Forced Breeder For Notorious Alpha Dean

Aria's POV~ “We can't just run, Mom.” My voice came out in a whisper, the determination to fight evidence in my stance. I tightened my fingers around the hilt of my sword, refusing to look away from the chaos unfolding before us. “We have to protect our pack. This is our home.” My voice sounded steadier than I felt. Behind my mother, another house went up in flames. The roof collapsed with a deafening crack, sending sparks swirling into the night. Horses screamed from the stables, stamping their hooves against the wooden floor as smoke rolled through the compound. Pack members scattered in every direction, some carrying children, others helping the wounded while our warriors struggled to hold back the attackers. The smell of burning wood and blood hung heavily in the air. Crimson Pack had never been large. We were a small, underpopulated pack tucked along the coast, with far fewer warriors than most territories our size. Yet we had something many other packs wanted badly. Resources. Our lands were rich in herbs, minerals, fertile soil, and rare medicinal plants that were difficult to find elsewhere. Over the years, my father had built a thriving trade from them, and that prosperity had made Crimson Pack the envy of neighboring territories. It had also made us a target. We had been attacked before. More times than I cared to remember. Greedy Alphas had tried to seize our land. Rival packs had attempted to control our resources. Some had even offered my father protection in exchange for a share of what belonged to us. He had refused them. Instead, he built alliances with other Alphas, believing that friendship between packs would keep Crimson safe. He had been wrong. Some of the very Alphas who once called him brother eventually turned their backs on him. But we had always survived. My father made sure of that. He trained our warriors relentlessly, strengthening the few men we had until they could hold their own against larger packs. And because he had no son, he trained me alongside them. I learned how to wield a sword before I was old enough to understand why I needed one. I learned how to read an opponent's movements, how to find weaknesses, how to defend the people behind me. My father never treated me like a girl who needed to be protected. He treated me like the Alpha I would one day become. That was why running now felt impossible. I couldn't abandon everything he had built. My mother grabbed my wrist, jolting me away from my thoughts. “Aria, please.” I looked at her. Her fingers were trembling. “Don't do this.” “Do what?” “Throw your life away.” She glanced toward the battlefield and immediately looked away when another scream pierced the air. “There are too many of them.” “I can see that.” “Then you understand.” “No.” I pulled my wrist gently from her grasp. “I understand that our people need us.” My mother stared at me as though she couldn't believe what she was hearing. “You're not listening to me.” “I am.” “Then listen properly.” Her voice cracked. “Your father died in battle.” My chest tightened. “I know.” “I watched them bring his body back.” She swallowed hard, her eyes shining as she fought to keep herself together. “I watched the strongest man I knew leave this house alive and return to me in a coffin. I won't stand here and watch my daughter walk into the same fate.” “I'm not Dad.” “No.” She shook her head. “You're his daughter. And that's exactly why you're going to do something reckless.” Ava whimpered beside her. My younger sister had both hands wrapped around our mother's arm, her face pale beneath the orange glow of the burning houses. “Aria,” she whispered. I turned toward her. “Please come with us.” The plea in her voice nearly broke me. I looked past them again. A group of warriors had broken through our eastern line. Something wasn't right. They weren't fighting like raiders who had come to steal resources. They were moving with purpose. Some were burning houses. Others were forcing our people out of hiding. And several were dragging women away in chains. My brows pulled together. Why? If they wanted our resources, they should have been heading toward the storehouses. If they wanted our land, they should have been killing our warriors and taking control of the territory. But they weren't. They were searching for something. Or someone. I looked at the silver crest painted across their armor. A crescent moon surrounded by a wolf's claw. Moonstone Pack. My stomach tightened. We had stayed away from Moonstone for years. They were notorious even among rival packs, ruled by an Alpha whose reputation alone was enough to