SLAVE TO THE MATE BOND

CHAPTER 6*MEETING THE BETA*

||*RHIAMON*||

"What would happen to us now?" I whispered to Hermionne, who sat beside me in the open room the guards locked us in. We were told to wait for the beta of Alpha supreme, but I don't know why.

We got here and I realised there were other girls here before us, a lot of them, and I had counted about one hundred girls already. I was puzzled because, why would any pack over one hundred girls as s*x slaves? What will happen to the other girls who were brought here last year? Do they return home, get sold off or remain with their masters? The answer to the question puzzled me, but I guess now that we are here, I'll slowly learn the answer.

"Not sure, they'll probably dress us all up, and they make the men choose who they want. I've never witnessed how s*x slaves get auctioned, so I have no idea, but the bottom line is we will end up in a man's bed by the end of the day." Hermione answered and I frowned. I understood everything she said but one word, and it troubled me.

"What do you mean by auctioned?" I asked, peering at her, and Hermione leaned back, looking at me with perplexed eyes.

"Are you being serious right now? You don't know the meaning of the word auction?" She questioned and I nodded. How will I know what it means? I was never allowed to learn. My step-siblings all attended the learning centre in the pack. Adriel once told me that some rich packs built something called a school' where the pack children learn, but our pack was either poor or the Alpha just didn't care.

"I don't." I mumbled, suddenly feeling ashamed, because of the way she was looking at me.

"It is like an event, public or private, where potential buyers place a bid for what they want. Like a competition for who can bid the highest price." Hermione explained, and I smiled, repeating what she had just said in my head so I wouldn't forget.

Although I wasn't allowed to learn like the other kids, Adriel always tells me I have a sharp memory, and I can catch onto things quickly, which was what helped me learn the basic things I knew about education.

"Thank you." I said to Hermione, smiling, and she shook her head.

"You said you're twenty-one and I find it hard to believe. How don't you know these simple things, or are you just pretending in order to gain favour?" She asked and I shook my head. Why would I pretend, what would be my gain by pretending to be someone who I am not?

"I am not pretending, I was never allowed to learn. I have never been allowed out of the house. My father wouldn't let me. Yesterday was the first time I stepped out of my home." I shared it with Hermione and her eyes widened.

She moved closer.

"You're joking, right?" Hermione asked.

"Why would I joke about my entire life?" I asked her, because why would she think this was a joke?

"Oh mother nature, that explains why you're so innocent, how will you survive here when you barely know right from wrong?" Hermione wailed under her breath and her reaction confused me. She was acting as if I had just told her I would die in a few minutes.

"My step-mom told me all I have to do is please the Alpha supreme and I'll gain his favour. She said if I am good, and please him very well, I'll win his favour." I shared with Hermione in a whisper, and she stared dead at me for a moment before she started laughing.

That grabbed the attention of the other girls. We had been chatting amongst themselves and they turned in our direction, looking at Hermione as they probably tried to figure out what was so funny to her.

"Do you know what that means?" Hermione asked, and I nodded.

"Yes, of course. S*x, right? I just have to let him do it whenever he wants and be good." Hermione giggled at me, causing me to frown. She was making fun of me, and it was so obvious.

"Let me ask you this, do you know how s*x works? Like, do you know how people have s*x, what they do and everything about s*x?" She questioned and I nodded.

"Yes, the woman lies down, opens her legs wide enough and the man climbs on top of her body to do it." I answered, feeling so proud of myself.

Hermione stared at me, covered her mouth with her palm and she snickered. My frown deepened as her shoulder shook while she made fun of me. I just knew that is what she was doing.

"Sorry to say, but you're gullible. S*x doesn't work like that." She said, still laughing, and I hit her shoulder lightly.

"Stop laughing and just tell me, do you want me to make a fool of myself before the Alpha?" I whined and she chuckled.

"That would be fun though. By the way, why do you keep thinking the Alpha Supreme would pick you?" Hermione asked, and my mind somehow rushed back to the scene we witnessed in the yard.

My step-mom said it would be an honour if he picked me, but now that I think about it, I am not sure if that's a good idea. He seems like a wicked person, and the rumours I've heard about him. Will he kill me if he finds out I don't know anything about s*x?

"I don't know, I just said it. Can you tell me now..."

"Well I am not sure how to explain it to you, but it's more than just opening your leg wide enough...." She snickered, before she continued. "You know we have v*****s and men have their pricks, well it goes into the hole of our v****a, in and out until the man is satisfied and they release their seed. This is the simplest way I can explain it to you, and this is super weird," Hermione murmured.

