Horres

"Greetings, Alpha, I.... I..." Alpha Horres took me for a fool, huh? So his favorite daughter just happened to be the wolfless trash who didn't even qualify to be called a Holmes. 

Hmmmph! What a joke! Did he think the Iron Fang Pack was a dumpsite? He really went out of his way with this peace offering. 

She was only on a journey for two days, yet she couldn't even walk properly. How could she be anybody's Luna? 

"Alpha," My first beta walked into the room, his presence reminding me of all the warriors who died under his watch. 

Why didn't Kylie die as well? He didn't even sustain the slightest injury. It was as if he hid somewhere as the fight was going on. How else could he have escaped unscathed? 

Even Gamma Lorna didn't survive the 'rogue attack.' She was one of my finest warriors, yet she succumbed so easily. Yet...

Calm down, Horres. This was just a ploy by that bastard, Holmes. He wanted to plant a seed of doubt, and you couldn't possibly allow him to have his way, right? Yet still...

Fuck me! I couldn't even have a proper sleep in the last three days. Thinking about the whole ordeal had drained me so much. 

Alpha Holmes... Rest assured, I would surely give you a slow and painful death. For now, I couldn't thank you enough for sending a toy my way.

"Your father killed seven warriors and offered you for peace. What could wolfless trash like you offer the Iron Fang Pack?" I could feel her raw fear and horror as she knelt there weakly. She was right to be terrified of me. After all, she didn't have a clear conscience to begin with.

"Tell me, Celeste, do you think you really qualify to be a spy in my pack? Couldn't your father even send someone worthy?"

She raised her head abruptly, a petrified look marring her face. Did she think I was oblivious? 

"Alpha, Celeste truly isn't the alpha's favorite. However, she volunteered to be the peace offering. She mentioned that she had her ways to make your pain go away. Alpha Holmes just couldn't refuse her sincerity. She is also his beloved daughter, after all..." 

I couldn't believe a mere servant dared to speak in front of me. One thing I picked up from this was that she had no regard for my peace offering.

One look was all it took for Oxley to sever that annoying head from her neck. 

I wasn't surprised to see my peace offering shivering like a leaf at the sight of the body. 

"Alpha, please, have mercy. I swear by the moon goddess... I am not a spy." I guess she believed her own lie, because I didn't feel her pulse quicken when she said this. How interesting! She must have undergone special training to be able to keep her facade this calmly. 

Alpha Holmes gifted me a spy Luna, huh? Interesting.

"Pass my orders. The daughter of Alpha Holmes would be my breeder from henceforth. If she doesn't bear an heir in a year, she will be punished according to the customs of the Moon Howler Pack. After all, we wouldn't want to judge her with rules that are unfamiliar to her." 

My two betas stared at me as if I had developed a new head. 

Well, as for the peace offering, she looked like I had just passed down her death sentence. She didn't have the slightest wish of living in peace here, did she?

"Tell me, breeder, what is the penalty for failing to fulfill a breeder's duties?" I wanted her to say the words herself. She would be more familiar with the rules than me. It's from her pack, after all. 

"The alpha's breeder is a branded slave who must warm his bed to his satisfaction. She is not allowed to waste the seeds of the alpha by consuming any concoctions that stop pregnancy. In a given time, the breeder must provide pups for the alpha. Failure to do so..." I felt her tremble at this point, and I could tell my wait was worth it. All that explanation meant nothing to me. I only wanted her to get to this part.

"The breeder must serve all the warriors who protect the alpha as a way of lessening his burdens." Good.

"In other words, the breeder becomes the pack's whore after failing to provide an heir, right?" She bobbed her head up and down, grabbing the message. The daughter of Alpha Holmes, servicing my warriors and every other person I offer her to, huh? First, I have one year to make her wish she had never been born.

"According to the customs of your pack, the breeder is a slave who must also serve the Luna, and she could never become Luna, even if she were the last she-wolf in the pack." 

"Y... Yes, Alpha." Her voice trembled at my words. She didn't match up to the pinkie of Gamma Lorna, but she would spend her days atoning for her father's sins, wishing for nothing but death. 

"Come here. I need to take a closer look at those treacherous eyes of yours." She got up onto her feet and wobbled her way toward me. 

When she was about two feet from me, my breeder went on her knees once again. 

I raised my hands and grabbed her hair, and surprisingly, it felt silky and particularly smooth to the touch. 

So he sent a temptress, huh? She looked exactly like the vixen she was meant to be. However, I also felt her body burning up. 

Being doused with cold water so early in the morning did the magic. My pitiful little breeder. Tsk!

I threw her head back, forcing her to fall butt-down. I didn't like the sense of familiarity she evoked in me. I could swear I never met her before this, yet... 

"You stink. Next time you appear before me, make sure you look like a she-wolf worthy to breed my pups." 

I could always punish her for failing to meet the standards of my breeder, after all.

"Oxley," I called out to my second beta.

"Alpha," Came his response.

"My whore has tainted my eyes." Understanding that I wanted her punished, Oxley dragged her out of the room. I realized he was still careful enough not to leave a single bruise on her skin. 