make seasoned warriors lower their voices. Their methods were ruthless. Their warriors were exceptionally trained. And unlike the other packs that had attacked us in the past, Moonstone had never shown the slightest interest in our resources. So why were they here tonight? My mother caught my gaze. “Aria.” I looked at her. “Take Ava and go.” Her eyes widened. “What?” “Get as many people out as you can.” “No.” “Mom.” I snapped. “No!” Her grip tightened around Ava. “You are coming with us.” “I can't.” “You can.” “I can't leave them.” I pointed toward the battlefield, my breath coming in short bursts. “Our men are fighting.” “And you think one more person will change the outcome?” She asked, her voice flat with fear. “Yes.” The answer came without hesitation. My mother stared at me. I took a breath. “My father trained me for this.” “He trained you to survive.” she retorted. “He trained me to lead.” That silenced her. I looked at Ava. “Take her somewhere safe.” “Aria—” “Please.” My mother opened her mouth, but before she could answer, one of our warriors came running toward us. “Alpha's daughter!” He called, chest heaving with exertion. I turned. His face was streaked with blood. “We've lost the western line.” “How many warriors do we have left?” I asked, gripping my sword tightly. “Not enough.” “Where's Gaius?” “Still fighting near the southern gate.” I nodded. “Move the injured toward the cliffs. Keep the women and children away from the main road.” He hesitated. “And you?” I drew my sword. “I'll join Gaius.” His eyes widened. “Aria, you shouldn't—” “That's an order.” The hesitation disappeared. “Yes, Luna.” He turned and ran. My mother caught my arm again. “You're really doing this?” I looked at her. “I have to.” She stared into my eyes for a long moment. Then her shoulders sagged. She knew she couldn't change my mind. “Come back to me.” She pleaded, tears streaming down her face. My throat tightened. “I will.” I didn't know whether it was a promise or a lie. Ava threw her arms around me. I held her tightly for a moment, pressing my cheek against her hair. “Be brave for Mom.” She nodded against my shoulder. Then I let her go. “Go.” My mother led her away. I watched them disappear among the fleeing pack members before turning toward the battlefield. The moment I stepped forward, a Moonstone knight spotted me. His sword rose. Mine met it. Clang! The force jolted through my arm. He attacked again. I sidestepped and swung. He blocked me. Our blades collided again and again, sparks flashing between us. He was strong. Stronger than the men I had trained with. But my father had taught me not to fight strength with strength. I waited. Watched. His right shoulder dipped before every attack. There. When he swung again, I ducked beneath his blade and drove mine through the opening beneath his armor. His breath caught. I pulled the sword free. He dropped to his knees and grunted. For a moment, I could only stare. Blood ran down the blade in my hand. I had killed him. The realization settled heavily in my stomach. Then someone shouted. I turned just in time to block another strike. There was no time to think. I fought. One opponent became two. Two became three. The battlefield swallowed every thought except survival. Then I heard a familiar voice. “Aria!” I looked across the fighting. Gaius. Our head knight was surrounded. Three Moonstone warriors had cornered him. “Stay back!” he shouted. “Like hell!” I charged. One of the knights turned toward me. I ducked his blade, drove my elbow into his chest and kicked him backward. Gaius took down another. For a second, I thought we'd managed to turn it around. Then I saw the third knight behind him. “Gaius!” He turned. Too late. The blade drove into his side. His eyes widened. “No!” I ran toward him. Gaius staggered. Blood spread across his shirt. He looked at me, and something in his expression made my chest cave in. Not fear. Not pain. Regret. As though he already knew he wouldn't make it. His knees hit the ground, eyes wide with terror. “Gaius!” I lunged forward, breath catching in my throat. Two hands seized my arms. I screamed and fought against them. “Let me go!” The knights dragged me backward. I kicked. Twisted. Struggled until my shoulders burned. But they held me firmly. My eyes remained fixed on Gaius. His body had gone still. “No…” My voice broke. Then something changed. The warriors around us stopped. Not all at once. First one, then another. The clash of swords gradually faded until only distant screams and the crackling flames remained. I stopped struggling. Footsteps sounded behind me. Slow, dragging, each one scraping against the