Chapter 1 The Breeding Process I
The breeding selection process is a once-in-an-Alpha's-reign event. It takes place exactly six months after an Alpha ascends his throne and weds his Luna. The mating process is nothing compared to it, at least, not until the breeding selection was introduced.
Many she-wolves deliberately sit out the mating process, hoping to remain unmate and eligible for the breeding process. Once you are bound to a mate, you can never be chosen as the Alpha's breeding mate.
Twenty-four hours ago, I was mateless and eligible. But applying was the last thing on my mind. In fact, I was prepared for a life beyond the Pack. A life as a rogue. My belongings were already packed. I was ready to abandon this wretched existence. By dusk, I would have been gone.
Yet here I was, forced to stand among the other girls for the breeding selection. My hands bound, my dress caked with mud, my eyes swollen and red from hours of crying, my lips dry and trembling. I would rather live as a discarded, bullied Omega than serve as a breeding mate. Giving my body to a married man solely for the purpose of bearing children for him was no dream, it was a nightmare.
In the past hours, I had even contemplated suicide, but every attempt ended in failure. Death refused me.
I shouldn't have tried to escape. Maybe then I wouldn't be here. Maybe if I had just listened to Sable, I wouldn't be in this position at all.
A tear slid down my cheek as a stone-faced guard yanked open the cell bars and marched inside.
"Get up. You qualify for the final round of the breeding selection."
No. Please, no. No!
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TWENTY-FOUR HOURS AGO
I let out a long sigh of relief as I tossed the last bag of garbage into the waste bin. Pulling off my gloves, I inspected the area I had just scrubbed clean.
Mr. Thomas's garden was always the last place I tackled. His four spoiled sons used it as their hangout spot with their equally rude friends. I always waited until they were gone before cleaning, it saved me from their jeers, their thrown cans and wrappers, their crude, sexual jokes. The garden became my final stop for a reason.
But today, it was my final stop forever. My last day of working like a dog for higher-ranked werewolves. I was leaving. Choosing a life outside this Pack. A life outside being a discarded Omega. I had never felt more alive with excitement.
Sable thought I was insane. She said no one in their right mind would be excited about becoming a rogue. But she didn't know that long before I made this decision, I had already chosen that life. The Pack forced it on me, forced me to believe that even the life of a rogue was better than this one.
When I reached our house, a one-story building reserved for Omegas in the east wing of the Pack house, tucked deep in the woods, I was reminded of how vulnerable we always were. Rogues and wolf hunters prowled near these parts. By nightfall, we always ensured our nailed windows held firm and our locks had no flaws. Life in the Omega quarters was a life lived in fear. But for me, that fear would end in a matter of hours. Not for Sable. Not for Gideon. Gideon had a family to care for and a bedridden mother. And Sable…
"No! We've already talked about this, Bambi. I can't abandon this life for something even more wretched."
"It's not wretched," I argued, tossing a pair of jeans into my box.
"Life as a rogue is always wretched. You wander, helpless and alone. Just because you want it doesn't mean the rest of us do."
"I don't want it—I chose it," I corrected.
"Then why push me to choose the same?" She planted her hands firmly on her waist.
"Because it's the only real way out of here."
She rolled her eyes dramatically. "It's not a choice I want. I'm content without it."
I crouched low, zipping my last piece of clothing into the box. "I love being a werewolf, Sabe. Even if I'm weak, even if I can't do half of what others can. But the endless rules, the suffocating chains, I can't live under them anymore. This is the best option for me. And one day, it will be for you too."
Sable crouched beside me, pressing the box down to help me zip it.
"I get it, Bambi. But our choices are different. I won't make a decision that ruins me forever. Even as the Pack's wretched Omega, I still have goals. This is best for you. And this—" she tapped her chest—"is best for me."
I smiled softly and pulled her into a hug. When I pulled away, I smirked.
"So," I teased, "what are these goals you're still chasing?"
Her cheeks flushed crimson.
I narrowed my eyes at her. "What are you up to, Sabe?"
"Nothing… just…" She leaned closer, lowering her voice. "I'm joining the breeding selection process."
My smile vanished instantly, replaced by a sharp frown.
"What?" I echoed.
"Yes. It's the best decision I've ever made," she continued, ignoring the storm on my face.
"Being favored by the Alpha himself, it's every girl's dream. And not just any Alpha. Alpha Dawn."
I caught her chin, forcing her to meet my eyes. "Sable, are you in love with the Alpha?"
She hesitated, ready to lie, but her burning cheeks betrayed her.
"Since when?" I demanded, letting her go.
She zipped up my box and grabbed an apple from the basket. "Three summers ago. I met him in the Pack's library. We bumped into each other, and our eyes locked."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I wanted to tell you when the time is right. That he is the man of my dreams."
I snorted. "Sable, nothing is special about the Alpha being the man of your dreams. He is every other girl's man of their dreams as well. Moreover, he is married. He has a Luna."
"Still. The way he looked at me was different," she said, taking a huge bite from her apple.
"His eyes—silver, glassy. His lips, full and looking tasty. His strong, veiny arms that reached out when he thought I was going to fall. He is perfect, Bambi."
I sighed, pushing my box to the side. "So what the other girls say is true. He must be really handsome."
"Handsome?!" She suddenly barked, startling me. "He is breathtaking!"
I let out a small laugh. "Well, I wish I could listen to you talk about your not-so-latest crush all day, but I'm so sorry, this is it for us."
She got up, abandoning her half-eaten apple inside its basket and wrapping me in a tight hug. "Call me with that burner phone when you manage to settle."
I nodded and placed a small kiss on her forehead.
For me, it was a goodbye. But for the universe, we were only parting for a few hours.
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SEVERAL HOURS LATER
"B-Bambi?"
I knew that voice. Slowly, I turned around, my lips parting when my gaze fell on Sable—dressed in a stunning bodycon dress, the numbering on her chest marking her as one of the Breeding Selection finalists.