Sold to the Alpha

“You WHAT?” My voice echoed through the tiny kitchen while rain smacked the broken windows like some Netflix horror soundtrack. My dad wouldn’t even look at me. Bro was standing there like an NPC after committing the biggest betrayal in human history. “I had no choice, Ava.” No choice? NO CHOICE? This man really looked me in the eyes and said he SOLD ME like we were in medieval DLC content. I laughed. Actually laughed. Because ain’t no way. “Please tell me this is a prank,” I whispered. “Like hidden camera? t****k social experiment? Something?” Silence. The old ceiling fan creaked above us. My stomach dropped. Oh my God. He was dead serious. “You belong to the Blackwood Pack now,” he muttered. The Blackwood Pack. Instant fear unlocked. Even in our tiny wolf territory, everybody knew that name. The strongest pack. The richest pack. The most unhinged pack. And their Alpha? Absolute menace behavior. Alpha Kael. The guy people whispered about like he was a demon running on caffeine and anger issues. “They say he ripped a rogue’s throat out with his teeth,” I said slowly. Dad stayed quiet. BRO. “That rumor is TRUE?!” “Ava—” “No because what do you MEAN you sold me to a feral murder wolf?!” A hard knock slammed against the front door. Three knocks. Slow. Heavy. My soul literally logged out. Dad went pale. “They’re here.” Excuse me? THEY? Rain poured harder outside while thunder cracked across the sky like God himself was adding dramatic sound effects. Another knock. This time louder. I backed away. “No. No no no. I’m not going.” Dad grabbed my wrist. “Ava, listen to me carefully. If you disrespect Alpha Kael, you will die.” That sentence hit different. Not “you’ll be punished.” Not “you’ll get hurt.” DIE. My breathing turned uneven. “What did you do?” I whispered. His eyes filled with guilt. “I owed them.” Debt. Of course. Classic deadbeat father lore. “How much?” He looked away. “A lot.” I wanted to scream. Cry. Throw a chair. Maybe all three. Instead, I stood frozen while the door slowly opened. And then he walked in. Tall. Massive. Black coat dripping with rainwater. Tattoos crawling up his throat. Cold gray eyes that landed on me instantly. The entire room changed. Like the oxygen itself got scared. Alpha Kael. The rumors didn’t do him justice. This man wasn’t handsome. Handsome was for normal men. Kael looked like every red flag combined into one terrifyingly attractive final boss. His gaze dragged slowly over me. Possessive. Hungry. Dangerous. I felt it everywhere. And somehow… my stupid traitor heartbeat skipped. Absolutely not. Girl stand UP. Kael stepped closer. “You’re smaller than I expected.” His voice was deep enough to cause emotional damage. I crossed my arms. “And you’re uglier than I expected.” Dad inhaled sharply like I’d just signed my own death certificate. But Kael only smirked. SMIRKED. Nah because why was that lowkey worse? “You have spirit,” he murmured. “I have common sense. You bought a human being. That’s psychotic.” His eyes darkened. “Careful, little wolf.” Little wolf? EXCUSE ME? I lifted my chin. “Or what?” In one second, he was in front of me. Too fast. Wolf speed. One hand gripped my throat—not enough to hurt, but enough to make my brain completely blue screen. “You belong to me now,” Kael said softly. “And I don’t share what’s mine.” Oh. OH THIS MAN IS INSANE INSANE. My pulse went feral. Fear mixed with something hotter. Something dangerous. Something I definitely needed therapy for. Kael released me slowly. “Pack your things.” “I’m not going anywhere with you.” “Yes, you are.” “No.” He stared at me for a long moment before leaning down near my ear. “Fight me all you want, Ava,” he whispered. “It’ll make claiming you even more fun.” My entire nervous system short-circuited. What the hell did that even MEAN?