answered. "He isn't, but making a powerful ally wouldn't be such a bad move. Alpha Zeek's feared, strong, and respected." "He's demented!" I cut in, panicked. "He won't kill me-ever. He will find a way to torture me for eternity, please, you can't send me away to that! If there's anyone who loathes us most, it's him. If I must go, take me to someone else! Your majesty, I'm begging you." I broke down in sobs, too afraid to care about the thousands of eyes staring at me. "What he does and does not do to you isn't any of my concern," the King replied blandly, turning his gaze toward his kneeling guards. "Take her now." They stood, pitiful frowns crossing their lips as one picked up my bra and they each grabbed my arms, leading me off the stage. I helplessly let them to avoid angering the King until my anger got the best of me, causing me to rip my limbs free from their hold and spin around to face the King. I only took a singular step before I was restrained and the guards started dragging me toward the doors, thrashing and screaming. "I will kill you, you son of a b***h! I'll f*****g kill you! Mark my words, King Valentino, I'll f*****g ruin you!" He smiled mockingly from across the ballroom, replying with a low chuckle. "I'll be waiting." The double doors closed between us and I went limp in the guards' arms, more defeated than afraid. They dragged me down the hallway in silence, my feet sliding across the floor while they pulled my full body weight. It felt like hours passed before we came to a stop and I raised my head, watching two more guards open the double doors leading out into the night. The white light hanging on the porch just above the door was dim, surrounded by moths. "Put her bra back on," the guard to my right demanded over my shoulder as if I wasn't standing between them. The man on my left released me, grumbling slightly, and forced my arms through the straps, clipping my bra on the loosest setting. "Well, what's a present without the packaging?" The man by the door interjected, earning small snickers from the men and a glare from me. Then I saw someone approach with a brown fabric bag in their hands. I hissed, fighting the guards in a serious attempt to get away until the nearing male stopped in front of me and frowned. My harsh pulls faltered staring back at him. "I'm sorry," he said sincerely, lifting the thick, hardly breathable, material and pulling it down over my head.