Forced Breeder For Notorious Alpha Dean

Chapter 2. The Breeder Selection

*ARIA'S POV*

For seven days, I had been nothing more than a prisoner.

A week had passed since my capture, and with every passing day, the walls of this place seemed to close in around me. A few members of our pack had been taken captive as well, and knowing they were somewhere within these walls made it impossible for me to think only about myself.

My thoughts kept drifting back to my mother and the other pack members who had escaped. Were they safe? Had they managed to get far enough away? And what would my mother think when I failed to return as I had promised?

She had pleaded with me not to take part in the battle, but my desire for triumph had clouded my judgment. I had been so certain that we could win that I ignored every warning she gave me.

Now, I couldn't stop wondering whether she had known something I didn't.

Did she know anything about my father's involvement with Alpha Dean? Was that why she had been too stunned to speak when I asked her?

I clutched the cold iron bars tightly, pressing my fingers against them as I stared into the empty corridor beyond my cell. There was nothing I could do from here except hope that my mother and the others were doing just fine without me.

But hope was becoming harder to hold on to.

Whenever I saw some of my pack members behind the bars, something inside me twisted painfully. Their faces were tired, their clothes were stained, and the strength they had once carried so proudly seemed to have been stripped away from them.

I was supposed to protect them.

I was supposed to fight for them, just as I always had.

Instead, I was standing behind another set of bars, watching the pack my father had fought so hard to build crumble in a single day.

I had never known a pain like this, the kind that settled somewhere beneath my ribs and refused to leave. I had never imagined that I would be stripped of my rights and forced to live according to the will of the very people who had destroyed everything I knew.

I had always believed that whatever happened, I would have a say in my own fate.

Perhaps I had been foolish to believe that fate would always play fair.

The sound of approaching footsteps pulled me from my thoughts.

I straightened against the wall near my cell, my attention fixed on the corridor as two figures came into view. Two maids approached, both dressed in long brown dresses and simple sandals, their footsteps echoing against the stone floor.

The guard standing outside my cell unlocked the door, and the older maid walked in first, her dirty blonde hair pulled neatly away from her face as her eyes travelled from my tangled hair to my dusty clothes.

She looked me over without saying a word, and I resisted the urge to ask what exactly she found so interesting.

Slowly, I pushed myself to my feet.

"Wh-what do you need me for?" I asked, brushing the dust from my clothes.

The two maids exchanged a glance before looking back at me.

"We've come to fetch you," the older maid said. "A party will be held tonight, and we're here to prepare you before the event begins."

My brows pulled together.

"What?"

The younger maid stepped forward, her expression unreadable. "You'll have to follow us."

I swallowed the sudden lump in my throat and followed them out of the cell, although every instinct in me screamed that I should be wary.

As we moved through the corridor, I darted my eyes around, taking in every detail I could. There were several cells lining the walls, and when I caught sight of familiar faces behind some of the bars, my steps slowed.

One of the warriors looked up and met my eyes.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

His expression was enough.

My fingers curled into fists as I looked at the miserable state of the people I had once stood beside in battle. They should never have been here. None of them deserved this.

I stopped walking.

The maids took a few more steps before realizing I was no longer behind them.

"Let's go," the older maid urged.

I didn't move.

My gaze remained fixed on the cells, on the men and women who had once looked to me for protection.

"I want to speak with Alpha Dean."

The older maid's expression hardened. "That isn't your decision to make."

"I don't care."

My voice came out steadier than I felt.

I turned toward her, my jaw tightening as I glanced back at the prisoners.

"Release them."

The maid stared at me as though I had just said something ridiculous.

"You don't want to defy the Alpha's order."

"I won't leave until they're released."

The words left my mouth before I could reconsider them.

"They don't deserve to be here. They had nothing to do with this."

The younger maid stepped toward me, her voice dropping into something low and unyielding.

"It's up to the Alpha to make such decisions. You have no say here."

Her words struck a nerve.

I looked at her for several seconds, fighting the urge to lash out. She was right about one thing. I had no authority here.

But that didn't mean I would stop trying.

"Then let me remain here," I said, pointing toward the cells. "Release them and keep me instead."

The younger maid's brows lifted, but before she could answer, the older maid grabbed my arm.

"Enough."

I resisted at first, digging my heels into the floor, but there were guards nearby and I knew better than to start a fight I couldn't win.

Not yet.

I allowed them to drag me away, memorizing the turns we made as we left the cells behind.

If I couldn't fight my way out, I would find another way.

