Hybrid Alpha’s Prettiest Obsession

promises broken

Even after I’d slipped back into the dress and left the suffocating room behind, I could still feel his hands on me. When did his c**k become that bloody big? That was the perks of being Alpha, I guess. My skin still itched where he'd touched me, and the memory of it burned like a brand I couldn’t scrub off. I hated it. I hated him. Malakai had trapped me, binding me in this cursed contract, and no matter how I fought to resist, he just found a new way to remind me who held the power.

Not that I had the power to resist anyway.

I was shaking as I stumbled through the hallway, my legs wobbling like jelly. My breaths were shallow, like I couldn’t get enough air, and I wanted to scream. But I couldn’t. Not here, not now. I had to keep it together. I could feel the stares of the other dancers on me… their curious eyes glancing my way as I passed them by. I knew what they were thinking. They didn’t have to say it out loud for me to hear the lazy whispers floating in the air. What more did they have to do? I was the hafling among them—a topic for discussion. They had all seen me disappear into the VIP room with the man and his eagle, and now I was doing the infamous walk of shame, like a puppet dragged back on stage after a pitiful performance.

When I finally reached the pit area, I spotted my brother waiting for me. I paused, watching as his face tightened with rage. I raised an eyebrow. He could barely conceal it! I didn’t have to ask if he’d heard the gossip because the furrowed brows that accompanied the dark look in his eyes told me everything I needed to know. My stomach dropped with horror and shame. What excuse do I have? I took a deep breath, trying to steady the pounding in my chest as I approached him with my head hanging low. I wanted to disappear, to sink into the ground and escape the reality of what had just happened hours ago. But there was no escaping this, not while I was bound to the contract.

Or should I have screamed bloodily like cherry?

“Mina,” My brother hissed through gritted teeth as soon as I came closer for me to hear. His voice was unwelcoming. “What the hell happened in there?”

I couldn’t look him in the eye. “It’s not what you think,” I simply muttered, unable to stop myself from trembling.

“Isn’t it?” He harshly asked. Although his voice dropped several octaves. “Everyone’s talking. They saw you go in with him. And now you come out… like this.” His eyes swept over me, taking in the dress that wasn’t mine, the disheveled state of my hair. I knew exactly what he was imagining, and it made my skin crawl.

I opened my mouth to protest, to tell him that I hadn’t wanted any of this, that I was just as much a victim of this damn contract as anyone else. But the words stuck in my throat, and all I could do was shake my head. All I could feel was my eyes stinging with frustration and shame.

But I didn't think Tito saw that. He looked like he was about to explode. “You promised me.” he growled, causing me to raise my head in shock. Did he just growl at me? Where did that come from? Why was he acting like I was a leper? “You promised me you wouldn’t let him pull you into this mess. You told me you wouldn't fall into their damned tricks.”

“I didn’t have a choice!” I shot back, finally finding my voice. I took a deep breath. This was our safe spot and I wasn't going to jeopardize like a fool. I met his gaze bravely. He was the younger one, anyway. “Do you think I want to be in this situation? These people has me trapped! I didn’t—”

“Don’t you dare make excuses,” Tito interrupted, stepping closer. He was just as loud as I was few minutes ago. It was sharp enough to draw the attention of the others nearby. “You’re always full of excuses, Mina. Always.”

I flinched subconsciously. He had no idea what I was going through. How hard it was to resist Malakai when he held all the cards, all the control. Tito, who had no idea what it felt like to be at someone’s mercy. He was just a tiny bug. One I was trying to protect. “You don’t get to talk to me like that,” I suddenly found my voice. Unfortunately, it was filled with a desperation I couldn’t hide. “I’m out here every night trying to survive, trying to keep both of us afloat. This is easy for me.” I pulled out the bundle of money I had fought to earn, holding it out toward him. “Look at this! Look at what I’ve made for us!”

But Tito didn’t even glance at the money. His eyes were locked on me, filled with something even colder and bitter. Without warning, he slapped the money out of my hand, sending it flying in the air. “This?” he spat. “This is what you’re proud of? Selling yourself for a few dollars? Selling yourself off to those who killed Ma and Pa?”

