Alina's POV

Before I could even think, the guard said the order of the Alpha and grabbed me forward yanking me forwards as if it were just an everyday routine. The others formed an inner ring around me and not a single chance at all to escape. My basket fell off my hands with a soft thud as the bread rolled across the ground. 

"Please," I whispered, but none turned back. Not a single one of them  cared if it hurt me  when I stumbled trying to keep up as they dragged me. For them, I was not even the daughter of the past Alpha. I was nothing to them: just a problem for Damon to pull around whenever he deems fit.

The palace's path wasn't long  walk from my house, but today, it felt endless. My heart  thudded in my ribs as terror crawled through my body. My step throbbed with yesterday's bruising. My memory kept playing pictures of Damon raising his hand, angrily scolding, his grip on my wrist when he tries touching me. 

I shivered. Considering that he hurt me for refusing that, what would he do now?  Would be tie me up and have his way with me?

When we reached the gates of the palace, the gates  opened with the combined power of the guards who then dragged me into the courtyard and then down the corridors of the palace, my skin covered in bruises and blood as they dragged me across the rough ground like I was a rag doll. They stopped in front of the throne room and yanked me to my feet, as one of them opened the door. 

Damon sat on his throne,  or should I say, of Father's , but his now. He exuded  a confidence that made my stomach twist. His face had this look as he saw me, but not from some tender feeling. It was like a look one had when a plan has finally come together. 

"There you are," Damon said, "I have waited for you. I almost thought you would not come." His voice was smooth, but I sensed the danger beneath it. I gulped. 

I narrowed my eyes, as I tried to stand straight despite the excruciating pain in my ankle. "You sent guards. I didn't have a choice." 

He waved his hand carelessly. "Don't act like a victim. You should be grateful I even bothered to summon you politely, puny girl." 

Politely.

That's one way to put being dragged to the palace like a rag doll.

"What is it that you want?" I asked softly. 

He stared at me for a moment; his gaze traveled up and then down over the bruises which he had left on me. No shame there. No apologies or even a flicker of remorse on his face. Only a heavy sigh as if I had caused him inconvenience. 

"It's time for you to finally do something useful," he said, "for the pack." 

My stomach dropped. "What do you mean?" 

"This pack is on the verge of collapse. We have lost resources during the war, lands are weak and not bearing good food, livestock's are dying. Our people are hungry. We need help, and I found it." He said, leaning back on his throne. 

My brows furrowed. Confused. "Help... from where?" 

Damon flashed me a smirk. "The Crimson Lycan Empire." 

My breath caught. "The twin kings?" 

"Yes," he said proudly. "King Kael and King Kaden themselves. Powerful. Respected. Feared. They agreed to give us support, gold, military protection-everything we need." 

Fear crawled up my spine. I had heard the stories, those whispered by the traders and travelers. The twins were strong rulers but ruthless. They did not make any deal without a price. 

"What did you offer them?" I asked slowly. 

Damon stopped walking. His eyes locked onto mine, and I felt something cold settle inside me. "Not what but who." He said.

"Who?" I asked, narrowing my eyes as I waited for his answer.

"You." 

My heart fell at such a rate I could hardly breathe. "Me? Damon... what are you talking about?" 

"You will be the collateral," he said, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. "The kings were told you are a fertile  wolf. That you can give them strong male heirs." 

I felt dizzy. "No," I whispered, shaking my head. "You can't do that. You can't send me to them. Damon, they're dangerous. You've heard the stories-" 

He cut me off with a harsh laugh. "I don't care about stories. And you don't have a choice. The kings want a breeder and we need money. You're the perfect one for the job." 

"I'm not," I insisted, my voice trembling. "I'm not a thing to give away. I'm not a bargaining chip. You can't just hand me over." 

"Too late, I already did." He said, as he laughed and some of the guards awkwardly laughed too. 

I thought of running away, but the guards behind me stood in the way. "Damon, please... please don't do this. They will hurt me. They will use me. They'll kill me." 

He shrugged. "So?" 

My breath caught. "How can you say that? I'm your sister." 

"Stepsister," he corrected coldly. "And you're not even useful to me here. At least this way, you serve a purpose." 

Tears stung my eyes, but I blinked them away. "I won't do it." 

"You will." 

"No," I said, louder this time. "I won't go to them. I won't be anyone's breeder." 

Damon's jaw tightened. "You really think you have a choice?" 

But I didn't need to answer that. My silence was enough. 

This forced him to his feet and he slowly made his way toward me, boots stumping on the stone floor, echoing. When he reached me, he leaned close, his voice low and sharp. 

"You'll die here, and it won't be quick," he whispered.  

A chill ran down my spine. 

My knees buckled and I almost fell to the floor. "Damon... don't do this. Please." 

He took a step back, unaffected. "You will be the collateral. That is final." 

My chest was tight with pain. "I won't," I said again, although my voice was now softer, shaking. "I won't do it." 