As for Celeste, she didn't even resist in the slightest. 

"Kylie, go and rest. I would summon you after seven days."

Celeste

No! No! No! No! 

I know he has hated my father for ages. Alpha Horres wouldn't think twice about killing my Alpha Holmes. Meanwhile, he just lost seven warriors so unjustly. 

My days in the Iron Fang Pack weren't supposed to be all rosy, but as the Luna, I would still have been able to achieve my goals. However, Alpha Horres' words truly confused me. He told Alpha Holmes that I would be his Luna. He agreed to that offer. How then did I become his breeder? Why would he even decide to treat me according to the customs of the Moon Howler Pack? I'm confused here.

I just rattled everything about how the Moon Howler Pack treated their breeders, but nothing else registered in my brain. How could I accept this fate? 

Could it be that he requested me to draw nearer so he would take a closer look and reconsider? I know this thought was highly unlikely, but I would give anything for him to rescind this order for me to be his breeder. 

I was scared shitless when his hand drew close to my head. I feared he might even choke me to death. No. He would have claimed my head earlier if he wanted to. 

Moreover, I haven't taken a bath since I arrived in this place. Wouldn't he...

"You stink. Next time you appear before me, make sure you look like a she-wolf worthy to breed my pups." 

This was no fault of mine. I haven't come in contact with bathing water since I arrived here. I didn't even get the chance to bathe on the journey. Why did he have to make it seem like I was some filthy rag? 

Oh, moon goddess, please save me. 

My whole body trembled at the thought of what else they were about to do to me. I haven't had a morsel of food since the journey began. I just couldn't stomach anything, and I hoped for a warm bath and some hot meal on arrival. 

Yet...

Before I recovered from my reverie, we were in front of a shabby, standalone shed somewhere in the pack. 

"You dared to lie to the alpha, huh? It wasn't enough that your father slaughtered my brothers in your land. The sucker Holmes had to send his wolfless trash to dampen my Alpha's mood. Did your father think you had the power to make my Alpha pissed to the point of having a heart attack?" 

The hateful look in the beta's eyes wasn't news to me. Everyone in this pack hated Alpha Holmes to the bone. Talk less of a ranked member who lost his fellow warriors. 

"Please, I need to see the Alpha. I didn't plan any of this. I really had no hand in this. Please, just give me one chance. I can explain everything to the Alpha." 

I knew this was a huge gamble, but I had no plans of suffering for my father's sins. If only the alpha would listen to me. I'd explain everything and...

"Such a dreamer we got here, huh? Your father already told you this pack was yours, right? Wait, did he tell you to kill the Alpha? Could that be your mission here?" 

What the heck! How could I have plotted anything with that crazy man? If he were an ally of mine, what would I need an enemy for? 

I could only shake my head at the beta's words. Nothing I said could make sense to him right now. My only chance would be to speak to the alpha. 

"You know, you could save yourself if you spoke now. Tell me, what's the plan?" Would he even believe me if I told him there was no plan? 

"Get the whip." I heard the beta's voice and suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu. It reminded me of how Tabitha and her mother usually whipped me just for the fun of it. Sometimes, Alpha Holmes witnessed everything, and the family of three took my screams and whimpers as some sort of entertainment.

"You know what this is, right?" 

Two soldiers joined, and I watched the beta flex the whip in the air, making it hit the ground harshly. He planned to scare me, and I swear he already succeeded. 

"Please, don't do this. I didn't visit the alpha in this state by choice. Please..." 

"Oh, complaining of our hospitality now, are you?" Goddess, please help me. 

"The crime for lying to the alpha is losing your head." Huh? The beta's words caused my blood to run cold. I even felt a tingling sensation on my neck. The earlier sight of the maid losing her head quickly replayed in my head and I lost hold of my body. I trembled all over, looking like a really scared mouse. 

Well, it's not like I felt sorry for the dead maid. She was Luna Fiona's lapdog, after all. She nearly cost me my life, and I was no saint to pity such a person. However, I feared for my life even more. Killing someone over such a trivial issue... Alpha Thorne must really be as ruthless as the rumors said he was.

"However, the Alpha wouldn't allow you to die so easily. For today, your punishment will be fifty lashes of this whip." 

What! 

"F... Fifty lashes?" I stared at the beta with trembling lips. My teeth chattered at the thought of the incoming pain, but I despaired in the reality of how helpless I was in this place. 

"Oh, and you must count after each stroke lands on your back. You wouldn't want me to start counting from the beginning because I lost count, would you?" 

I shook my head vigorously, protesting against whatever torture this beta had in store for me. 

I wasn't a shifter, so I wouldn't heal from those wounds anytime soon. I would be naive to even think they would allow me to heal quietly after the torture.

What was I even thinking? How could I survive fifty lashes from such a whip?

He flexed the whip once again, taking some calculated steps toward me. I knew the beta was intentionally taunting me, but I didn't care about taking two steps back after every single footstep of his.

