Enslaved by the Alpha

Chapter 1

I slowly pulled the last piece of black lace up my legs while silent tears rolled down my cheeks.

Standing upright, I connected gazes with the woman in the mirror before my eyes drifted along my nearly nude body. My silky, straightened platinum blonde hair was pulled into a slick high ponytail, ending just short of the area between the dimples in my lower back.

More tears streamed down my face and I inhaled a shaken breath, skimming along the lace. The thin straps rested on my shoulders, holding up the thin, translucent bra cupping my large breasts, pushing them up to create cleavage. My nipples were visible through the material and I sniffled, lowering my gaze along my bare, flat stomach to my v-string all the way down my legs, stopping on my freshly painted red toenails.

A knock pounded against my bedroom door and I jumped, a small gasp leaving my lips as I frantically wiped at my tears.

"The King is waiting for you, Ms. Scarlett," a deep voice called through the dark oak door. I took a deep, composing breath and made my way over.

My unsteady hand grabbed the knob and opened the door, a hard lump forming in my throat when the guard shamelessly looked me up and down, licking his thin lips.

"Mm-mm, baby, if the King doesn't find a place for you..." he trailed off, staring at my breasts with a lip bite. I withheld anymore tears at the possibility of being sold to a werewolf pack.

The King is a picky man. And tonight, every woman at the age of twenty-five will be lined up in front of every vampire twenty and older, plus the King, in the ballroom. There, he will do whatever he pleases to us, picking and choosing who will stay and who will be sold off, never to be seen again.

Nobody knows what qualifies someone to stay nor what the dealbreaker is to be banished-only the King. No one even knows what happens to those who are sent away, just that they're never heard from again.

"Carlos, move it! Ms. Scarlett here is the last one. We don't want to leave the King waiting, do we?" Another man shouted down the wide hallway. The yellow lights were aligned every few feet in the center of the black ceiling, and the walls were a dark red with swirls blended in the design.

"Let's go," the guard grumbled, gripping my bicep with his rough palms and yanking me down the hall.

My feet continued to trip over the golden rug rolled through the hall trying to keep up, but the guard showed no sign of slowing to accommodate me.

We approached the double doors where two men stood guard on each side, pushing the black doors open in unison to let us enter. However, the second they opened, I was blinded by a bright light and overheard different conversations among the crowd.

Humiliation filled me as the guard led me through the room and everyone parted to make way, watching us walk up the stage in the center of the room. All the other girls stood there under the spotlight, some crying while some appeared numb.

I was suddenly pushed into the line at the end and my heart raced, fear surging through my veins.

He shot me a wink, turning around and leaving the stage. I noticed the crowd dispersed into the seats set up all around the room, silence following soon after.

"Everyone, welcome our first line up of the night!" The King's voice carried across the room and all the girls down the line, plus I, couldn't help but bow our heads in submission. The crowd cheered in unison, welcoming us in their own unique ways.

"You may rise," the King dismissed, his voice closer than before.

We lifted our heads and saw him standing in the center of the stage next to the ledge, hushing the crowd with his hands. He turned to us with a grin on his thin pink lips once they settled and my knees grew weak.