Once A Princess, Now A Slave

9- New Alpha?

Kelsie’s POV

“Kelsie, what are you doing here?” my father beamed. He was sitting comfortably on the single couch, not until I showed myself up.

He wanted to stand however, his weak and old knees is stopping him. If he can just stand on his own, I know he’s probably pushing me out of the door now.

He anxiously roams his eyes around the room. I mimic what he did.

Aside from my father and Mr. Boris, there are three slaves who are half-n***d in front of them. They were dancing and giving the two old men lap dances.

These kinds of things aren’t new to me. I once saw this scene when I was a kid. I remember how my father scolded the omega that was babysitting me for letting me run to this room.

“Connor, what are you two doing here?” Mr. Boris asked.

In my peripheral vision, I saw Connor shrug his shoulder and glanced at me. Mr. Boris did not reply, probably understanding what Connor was saying.

My father raised a finger to stop one of the slaves to dance in front of him.

“All of you, get out,” he ordered.

The three slaves quickly picked up their clothes, and cover themselves. They bow their heads to the alpha and beta, and to us before rushing out of the room. In just a snap, the room is now slave free.

My father’s lips moved. He was about to say something when we heard a knock on the door.

The pack of omegas that we bumped into earlier entered the room. They were about to greet my father but he immediately dismissed them. They glance at me and back to my father. They all lowered their heads and exit the room.

“So, now…” I said. “What is this, father?” I narrowed my eyes at him.

Mr. Boris silently cleared his throat and reach for the tea on the center table. He took a sip from his cup but I notice how he look at my father with his smiling eyes.

Father only shakes his head, trying not to laugh.

“Nothing’s funny,” I said in a low yet dangerous tone. The two old men straighten their backs.

“Darling, come one. Let me enjoy life. You’ll never know. Maybe tomorrow, I’ll be dead—”

“I will be the one to kill you if you continue this,” I said in a cold tone.

Mr. Boris smirked, while I can sense his son from my behind trying not to laugh.

Tss. Boys.

“I just saw you earlier in my room! You cannot even stand on your own without the help of my stepsister, and now you’re here in this room?” I added as I travel my eyes on the room.

Mr. Boris stand from his seat and motioned me to sit down. I stomped my feet and harshly sit on the vacant chair. I crossed my arms over my chest with my brows furrowed while staring at my father.

“Darling… this is just for fun. Also, I and Boris are just trying to relax. Our agenda for today is already done so we decided to have a little fun,” he explained. He reaches for his tea and takes a sip of it. When he lifts his head, I notice how his eyes landed on the man who is still standing near the closed door.

“What happened to your shoulder, Connor?” he asked. He slowly put back the teacup on the glass center table and slowly lean his back comfortably on the chair. If I am not mad at him right now, I will help him in his position.

I turn my head in Connor’s direction. His father is beside him, scrutinizing his body with his hands in his pocket.

Connor looks more like Mr. Boris than Mrs. Coral- Connor’s mother.

“We were training, Alpha,” Connor answered.

My father once again reached for the tea to take a sip.

“Then who managed to shoot you?” Mr. Boris curiously asked. “Seems like my skills are downgrading. I can’t even shoot you when we are training,” he added.

Connor just shrugs his shoulder and put his shirt on. I watch his face grimace as he struggles to put his shirt on because of the wound o his left shoulder.

“Kelsie,” he answered.

My father almost spilled his tea after hearing Connor’s answer. Mr. Boris and he aggressively turns their heads in my direction.

I roll my eyes. “I told him I do not want to do it, but he insisted.”

Mr. Boris clapped his hand and his laughter bounces on the corners of the room. On the other hand, my father proudly looks at me. The sides of his lips are attempting to stretch upward, trying to stop himself from smiling. However, it is no use since I can see through his eyes how badly he wanted to clap his hand and laugh like Mr. Boris is doing.

“It didn’t cross my mind that you are taking your training seriously,” he said and put down his teacup on the armchair.

“I do not,” I answered straightforwardly.

I know it sounded cocky and arrogant, but it’s true. I do train, but only for the sake of my body to not forget how to use my skills. I never focused on upgrading my skills. As long as I know that I can survive, I’m good with it.

And I’m pretty sure my father is aware of that. Garnor, my personal trainer before Connor and the Delta’s son, is definitely reporting everything to my father—including how I walked out in the middle of the training when I want to.

Mr. Boris chuckled. “Kelsie has the blood of an Alpha. Of course, even without training, she will always have the skill.” He then hit Connor’s injured shoulder in a manly way. Connor winced silently but managed to maintain his position.

