The Alpha’s Contract

Neah, don't make a sound. Don’t make a sound.

I knew Alpha Dane was studying me. They all did; no one could ever quite believe how someone could do something so disgusting as poisoning their own parents. I stood there with my head hanging low, wishing for the ground to open up and swallow me.

There were movements around me. He was standing directly in front of me. With a rough finger, he tilted my face up towards his, forcing me to look at him. Slowly, his hand latched onto my throat, but he didn’t squeeze. “You poisoned your parents?”

“I was six,” I spluttered. “I just made them lemonade.” My voice came out all squeaky as I tried to defend myself. I could barely remember my parents, but I could remember all the guilt I had been made to feel since that day.

His crimson eyes flashed to my brothers. “Hardly seems fair to blame a six-year-old.”

“A six-year-old should know the difference between plants,” Alpha Trey snapped.

“Sounds to me like she was set up,” Alpha Dane shrugged his shoulders, letting go of my throat. "We all know that standard wolfsbane doesn’t affect us anymore. We evolved from that shit centuries ago.”

What? What did he mean? Wolfsbane wasn't lethal. It had been drummed into me since I could walk.

“Which only leaves Blood of Wolfsbane,” Alpha Dane muttered.

“You weren't there, Alpha Dane,” my brother muttered through gritted teeth as his eyes narrowed to slits. “It was wolfsbane.”

He nodded his head. “You are right. I was not present.”

Great, now there was someone else who could remind me of something I had done by accident years ago.

“But tell me this, where would a six-year-old get Blood of Wolfsbane?”

“I didn’t ask you here to talk about my slave!” Alpha Trey spat. “Or what happened to my parents."

Alpha Dane grabbed his leather jacket from the chair. Unlike other alphas, he seemed to dress more casually. A simple black tee and jeans covered his huge frame. And unlike other alphas, his arms were bare of tattoos; not a single bit of ink poked out anywhere.

“You're right, and now I have a few things to mull over.”

“I thought we agreed,” my brother exclaimed.

“Nothing has been signed. Now I will show myself out.”

The moment he was out of the office, both my brother and Beta Kyle rounded on me. “What the fuck did you say to him?” my brother demanded, slamming a hand into my stomach.

“N-nothing. Well, he just asked me why I smelled funny.”

“Did you tell him?” Beta Kyle demanded. He was practically spitting in my face. I hated him. I hated him so much that I had vowed to one day get my revenge and rip his stomach out through his mouth.

“WELL?” my brother yelled when I didn't immediately respond and smacked me across the side of the head.

My head involuntarily moved up and down. “But I didn’t say it was you.” I tried to sound strong and confident, but it just came out as a whisper. If they weren't wolves, they probably wouldn’t have heard me.

My brother's hand locked into my black hair as he yanked my head back, sending shooting pain through my skull. “If you have ruined this, you won't see daylight again.”

He dragged me by my hair from the office and down the hallway towards the basement door. “Please...” I begged. “He was an alpha... I... I had to answer him.” My cheeks burned with my tears as he flung the door open.

On the other side of the door was Alpha Dane. He was leaning against the wall with his arms folded, staring out at us. My brother's hand fell from my hair, relieving the pressure on the back of my skull.

“Alpha Dane, I thought you had left,” Alpha Trey murmured angrily.

“I said I would show myself out. I thought I had found the door, but instead, I find a basement, riddled in your sister's strange scent. Is this how you treat your family?

“As I said,” my brother held his ground, “She is responsible for the death of my parents, so yes, this is what she deserves.”

“You should keep your nose out of other packs’ business!” Beta Kyle added.

Alpha Dane laughed. “If I agree to this deal, everything about your business becomes my business. So tell me, what would your punishment be for her? No food, locked away for a week, beatings?”

“We don’t

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Really?” He cocked a brow, “You really expect me to believe that you would have just let her sleep? I have already stopped you from hitting her once. "His eyes roamed over me. “She is underfed, bags hover under her tired blue eyes. For a sister of an alpha, she is certainly not treated like one. Regardless of what she allegedly did when she was a pup.”

“She did do it!" Alpha Trey seethed. “And she has nothing to do with our deal.”

“That’s for me to decide.” His crimson eyes flickered around the hallway. “Where is your mate? I would be interested to know how she feels about this.” I closed my eyes, silently begging my brother not to call his Luna. Luna Cassandra was worse than Beta Kyle and Alpha Trey together.

“On second thoughts, why bother her. I'm certain she is just as vile as you.” He sneered.

I peered through slits to see his crimson eyes on me. There was no reason for him to defend me, and yet he was. I was a nobody, no one special. Just who everyone called a traitor. Only instead of being given a death sentence, my brother had decided to make me spend my life suffering.

“I have a proposition for you, Alpha Trey.” Alpha Dane was smirking at my brother.

“We have already agreed on terms.”

“Well, I'm adding one. And if you don’t agree, you will not get my help. Instead, you will become my enemy. And we both know, you don’t want that.”

“I take it that your new terms have something to do with her?” Alpha Trey muttered through clenched teeth.

“You would be correct. Let me take her away to my pack, and then you, Trey, will have a deal.”

Me? Why would he want me?

As my brother and his beta discussed me, Alpha Dane was still studying me. His look made me nervous. What could someone like him possibly want with me?

“Deal.” Alpha Trey stuck out his hand for Alpha Dane to shake. He didn't take it. Instead, his crimson eyes shifted from me to my brother.

“I will have paperwork drawn up and will return tomorrow.” He reached a hand out and cupped my face, “Ensure you have everything packed.” He dragged his thumb across my bottom lip and strode to the opposite end of the hallway and straight to the front door. He knew exactly where the front door was, so what was he up to?

He paused at the door. “If I find out any one of you has laid a hand on her, the contract will be the last thing you need to worry about.” He strutted out, slamming the door behind him.

“Get out of my sight!” my brother snapped at me.

Hurrying away, I made my way up the stairs and into my tiny bedroom. It was practically empty; the only things I had were a few changes of clothes. It would take me less than a minute to pack.

By morning, I hadn't slept. Alpha Dane’s questions were on repeat, and why was I so interesting to a wolf like him? There was a reason he had the biggest pack. They were known for their fighting abilities; that's why my brother wanted to link Moonshine with Alpha Dane’s pack, but where did I fit into all this? And what the hell is Blood of Wolfsbane?