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Trapped With the Alpha King

Will You Die to Save Them?

“Lock her up!”

“No!” Althea’s voice cracked. Her legs buckled as two bulky guards dragged her down the hallway. “Please… don’t do this!”

Her hands scraped against the stone floor, nails breaking as she fought to hold on to anything. But she was too weak. Too small. They yanked her like she weighed nothing.

“Luna Meena! Please, I beg you!” Althea cried out toward the woman standing behind the guards. “Don’t leave me down there! I’ll do anything. I’ll stay out of your way. Just don’t lock me in that place!”

But Luna Meena didn’t flinch. Her face was stone. She turned away. The heavy dungeon door slammed shut behind Althea.

She collapsed to the floor, biting her lip hard as tears streamed down her face. She crawled into a corner, pulled her knees to her chest, and whispered to herself through trembling lips, “Everything will be alright, Althea.”

But even she didn’t believe it.

It wasn’t the first time she had been locked in the dungeon. But this time… it felt different.

This time, her father had committed treason against the crown. While the rest of her family fled for their lives, she had been left behind.

Locked away. Alone. As if she weren’t one of them. As if they had already decided she was as good as dead.

She didn’t know how long she’d been in that cell. Minutes? Hours? Days?

The cold seeped into her bones. Her stomach twisted, empty and cramping. The floor was damp. Rats scurried nearby.. Somewhere, a man coughed… long, wet, and dying. Her thin dress offered no warmth at all.

The silence that followed was worse.

“I don’t want to die…” she whispered.

Her breath came in short, panicked gasps. She tried to stay calm, but her body shook, and the tears wouldn’t stop.

Then…

A loud creak echoed through the dungeon as the door opened.

Althea flinched. She didn’t look up at first. But when she did, two royal guards towered over her, faces blank, eyes cold.

One grabbed her by the arm.

“W-Where are you taking me?!” she cried.

They didn’t answer. But the golden werewolf crest on their chests said enough.

The South had fallen. Her father’s pack was gone. Her home… taken. Her father… a traitor. And now… She was being taken to die.

But when they dragged her into the grand hall, what she saw made her blood run cold.

Everyone was there. Her family. Her father’s mistresses. Her siblings. Even the servants.

All on their knees. Heads bowed.

Waiting.

Then… a scream. THUD.

Her half-brother’s body crashed beside her, a pool of blood spreading like ink across the marble floor. Althea choked back a scream.

A familiar man stepped forward, face blank, blade dripping. He wiped the sword on her brother’s sleeve without a second glance.

“Anyone else care to beg for mercy?” he asked, calm as if talking about the weather.

No one moved. No one breathed. Then his gaze landed on her. He wasn’t just a guard. His silver-trimmed armor and the force of his presence made that clear. He was, in no doubt, one of the Alpha King’s most trusted warriors. Gamma Simon.

“That one’s human,” he said, eyeing Althea. “No need for silver.” A guard reached to shackle her anyway.

“Move, traitor-blood,” the guard snapped, shoving her forward.

Althea stumbled. Her eyes lifted, just for a second, and met the guard’s gaze.

His sick thought hit her like a slap. ‘She’s the most beautiful of Alpha Cain’s daughters. Killing her would be a waste… I will love to make her mine. I wonder how she tastes when I-’

She quickly looked away, her stomach twisting.

She hated this curse… this ability to hear people’s thoughts through eye contact. It had saved her life more than once. But some truths were too disgusting to bear.

“You know the law,” Gamma Simon said coldly. “Alpha Cain committed treason. His bloodline must pay.”

He looked around at the kneeling pack members inside the hall.

“If the rest of the pack bends the knee, they might be spared. But the traitor’s family…” he let the silence drag, “…their fate belongs to the Alpha King.”

Everyone knew what that meant. The Alpha King was ruthless.

Just then…

“The Alpha King approaches.”

Silence fell like a hammer. Althea’s head snapped up. And there he was. Gavriel Kingsley. The Alpha King.

He stepped into the hall like a storm wrapped in skin. Tall. Broad. Sharp eyes that didn’t miss a thing. He didn’t speak. He didn’t need to. Everyone felt his power the moment he entered.

Althea’s breath caught. Her eyes met his, just for a moment-

Nothing. She heard nothing.

Her gift, the one that always worked, failed.

‘Why can’t I read him?’ she thought, heart pounding. She quickly looked down.

