Alpha Petrova

Chapter 1

Serena

The iron collar at my throat had rubbed my skin raw long before sunrise. And by then, I no longer noticed the sting.

Pain was ordinary in our worlds… hope, however, that was dangerous.

I stood shoulder to shoulder with twenty‑three other women, wrists bound by thin chains that clinked whenever someone shifted. Neither one of us spoke, and we did not dare look at the guides who lined the marble hall.

Silence was worse than the cold.

It made time go slower and it made the tension rise.

Crimson banners hung from the vaulted ceiling, each embroidered with the Petrova wolf, a silver beast with glowing eyes and fangs stained red. It watched us from every wall, a reminder of who ruled this kingdom.

Alpha Alexander Petrova.

A name that made packs kneel.

A name that made everyone clear breathing around him.

I had never seen him as slaves never did. We just heard stories about him. We heard the stories that revolved around his fear.

Some say that he executed traitors with his bare hands, Others whispered that he had never once smiled. The oldest servant swore he didn't remember the names of those who served him. To him, they were tools, They were disposable and easily replaceable.

A heavy door opened and every woman lowered her head as sharp heels clicked across the stone.

I held my breath, forcing myself to stay calm despite my racing heart.

She stopped before us.

“You may raise your heads.” She said smoothly. “My name is Lady Helena,” she said. “And I oversee every servant inside the Petrova Manor. I believe that you are well aware that Alpha Alexander does not accept weaknesses.”

Neither one of us dared answer. “We were supposed to be getting twenty-four women. But one died during the transport. It is unfortunate. The remaining twenty-three will undergo the examinations.”

My stomach twisted and a girl beside me started crying. A guard struck her before the first sob escaped. “You are not to make a sound.” He said angrily.

Lady Helena acted as if nothing had happened. “I believe that you are all well aware that you have been purchased for one purpose and it is to bear children for the Alpha. Our alpha requires an heir. Your duties is to give him one.”

The words settled like stones in my chest. Simple. As if creating life were as easy as breathing. As if fate obeyed commands.

A girl near the end of the line raised a shaking hand and Lady Helena’s expression hardened. “Speak.”

“My… my lady,” the girl whispered. “What if…” She swallowed. “What if I can’t? What if I cannot give him an heir?”

The room held its breath as we waited for a response. Lady Helena walked toward her. Each step sounded louder than the last. She stopped inches away. “What is your name?”

“M‑Mila.”

“You are so young. And I believe that all of you are healthy enough to give our Alpha a child.” Lady Helena lifted the girl’s chin.

Mila could not have been older than eighteen. “If I can’t…” she whispered again. “What happens?”

Lady Helena smiled. It was not kind. “You die.”

Several women gasped, someone behind me whimpered and Mila’s knees buckled. Lady Helena released her as if she had touched something dirty.

“The Alpha has no need for barren women.” She said casually. “He will not add an extra mouth to feed if it does not serve his cause.”

“You are speaking as if we have no right to choose?” I asked, making her frown. She turned to face me, her eyes hardening, and I shook my head in question. “If the Alpha is so keen about having an heir, surely enough, he should have a Luna.”

“Do you really believe that you are smart with the way you’re asking?” She asked coldly.

“I believe that I have the right to understand why you chose to purchase us, humans, simply because your Alpha is choosing to take what doesn’t belong to him?” I asked, glaring at her.

My heart raced, and the girls around me looked at me as if I had grown a second head.

“What is your name?” She asked, and I lifted my chin for a second before one of the guards put his hand on my shoulder, forcing me to my knees.

“I believe that our Lady Helena asked you a question.” He said, and I frowned.

“Serena,” I said, and she nodded as she walked toward me.

“Your sinful life, how lavish you might have thought it was, is now over.” She said calmly. “You are one of the Alpha’s properties, and that means that you have no right to be asking questions.”

She grabbed my chin and forced my eyes on her. “And the next time you think you can disobey me or any of the other wolves… I will make sure that I break your ego, do you understand me?”

She didn’t wait for my response before she pushed me back. “All of you are going to follow the rules… and I will excuse no one, do you understand? One mistake, and I will not wait for what the Alpha would do… I will punish you before you even approach him…”

The doors opened again, and five elderly women entered in white robes. Healers. Each carried a leather satchel of instruments, making my throat go dry.

Lady Helena clasped her hands. “The examinations begin immediately.”

One healer pointed at me. “You.”

“Yes?” I asked, looking at her. A hand touched my back and forced me to move… I didn’t need to look behind me to know that it was the guard.

“What is your name?” The healer asked.

“Serena.” I said, looking down at my feet.

“Your age, monthly cycle?”

“Twenty.” I said, choosing to disregard her question. She raised an eyebrow at me, and heat rose to my face. “Regular.”

She scribbled. “Good.” She took my wrist. “Come.”

She led me through a curtain into a smaller chamber. There were examination tables, bowls of steaming water, fresh linens, metal instruments. I wanted to run, I needed to run… but there was no place to run to.

“For what it’s worth,” the healer said quietly, “I suggest you cooperate.”

I looked at her. “Does it matter? It is not like it is going to make a difference.”

“In a place like this one, of course it does.” She said calmly. I lay on the table and she spread my legs out of checking for my hymen. I was a virgin. She could have just asked. But of course the alpha never used a touched woman. This was why they bought me. It was humiliating and clinical.

Her fingers paused over a long white mark across my ribs. “Whip?”

I nodded in response, and she wrote another note, then touched the faded brand on my shoulder, Slave. Property. The mark every servant carried. The mark of the Alpha.

“You’ve suffered.”

I laughed once. It sounded empty. “That’s what slaves do. We are trained to suffer in a place like this one.”

She did not argue. Minutes later she stepped away and sealed papers. “You may dress. You look healthy. You will eventually meet up if you cooperate.”

“The Alpha?” I said, looking down at my feet, knowing well not to look like I was challenging them.

“Yes, and for what it is worth I am going to give you a piece of advice; If you want your life to be good, and if you don't want to suffer in hell, I will suggest that you start cooperating. Because this place can be your hell or can be your heaven. It would all depend on how you behave…”

The guard grabbed my arm and led me toward the corridor, and suddenly something inside me tightened. Every servant dropped to their knee. Everyone looked down at their feet. The guard pushed me down by the shoulder, and I looked down on my feet. I knew better than to stare.

And world like this one. When it came to people like me. I knew better than to make my presence visible.

They believed I was human. I was sold to them as a human. And my wolf, who had been silent for years, whimpered.

Mate.

My breath caught. No. Slaves did not find mates. Not here. Not now, not when I was going to be caught in the middle of a mess that I had no account for.

He slowly moved on. And for one second, I could have sworn that he stood right in front of me before he moved past.

“Begin the selection tomorrow.”

Then he was gone, leaving only the lingering scent and the impossible word echoing inside my chest.

Mate…