Captured by the Cruel Alpha

Liora

*Fiona*

“Who are you?” I ask the strange woman who’s just entered my room.

The tall blonde, with muscles so large they protrude from the arms of her fitted gown, stares back at me through violet eyes. “So you’re the great warrior princess of Solara?” she asks with a smirk.

I sit up on the bed and swig my legs over the edge. “I’m Princess Fiona of Solara,” I tell her. “But I’ve never claimed to be a great warrior.”

“Well, your reputation precedes you. Everyone in all the lands knows you trained with your father’s most capable commanders and are a force to be reckoned with. Which begs the question of how you got here, but I guess even the most skilled soldier in Solara is no match for the Caldaran Army.”

My eyes bulge as I hoist myself up and approach her. “You outnumbered us, and I couldn’t even shift before your rude warriors charged through our gates, slaughtering innocent women and children!”

“Slaughtering innocent women and children?” she repeats, folding harms beneath her chest. “That doesn’t sound like us at all. By the way, I was there–and I saw no such thing. Did you see any dead women and children?”

“I was taken straight from the castle to a cage,” I say. She’s a few inches taller than me, so I lift my chin, both in defiance and in an attempt to look her in the eyes. “I didn’t need to see them. I heard their screams of agony.”

She shakes her head. “They were frightened, that’s true. We did kill men who were not shifted or dressed as warriors. In Caldara, all capable men are part of the army. Maybe that’s why we outnumbered you. Perhaps you have too many lazy male citizens in Solara.”

I want to shift right now and scratch her eyes right out of her skull, but I’m too weak from the journey here. “I asked you before what your name is. Who are you, and why are you in my room?”

“As far as I know, this room is still part of our castle, so it belongs to Alpha King Varek.” She snickers and crosses the room to sit on a window ledge, not leaning back against the bars. As if anyone would try to escape from this height. Even I’m not that stupid.

“Fine. If you don’t want to tell me your name, I’ll make one up for you. You look like a Bertha. I shall call you that.”

A low rumble comes from her throat, and I realize a moment later it’s a laugh. “My name is Liora. Beta Ronan assigned me to be your lady-in-waiting because I am also a female warrior. He didn’t want you breaking the limbs of any of our daintier noblewomen.”

“Oh? So, it’s a double standard here? All men must join the army, but not all women?” I sit on the edge of my bed, trying to hide my exhaustion.

“Is that how it is where you come from? I hardly think so. All men must serve for at least five years in the army. Women may if they choose. We believe women have it hard enough bearing children–they needn’t be put through two strenuous tasks in service of our kingdom.”

It’s actually a very fair and clever law, but I won’t acknowledge it. “You’re a noblewoman?”

She nods. “My mother’s brother married the king’s uncle. So, Commander Lucian is both my cousin and the king’s cousin, though Varek isn’t as fond of him as he is his Beta, who is also his cousin.”

“Why not?” I’m genuinely curious.

She shrugs. “Ronan’s father was Alpha Varek’s father’s Beta, so he was naturally chosen to take over, just as Varek followed his father. Lucian’s family is not as prestigious as Ronan’s, but they would technically be equals when it comes to rank if Ronan hadn’t been chosen as Beta.”

I don’t know Lucian, but Ronan was kind to me when he didn’t have to be. I’m not sure if that makes him a better leader or a worse one considering I am the enemy.

“Anyway, I wanted to come and see what all the fuss is about. Perhaps you’re just frozen solid and exhausted, but you don’t look all that fierce to me. I can’t believe you tried to run from the Alpha up a mountain. Where the f**k did you think you were going to go?”

“Wherever I could,” I say without missing a beat.

“All you did was piss him off. Ronan is kind and generous. Varek is not. Piss him off enough times, and he will dispose of you–one way or another. It shouldn’t be hard, as many Alpha Kings as are interested in your breeding stock. In fact, I probably won’t have this gig very long since Varek is just looking for a high bidder. Must suck being a princess, huh?” She smirks at me and kicks off the wall, headed toward the door.

I try not to show her how her announcement has affected me, so I don’t track her to the door. She’s not going to attack me anyway. Not today, that is.

Liora knocks on the door. It opens, but before she goes, she brings in a tray with some food and water on it and sets it on the end of my bed. “Eat, drink, then rest. Your nightmare is just beginning.” Then, she disappears out the door, and I hear the rattle of the key in the lock.

I should’ve tried to bolt out the door when she had it open. I know there are multiple guards on the stairwell, but maybe I could’ve taken them.

If I’m to be sold to some hideous Alpha King as a breeder, I might as well die trying to escape. My fate couldn’t be any worse than the one Varek is promising me.

The aroma of the food has my stomach growling. I want to be stubborn and refuse to eat. Maybe if I’m bone thin and ugly, he won’t be able to sell me. But if I am ever to attempt another escape, I need to be strong. So I turn and take the lid off a bowl of steaming hot stew and dig in like an animal.

Cage me like an animal–and that’s what you’ll get.