They led me into a large room where several other ladies were already being prepared. I stopped at the entrance, my eyes moving from one woman to another as I tried to understand what I was looking at.

They were dressed in colourful, revealing gowns, while maids moved around them, arranging their hair, applying makeup and fastening jewellery around their necks.

Several questions raced through my mind.

Why were there so many women here?

What did Alpha Dean need all of us for?

And what kind of party required prisoners to be dressed up like ornaments?

Before I could ask, the maids led me toward a large bathtub.

I stiffened as they began washing the dirt from my skin and hair.

"What's going on?" I asked.

No one answered.

I looked from one maid to another.

"What is the occasion for this party? What is worth this level of celebration?"

Again, silence.

The frustration building inside me finally snapped.

"Can you at least tell me what's going on?!"

The younger maid's hands slowed.

"The party..."

She hesitated and glanced at the older maid, as though seeking permission to continue.

The older woman gave a small nod.

The younger maid sighed.

"It's for Alpha Dean's ascension ceremony. He will formally be inducted as the most powerful Alpha, and this gathering is also for him to acquire a suitable breeder to produce his heirs."

For a moment, I simply stared at her.

The words seemed to hang in the air long after she had finished speaking.

"What?"

My voice came out quieter than I intended.

A breeder.

That was what all of this was about?

Rumours had circulated for years that numerous women had competed for the position, yet none had managed to bear Alpha Dean an heir. Some even whispered that only his fated mate could unlock his true potential and give him the offspring he desperately sought.

I had never paid much attention to those rumours before.

Now, they made my stomach twist.

As I stepped out of the bathtub, the maids wrapped a towel around me before beginning to dress me. Their hands moved efficiently as they fixed my hair, applied makeup to my face and adorned me with jewellery.

Every now and then, I caught their eyes in the mirror.

There was something in their expressions that I couldn't quite understand.

Pity, perhaps.

I sat quietly in front of the mirror, staring at my reflection as they worked.

The woman looking back at me hardly resembled the prisoner who had been sitting behind iron bars only moments ago. My hair had been carefully arranged, my face made flawless beneath layers of makeup, and the ornaments around my neck glittered beneath the light.

But beneath all of it, I was still trapped.

I looked down at the revealing outfit they had put me in and fought the urge to tear it from my body.

I felt like a doll dressed for someone's amusement, decorated and prepared for display while having absolutely no control over what happened to me next.

Around me, the other women whispered excitedly among themselves.

They spoke about Alpha Dean, about his power, his status and the possibility of becoming the woman who would give him an heir.

I listened quietly, unable to understand their excitement.

Who in their right mind would willingly cherish such a position?

The thought almost made my lips curl.

Then a voice rang through the room.

"Lady Lydia is here!"

Every woman immediately rose from her seat and lowered her head.

I remained where I was for a moment, watching as the door opened.

A woman stepped inside.

She wore a flowing, silky gown with a daring slit that revealed the curve of her leg whenever she moved. Delicate jewellery caught the light around her neck, and her perfectly styled hair framed a face that carried an effortless confidence.

Her ruby lips curved into a smile as her gaze moved across the room.

Then her eyes landed on me.

She paused.

Only for a second.

But I noticed.

"Hello, ladies."

Her voice was smooth, carrying the kind of authority that didn't need to be announced.

She took a few graceful steps forward in her pointed heels before stopping in front of us.

"I'm Lydia, the Alpha's concubine."

There was unmistakable pride in the way she introduced herself.

My gaze lingered on her.

The Alpha's concubine?

If she was already his concubine, then why did he need a breeder?

The question had barely formed in my mind when her sharp voice pulled me back.

I looked up and saw her fingers curled around a fluffy white fan.

"As you all know, I am the Alpha's concubine, and I hold the highest position of favour in this pack."

She paused, allowing her words to settle as she looked from one woman to another.

"Even if one of you ends up becoming his breeder, I will still hold the highest rank as his concubine."

A strange silence settled over the room.

I watched her carefully.

There was something about the way she said those words that made me wonder whether she was truly as confident as she wanted us to believe.

She spread the fan slowly, the movement almost delicate, before rising slightly onto her toes.

"I will be guiding you through the dance you must perform at today's party."

The women immediately straightened.

I remained seated, studying her face.

She was smiling, but there was something beneath that smile that I couldn't quite place.

Was she really happy about the possibility of another woman becoming Alpha Dean's breeder?

Or was there another reason she had come here herself?

I couldn't shake the feeling that Lydia wasn't here simply to teach us how to dance.

And somehow, I had a feeling I was about to find out why.