SAMANTHA
After Jayce left, I went into my room and collapsed.
My legs gave out before I reached the bed. I hit the floor hard, my hands covering my face as tears streamed down my cheeks. My mind was blank and empty. I was too tired to form thoughts.
Jayce is a monster!!
Not the kind that lurked under beds. To him, women were toys, objects to be played with. Things to be used and thrown away when he grew bored. He let me go this time.
But what would happen next time? Would he kill me?
What would be my fate?
Anger clawed at my chest. I was so pissed I could barely breathe. This palace was dangerous. I had to tread with caution or I would not survive.
And all of this—every bruise, every tear, every moment of shame—was John and Amanda's fault. They caused this.
Hatred filled me so completely I had to physically push it down. If I gave in to it, it would tear me apart.
But I swore something in that moment, kneeling on the cold floor of my room with my tears soaking my robe.
Someday, I will get revenge on the people that brought me this pain. Someday, they will pay!!
Daylight came before I was ready. I didn't even have time to cry. I dressed quickly, splashed water on my face, and walked toward the main hall where Alpha King Lionel would be inspecting his son's sex slaves.
The hall was enormous. Columns of black marble rose toward a ceiling painted with wolves chasing the moon.
It seemed like every detail of this hall was drawn by a hardworking architect. He took his time to paint everywhere and leave breathtaking art.
And at the far end, on a throne of carved obsidian, sat the king.
King Lionel's presence dominated every corner of the room.
He was not a large man. But he did not need to be. His power radiated from him like heat from a fire. His eyes swept the hall once, and every slave in the room lowered their gaze.
The three Lycan triplets stood beside him.
Jayce, Finnian and Darlington.
They were tall, handsome and Immaculate in their dark clothing and polished boots. Darlington stood closest to the king, his expression unreadable. Finnian was on the other side, watching the room with quiet curiosity. And Jayce…
Jayce looked directly at me.
I turned my eyes away quickly. My heart pounded. My skin remembered his touch. I looked anywhere else—at the floor, at the ceiling, at the other women standing in rows beside me.
That was when I locked gazes with Molly Hanes.
She was the woman who had challenged me earlier. The one who was jealous that I drew the triplets attention.
Her lips curled into a small, satisfied smile. She enjoyed taunting me.
Beside her stood Ms. Daisy Bond, the woman in charge of all us slaves. Her face was a mask of irritation and anger. She was clearly frustrated about something. Lack of sleep maybe?
I shook and looked down to avoid angering anyone.
A servant stepped forward. His voice rang through the hall.
"Bow to the king."
We bowed. All of us. Our bodies bent at the waist, our heads lowered, our eyes fixed on the cold stone floor. I heard the rustle of fabric as forty women moved as one.
"Rise," the servant said.
We rose.
King Lionel roamed his eyes over us. His gaze was slow, deliberate. It touched each face, each body, each trembling pair of hands. When his eyes passed over me, I felt exposed, seen and judged.
"Are these the girls you have chosen?" Alpha King Leonard asked. His voice was cool like morning mist over a lake.
Ms. Daisy Bond stepped forward and bowed deeply. "Yes, Your Majesty. These women have been selected with so much care. They are all standing out in appearance and form." She paused, her voice wavering slightly. "Do they meet your requirements?"
King Lionel did not answer immediately. He continued to study us.
"Do they?" he asked finally, turning the question back on her.
"I believe so, Your Majesty," Daisy said quickly. "Each one has been vetted for health, fertility, and temperament."
"Temperament." The king almost smiled. "We shall see."
He looked at us again. His eyes were scary. They were not cruel. It held something worse. Calculation.
"Raise your heads," he commanded.
Shaking, I joined the others in lifting my head. This was the first time I had seen him close up. Despite being as old as he was—old enough to be my father, perhaps my grandfather—he was extremely handsome.
He had a chiseled jaw. Silver hair laid at the side of his temples and his eyes were the color of thunderclouds. His presence was filled with an aura that made it hard to breathe.
He had an Alpha power that commanded respect without asking for it.
"Not bad," he muttered. His voice was quiet, almost to himself. "I just hope they will be of good use."
Ms. Bond smiled widely. Too widely. "Yes, Your Majesty. These women will bear strong heirs for the princes."
I blinked.
Heirs? From forty women?
Why did the king need so many heirs? I could not understand. When I left his pack years ago, he had not been like this. He had been cold but reasonable. Why did he want heirs so desperately now?
King Lionel leaned forward on his throne. His eyes swept over us once more.
"Do you know why you are here?"
We exchanged glances. None of us spoke. The silence was heavy, expectant.
"Speak," he commanded.
A woman near me whispered, "No, Your Majesty."
King Lionel nodded slowly. He rose from his throne and began to pace before us.
"As you all know," he began, "my triplets are Lycan. They are powerful wolves. More powerful than any in this kingdom. But power has a price."
He stopped pacing and faced us directly.
"They can have violent outbursts. They are uncontrollable, destructive. They have torn through villages. Killed warriors twice their size. If we do not find a way to shift that energy, to channel it..." He paused. "They will tear and kill everyone around them. And you would not want that. Would you?"
No one answered. No one breathed.
"Would you?" he asked again, louder.
"No, Your Majesty," we chorused.
"Good." He resumed pacing. "To make sure that bad things do not happen, I will make you go through intensive training every month. The best women will win rewards. Titles. Lands. Anything you desire."
He stopped in front of a woman three places down from me. She trembled beneath his gaze.
"And any woman who can bring this kingdom honor by bearing a child for my sons..." His voice cracked.
We watched in shock as the Alpha King's eyes filled with tears.
He turned away from us, facing the wall. His shoulders shook slightly. When he spoke again, his voice was thick.
"The Alphas have mocked me," he said. "For years. They whisper behind my back. They laugh at my sons. They call them beasts, monsters and cursed pups."
He turned back to face us. Tears streamed down his face, but his expression was hard.
"My wife—their mother—she died giving birth to them. The labor tore her apart. She bled out on this very floor while the triplets howled for her milk." He wiped his face with the back of his hand. "The Alphas said it was punishment. For my pride. For my ambition. They said the Moon Goddess cursed my bloodline."
He laughed. A bitter, broken sound.
"Let them laugh. Let them mock. My sons will have heirs. My bloodline will continue. And I will silence every single one of them."
He walked back to his throne and sat down heavily. His tears had stopped. His voice was steady again.
"I will reward any woman who can give birth to the triplets' sons with twenty million dollars."
My head spun.
Twenty million?
Murmurs rippled through the women around me. Eyes widened and hands flew to mouths. Twenty million dollars was more money than most packs saw in a generation.
King Lionel raised a hand. The murmurs stopped.
"Twenty million," he repeated. "For each son. If you bear twins? Forty million. Triplets?" He smiled coldly. "Sixty million and a noble title."