"Three million dollars is a staggering amount of money for just a few months of work."
The words drift to me from the living room, soft but sharp enough to snare my attention. I pause in the hallway, holding my breath, straining to catch every syllable.
My parents are talking quietly, which usually means one of two things: either trouble or me.
Then I hear my name.
Definitely me. Again.
"Liora is a fine young woman," my mother says, her tone almost proud. "Any Alpha would be lucky to have her."
"I know," my father replies. "That's why I think it's worth it for us to send her."
An Alpha having me?
I frown, confusion curling in my stomach. I have no idea what they're discussing, but at least it doesn't sound like another job.
The last time I overheard them whispering like this, I ended up working at the sewage treatment plant in the neighbouring pack, hardly the glamorous position an Alpha's daughter dreams of.
Still, I'd taken it.
I'd worked there for years, covered in grime and stench, just to help chip away at my family's mountain of debt.
And now, apparently, they're about to sell my future for three million dollars.
"I know this could be the answer to all our prayers, Maera," my father says, his voice low. Then he sighs and adds, "But I'm worried she won't be able to do what they want her to do. After all, our little Liora isn't that bright. She can be a real idiot sometimes. She might not even know which hole to put it in."
His words hit like a slap.
My breath catches, and for a moment, all I can hear is the pounding in my ears. Do what? What could he possibly mean by that?
I've been called names before, more than I can count. "Idiot" is practically affectionate compared to some of the things he's thrown at me. But somehow, it still stings. Tears prickle at the corners of my eyes before I can stop them.
Why can't they just love me? Why can't they be like the other parents?
But no. My father, Alpha Garrick, and my mother, Luna Maera, have never been that kind of parents. They're terrible at managing the pack's finances, mostly because there's nothing left to manage. Everyone knows they've been using pack funds to patch up their own problems at home.
When our natural resources dried up a few years back, the truth finally came out. The pack was drowning in debt, and my parents had been the ones dragging it under.
So, I did what I could. Took awful jobs, swallowed my pride, worked myself raw.
I told myself it was for the good of the pack. And I'd do it again if I had to. No matter how awful my parents are, someone has to care enough to save what's left of our home.
Still, I keep listening from my hiding spot, pressing closer to the narrow crack between the doors.
Whatever this "new opportunity" is, at least it's not another sewage plant. I got fired from that one, anyway. Apparently, throwing up on the job too many times doesn't make for great performance reviews.
"This is different from last time!" my mother snaps, her tone sharp. Even without seeing her, I can picture her rolling her eyes, the way she always does when my father doubts her. "She's not going to throw up all over the Alphas!"
"You hope," my father mutters.
That catches me off guard.
Alphas?
Before I can even begin to piece it together, he goes on, "But there will be daughters of Alphas and Betas from all over the kingdom trying to get this position. Why would they ever choose Liora? She's hopeless."
Hopeless.
The word sticks with me, heavier than the rest.
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. Perhaps 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 had 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 realise 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 Malric 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 honour. 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, Liora," 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, Liora," 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 realise 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, "Liora, 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.
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, "Liora, really?" and then the world fades.