The Alpha's Captive Moon

The second year I was the Alpha's "Chosen," I got pregnant. Alpha Kaelen assigned two dozen of his most elite pack warriors, massive men who could shift into terrifying wolves at a moment's notice, to watch my every move. He was paranoid I'd take advantage of his absence and make a run for it with his heir. But I just kept on living my life. I ate what I wanted, slept when I wanted, and showed absolutely no intention of leaving. Finally, the Alpha's so-called "destined mate," a she-wolf of noble blood who had just returned from a long stay with a foreign pack, couldn't take it anymore. She cornered me in the gardens. "I'm back now," Seraphina said, her silver eyes glinting with disdain. "You and your... half-blood... are redundant. Why don't you just run? I could even help you escape." I waved a dismissive hand, admiring my freshly manicured nails. "Oh, no need to trouble yourself. I have all the money I could ever want here, servants to wait on me hand and foot. It's a pretty sweet deal. Why would I run?" From the shadows of the ancient oak tree nearby, I heard Kaelen let out a long, relieved sigh. Then I continued, my voice sweet as honey, "Besides, it's a hassle to go out and find cute human boys when you're pregnant. I'll make do with the Alpha for now. Once the baby's born, I'll be free to live my life to the fullest." Kaelen's face, hidden in the shadows, instantly turned as dark as a thundercloud. I first met Kaelen in a ridiculously upscale café. A powerful Luna from a neighboring pack, her face a mask of regal contempt, had offered me two million dollars to stay away from her son. "A fragile human creature like you," she sniffed, "could never hope to become the Luna of our pack." Tears streamed down my face. I pleaded with her, begging her to give me a chance. She refused, upping the offer to three million. "Madam Luna, the truth is, I..." "Say no more. I will not be swayed." "No, what I mean is..." "Fine," she sighed, exasperated. "Seeing as you must truly love my son... five million. That's my final offer." I couldn't hold it any longer. I cut her off abruptly. "Madam Luna, what I mean is, can we sign a legally binding contract for this gift?" She stared at me, her jaw slacked with surprise, as I laid out my terms. "If you give me five million, I'll break up with him right now. For six million, I'll yell at him during the breakup, block him permanently, and guarantee I never show my face to him again. For seven million, I can even fake an affair, crush his spirit, and ensure he stays far away from cunning vixens like me for the rest of his life." With a flourish, I produced a pre-written gift agreement from my purse and offered her a pen. The Luna was so enraged she flung her hot coffee right in my face. "I knew it! You were only after his money!" She scribbled her name on the agreement and was about to storm off when I called out to her again. "What is it now? Don't tell me you've changed your... Aah!" I picked up my own cup of iced latte and calmly poured it over her perfectly coiffed head. The milky coffee streamed down her face, dripping from her designer earrings. The rich aroma of espresso mingled with her expensive perfume. I nodded, satisfied. "There. Now we're even. Goodbye forever, Madam Luna." She'd given me six million. According to the original deal I'd made with her son, a spoiled wolf-prince who just wanted a way to get money from his family, I had to give him half. This was all just a scheme he'd cooked up with me. The clueless Luna, fuming and humiliated, cursed me, saying no man, human or wolf, would ever want me. I thought back on all the misery of my early life and had to bite my lip to keep from laughing out loud. As if I'd care about that once I was rich. I could snap my fingers and have a dozen male models lining up to please me. But in the next second, a deep voice resonated from behind me. A voice that held an ancient, primal power. "I want her." I whipped my head around, ready to see what kind of arrogant bastard would say something like that. The moment I saw his face, I froze. What a masterpiece. His features were exquisitely carved, his jawline sharp and strong. His eyes were as black as a moonless night, deep pools that seemed to suck you in the moment you met his gaze. That was my first meeting with Kaelen, the Alpha of the Crescent Moon Pack. He told me that if I was looking for a new arrangement, I should consider him. As if that wasn't enough, he slid a sleek, black card across the table. I scoffed, pulling my own black card out of my pocket. "See this? It gets me discounts on fried chicken!" But as the two cards lay side-by-side, I noticed his was forged from some kind of obsidian metal, with faint, glowing silver patterns swirling across its surface. In comparison, mine looked like a piece of cheap plastic. Kaelen didn't mock me. A faint smile played on his lips. "So, will you come with me?" "I don't just take money from anyone..." I looked him up and down, then asked with genuine sincerity, "Do you have eight-pack abs?"