I was weak, but I kept moving backwards, hoping I could somehow escape this nightmare. Before I could regain my footing, I tripped on a stone, falling butt-down.

"Aahh!" A loud hiss escaped my lips as I hurt my hand badly. In a different setting I might have been bothered by how ungraceful I looked right now, but who cared about grace at this moment?

"What the heck are you doing to her?"

Horres

I didn't doubt Oxley's ability to deliver in the slightest, but I only felt curious about what he planned to do. Deep down, I wish I could just squeeze her neck so tightly and watch her face turn blue as she struggled for her last breath. However, that would just be too easy for the daughter of a murderer. 

I would so make her suffer for every life her father took from the Iron Fang Pack. She may be wolfless trash, but she would pay her dues to this pack.

My feet took me to the one place I knew Oxley would take my whore. After we spoke two days ago, he carried out a seamless attack on all the spies from the Moon Howler Pack. 

Afterward, he went to clear out that shed. I could tell without a doubt that it was the accommodation he prepared for the daughter of Alpha Holmes. 

As for me, I didn't give a damn about where they placed her. She could even be housed in a stable, yet I wouldn't give a damn. After all, she wasn't here to enjoy the pack. She was a prisoner whose only duty was to pay with her blood.

She was nothing compared to all the fine men I lost in her father's territory, yet Alpha Holmes decided to slap my face with a wolfless trash. He may scorn this child of his for being wolfless, but she still carried his blood, after all. 

Making sure he was kept up to date with the fate of his daughter would be my first step in torturing that evil beast. He didn't really think I was stupid enough to make his wolfless trash Luna of the Iron fang Pack, did he? 

Celeste Holmes couldn't even compare to a strand of hair on Gamma Lorna's head, yet she was disillusioned into believing she could be my luna. Tsk! This spy mission really failed before it even began. 

I guess I arrived at the right time, when my whore started begging to see me again. However, Oxley wouldn't indulge her. How he taunted and scared her shitless with the whip was amusing. He even allowed her to beat his steps by taking two steps back whenever he put a foot forward. Well, I already had enough of the drama. Did she think they were playing hide-and-seek or what?

"What the heck are you doing to her?" 

I swore I was about to tell Oxley to start the punishment at once. How the heck did someone else beat me to it? Wait! That shouldn't be the problem. 

The crux of the matter was that the toad claiming to be a knight in shining armor was one of the tributes sent by Alpha Holmes. A warrior, huh? One of the warriors from the Moon Howler Pack felt he could order my beta around because of his princess. Tsk!

"Aaaahhhh!!!" 

Exactly! That was the only sound deserving of an ant from the Moon Howler Pack. He began writhing in pain as soon as my whip landed on his body. Well, he didn't see that coming, and none of them even expected me to appear at this place right now. The element of surprise added enough agony to the whiplash. Tsk!

"Alpha,"

"Alpha,"

"Alpha,"

My men went on their knees, but the toad still stood there defiantly. It was only when his dearest princess went on her knees, exchanging a terrified glance at him, that he followed suit. Was he by any chance challenging my authority?

Hmmph! Interesting. 

Hold on... Why did this suddenly look so much like a lovers' interaction? For some reason, my blood boiled at the possibility of this warrior having his eyes set on my breeder.  I wouldn't hold back if I had to gouge out those treacherous eyes of his.

Well, I had no plans of laying a finger on this wolfless trash, but she was still mine, after all. How could she have eyes for another man? That too, in my presence?

"I hope I'm not too late to the lovers' reunion." As soon as my words fell, she lifted her head and locked eyes with me, albeit briefly. However, I was able to tell the panic in her gaze. The horror she tried to hide couldn't escape my gaze. If that wasn't an admission of guilt, then what was it?

She wasn't only wolfless, but also... How best could I put this... Never mind. 

"What? Cat got your tongue?" I barked out these words without even thinking twice, my alpha aura spreading out uncontrollably. How dare she disregard me this way?

"Please, Alpha, it's... It's not what you think. There's nothing between Slater and me. I swear by the moon goddess." Did she take me for a fool, or what? Tsk!

"Alpha, please, it's not what you think." Even though she was shivering on the ground, she still dared to defend her lover in my presence. How lovely!

"Fifteen lashes for today and the next two days. As for the remaining five, handle it however you want." I spoke to Oxley as the two guards quickly dragged my whore and placed her on a wooden stand in front of the shed.

Oxley really planned everything.

"Alpha, I think twenty lashes for a start would be great." Beta Oxley enjoyed this so much that I could tell he wasn't going to take it easy on her. Well, I wouldn't allow that. We lost some fine warriors because of them, after all. Every pack member was upset about that.

"You..." I gestured toward her warrior and commanded, "Twenty lashes for deceiving the Alpha. Go soft on my whore, and I'll show you how to do it better." 

Oxley quickly threw the whip his way, and he had no choice but to catch it. Nothing made me more pleased than the trembling young man who had to whip his lover just so he could save their heads.

Under our watchful gazes, he threw out the whip, only for Oxley to curse out loud, "Son of a bitch!"

What the heck!

None of us saw this coming.