*Rose*

“Three million dollars is an awful lot of money for only a few months’ worth of work.”

Quiet voices filter into my ears from the living room, and I pause to listen, hoping that my parents are not discussing me.

Then… I hear my name, and I know that they are talking about me. Again.

“Rose is a fine young woman,” my mother is saying. “Any Alpha would be happy to have her.”

“I know, I know,” my father agrees. “I definitely think it’s worth it for us to send her.”

An Alpha having me? I don’t know what this is about, but at least it’s not about a job.

The last time I caught my parents talking about me was right before I found out that they’d gotten me a job at the sewage treatment plant of the pack neighboring ours. Not exactly the glamorous job the daughter of an Alpha would expect. But I’d taken it and worked there for a few years to help my family with their enormous debt.

“I know that it would be the answer to all of our prayers, Karen,” my father adds, before confessing, “But I’m worried she won’t be able to do what they want her to do. After all, our little Rose isn’t that bright. She can be a real idiot sometimes. She might not even know which hole to put it in.”

My father’s harsh words sting as I try to figure out what they are talking about. Do what?! I couldn’t help but think about all of the times he had called me names. Idiot isn’t that bad compared to some of the other things he’s called me. Still… It hurts, and I realize that tears are stinging my eyes.

Why can’t my parents just love me like the other kids I know who have parents that love them unconditionally?

My father, Alpha Howard, and my mother, Luna Karen, are not very good at keeping the books up to date for the pack. That’s because the money isn’t there. And everyone knows they’ve dipped their hands into the coffers to pay for projects at home.

When our natural resources began to dry up a few years ago, my parents were no longer able to hide the fact that the pack was in massive debt–and that they’ve been the ones spending most of the money.

So… I’d done what I could to help them, and I would do it again now if I had to. My pack means so much to me, despite how awful my parents can be, someone has to take responsibility for saving the pack.

I kept listening, pretty confident that I wouldn’t get sent to a sewage treatment plant. I’d ended up getting fired for throwing up on the job too many times…. Go figure.

“This is different than last time!” My mother sounds annoyed, and even though I can’t see them through the crack in the doors where I am listening, I can practically see her rolling her eyes.

“She’s not going to throw up all over the Alphas!”

“You hope,” my dad says, and that catches me off guard. Before I can think too much my dad continues, “But there will surely be daughters of Alphas and Betas from all over the kingdom trying to get this position. Why in the world would they ever choose Rose? She’s hopeless!”

So this is about a job. I try not to frown at my father’s lack of faith in me. Even though I don’t even know exactly what they’re talking about. Maybe he’s right to feel that way. Maybe I’m not capable of doing whatever it is they are talking about.

The idea that I’m about to embark on another awful job makes my stomach twist into knots. As unbearable as it is to live with my cruel parents, at least here, I know what to expect. It’s not as if I can just leave. I am the Alpha’s daughter. If I left my home before I married, it would make everyone question what was going on here and destroy the pack’s reputation; my parents would never allow it.

But the way they are talking at the moment makes my palms sweaty and my head feel dizzy. I wish I could’ve left a long time ago.

I need to know what it is before I form an opinion, but I’m too scared to move forward because I know I will be punished for eavesdropping. I adjust slightly on my feet, and the floorboards squeak, which should’ve let them know that I was there, but they keep talking.

Our house is so old and rundown, they don’t even notice that I’m the one making the noise and not just the foundation settling–again.

“We will send her. I have no doubt she’ll find a way to screw it up, but at least we will have given it a try. It’s better than letting her continue to stay here and mess our lives up even more,” my mother declares.

“Fine,” my father agrees. “I’m just saying… don’t get your hopes up. Chances are, she will fail us with this as she has with everything else she’s ever been asked to do on our behalf.”

I feel my heart drop into my stomach, a lump that’s barely beating.

Is that really what my parents think of me?

Whatever it is they are sending me to do, it sounds terrifying. Maybe they are right and I can’t do it. I do fail so frequently at whatever they ask me to do. Their standards are unreasonable. At least, that’s what I tell myself.

There are other Alphas involved, so that means their standards will be just as high as my father’s.

No, I can’t do this. I want to run and hide! No matter what it is, it’s just too terrible for someone like me to even give it a try. I need to get away from here–

I hear footsteps coming in this direction and realize I need to hide the fact that I’ve been eavesdropping on them. I back up several steps to the sink and turn on the tap, grabbing a glass out of the cabinet and filling it, like I’m just getting a drink of water.

