Taken by the Alpha

I stand there and watch in horror as Romulus, the cruel Alpha of the nearby pack, kills my friends. He leads his packmates against ours, and the battle is not going well.He holds a sword to my alpha's throat, and I realize that I am going to lose everyone I care about.Romulus stops and looks us all over, while my alpha is in danger of losing his life."I will only spare your pack," Romulus says, "if one of your females will volunteer to be my mate."I look around and see all of the other girls are horrified. Of course, no one would want to be with Romulus.Neither would I.The thought of it makes me shudder.But then again, I can't let my people die.I don't know what to do."Wait!" I call out. "Don't do this. Don't kill my people."Romulus turns and looks at me.He smiles and I see that his teeth are sharp and yellow. He looks like a wolf."Well, well," he says, smiling at me, "looks like we have a little hero."My stomach drops. Now his eyes are on me."And what are y

We arrive at his lair. I am tired, exhausted from the long journey through the forest.His pack watch as Romulus gets down from his horse. He holds a hand out to me."Come on," he says. "You're home now."I gulp. I already hate it here. But I have no choice but to take his hand.I hop down to the ground and look around.His pack glare at me. Snarl. Sneer. I can tell they do not like me.His pack: big and hairy and scary and brutal and strong and fast and ready to tear me apart if I try to run.I am terrified.I force myself not to show it."May I introduce my bride-to-be," Romulus tells them.He smiles and I cringe.I don't want to marry him.But I can't do anything about it.I am in the middle of his pack. Surrounded. Their eyes bore right into me.I wish I could leave. I wish I could be with someone else. I wish things were different."We will be the perfect couple," he says to me. And then he kisses me on the cheek.But I do not smile."Aren't you going to address y

I wake in the morning to a hand on my shoulder. I look up and see one of the prison guards standing over me. He gives me a smile then grabs me by the arm and pulls me to my feet."Time to go," he says. "Your new husband is here to marry you. He is waiting."I am shocked. I can't believe I have slept. I can't believe I have woken up alive. I look over at the girl, curled in the corner, snoring softly. The dagger she gave me is in my pocket.Maybe I am not brave enough to kill Romulus. Maybe I will fail. Maybe I will end up mating with him. Maybe I will go through all the same terrible things she has. Everything he has done to her.I am not strong enough to handle that. I cannot. This is the only way.The guard takes me to Romulus’ chamber. He shoves me inside.I stagger in. I am shaking. Terrified.As I enter the room, Romulus turns to me and smiles. I try to smile back, but I cannot. I am too filled with fear.He sees the fear in my face and he laughs. "Did you sleep well

I wake up shivering.The cell is bare. Cold. My body aches after my second night sleeping on the hard cave floor.I am still covered in Romulus' blood. I can't believe I really killed him.I can't believe I killed the guard, too.I am a murderer.Just then, I hear a noise. It sounds like tapping. I realize it is coming from the cell next to me.It is the girl I met yesterday. Romulus' discarded mate. The one who gave me the knife. Who told me the plan."What?" I call."Did you do it?" she calls back. "Did you kill Romulus?""Yes.""Why didn't you set me free?""The guards caught me. And now I am going on trial."She does not reply.I want to yell at her, to tell her it's all her fault. But she did not force my hand. She did not make me plunge the blade into Romulus.The sound of footsteps approach. My cell door is opened.The guard stands there. "Come with me," he says. "It is time for your trial."I gulp and stand.I follow him out the room.The guard leads me from t

I wake with a start. It is execution day."Hey!" a voice says.I look over to the crack. The girl in the next cell is peering at me."You're awake," she says. "Finally."I sit up. "I was dreaming," I tell her.I stop short of telling her it was about an Alpha mate of my own choosing."Are you ready?" she asks."Ready for what?""For the plan!" she cries.A sudden jolt of dread hits me. It is execution day.I try to compose myself. "Of course I'm ready," I say. "I will follow you.""Good," she says. "Good."I get up and peer through the crack in the doorway. I can see the hallway. The guards are waiting outside my cell. Several of them. I guess they're not taking any chances.They turn and pace toward me. I move back from the door.It opens.A guard steps inside."Are you ready for the gallows?" he says.I hold my chin high. "I'm ready."I have the herb in my pocket. If the girl is telling the truth about it, I will soon be free."Let's go," he says.He takes my arm