Captive In The Alpha King's Bed

the brutal prison pen. I pushed away my un

A scarred man stopped, gripped my chin, sniffed, th

ked me. Stripped, lashed by silver, scrubbed raw, every trace of me vanished. From my cel

I spared *that* gruesome end, only

for the arena. A cold resolve solidified: I would survive this hell, remem

pte

Fawn

g of old blood baked into the mud by a sun that offered no warm

ace swam in my memory-the way he smiled as he took the silver. A traitor's smile. I pushed it down, deep into the cold place where I ke

had kicked it a thousand times before. The sound ri

of you! On

wood of the pen's rear wall. The shadows were thin, the other women too frail to offer much cov

han a collection of holes, stumbled as she tried to rise. Her

go stopped seeing us as people. He swung the rifle in his hands, not the barrel,

nic smoldered, blackening instantly. A wisp of smoke curled into the air, carrying the smell of

coiled tight inside my gut, a knot of helpless rage. We were not

g in the grey light. I kept my head down, my feet finding the least

ol

I hadn't seen before, his face scarred and his eyes holding the flat, dead look of a slaver, step

I met his gaze for a second before he tilted my head to the side, exposing my neck. He l

look on his face. He let go of my chin and b

women shuffled past, their eyes averted, a mix of pity and relief on their faces. I was the one

him the satisfaction of seeing me fall. In the center of the yard stood an Alpha. You could always tell. It wasn't just the size, though

g me forward again. I landed on my

ng, tossing the bone to a waiting dog. Then, slowly, his gaze fell on me. He circled me like a

k eyes. He gave a curt nod, as if

le. "This one is prime. Her scent is... unus

lifted a fraction.

I want no trace of this shi

g?" the guard asked, his

nervous energy that tightened his shoulders. He shot a venomous glare at the guard. "Who else wou

and more profound dread settled in my stomach, heavy and cold as a river

ion. I was dragged toward a small, dark, windowless outbuilding, my bare feet

d home with a deafening clang. The air inside smelled of har