“Oh, there you are, dear,” my mom says, the word “dear” coming out of her lips like she had to force it. “We were hoping to speak to you. Wait–you weren’t listening were you?”

I turn and look at them, taking a sip of my water before setting the glass down on the counter. “No, I wasn’t listening,” I lie. She seems to buy it. “What is it, Mom?” I ask curtly.

“Well, there’s a job opening up at the castle. King Gene is looking for a very special young lady to fill a specific role, and we think that you would be the perfect candidate for this new job.” My father smiles, like he really feels that way, even though I’ve just heard them both say that they think I can’t handle this job either.

“What job is it?” I ask.

My parents exchange an uneasy glance, and once again, I am reminded of the sewage treatment plant.

Surely, it can’t be anything that shitty.

“Well, honey,” my mom says, “it’s a very important job.”

Why are they stalling? Why can’t they just spit it out? “Yes, you said that,” I remind her.

“The king is trying to decide which of the Alphas will take over his position as king, once he retires. Since he has no children, he’s decided to appoint one of four Alphas to become the next Alpha King.” My dad smiles, like he thinks he might get the job.

That will not be the case. “All right…” I sigh. “What does that have to do with me?”

Another uneasy exchange of glances passes between them. “The Alpha who takes over the throne will need to have an heir,” my mom explains. “And… that means… they need… a Breeder.”

The water I swallowed a moment ago seems to have come back up, and I find myself choking. No one asks if I’m okay or tries to comfort me as I attempt to breathe. Eventually, I recover enough to ask, “A Breeder? You want me to be a baby making machine for an alpha?”

I can hardly believe what I’m hearing. I’m a virgin! I’ve never even kissed a man before! I’ve been saving myself in hopes of finding a true love match that will become a fated mate, but from what I’m hearing, none of that matters now.

“That’s right, dear,” my father says. “The pay is excellent, and it would give our pack some much-needed status in the kingdom.”

“But what about me?” I ask, annoyed. “You’re okay with essentially selling my virginity to some random Alpha?”

“Honey, it’s not like that,” my mom says. “It’s an honor. A lot of Alphas and Betas are sending their daughters to try for the position. We are only hoping that you’ll be the best suited.”

I shake my head. “No, please.”

My father’s hand lashes out and slaps me hard across the face. I recoil as my cheek lights on fire. I should’ve known better than to tell him no. This isn’t the first time he’s slapped me. “Don’t you tell me no, little bitch!”

I step back, out of his reach. “Mom, Dad, please! You know I’ve always done everything you’ve asked me to do, but you can’t seriously be asking me to do this! To sell myself to an Alpha I don’t even know?”

My dad takes a deep breath through his nose. “I think you’re misunderstanding a couple of things, Rose,” my father says. “First of all, we’re not asking you to do anything. We are telling you. You’ll leave tomorrow.”

“But Dad!” I begin. He holds up a hand to stop me, and I’m not sure if he might strike me if I don’t stop talking. He has done so before.

“The other thing you’re misunderstanding, Rose,” he continues, “is that you will not be a Breeder for a random Alpha.”

I take a deep breath, hoping that means I won’t be a Breeder at all. “I won’t?” I ask worriedly.

“No, daughter,” my mother says. “There are four Alphas, and they’ve already been selected, so it isn’t random at all!”

My spirits fall as I realize my misunderstanding had nothing to do with not having to become a Breeder. That is still the job they are giving me. It’s just the random part I was apparently wrong about.

“So… I’ll be assigned to one of the Alphas as a Breeder?” I ask them.

Again, my parents shake their heads. “No, that’s not it at all,” my father says, clearly growing agitated again.

I lean back against the kitchen counter, feeling myself grow dizzy and weak in the knees from so much discussion about such a terrifying subject. “What is it then?” I ask.

They have an internal debate about who has to answer that question, and it is my mom who draws the short stick. With a deep breath, she says, “Rose, you won’t be a Breeder to one of the Alphas. You’ll be a Breeder to all four.”

“All four?” The words echo around in my head, but I can’t absorb them. It just doesn’t seem possible. My parents are willing to sell me to all four of them?

I’ll have to have sex with four different men?

“No!” The word escapes my lips before I can even think about it, and once again, I feel the sharp blow of my father’s hand contacting my cheek.

The stinging inside of me is worse than the smarting in my cheek, though. I can’t do this….

That lightheaded feeling envelopes me, and the next thing I know, the world is turning dark at the edges, and I find myself giving way to gravity.

The last thing I hear is my mom saying, “Rose, really?” and then the world goes black.