My breath caught in my throat as I watched the bills scatter, fluttering in the air before falling to the ground. For a second, it felt like the whole atmosphere paused, everyone’s eyes locked on the money. If no one was looking our way, they were now. Then, like vultures, they swarmed. Wolves and humans dived for the bills, grabbing at them greedily, shoving each other aside to snatch whatever they could. I stood frozen, watching helplessly as my hard-earned cash disappeared into their fists.

This dollars was hard to come by… “No… no!” I gasped, reaching out as if I could somehow stop them. But it was too late. The money was gone, scooped up before I could even move.

Tito’s eyes never left me. “You broke your promise,” he said coldly. “I don’t even know who you are anymore, Mina.”

I turned to face him, my chest heaving as every part of me trembled with rage and hurt. “You don’t get to judge me,” I whispered, legs shaking… “You have no idea what I’ve been through, what I’m doing to keep us alive.”

Instead his face curled with contempt. “No, Mina. You don’t know what you’ve done. We should be formulating a plan on revenge, but look at you! I am ashamed.” Then he turned his back on me, walking away as if I was nothing, as if I hadn’t just lost everything.

I stood there, numb, my hands still outstretched as the last scraps of my dignity slipped through my fingers. The people around me laughed and jeered, stuffing the money into their pockets. But all I could see was Tito’s retreating figure, his sad and disappointed words re-echoing in my mind, and breaking me down more than anything Malakai had ever done. I tried to follow him, feeling the harshness of every stare burning into my back. It was no news who we were. We were the Halfling siblings.

Unfortunately, Tito disappeared. I couldn't tell of I was the one walking slow, or he was the one walking fast just to get away from me. The pit area was crowded with people being picked out by Pompeo. The dancers, all of them pretended not to be watching, but I could feel their eyes on me. I heard a few muttered comments as I passed. They were barely loud enough for me to catch, but definitely sharp enough.

“No bite marks, huh?” one of the dancers murmured, her tone thick with what… jealousy? “I guess the wolf likes to take his time.”

“She doesn’t even have a scratch on her,” another one added, dripping with all bitterness of heart. “Must’ve treated her real nice in there.”

Their words sent a fresh wave of shame crashing over me. I wanted to scream at them, to tell them how wrong they were, how nothing about this situation was nice. But all I could do was keep walking with folded hands. Soon, I would be noticed and asked to submit my contract. I had been successful that's for sure.

Although at a cost.

I wasn’t sure if there was a way out. Malakai was powerful, and he had me cornered. The contract was ironclad, and I didn't think to resist. It would get worse, I was sure. The walk to return Cherry’s dress was worse than I’d expected. I stepped into the dressing room, feeling the air shift into something else. The way the other dancers went quiet… their eyes darting towards me and then quickly looking away. Stacy herself was waiting, her arms crossed and her lips curled in a smirk that made my stomach turn.

She too had been successful and had a lot of bite marks to show for it. “Back already?” she drawled, eyeing me up and down. “Well, let’s have a look, shall we?”

I handed her the dress without a word, but she wasn’t satisfied with that. She stepped closer, her sharp eyes scanning me from head to toe, as if looking for some sign of what had happened in that VIP room. Her gaze stayed, searching on my neck, my arms, every inch of exposed skin.

“No marks,” she said loud enough for everyone to hear. “Not even a scratch. You must’ve been real careful in there.”

She didn't even talk about the underwear, I stole. I suddenly wished she would talk about that instead. But there was jealousy, and bitterness radiating from the room. They must hate me, thinking I was with the wolves. Not just because I’d been with Malakai, but because I’d come out of it unscathed. In their eyes, that made me lucky. They didn’t understand the torment of being his plaything, of being trapped in a contract I couldn’t escape. All they saw was the surface—the lack of bruises, the absence of claw marks. They didn’t see the damage underneath, the ones that couldn’t be seen.