“They are all here, Alpha King,” Gamma Simon reported. “Except for Alpha Cain, his son Rett, and his Beta Lucio.”

Still, Gavriel said nothing. He walked slowly, cold eyes scanning each face. Each trembling child. Each sobbing woman. Then he stopped in front of Luna Meena.

The woman quickly bowed her head, hitting the floor.

“Please, Alpha King!” Luna Meena cried. “We didn’t know anything about Alpha Cain’s betrayal. Please, have mercy! We’ll do anything! Spare us!”

Silence.

Then his voice, deep and cold: “Will you die to save them?”

Gasps. Stillness. Luna Meena’s face went pale.

“The punishment for treason is death to the traitor’s bloodline,” Gavriel said. “But I will grant mercy. If one of you takes responsibility.”

He stared at Luna Meena. “One life for the rest. Yours.”

Luna Meena hesitated. Her lips parted, but no sound came out. Althea didn’t need to hear her thoughts to know what she was thinking. But she did anyway.

‘Why should I die? I’m the Luna. Noble. Important. That weak girl should be the one. Let her die!’

Then the words left Luna Meena’s mouth, sharp and full of venom.

“Take her!” she screamed, pointing at Althea. “Take her life instead! She was Cain’s favorite! The reason he lost his mind! Kill her and end this!”

A Breeder

Althea stood frozen as all eyes turned to her.

“Alpha Cain will be devastated if she dies!” Luna Meena suddenly shouted, her voice cracking with desperation. “Even if he’s in hiding, killing his favorite daughter will break him! She’s nothing, just a weak human born from a slave! No one will raise another rebellion for her death. But Alpha Cain? He’ll suffer. He cherishes that bastard more than anyone!”

Luna Meena’s eyes burned with hatred as she spoke, but her trembling body betrayed her fear of the king who stood just a few feet away.

Luna Meena was right, her death wouldn’t spark another rebellion. She was a nobody, born to a slave, unlike Luna Meena, who came from noble blood. Althea was just one of many daughters of the Alpha of the Southwest Territory of the Werewolf Realm, easily discarded, easily forgotten.

Althea barely had time to react before she felt small hands grab her skirt. Her younger half-siblings, the twins, Liah and Seth, were clutching her sides like terrified pups.

“Big sister…” Liah whispered, her voice shaking. “Are we all going to die?”

Althea’s chest tightened. The children… they didn’t deserve this. They were innocent. They had no part in their father's rebellion. Her older half-brothers? Yes, they had cheered their father’s ambition, encouraged the treason. But these two? They only wanted to live.

Forcing a small smile through the lump in her throat, she knelt and gently held the twins.

“Don’t worry,” she whispered. “You two will live.” Then she winked at them.

Her heart was pounding as she turned to face the Alpha King. He stood there, motionless, unreadable. His cold gaze pinned her in place, making it hard to breathe. Every step he took closer felt like a tightening chain around her lungs.

Then, finally, he stopped in front of her. “Will you die for them?” he asked, voice low, deadly calm. One brow arched, challenging.

Althea’s breath caught. Her gaze subconsciously swept the hall.

‘Just sacrifice yourself! You’re nothing compared to our lives! You’re a disgrace to this family!’

‘You should die and save us! You’re pathetic, and your life has no meaning! What are you looking at? Just say yes!’

Those were the thoughts of some she hated. Others she pitied remained crying. They were the servants who had no choice but to follow what the Luna and the other mistresses told them to do, just to make her life insufferable.

Was she truly willing to sacrifice herself for them? Is this how my pathetic life will really end? she wryly thought.

Then her eyes darted to her little siblings. To the friends… and the few pack members who had always been kind to her. They were the ones she cared for. The ones she loved.

"Answer me." Gavriel commanded, his voice cold as winter.

Althea didn’t flinch. “If my death means their lives, then yes,” she firmly said. “Take me.”

And the room exploded. Gasps. Screams. Cries of protest. Someone dropped to their knees, sobbing.

“You choose death?” he asked, voice low and level.

Her throat tightened, but she met his stare. She swallowed. “I choose life… for them.” She turned her head slightly, just enough to see Liah and Seth weeping behind her, Seth shaking, barely able to breathe.

“If death buys their lives to live, I’ll pay it.”

Something flickered in King Gavriel’s eyes, gone too fast to name.

“No! You can’t take her life!”