Damon stared at me for a long moment. His face grew darker, colder. The rage in his eyes terrified me. 

"Fine," he said. 

He snapped his fingers. The guards stepped forward immediately. 

"Damon-wait-" 

He did not throw a glance at me. He didn't hesitate for a moment, either. 

His voice was flat, emotionless, final. 

"Throw her into the dungeons."

Alina's POV.

The dungeon refused to let me sleep. The stone floor was cold and rough, heavy with the weight of the unyielding cold biting into my skin whenever I tried to shift my weight to a more comfortable position. 

 The air was damp, heavy, and full of the smells of mold and old blood. Every sound echoed-dripping water, distant footsteps, and the slow scrape of rats searching for food.

But none of it kept me from sleep.

What held my eyes open throughout the night was Damon voice in my mind.

If you don't go to them, you'll die here.

All I have to do is say the word.

He said it seriously.

He would really do it.

A part of me hoped, foolishly, that Damon still had some drop of humanity, something that could make him think twice before completely destroying me. But it was clear the moment they shoved me into the cell: Damon didn't consider me family, hell, he didn't even consider me a person.

I was a problem.

A burden.

A tool.

And tools didn't get mercy.

Outside my cell, the torch flickered as heavy footsteps approached. Not the rushed movements of guards, doing checks . This was slow, confident walking, someone who wanted to be heard.

Damon.

He stepped in front of the iron bars, fresh and well slept, as if he had not enjoyed the comfort of a warm bed and maybe the soft body of two or more ladies while I froze in the dark dungeon . The contrast made my throat tighten.

"Good morning," he said, grinning from ear to ear. "I bet you had lots of time to think."

I didn't answer him.

Damon gripped the bars and leaned slightly. "I am going to ask you for the last time, Alina. Do you want to face the Lycan kings? Or should I call the council and tell them that we have a witch hiding in our pack?"

My fingers curled into fists. 

I wanted to scream at him. 

I wanted to fight. 

But what good would it do?

No one would save me. 

No one would stand up for me. 

The pack had feared Damon since the day he took Father's seat. They would obey him blindly-even if it meant burning an innocent girl alive. 

Last night, I had replayed every possibility, every direction my life could go. Running wasn't an option; Damon had guards everywhere. Fighting wouldn't work; I was weak, tired, and outnumbered. Staying here meant death.

Going to the Lycan kings... I didn't know what they would do to me. Maybe they would hurt me. Maybe they would use me. Maybe I would spend my entire life in a cage far worse than this one.

At least I'd be alive. 

And as long as I was alive, there was always the chance-however small-to protect myself. To survive. To find a way to live. 

I lifted my head and met Damon's eyes.

His eyebrows lifted, awaiting.

"I'll go," I said, my voice steady even though my body wasn't. "I accept."

A satisfied smile curved on his lips. "Good. You finally understand what is best."

Not what was best. What he wanted. 

With a snap of his fingers, two guards immediately rushed to unlock the cell. They grabbed my arms-not too roughly this time, but enough to remind me that I wouldn't be controlling anything here.

"Prepare her," said Damon, "the kings will be waiting for her soon." 

They dragged me out of the dungeon up the narrow stone steps into the daylight above. Brightness smashed on my eyes. I blinked while the shapes finally took to forming: Trees, grass, the morning sky began to be that soft pale blue.

It felt odd to see beauty after passing a night in the dark.

They took me to the servant baths near the back of the palace. Women I had no idea who they were washed my skin with hot water to scrub off all dirt and smell of the dungeon. Another woman was busy brushing my hair and pulling out every knot until it fell down my back. 

No one spoke. 

No one met my eyes.

It was like they had to rush through cleaning me and touching me, some chore to get done and out of the way before the kings arrived. 

After the bath, it simply dressed me in a basic cream sown. Nothing exceptional, nothing grand-honestly, just clean and modest. The soft fabric felt strange against my skin, as though I had no right to wear it. 

They escorted me toward the front courtyard, where a small carriage stood waiting. Its wheels were muddy, and the horses looked restive, stamping their hooves against the ground as though sensing tension in the air.

My stomach twisted with every step closer I took. 

This was it.

This was the carriage that would take me away from my home, away from the lands I grew up in, away from the life I once imagined for myself.

Before sunset, I would leave. 

Before dawn tomorrow, I would belong to the twin kings. 

My fate would have been sealed, traded like goods.

A guard opened the carriage door and prepared to shove me inside.

But before I could step   my foot in, the sound of fast footsteps approached from the main gate.

Breathless, a messenger walked  up to Damon. Damon stepped out of the carriage to meet him.

"What is it?" Damon demanded.

The messenger quickly bowed his head. "Alpha... just got in a message from the Crimson Lycan Empire." 

Damon's expression shifted with curiosity. "And?" 

"Both kings will be here to get their breeder themselves."