“We all know being an Alpha or having the alpha's blood is not enough, Boris. Being responsible is still the top skill an alpha should possess,” my father said meaningfully.

“Yeah, and as far as I remember in one of my development classes, being responsible does not include letting slaves entertain them in a tearoom, and cheating on their Luna!” I sarcastically said. I even look at Mr. Boris for a good 5 seconds. He only scratches the back of his head and turns to his son. Connor on the other hand just chuckled.

I mean, I may not have a good relationship with my stepmom, but she is still the Luna. I sucked at building social relationships with the pack members, but I am genuinely concerned about our pack.

My father sighed. He straightens his back and looks at me in a serious way.

I suddenly feel anxious.

My father is a funny and carefree man, but he knows when to cut off the jokes and get serious. He annoys me whenever he is being carefree, but he intimidates me when he started getting serious. And this time, I’m intimidated.

“That is why we need a new Alpha.”

My eyes widen. WHAT?!

But I can’t imagine him not being an Alpha. I know he’s getting weak due to his illness and age, but he can still do his responsibilities as the leader of our pack!

“What do you mean, father?” My arms which are crossed above my chest are now slowly sliding down on my sides. I shift in my seat and attentively listen to him.

He shakes his head. He takes a sip of his tea. This time, he finished it. “I am not getting any younger,” he said after putting down the cup and going back to leaning his back on the chair. “You need to find your mate.”

My jaw drops at what my father said. No one knew about me and Connor. It was a silent agreement from both of us to not let anyone know first.

I look at Connor. His eyes are cold and he is in his usual stance. I couldn’t see his infamous smirk, meaning, he too is also surprised by what my father said.

“It’s time to get serious on this, Kelsie. The pack needs a responsible, strong, and skilled Alpha. I know that is what the moon goddess will give you.”

“B-But, if ever I’ll find my mate in other packs, isn’t it a rule that the Luna will be the one to transfer to the Alpha’s pack?”

My father lifts his head. I notice that his gaze landed on Mr. Boris, but he quickly looks back at me. He cleared his throat and clasped his hands together.

“Well… if ever you found your mate on other packs, we can ask him to be the alpha of our pack. I’m sure no one will reject being an Alpha of the Black Claw pack,” he confidently said.

“But we are not sure of that!” I exclaimed.

It is true that our pack is one of the strongest packs in the neighborhood, but it doesn’t mean we are the only one. Werewolves are known to be loyal in their packs. How sure are we that if ever I’ll find my mate from the other packs, they will agree to leave their own pack and live with us?

“Darling…” my father reached for me and places his hand on top of my knees. He caressed it gently and gave it a good soft squeeze. “… what if you found your mate here in our pack? It wouldn’t be a problem!” he said, trying to cheer me up.

“But we are the only Alpha in this pack! And the alpha in this pack only has a daughter. I need to find an Alpha as my mate!”

“Darling, we just talked about it a moment ago. I told you, being an Alpha isn’t about blood or what family you came from—”

“But still. I want an Alpha mate!”

I may look like a kid throwing tantrums here, but who cares? The well-being and the future of our pack are on the line.

My father sighed, feeling hopeless about all my arguments.

“When do we need an Alpha? How many weeks do I have to find my mate? When will be the coronation night?” I asked. This is the first time that I get too anxious in my life.

Father cleared his throat. He once again glances at the men behind me.

“Darling, are you sure you haven’t felt something different after you turned 18?”

I sigh. “Father, I just turned 18 three months ago.” Once again, I have no plans of telling him a Beta is my mate.

“Some werewolves find their mates right at the day when they turned 18,” he argued.

“And some don’t. Look at Connor, he’s already 19 and still hasn’t found his mate.” I shrug and innocently avoid my eyes at any of them.

In the sides of my eyes, I saw how my father looked at Mr. Boris and his gazes drop to Connor, and back to me.

He sighed. “Okay. No pressure, darling. I know you will find your mate when the time is right and when you are ready.”

Well, I already find him but sorry, father, I need to find an alpha mate.

I lift my head and look at Connor. His dark-gray eyes pierced into me. Our eyes locked. I couldn’t read his expression or hear his thoughts. He is just standing there with his hands in his pockets, looking directly into my eyes. I avoided my gaze at him.

Why would I be guilty? This isn’t about my personal interest. This is for the betterment of the pack!

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Unedited. English is not my first language. My apologies for the grammar, sentence construction, and wrong spelling.

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Once A Princess, Now A Slave

By: Joanne Cristel

©2023