Tristan’s voice suddenly cracked through the grand hall like thunder as he broke free from the guards. Blood smeared his chin as his knees hit the floor and bowed his head to the alpha king.

He was one of her closest friends, and although Tristan never spoke of his feelings, Althea knew he loved her, far more than just a friend.

“Please, not her. Take me instead!” Tristan pleaded. “Don’t let her do this! I’ll take her place!”

More voices rose.

“She’s innocent!”

“She saved my daughter! Please have mercy on Lady Althea!”

“Take me, not her!”

Dozens dropped to their knees.

“Please, Alpha King! She doesn’t deserve this!”

Althea bit her lower lip, fighting back the tears that welled in her eyes. She swallowed hard and closed her eyes. She never thought she’d feel this overwhelmed, especially standing so close to the brink of death.

The guards faltered. Even the high-ranking warriors looked shaken. Then…

“SILENCE!”

Luna Meena’s voice cracked through the chaos, sharp and panicked.

“Stop this nonsense before he kills us all!” she barked, eyes blazing. “She volunteered. Let her die and be done with it!”

No one moved.

“We’ll all die if you keep challenging him!” Meena snarled. “Let her die a noble death and save what’s left of us!”

King Gavriel raised his hand. Silence fell like a guillotine.

He looked at Althea, eyes unreadable. His voice, when it came, was cold steel. “She’ll live.”

Everyone gasped. Even the guards looked stunned.

“What?!” Luna Meena snapped. “Why?!”

King Gavriel didn’t glance at Luna Meena’s way. His gaze stayed on Althea. “She gave herself to me. I accepted.”

Althea’s heart stopped. Not death. Not freedom. Ownership.

His voice barely above a whisper, but it cut through the room. “She is mine now.”

“As a slave?!” Meena spat.

Gavriel’s eyes flicked toward her, dark as midnight. “As my breeder.”

A beat of silence.

Then gasps. Horror. Disbelief.

Althea didn’t react. Couldn’t. Her body was ice. But her mind screamed.

A breeder?

But they were safe right? He wouldn’t kill them and that was all that mattered.

“What about us?!” Luna Meera demanded, desperate now. “You said her life would save the rest of us, what about the rest of us, my king?!”

Gavriel’s eyes, dull and uncaring, landed on her as he spoke, “As Cain’s Luna… and his lawful wife… You’ll die so his pack members and the rest of his family will be saved.”

Luna Meena staggered back as if struck.

“You can’t,” she rasped. “You can’t mean that…”

Gavriel didn’t blink. “Take her.”

Meena’s face twisted… rage, fear, and disbelief all blended as she screamed, clawing at the guards when they seized her arms.

“You liar! You tyrant! You said-”

Her shrieks faded into the distance as they dragged her out, leaving silence in the grand hall.

Meanwhile, Althea didn’t move. She couldn’t. Her body trembled beneath the weight of what had just happened.

Looking intently at Althea, the Alpha King remarked, “You were ready to die for them, but now you will live… for me.”

His Fated Mate

Althea bit her lower lip, fighting back the tears that welled in her eyes. She swallowed hard and closed her eyes. She never thought she’d feel this overwhelmed, especially standing so close to the brink of death.

Her eyes accidentally locked with the king’s. In that brief moment, something inside her twisted. His gaze was cold, unreadable, like he was already weighing her life, deciding her worth.

This man… he looked at her like she was nothing. Like she was property.

And that made her blood boil.

She had spent her entire life yearning to be free, and now? Now she was nothing but his breeder?

It felt worse than death.

“Take her back to her chamber,” he commanded as he turned his back on her.

Althea didn’t resist when they came for her. She kept her eyes lowered.

‘If only I could read the Alpha King’s mind,’ she thought bitterly. That would’ve made everything easier, she’d know exactly what he intended for her. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t read his thoughts.

‘Why can’t I read his mind?’ she wondered, frustrated. It had never happened before.

“Please, let me go with her! I’m Melva, her personal servant!” Melva suddenly cried out, trying to reach her.

Gavriel’s eyes narrowed. After a pause, he said, “Let her.”

His gaze flicked back to Althea. “You know what will happen if you try anything foolish.”

His voice was calm, but it carried an edge that warned of consequences. Then, without waiting for a reply, he turned and walked away.

Althea stared after him. She had heard the rumors that the Alpha King was a cold-hearted, merciless tyrant, incapable of love or empathy.

