The Alpha King's Claimed Breeder

Chapter 1

The road to my house was utterly deserted, windows shuttered tight against the wall. Everything was so quiet except for the drumming of the rain and the squelch of my boots in the mud. I held my bags close to my chest and quickened my pace, my heart thudding painfully. Home wasn't far off. Just a few more blocks and I'd be safe inside, windows closed and doors bolted.

A sudden rustling sounded behind me, barely audible over the downpour. I froze, my breath catching in my throat. Slowly, I forced myself to turn around and stare into the darkness. Nothing. Just the deserted road glistening wetly in the lamplight.

"Get a grip, Freya," I muttered to myself, shaking my head. "It's just your imagination playing tricks."

But as I faced forward again to resume walking, I couldn't shake the prickling sensation on the back of my neck, the uncanny feeling of being watched. Of no longer being alone out here in the dark and the rain. Swallowing hard, I broke into a run, my bags banging against my legs as I ran for home, praying I was just being paranoid. Praying it was all in my head. Because in this town, you never knew what might be lurking in the shadows. And you never, ever wanted to find out.

My lungs burned and my legs ached as I ran, but I didn't dare slow down. The weird feeling of being pursued only intensified with each splashing footfall. I risked a glance over my shoulder and my blood turned to ice. Something huge and dark was bounding after me-it was massive, tall, and I couldn't decipher the color of whatever was chasing me. It closed the distance with terrifying speed.

A scream rose in my throat but got trapped there, choked off by sheer terror. And then it dawned on me. I was being chased by a werewolf. I had heard of wolves who seek after weak ones like me, especially at dawn.

"I see you, little girl," I heard an eerie whisper.

The hairs on my neck tangled up in terror. Faster, I had to run faster! But my feet tangled together and I went sprawling onto a bunch of logs, my bags flying. Winded and stunned, I rolled over with a gasp.

The beast loomed over me, its dark eyes causing a shiver to run through my body, its terrifying form blocking out the lamplight. A werewolf, covered in shaggy black fur. My body racked with fear so intense you could see my breath shaking and my heart beating so fast it might burst.

"You don't work alone late at night, weak little girl," I heard the wolf whisper. I could see the snarl that emitted from his razor-sharp teeth, which gleamed as his lips peeled back in a menacing grin.

It probably knew I was wolfless and could not fight it. Oh my God.

I opened my mouth to scream again but only a strangled