I tried to process what she said. If it goes in and out, it means there has to be a lot of movement from the man. So the woman does nothing? Well, it's pretty much the same with what I know, I just need to lie down there, and let the man go in and out of me, until he releases. That's easy. I smiled to myself, in satisfaction at the new-found knowledge.

I should think of how to lie down in a pretty way, that would please the Alpha, or maybe how to spread my legs. I wonder how wide my legs can spread. I've never checked to find out. I hope he likes me, and doesn't think I am two in one like my step-mom would say. She calls me that because she says I have the upper body of a boy and the lower body of a woman.

"Thank you." I said to Hermione, leaning against the wall just as the door opened and a tall lady walked in dressed in smart clothes.

"Hello, girls." She clapped her hands to get everyone's attention, while some female guards walked in behind her. I was shocked to see ladies dressed as guards, because I had never seen female guards before and I didn't know they were even allowed.

"Welcome to the Arlo pack, I am Dextra, Beta and second-in command of the Alpha Supreme Aroha." She said, smiling as her eyes roamed the room, and they landed on my every saucy eyes. Once again, I was shocked that the Beta of the pack was a lady. A lady as second-in command? I didn't know these things were possible.

"You're the half-breed." She said, pointing at me as she smiled, and I nodded. Why was she smiling at me? I couldn't ask but it was weird.

"What is your name, sunshine?" Sunshine? Did she just call me sunshine?

"Rhiamon." I replied, and she nodded, smiling broadly at me. This was weird, she was acting like she'd been expecting me or someone told her something about me.

"You're a native of the land." She acknowledged and I nodded. . It wasn't hard to find out. If my name wasn't a dead give away, then my hair and skin tone was. I have the largest hair amongst the girls in the room, and virtually all the girls were lighter than I am.

I watched as her eyes moved to Hermione and they lingered on her for minutes before the Beta looked away with indifference in her eyes.

"Is something wrong?" I whispered to Hermione, and she shook her head stiffly.

"Listen up girls, I know you've heard rumors about this pack, and what we do the slaves brought here. Yeah, you've been told you are s*x slaves. Well, some of you might be, if you're lucky, but using you as s*x slaves is far from the reason you are here. Once I select the four girls needed in this mansion, the rest of you will be led away by those guards behind. You'll be assigned rooms to share, they'll show you where to have your baths, you'll be given new clothing items and you can rest for today. Tomorrow, you'll be branded by Alpha supreme. Mind you, the branding is to make sure none of you try to flee while you're here, because once you step foot outside the marked perimeter, we'll know and you'll be hunted down. Well, I am not sure if you'll have any reason to run anyway." She informed us all, with a tight grin on her face.

"Also, know that the branding doesn't mean you're slaves, know every member of the Arlo pack wears the mark of the Arlo pack on their forearm. After your branding, you're allowed two more days to rest before the guards assigned to you will take you all to the silk factory. Don't worry, there are other girls there. Know that after completing your daily tasks, you are allowed to move freely, be yourself, make friends, don't get pregnant, you'll be returned to your packs and we all know they don't treat any of you right. Imagine what they would do to a pregnant omega?" The girls all seemed shocked by this new revelation of working in a silk factory and they all murmured amongst themselves.

"I know you all thought you were sent here to please our men. Don't worry, we have enough women for that. Alpha Supreme knows the packs in this region do not treat their omegas well. I can see the bone sticking out of some of you, how worn and exhausted you all look. You are not all here as s*x slaves. You'll be treated well, but you have to work for it. Your freedom to eat well, live well in exchange for some hours of work at the silk factory. I guess that sounds good, right?" She asked, smiling as she looked around and I raised my hand.

I know I probably shouldn't, but I was curious, and I needed answers to the question in my head earlier about the girls that came before us.

"You have something to say, sunshine?" She asked and I nodded, my cheeks heating up at the nickname.

"Go on." She gestured.

"I uhh, it's a question." I murmured and she nodded.

"Ask, it's good to ask questions when you find things confusing."

"The girls that were here before us, the ones from last year. What will happen to them?" I asked, fiddling with my fingers and she clapped.

"That is a good question. A few of them found their mates early, and they were relieved of their duties so they could be with their mates. The ones remaining will be relieved of their duties now that you're all here. They are welcome to stay as permanent pack members, and if they still want to work in the factory they get paid like regular workers. Some are allowed to put in a favour with the Alpha supreme. And some are granted safety in other packs that treat omegas better than your previous packs." She explained.

I still wasn't sure if I understood their purpose of taking us out of our packs for this, but I wasn't going to ask that.

"What if they want to go back home, would the Alpha supreme let them go?" I asked and she craned her neck to the side.

"Now that you're here, do you want to go back home?" She asked, and I swallowed. Do I want to go back home, to be locked up in that house with no freedom to do anything? But will I be free here? Even if I am not, it is still better than home.