floor. My skin prickled. The knights holding me straightened. I turned my head. A man emerged from the smoke. The warriors around him stepped aside as he approached, their heads lowering in silent acknowledgment. He wore black from head to toe, his broad shoulders framed by a dark cloak that moved with each step. There was no urgency or emotion in his expression. No sign that he had just walked into a battlefield. His gaze traveled over the burning pack, the bodies scattered across the ground, the kneeling warriors. Then it settled on me. He stopped. For the first time since the attack began, I forgot to breathe. I knew that face. Not because I had met him. Because I had heard his name. Everyone had. Alpha Dean. The notorious Alpha of Moonstone Pack. The man other Alphas spoke about in hushed voices. The man who had turned Moonstone into one of the most feared packs in the region. His eyes remained on me as he approached. I forced myself not to look away. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction. He stopped in front of me. For several seconds, he said nothing. He simply studied my face. His jaw tightened. Then something resembling amusement touched his mouth. He crouched before me. “Cease the attack.” His warriors lowered their weapons immediately. He reached out and caught my jaw. His fingers were firm. I tried to pull away but his grip tightened. “Aren't you Aria?” I said nothing. My nose scrunched up, lips pressed into a thin furious line. “The first daughter of Alpha Gerald.” He added with a smirk. My heart stumbled. “How do you know my name?” His thumb brushed slowly along my jaw. “You have his eyes.” I glared at him. “What do you want?” A quiet laugh escaped him. It contained no warmth. “How interesting.” “What?” “You really don't know why I'm here.” “I don't know you.” His expression changed slightly but I saw th amusement disappeared from his eyes. “My father never mentioned you,” I said. The words slipped out before I could stop them. Dean's fingers tightened against my jaw. “Your father mentioned me. He lied to you.” I frowned. “What are you talking about?” His eyes darkened. “Your father betrayed me.” I stared at him. “That isn't true.” “He defaulted on his debts.” “My father had no debts with Moonstone.” “He did.” “He would never—” “He sold information about my pack to my rivals.” My mouth fell slightly open. I searched his face for some sign that he was lying but there was none. Only cold certainty. “You're wrong.” His jaw flexed. “You sound just like him.” “My father protected this pack.” “And while he was pretending to protect it, he was making deals behind my back.” “That isn't possible.” Dean leaned closer. His voice dropped. “Then perhaps you should ask yourself why your father never told you about me.” I froze in place. For the first time, doubt slipped beneath my anger. Why hadn't he? I knew almost everything about my father's alliances. At least, I thought I did. Dean released my jaw only to seize my wrist. I tried to pull away. He didn't let me. “You don't get to punish me for something my father supposedly did.” A cold smile touched his lips. “Perhaps not.” His eyes traveled over my face. “But you are the only thing he left behind that I can take.” My blood ran cold. “What does that mean?” He stood. The knights holding me tightened their grip. I struggled again. “Let me go!” Dean looked down at me. “You're coming with me.” “No.” His eyebrow lifted. “No?” “I won't go anywhere with you.” His mouth curved. “You don't seem to understand your situation.” “I understand perfectly.” I looked around at the destruction surrounding us. “You attacked my home.” “Your father started this.” He snapped. “My father is dead.” Dean's gaze hardened. “And his debt didn't die with him.” My heart pounded. “What do you want?” He stared at me for a long moment. Then he leaned close enough for only me to hear. “You.” The word settled between us. I stopped breathing. Dean straightened and looked toward his warriors. “Take her.” They began dragging me away. I fought with everything I had. “Let me go!” My eyes searched desperately through the smoke. For my mother. For Ava. For anyone. But they were gone. Crimson Pack was behind me. My home was burning. And the man who had destroyed it was taking me somewhere I had never been. I had spent my entire life believing I would one day become an Alpha like my father. I had never imagined that before I could inherit his title, I would lose the right to choose my own fate. And as Alpha Dean watched me being dragged away, there was something in his eyes that told me this attack had never been about Crimson Pack. It had been about me.