A Gift for the Three Alpha's

Chapter Two - The Bite

I woke to the sound of my door being unlocked. Dawn light was just beginning to filter through the barred window, casting long shadows across the stone floor. Elena stood in the doorway with two guards behind her, their expressions making it clear that resistance would not be tolerated.

"Time for your first duty," she said coldly. "You will serve breakfast to the princes. Do not speak unless directly addressed. Do not make eye contact unless commanded. Do not drop anything or you will be beaten."

I nodded and reached for the servant dress. Elena watched with obvious disgust as I pulled it over my head. The fabric clung to every curve of my body and the neckline plunged so low that the tops of my breasts were completely exposed. The hem barely covered my ass. I felt naked and vulnerable, which was exactly the point.

"Better," Elena said with a cruel smile. "Now you look like what you are."

The guards flanked me as we walked through corridors I had never seen before. These passages were wider and better lit, decorated with tapestries depicting Ironfang victories over the years. Every image showed the same thing: wolves tearing apart their enemies, conquest through superior strength and savage brutality. The message was clear. This was what happened to anyone who defied them.

We stopped before massive double doors carved with the pack crest. Elena grabbed my chin and forced me to meet her eyes.

"Remember your place," she hissed. "You are nothing but meat for their pleasure. Act accordingly."

The doors opened to reveal the great dining hall, and my breath caught in my throat. The room was enormous, with vaulted ceilings that disappeared into shadow above. A fire crackled in a hearth large enough to roast an entire deer. The air smelled of woodsmoke and male dominance.

The three princes sat at one end of a massive black oak table that could have seated fifty people. They were already deep in conversation, their voices carrying easily in the cavernous space.

"The rebels hit another supply convoy yesterday," Darius was saying as I entered. His voice was cold and measured, discussing the deaths of his soldiers like a merchant discussing spoiled grain. "Twelve dead, the entire shipment stolen."

Kael leaned back in his chair and reached for his wine without looking up. "Then we kill twenty of theirs in response. Make it public and messy. Fear is the only language these animals understand."

"Public executions just create martyrs," Asher said quietly. "Maybe if we actually tried to understand what they want—"

"What they want is our throats cut," Darius interrupted. "The Northern Territories have never accepted our rule. They never will."

I approached the table carrying a tray of fresh bread and fruit, my bare feet silent on the cold stone. Every step made the short dress ride up higher on my thighs. I could feel the fabric pulling tight across my breasts with each movement, threatening to spill them out entirely.

I set the tray down within Darius's reach and stepped back, keeping my eyes downcast as Elena had instructed. But I was listening to every word they said, memorizing every detail about their military operations. This was exactly the kind of information the rebellion needed.

"What about our new pet?" Kael asked suddenly, and I felt all three pairs of eyes turn toward me. "She has been here a full day. Should we not start training her properly?"

My skin burned with humiliation, but I remained perfectly still. Training. Like I was a dog they planned to teach tricks.

"Patience, brother," Darius replied. "I want the court physician to examine her first. Make sure she is clean and healthy before any of us touch her."

"How thoughtful of you to be concerned about her wellbeing," Asher said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Kael laughed, a rich sound that made something twist low in my belly despite myself. "He is not worried about her wellbeing, little brother. He is worried about catching some Northern disease." His green eyes raked over my body with obvious appreciation. "Though I have to admit, she is much prettier than I expected. Northern bloodlines usually produce such plain women."

I bit down hard on my tongue to keep from responding. My mother had been renowned as the most beautiful woman in the territories, celebrated for her grace and intelligence. These savage princes were not worthy to speak her name.

"Fetch more wine," Darius commanded without even glancing in my direction.

I curtsied and moved toward the sideboard, hyper-aware of how the short dress pulled tight across my ass with each step. Behind me, I could hear Kael make a sound of appreciation that made my cheeks burn.

As I reached for the wine pitcher, I caught sight of something that made my heart race. A detailed map of the Northern Territories was spread across a side table, marked with red pins and notations. Supply routes, troop positions, patrol schedules - everything a rebel would need to plan devastating attacks against the occupation forces.

I forced myself to keep moving, but my eyes quickly scanned what I could see. Three main supply lines converged on a central depot near the ruins of my family's capital. The markers showed troop rotations, supply schedules, even the locations of weapon caches. This intelligence could save hundreds of rebel lives.

"Girl!"

Kael's sharp command made me jump. I had been staring at the map too long. I grabbed the wine pitcher and hurried back to the table, praying they had not noticed my interest in their military secrets.

But as I leaned over to pour wine into Kael's goblet, his hand shot out and caught my wrist in an iron grip. He was stronger than he looked, and when I glanced up in surprise, his green eyes were boring into mine with sudden intensity.

"You were looking at something," he said softly. It was not a question.

My mouth went dry. "I do not understand, Your Highness."

"The map. You studied it like you knew what you were seeing." His thumb brushed across the pulse point in my wrist, and I knew he could feel my heart hammering against my ribs. "Most servants cannot read maps. Most would not even know what they were looking at."

Think fast. "I worked in a trading house before I was sent here," I lied smoothly. "I learned to read basic maps for supply routes and inventory tracking."

It was plausible enough, but Kael's eyes remained suspicious. He held my gaze for what felt like forever, his thumb still stroking my wrist in a way that was making my skin tingle despite the danger.

"Interesting," he murmured finally, releasing my arm. "An educated Omega. How unusual."

Darius looked up sharply at that. "What is unusual?"

"Our little gift can read," Kael replied, leaning back in his chair but never taking his eyes off me. "I was just wondering what other talents she might have."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees. Darius set down his goblet and fixed me with a stare that made my skin crawl with its intensity.

