Chapter 3 003

SELENE’S POV

Alpha Iver laughed. A full-bodied, careless laughter that had him throwing his head back like I had just delivered the best joke of his miserable life. The sound scraped against my nerves as I stood there wondering which part of my threat he found entertaining.

I sold my body on my own terms. I chose when, how, and to whom. I took my money and I walked away. I survived in a world that devoured girls like me without blinking. I refused to let an insufferable Alpha with too much power and too little sense rewrite that as weakness.

“What’s funny?” I snapped, my hands curling into fists at my sides.

His laughter tapered off slowly, his grin turning sharp. “Go on then,” he mocked. “Kill me. See how far you get. I’ll take you with me to the grave.”

Something in me snapped. I raised my hand to slap him, intent on wiping that smug expression off his face, but he ducked with infuriating ease and dropped low enough to scoop me up under his arm like I weighed nothing. I kicked and thrashed, but he did not budge and the more I fought, the more his hold tightened.

“Put me down, you bastard,” I screamed, pounding against his back.

He ignored me completely. When we reached the car, he tossed me inside without an ounce of gentleness, my shoulder slamming against the seat. I sucked in a breath and scrambled for the door, but he was already there, bolting it shut while his eyes warned me not to try again.

“Out,” he ordered the driver coldly. “You’re riding with Mareek.”

The driver didn’t hesitate. Alpha Iver slid into the front seat like he belonged there. I lunged for the opposite door, but the locks clicked simultaneously. 

The ride to his pack was silent except for my furious breathing. My heart pounded so hard it felt like it was trying to break free of my ribs. I memorised every turn, every stretch of bend, already planning my escape. 

When we arrived, the gates were open, pack members lined on either side like it was some sort of welcome parade. Some smiled, others looked away, a few bared their teeth in disapproval, but none of them spoke. 

Iver stepped out of the car and opened my door. For half a second, I considered bolting. His hand shot out, fingers closing around my arm instantly, his grip possessive.

“Don’t,” he warned.

We walked through them, his hand never leaving my arm. When we reached what I assumed was the Alpha’s quarters, I saw a beautiful woman with soft, polished hair. Her eyes flicked over me like I was something unpleasant stuck to the bottom of her shoe. Disgust was etched openly on her face, and something ugly coiled in my stomach.

If Iver hadn’t been holding me, I would have knocked her flat.

She leaned into him, kissed him like she belonged there, like she had every right and my mouth dropped open.

“Is this her?” she asked, her tone curious. “The breeder?”

The word hit me like a slap. “Breeder?” I echoed, my head snapping toward Iver.

She answered before he could. “Yes. I’m Astrida. Iver is my mate.” She smiled brightly, as if we were exchanging pleasantries. “Since I can’t bear him an heir, he decided it would be best to… acquire help.”

She gushed on about how considerate he was, how selfless, how lucky the pack was to have such a forward-thinking Alpha. My vision went red. I raised my hand to hit him, every instinct screaming to hurt him the way he had hurt me.

Mareek caught my wrist mid-swing. “That’s enough,” he said firmly, not even looking at me. “Selene, don’t cause trouble.” 

Trouble. As if I was the problem standing there.

He dismissed the onlookers with a sharp gesture, and they dispersed quickly. When it was just the four of us, Iver finally spoke, but not to me.

“Mareek, take Astrida to her room.”

“What?” she protested. “I’m not finished.”

Neither was I. “This is sick,” I shouted, struggling against Iver’s grip. “You already have a mate. You don’t get to buy a woman like livestock because she can’t give you a child.”

“Enough,” Iver snapped.

Astrida huffed but allowed Mareek to lead her away, casting me one last look full of contempt. As soon as they were gone, I unleashed everything I had been holding back.

“How low can you go?” I yelled. “Buying me to be a breeder, does the pack know you treat women like tools?”

He dragged me into the house, his hand still locked around my arm. I stumbled to keep up, rage and fear tangling in my chest.

“You think this makes you powerful?” I continued. “What happens when everyone finds the great Alpha Iver can’t even impregnate his own mate?”

That was the moment he stopped so abruptly that I slammed into his chest. His hand shot up, fingers closing around my neck, lifting me just enough that my toes barely brushed the floor.

“Say that again,” he growled, his eyes dark and dangerous. I gasped as my hands clawed at his wrist, my pulse roaring in my ears. Fear bloomed but beneath it, was defiance. I refused to look away.

“Hit a nerve?” I rasped. His grip tightened for a heartbeat longer, just long enough to remind me how easily he could end me. Then he released me suddenly and I collapsed forward, coughing and sucking in air like it was the first breath I had ever taken.

“Careful,” he said quietly. “You’re alive because I allow it.”

I straightened slowly, my throat burning, but my eyes never left his. “Then kill me,” I said hoarsely. “Because I will never be what you want me to be.”

Silence stretched between us. His jaw clenched and something unreadable flickering across his face. At that moment, I knew one thing with terrifying clarity, whatever he thought he had bought, whatever role he believed he could force me into, he was wrong.