Chapter 5

　　"Leon, leave us." I heard Alpha Lucas' voice.

　　His voice was commanding, full of authority.

　　"Yes, Alpha," Leon said and quickly walked out of the tent.

　　Lucian said, "She's still in critical condition. She's been badly beaten and tortured. She just needs more time…"

　　As Lucian was speaking, Alpha Lucas started to move.

　　And he was moving towards me!

　　I couldn't help myself but move backward for a bit.

　　I didn't know why.

　　Deep down in my heart, I knew I wanted to get closer to him.

　　Just like a moth flies to the flame, for a brief moment of warmth and brightness in this cold and dark world, before it is reduced into ashes.

　　He looked too gorgeous and dazzling… too dangerous for a girl like me.

　　I immediately lowered my head.

　　"Look up, she—wolf," he said.

　　I couldn't do it.

　　My body started to shiver and there were waves of shooting pain coming from my spine.

　　"She's in pain, Alpha. The power of anesthetic has gone. She's in confusion." Lucian said.

　　Thud. Thud. Thud.

　　I could hear the sound of my heart pounding like crazy.

　　Then, Alpha Lucas' gloved hand stretched towards me.

　　His fingers were long and slender, full of power.

　　His gloves smelt like rose and sage.

　　I thought he was going to grab my neck, but he didn't.

　　Instead, he lifted my chin and forced me to look at him.

　　His gaze was burning my skin, piercing into my soul.

　　My whole body turned boiling because his face was so close to me.

　　His eyebrows, his chin, his nose, and his lips…

　　Ah, those lips.

　　The thought of being kissed by those lips, being touched by those long and powerful fingers…

　　It drove me mad.

　　I had to pull all my strength to get that thought out of my mind.

　　But, it was too late…

　　I could feel a rush of fluid getting out between my legs.

　　I was overwhelmed by shame because I became so dripping wet by a simple touch of his gloved hand.

　　For a brief moment, I couldn't tell what was inside his azure—colored eyes.

　　But then, I was soon convinced that it wasn't affection.

　　He looked disappointed.

　　His handsome face was full of a mixture of disgust and… hatred.

　　Then, his hand glided down along my neck, all the way down to my chest.

　　He lifted the blanket covering my naked body and looked inside.

　　My scarred and bruised body was exposed completely in front of him.

　　I was about to explode because of the increasing rush of adrenaline.

　　If I knew he was my mate, he must have recognized me as well.

　　But I was literally in the poorest shape of my life.

　　I couldn't get lower than this.

　　I wish he could put the blanket on my body and walked away, but he didn't.

　　He didn't do anything but kept staring at me.

　　I lifted my hands to cover my private part in a panic because I didn't want him to see me being wet like that.

　　But he grabbed my wrists and locked them above my head with one hand, like grabbing the ears of a rabbit.

　　I moaned slightly because my back was killing me.

　　"What happened to you?" He drew himself closer to me and asked.

　　"Sorry, Alpha. I fell from a slope." I replied in a low voice.

　　"You're a pathological liar, aren't you?" he asked.

　　My eyes were filled with shameful tears.

　　I turned my head away from him.

　　I didn't want to tell him that I was bullied and tortured by my stepbrother.

　　"I'm asking you a question." Alpha Lucas pinched my chin and turned my head towards him.

　　"I'm not a liar, Alpha," I said.

　　Tears started dripping from my eyes.

　　I felt so ashamed of myself.

　　I knew I didn't deserve to be his mate.

　　He must have already been humiliated by my weakness.

　　I didn't want him to be humiliated again by my experience.

　　But I was too ashamed and scared to say one more word.

　　I was terrified of the thought of being ripped by him into pieces.

　　"What's your name, she—wolf?" he asked.

　　"I don't have a name," I replied.

　　"Another lie?" he raised his eyebrows.

　　"No, Alpha. I'm telling you the truth…" I said in a trembling voice, "My mother passed away before giving me a name. My father hated me for being too weak… So, he didn't give me a name…"

　　"She was telling you the truth, Alpha," Lucian said.

　　He gazed at me for a while and eventually let go of me.

　　I struggled to pull up the blanket and covered myself.

　　I saw he was going away and I knew this might be the last chance I saw him in my life.

　　So, I gathered all my strength and pleaded.

　　"Alpha, please be merciful on me. I'll do all the chores for you. I'm a good cook and a good maid. I can also attend to the wounded soldiers. I'll do whatever I can to pay my father's debt… So could you please send me back to my tribe… as soon as the debt is paid up?"

　　"You want to go back to those who have bullied you before?" He turned back and looked at me.

　　"My father is the only family I have in the world…"

　　"He didn't even give you a name when he was alive." Alpha Lucas said.

　　What?!

　　I was petrified.

　　"What happened… What do you mean?" I desperately wanted to sit up.

　　But all my efforts were in vain.

　　It only made me feel more painful, fueling the throbbing pain coming from my heart.

　　"Your father is dead." Lucian said in a gent voice, "He was killed by the Defiant Pack. The whole Crimson Creek Pack has been destroyed."

　　"No, no, no… This…This can't be true… My father…" I panted as if there wasn't enough air getting into my mouth.

　　Alpha Lucas walked out of the tent without saying anything.

　　Looking at his back, my heart sank.

　　Uma… Is Uma still alive?

　　I wiped the tears from my face and asked, "Did they kill everyone in the tribe? Did you see a shaman doctor? She's got dark skin, dark hair, and olive—colored eyes…"

　　"Everyone in your tribe has been killed," he said.

　　"But no! No… Please take me there and let me look for her! Her name is Uma. She's the only one that has been kind to me… Maybe they didn't kill her because she could heal the wounded soldiers… She gave me her potion box and she told me that people wouldn't kill a doctor… She…"

　　Lucian lowered his body and wiped the tears on my face with a bandage.

　　"Listen to me, she—wolf." he said as gently as he could, "When I got there, everyone in your tribe has been killed. The whole tribe was burnt down into ashes and I didn't see any survivors. Maybe your friend has been spared by the soldiers in the Defiant Pack, but I don't think there will be a better ending for her."

　　"Could you please look for her? I beg you. Please…" I gathered all my efforts and pleaded.

　　"I can't promise you anything, but I will see what I can do. Meanwhile, you have to find a way to heal yourself. He doesn't have any patience with weak and sick wolves. Another thing is, you'll not be his maid. You'll be Alpha Lucas's breeder, she—wolf." Lucian said.

　　A breeder?!

　　That was why he was checking on my body.

　　Not because of sympathy.

　　Not because of love.

　　Not even because of a slight desire or interest.

　　He was just checking the goods that he had purchased.

　　I found my blood freezing over.

　　"The only job you need to do is to bear Alpha's child. You'll do this after you get stronger and healthier, so you'll be qualified to give birth to a healthy child."

　　"And then… what'll happen to me?" I asked in despair.

　　Lucian didn't say anything.

　　"Lucian…" His name was burning in my mouth. I stammered.

　　"I… I have nothing to live for… I'm all by myself now… Show me some mercy and tell me about my fate… please..."

　　"You'll be killed," Lucian said in a vague voice.