"No." I answered firmly and she smiled.

"Right, I have never seen a girl who wanted to return to their old pack after their time here. Now does anyone else ask any questions before I ask mine?" She asked aloud and everyone remained silent.

"No one. The girls from Kasa pack." She turned her attention to us, with a tight face.

"Alpha supreme would like to know why your carriage arrived late this morning." The beta said and I swallowed, turning to Hermione, whose face lacked any sort of expression or emotions.

"I could ask the guards, but I have a feeling they might lie to cover up whatever caused the delay. So who will tell me what happened?" Hermione grabbed my hand as I moved and she shook her head slightly, telling me not to say anything. A few minutes passed and no one made a move to tell her what happened.

"Should I call the Alpha supreme to ask you the questions himself?" She asked, and I stood up, despite Hermione's protest.

"You have something to say, sunshine?" She asked and I nodded. "Go ahead then," she encouraged, and I pondered if I should tell the truth or just tell her I had thrown up on the guards. Yet I don't know if she would believe what the guards tried to do, but I also don't want them to walk away with such disgusting thoughts.

"The guards tried to rape us." I answered in one breath and the beta frowned.

"The guards tried to rape you? All of you?" She asked, and I realised I didn't know if they wanted to do it to the other girls also.

"I don't know, we... I heard them talking about the night as a perfect time to do it and how nobody checks if the girls are virgins. They were also talking about my body." I explained and she seemed amused.

"So you're saying they tried to rape you? They were planning to rape only you?" She asked.

"I think so." Thinking about it now, that doesn't sound so believable.

"Did the rest of you know about this?" She asked the other girls and they shook their heads.

"Humour me, sunshine, how did you get them to change their minds, because you said they tried to not that they did." She questioned.

"I threw up on them." The more answers I gave the more I realized how dumb all this sounded to the ear.

"So you can control your stomach and switch on when to throw up?" She joked and some of the girls snickered at the joke. I realised I was making a fool out of myself and I cast my head down, there was nothing to really prove they tried to or had the mindset to do that to me.

"She's saying the truth, I heard them say it before they left our pack. When they stopped in the woods later at night, I gave her Muskrat and Greenweed. We ate it together and threw up on the guards. The other girls woke up to the commotion. The guards we threw up on left us with the last guard while they went in search of water. That was why they brought us in late. You can ask the ginger guard amongst them." Hermione said, standing up beside me and she held my hand.

"Are you sure of what you're saying? Also, how did you magically get those herbs?" The beta asked Hermione, and she pushed up her skirt, bringing out the pouch with the herb.

"I always carry this with me, and I know men are nasty. I was going to use it on any old geezer I was given to as a s*x slave." Hermione confessed and the smile wiped off the face of the beta.

"Both of you follow me..." She ordered in a stern voice. She turned to the guards behind. "Scarlet, take two of the girls, you know what to do and their duty. On your way out, make sure the guards from Kesa's pack are not allowed to leave until I confirm this story. The rest of you escort the other girls to their dorm and they get them settled in." The beta instructed before leading Rhiamon and I out of the room.

I just hope I haven't got us into any trouble. I could've stayed quiet but it didn't seem right. We stepped out of the building and the beta stopped.

"I will check to confirm your stories. Meanwhile, you are both assigned to the Alpha supreme's mansion. What is your name?" She asked without looking at Hermione, but we all know her question was meant for Hermione.

"Hermione."

"Hermione, do you know how to cook?"

"Yes, I do."

"Good, I'll take you to the cook you'll be taking over from. You're assigned to the kitchen and also cleaning." The beta informed, and Hermione frowned.

"I'll clean the entire Mansion?" Hermione asked when followed behind the beta.

"No, just the areas assigned to you."

"Sunshine, I have something else planned for you." She said, wearing a sly smile, and I swallowed suddenly, feeling self-conscious. "But first, I need to report what you told me to the Alpha supreme, stay here and don't touch anything." She instructed, leading us to the sitting room after she opened large doors that led inside the mansion, through a beautiful passage.

I didn't know houses like this were called mansions, but I was more intrigued about the sitting room. It was nothing like anything I'd seen before. It had seats but they were a lot different from the wooden ones we have in our sitting room at home.

Two large seats connected to each other at one end, with a curve at the other end that formed into another seat, and just from the looks of it one could tell it would feel so comfortable to sit on.

I looked around the sitting area, and my eyes moved all over items with different shapes that I had never seen before in life.

"What are all these?" I whispered to Hermione.

"Furniture, I guess, but I don't know what most of it is called," Hermione replied. I guess that makes two of us. If she doesn't know what they are, that means it's not just about me having little knowledge of how the world works outside my father's home.