"Is that true?" he asked. "You can read and write?"

I had no choice but to nod.

"How interesting indeed." Darius rose from his chair and began to circle the table toward me, each step deliberate and predatory. "Literacy is rare among Omega servants. It suggests a higher birth than we were told."

My blood turned to ice in my veins. This was exactly what I had hoped to avoid. Educated Omegas were suspicious by nature - they suggested noble blood, which meant potential political complications.

"My former master believed educated servants were more useful," I said carefully. "He had several of us taught basic letters and numbers."

Darius stopped directly in front of me, so close I could feel the heat radiating from his massive frame. He was even larger up close, his shoulders broad enough to block out the rest of the room. The scars on his throat stood out white against his tanned skin.

"Look at me," he commanded.

I raised my eyes to meet his, fighting every instinct that screamed at me to submit, to bare my throat like a good little Omega. His dark eyes searched my face with the intensity of a hunter tracking wounded prey.

"There is something about you," he said slowly. "Something that does not fit."

Before I could respond, his hand shot out and grabbed the front of my dress. The flimsy fabric tore easily under his grip, splitting down the middle to expose my breasts completely. I gasped and instinctively moved to cover myself, but his other hand caught both my wrists and pinned them behind my back.

"Much better," he said, his voice rough with sudden hunger. "This is how an Omega should be presented."

My face burned with humiliation, but I forced myself to remain still. This was a test, a display of dominance designed to break my spirit. I would not give him the satisfaction of seeing me crumble.

Kael whistled low. "Beautiful. Look at those perfect pink n*****s, hard as little pebbles."

I could not stop the gasp that escaped when Darius's free hand cupped my breast, his thumb brushing across the sensitive peak. Lightning shot straight to my core, and I hated my body for responding to his touch.

"Very responsive," Darius observed, rolling my n****e between his fingers. "This will make training her much more... enjoyable."

"Stop." Asher's voice cut through the haze of unwanted arousal. "This is not right."

"This is exactly right," Kael contradicted, rising from his chair. "She needs to understand her place here. Her only value is in serving our needs."

He moved to stand behind me, his body heat warming my back. I was trapped between the two older brothers, half-naked and completely at their mercy. When Kael's hands settled on my hips, I could not suppress a shiver.

"Such soft skin," Kael murmured, his lips brushing against my ear. "I wonder if she tastes as sweet as she looks."

His tongue flicked out to trace the shell of my ear, and I gasped at the unexpected sensation. My body was betraying me, responding to their touch despite my mind's fierce resistance. I could feel moisture gathering between my thighs, my Omega biology overriding my rational thoughts.

Darius must have scented my arousal because his nostrils flared and his eyes darkened further. "She likes this," he said with satisfaction. "Her body knows what it was made for, even if her mind has not accepted it yet."

"Please," I whispered, hating how breathless I sounded.

"Please what?" Kael asked, his hands sliding up to cup my breasts from behind. "Please stop? Or please do not stop?"

I could not answer because I honestly did not know. My body was on fire, every nerve ending screaming for more contact even as my mind recoiled from what they were doing to me. This was not supposed to happen. I was supposed to be in control.

"Enough."

Asher's voice was sharp with command, and both his brothers looked up in surprise. He had risen from his seat and was approaching with determination in his blue eyes.

"She has been through enough for one day," he said firmly. "Let her go."

"Since when do you give us orders, little brother?" Darius asked, but his hands stilled on my body.

"Since you started acting like animals instead of princes," Asher shot back. "Release her. Now."

For a tense moment, I thought Darius would refuse. His grip on my wrists tightened, and I could see the challenge burning in his dark eyes. But then he stepped back, releasing me so suddenly that I stumbled.

Kael's hands fell away from my breasts, and I quickly crossed my arms to cover myself. The torn dress hung in tatters around my waist, completely useless now.

"Give her your cloak," Asher ordered Kael.

"Why should I—"

"Give her the damn cloak!"

Kael shrugged out of his heavy fur-lined cloak and tossed it to me with obvious reluctance. I caught it gratefully and wrapped it around my shoulders, finally able to cover my exposed breasts.

"Take her back to her room," Asher told the guards who had been watching the entire display with obvious arousal. "And find her proper clothing."

As they escorted me toward the door, I heard Darius speak behind me.

"This is not over, little brother. She belongs to all of us."

"We will see about that," Asher replied quietly.

The door closed behind me, cutting off whatever response Darius might have made. But as the guards led me back through the corridors, I could not stop thinking about what had just happened.

I had lost control completely. My carefully planned seduction had turned into their domination instead. Worse, my body had responded to their touch in ways I had not expected, ways that terrified me.

But I had also learned something valuable. There were cracks in their unity, tensions between the brothers that I could exploit. Asher had protected me when the others would have taken more. That weakness could become my strength.

Back in my small room, I sat on the bed and tried to process what had just occurred. My skin still tingled where they had touched me, and I could not ignore the ache of unfulfilled desire between my legs. This was not supposed to happen. I was supposed to be the one in control.

Instead, I was discovering that the line between predator and prey was thinner than I had imagined. The princes of Ironfang were more dangerous than I had anticipated - not just because of their power, but because of how they made me feel.

I touched the hidden pendant beneath the borrowed cloak and reminded myself why I was here. For my family. For my people. For justice.

But as I closed my eyes and tried to sleep, I could still feel Darius's hands on my skin and taste Kael's breath on my lips. And despite everything I knew about them, despite everything they represented, my body wanted more.