And now, after meeting him face-to-face, it seemed every word was true.

The guards escorted them back to her chambers, and Melva hurried to tend to her wounds. But barely a moment had passed when the door slammed open again. A guard stepped in and said, “The Alpha King wants her bathed, cleaned, and prepared for him. Have her ready. Now.”

Inside Althea’s chamber, Melva continued sobbing until Althea gently took her hands and squeezed them gently.

“Stop crying, Melva,” she said softly. “It’s already a blessing that we’re alive. I’m alive, and so are the people I care about.”

“That’s true, but still… to be a breeder without a proper title?” Melva sniffled, her voice trembling. “My lady, you’re too frail. You won’t be able to keep up with the Alpha King. He’s a Lycan, his stamina is far beyond that of ordinary werewolves. And you… you’re a hybrid without a wolf. You’re more human than anything else.”

Althea understood what she meant, but there wasn’t exactly a choice left to her now. She offered Melva a faint smile. “Don’t worry. I can handle it.”

Melva wiped her tears quickly and nodded. “Yes… yes, we must think positively. Maybe this could turn out well. We both know the Alpha King refused to take a queen, right? Who knows? You might end up becoming his queen. You just need to do well and win his favor!”

Althea looked away, doubt tightening in her chest. She didn’t believe that… couldn’t.

She was the daughter of a traitor. Her father was the Alpha King’s sworn enemy. Gavriel hadn’t taken her in out of kindness or interest. He’d claimed her as a breeder, nothing more. A cruel reminder that her only worth in his eyes was to warm his bed and bear his children whenever he pleased.

“Something still doesn’t make sense. Why would he want you as a breeder?” Melva asked, her brows drawn tight in confusion. “It would’ve made more sense if he just took you as a slave or… a sex slave. But a breeder?”

Althea gave her a wry smile and shrugged. “It’s to disgrace my father. A breeder is basically a sex slave, just dressed up with a more acceptable term.”

“Yes, but it also means you’ve been chosen to bear the royal bloodline,” Melva pointed out, eyes narrowing. “We’re talking about King Gavriel here! He’s never taken a mistress at all. The man hates having women around him. So why you? Why make you his breeder?”

Althea watched her friend’s expression twist in thought until, suddenly, Melva gasped and slapped a hand over her mouth.

“No way! Could it be that you’re-?”

Althea’s brow furrowed. “What?”

“His fated mate,” Melva whispered, eyes wide in disbelief.

Althea scoffed lightly and shook her head. “There’s no way to confirm that, Melva. I don’t feel the mate bond. I’m more human than a werewolf. My senses are dull, I can’t heal on my own…”

But Althea had no idea why she possessed the strange ability to read minds just by looking into someone’s eyes. Her mother was said to be nothing more than a pure human slave, with no hint of wolf blood.

Melva’s eyes suddenly lit up with realization. “That could be it! You’re probably his fated mate, and he felt the bond! This… this could be heaven’s mercy!” she said, breathless with hope. “The Alpha King would never let just anyone carry his offspring. He’s too proud, too cold. But if you’re his fated mate, My Lady… you can use this. This bond, if I’m right, could be your only protection. Your only power.”

Althea shook her head, brushing her fingers against her temple. “I don’t know, Melva. Even if I am his fated mate… would that matter to him? He made it clear, I’m just a breeder to him. Nothing more.”

Melva gently took her hand. “Then you need to make him see you. Not as a breeder. Not as the traitor’s daughter. But as his mate.”

Althea let out a bitter laugh. “That sounds like a fantasy.”

“Maybe,” Melva said, giving her a sad smile, “but it’s the only one we have. And I’d rather hold onto a sliver of hope than nothing at all.”

Althea sighed, torn between fear and the tiniest spark of something else, something like defiance. Maybe Melva was right. Maybe this wasn’t the end… yet.

She straightened, her voice steadier than before. “Then help me get ready, Melva. If I’m going to face him tonight, I want to look like anything but defeated.”

Melva nodded, wiping her eyes and rolling up her sleeves. “That’s the spirit, My Lady. Let’s make him regret ever calling you just a breeder.”

Melva quickly helped Althea bathe and dress her in one of her finest gowns. By the time Melva finished brushing out her long, wavy auburn hair, the door swung open.

“The Alpha King wants you now,” came a woman’s voice.

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