Alina's POV

The black carriage rolled through the gates and came to a stop. And  it was bigger and heavier than anything I had ever seen before.

When the doors of the carriage opened, out stepped the two identical kings, tall and well built, both dark-haired, pale-eyed, and made them seem even more eerie.

Their presence sucked air out of the entire courtyard. One bore an expression that was cold, unreadable, while the other had a faintly amused look, as though this whole visit had something of a view to it.

For a moment, their eyes moved over the pack grounds.

Then they landed on me.

My stomach dropped out by that, and I thought my knees might buckle.

One of them, the oldest, I presumed, spoke to Damon. "Is that her?" His voice was deep, steady, and had not a hint of warmth.

Damon straightened himself up, quickly regaining his confidence. "Yes, Your Majesties. This is the girl I promised."

The younger king spent more time on me, narrowing his eyes before he said, "She's small."

Damon quickly nodded. "But healthy. Besides, she'll be right for the job."

Their purpose.

Breeding.

The word rang hollowly in my skull.

The oldest king nodded curtly. "We leave at once."

Before I could even catch my breath, I was shoved toward the carriage. The kings didn't ride with me but rode ahead of me on their separate path as soon as we passed through the borders of my pack.

I looked in the direction where they disappeared into another road. 

I was property.

Finally, after many hours of my traveling, the carriage stopped. When the door opened, I found myself before The Crimson Lycan Empire, my new prison.

Two female guards seized my arms and sent me through a dim hallway. Then they hurled me into a small room with a single bed, basin, and a tiny barred metal window. 

When I looked up, the door opened again.

An elderly lady came in with her gray hair knotted very tight at the back of her head.

"Sit," she ordered.

I followed her order quickly, sitting at the edge of the bed.

She stared at me, considering, then spoke flatly. "You are here to breed." 

"I... I know."

"Do you really?" she countered. "Most young girls think they know until they hear the rest." 

I swallowed hard but nodded. 

"Straightforward enough, then. You will produce healthy male children for the royal bloodline. Not one. Not two. As many as your body can withstand until the expiration date of your contract." 

Contract. 

As if I signed up for any of this.

She walked around me slowly. "You will be inspected every month, live on special meals, be manufactured to perfection, and observed. If you cannot conceive..." She tapped the scroll softly. "You shall be out."

"Out?" I asked, though dread filled me at what I thought was inevitably coming next. 

Her eyes were unyielding to mine. "Executed." 

My breath stilled. "Executed...because I can't get pregnant?" 

"Because you would be useless," she said simply. "This isn't irreverent here. Many breeders before you have died that way." 

I tightened my chest as though I were holding unexplainable pain within it. "And what about those who succeeded?" 

"The ones who bore it are now alive," she answered. "Free they were not." 

She rolled the scroll up. 

"Your stepbrother has sold you into a dangerous promise, girl. The kings are expecting results. And the kings always got what they wanted." 

I looked down at my hands trying to stop shaking. It felt like my bones were shaking.

"I'll leave you to your rest," said the woman. "Someone will come to collect you when you're needed." 

When the door closed, the silence in the room felt too loud. 

I stared at the little window and tried not to fall apart. 

This is worse than what I had imagined.

Not only did Damon throw me like an object... he also traded me for death if I failed. 

The door opened again. This time, a young maid stood there. Her hands were pressed together as she wrangled nervously, "You need to come with me." 

I sat up instantly, "Why?" 

Her eyes turned away. "The kings... they want you in their chambers." 

I felt my heart hit the ground. 

The kings. 

She led me through the hallway, and all I can do is shake my head by moving slowly and steadily. She stopped in front of a large door made of dark wood which had carvings of wolves on both sides. 

"They're inside," she whispered. 

Before I could even open my mouth, the door swung itself wide. 

Inside their chamber stood the twin kings: a wide room with fire burning in the fireplace and big bed behind them. They didn't sit. They waited. 

The oldest king spoke first. "Shut the door." 

The maid bowed, closing it up behind her, leaving me alone with the two tall kings. 

My palms were clammy, and my throat felt tight. 

"Come forward," the younger king said. 

I forced my feet to move until I was a few steps away from them. 

His arms were folded across his chest. "Your stepbrother took a huge advance from our empire, and to cover it, offered you up." 

Collateral. 

Not sister. 

Not relative. 

Collateral. 

The younger king neared me. "You shall give births to pups for us - strong ones - healthy males, and this will go on until Damon repays everything he owes." 

Involuntarily, I tightened my fists. "What if he doesn't?" 

The eldest king didn't even blink. "Then you belong to us forever." 

My voice cracked. "If I... if I fail to supply you heirs?" 

The younger king cocked his head. "Then you will die like your parents." 

Something broke inside me. 

Air felt thin. 

The eldest king stepped toward me slowly, and his overwhelming presence made it impossible for me to look away. 

He assessed me, scrutinizing me with cold, critical eyes. 

Then he gave my new life the first command. 

"Strip!"