Luna of the Alphas

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

I want to know. In what way did your parents act?"

I was having trouble breathing.

I didn't think the Alpha would talk to me directly. No one spoke directly to slaves. We were property, and talking to us was about the same as talking to a vase or a picture on the wall. We were pricey but not worth much. We were thrown away. We were things, not people.

Was your family up to something?

I wish I knew. I wished I could come up with a good answer, but my heart was in my throat and my blood was running down my face, so I couldn't say anything. The Alpha's eyes were staring right at me.

I wish I knew what my parents did. I wish I could get rid of my anger and suspicion. Almost, I wished they had done something terrible so that when I thought about them, my heart would stop beating fast with anger.

I didn't know what to say.

A slap and a whoosh of air made me feel like someone had whipped the back of my chair. "Early asked you a question!"Aunt Harper cut off. It was funny when the aunts threatened us with the little rags they used to clean the stores, but they couldn't really touch us. It scared me to think about what they might do to me if I didn't do what they said.

The Alpha looked at Aunt Harper's face with his smart eyes. He said, "Thank you for your help," but it sounded like he didn't really mean it. "But please let me give the orders."

The aunt turned a pink colour and took a step back to bow her head and nod. "Yes, my top dog. That's not what I meant to do. She rang the rag in her hands. "I only worry that this girl isn't the best choice for you." We've got better—"

"Is she not married yet?""Why?" asked the Alpha.

The aunt opened her mouth, but nothing came out. It seemed like she couldn't believe anyone, especially the Alpha, would want a slave like me.

She was right. My body and face were not as pretty as theirs. And I had flaws.

Aunt Mason spoke up when Aunt Harper didn't answer. "Yes. "She has never been married."

The Alpha checked me out carefully. "Why hasn't anyone bought her yet?""

I tried not to look into his eyes, but no matter where I looked, I could feel his heat on my skin. All of a sudden, my skin was on fire. My clothes were too tight and too small.

"Her eyes," Aunt Mason said straight out.

"Eyes?"Why?" asked the Alpha.

"They're pretty strange. Not like the other girls. It seems...ominous to guests."

"Ominous?The Alpha seemed even more interested after Aunt Mason explained it. He tried not to laugh and asked, "My wolves?" Are you scared of a little girl?"

The aunt made a straight line with her lips. She then said in a soft voice, "Her eyes are seen as...a bad sign."

People had told me that some guests thought my eyes were ugly and others were interested but scared of what the colour might mean. I had never heard that they were a bad sign, but it made sense. Aunts were sometimes afraid to get close to me because they thought I would hit them and bite them on the palm like a cottonmouth.

"Look at me," the Alpha said. "Show me your eyes."

I was scared to. I kept looking at the floors, the reflection in the glass, and even the lapel of his jacket. I tried to look him in the eyes, but I couldn't.

When I finally looked at his face, I was amazed by how beautiful he was. Before, I had never seen him up close. His face was strong and sure, and he looked young and good-looking. His short, messy black hair was black. I wasn't expecting such a high-class wolf to have just run his hand through it before coming in, but it looked like he had.

The light from the chandelier above made his eyes look low and shiny. A beautiful grey colour with a hint of blue in the middle. The eyes looked calm and at ease at first, like those of a man who knew his strength and didn't fear anyone. Then they started to get bigger as they looked into mine.

I turned my eyes away because I was afraid he would be scared of me like the others. That maybe he'd think I'm crazy and put me to death for what my aunts said about the sign. When I turned away, the Alpha touched my jaw, which made me look back at him.

His eyes were heavy and sharp, cutting right through me. They looked like he was looking into a maths problem instead of a pair of eyes: they were puzzled and interested. He had wrinkled eyes and a slight tilt to his head to the side.

I got cold. I felt like my clothes were being torn off one fibre at a time the longer he looked at me. Just now I felt good in my clothes, but now I felt naked when he looked at me.

He said, "It's one of a kind," and I slowly turned my head to look at the mark on my neck. "Did you get this during the war?""Why?" he asked. I felt his fingers lightly touch my skin, and I jerked away because he scared me.

"It's okay," the Alpha said in a low voice, as if I were supposed to hear it. "I won't touch you again." Even though he scared me, his words made me feel better like a warm embrace.

He let go of me and stepped back, waiting for me to answer.

I made a ball with my fingers to keep them from covering the side of my neck and said, "It's a birthmark." My voice was shaking.

"A birthmark," the Alpha said again. As if to show that he was ready for battle, he straightened up and clasped his hands behind his back. "Interesting." "I think I could use one more servant to help out around the castle." Ralph, what do you think?"

I didn't see the man standing next to him until the wolf bowed and cleared his throat. "Do what you think is right, sir."

They said, "I'll take her."

My heart beat twice as fast, or maybe it stopped. I wasn't sure any longer.

"How much does she cost?""Why?" he asked.

At first, no one spoke up. The aunts stood there with their mouths open and looked at each other in shock.

It was clear they wanted to get rid of me. But they were afraid of what would happen. The aunts would never let someone like the Alpha have such a weak slave. It would be bad for their image.

"My Alpha," Aunt Harper stuttered, "I think she's too dangerous." She is the daughter of criminals, guys who hurt people like us. "Girl knows what she's going to do."

"What's your name?"He looked at Aunt Harper and asked, "What do you think?"

"R-Harper," she said slowly.

"Harper," the Alpha said back. Aunt Harper's face lost all of its colour as she said, "I don't think it would be smart of you to argue with a guest's choice so badly." The Alpha's mouth cracked into a small smile when she saw how embarrassed she looked. He looked like he was holding back another laugh. "He said in a kind voice, "I understand your worry. But if I can't handle this, who do you think will?""

Aunt Harper let out a breath and stepped back and bowed. She looked a little dizzy as she did this. I will charge you 500 coins for her, my Alpha.

Five hundred coins?

Were they kidding?

Five hundred dollars could have bought most of the girls here. Using the Alpha in this way shows that the aunts were either very brave or very stupid.