Sold To The Alpha King

Lila's POV I was a failure, and I had failed once again. I gasped as my lungs burned from the morning run. Even at that, the burn that tortured my muscles was nothing compared to the punishment that I could almost see coming. My legs shook as I stumbled through the entrance of the backyard, my chest heaving from pure exhaustion. I had been extremely late. And by that, I meant only a few minutes longer than my father expected. A few minutes was more than enough to set him off. My father was waiting for me. His brown eyes locked on me the moment I stepped into the yard. His presence was as suffocating as the invisible hands around my throat, and I could see the fury written all over his face. “You’re late,” he growled. “I’m sorry,” I muttered, keeping my eyes low. Apologizing wouldn’t help, but it was automatic now, engraved in the back of my head as an everyday mantra. My father didn’t need to say anything more. The punishment had already been decided long before I crossed that gate. I stood still, bracing myself as he walked up to me, his hands gripping the thick stick he kept just for moments like this. Without wasting any time with more words, he struck the stick across my back with brutal precision. Each hit sent a sharp sting of pain through my body, but I didn’t cry out. I’d learned to endure. I had to. Crying out would only enrage him and make him do worse. The punishment seemed to go on forever, the blows landing over and over, until the pain became something distant and surreal. When he finally stopped, I was on my knees in the dirt, my breath coming off in shallow gasps with my fingers buried deep into the earth. I didn’t dare look at him, afraid of what I might see in his eyes. Hatred, disappointment—sometimes I couldn’t tell the difference. “Get to your room,” he spat, turning his back on me. “You’re a worthless child, Lila. Think about how you could have put yourself in danger by not being fast enough. Even your wolf form is weak. You’re no good.” I stood shakily, ignoring how my body screamed in protest, and I limped into the house. My vision blurred with unshed tears, but I refused to let them fall. I couldn’t afford to break down. Not here. Not now. As soon as I found myself in my room, I locked the door behind me, collapsing onto the bed. The pain from the beating throbbed with every movement, but I welcomed it. The physical pain distracted me from the anger simmering deep inside me. “I can’t stay here any longer,” I whispered to myself as I lay still. I stared down at the headboard, refusing to lie on my back as it would only be hellish, my mind racing. I had been plotting my escape for months, but every time I thought I had a plan, my father would do something to remind me of how trapped I was. Today felt different. Today, the need to leave was more than I ever felt. I wasn’t going to let him control me forever. There had to be more beyond this small, suffocating pack. I spent the rest of the day in my room working through every detail. I knew the forest well from my morning runs, and if I timed it right, I could slip away when my father wasn’t paying attention. He wouldn’t look for me until it was too late. If I made room for one mistake, and I’d end up right back here, facing another round of his punishments. I was deep in thought when a knock sounded at my door. I froze, my heart pounding. Was he coming back for more? “Lila, I need to talk to you,” he called out from the other side of the door. Even though he didn’t sound angry, I didn’t trust that he just wanted to talk. I opened the door cautiously, my muscles still sore and my back stinging from earlier. I steeled myself for whatever my father had planned. He liked to catch me off guard, to keep me on edge. It wouldn’t surprise me if he had another round of training in mind. Training, in his world, was just another form of torture. When I followed behind him into the small room he had made into his office, he sat himself behind his desk, his expression unreadable. The silence stretched between us as he regarded me, and I stood stiffly, waiting for the inevitable command to drop and do push-ups until my arms gave out. But instead, my father leaned back in his chair, studying me with a calculating gaze. “Tomorrow, we leave to meet the Alpha King,” he said finally. I blinked as my mind scrambled to catch up to the announcement. “The Alpha King?” I asked with a confused frown. It was the first time that I would ever be allowed to leave our small pack, let alone meet someone as important as the Alpha King. “Yes,” he replied as if my question had annoyed him somehow. “There’s a tournament, and we’ve been invited. Prepare yourself.” A tournament. My heart leapt with excitement at the idea, despite the fear that came with going somewhere with my father. I’d only ever heard stories about the Alpha King, the ruler of all packs. He was almost a mythical figure to me. To see him—to be a part of something as grand as a tournament—felt surreal. It made me wonder how we, of all people, managed to get invited. My father didn’t give me any more information before he dismissed me. I could hardly contain my excitement as I left his office. The pain from earlier was still there, lingering under my skin, but it had faded to the background. Tomorrow, I would see the world beyond our borders, beyond the suffocating walls of our pack. And I would see the Alpha King. I barely slept that night, my mind racing with thoughts of the tournament and what it would be like to finally see the Alpha King in person. Was he as strong as the stories said? As ruthless? A small part of me still had doubts about everything, but it barely mattered. Morning came soon, and I dressed quickly, still half in disbelief that this was happening. By the time my father came to get me, I was ready, though a small knot of doubt lingered in the pit of my stomach. What if this was some kind of trick? I climbed into the carriage with him, the ride long and quiet. My father didn’t speak, and I didn’t dare ask questions. The further we traveled from our pack, the more my excitement built. I could feel my world expanding with every mile we covered. When we arrived at the Alpha King’s pack, just the size of it took my breath away. It was massive, sprawling with buildings and warriors moving about with purpose. It was nothing like the small, cramped existence I’d known my whole life. As we stepped out of the carriage, I noticed several other packs had gathered as well. Warriors, strong and imposing, lined the entrance, and my heart raced. “What are you getting lost for? Come on!” My father scoffed as he led me inside, his grip tight on my arm. “Do not make it obvious that you’re from one of the smaller packs. Don’t be an idiot.” I followed silently, my eyes taking in every detail as discreetly as possible, my senses overwhelmed by the size and grandeur of it all. When we reached the large open courtyard instead of going up to the bleachers to sit, the realization of why I was really here hit me like a punch to the gut before my father could even say it. The tournament wasn’t just something to watch. I wasn’t here to observe. My father turned to me, his eyes cold and calculating as always. “You’ll be competing,” he said flatly. For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. Competing? I wasn’t prepared for this—I hadn’t trained for a tournament of this scale. The other competitors were seasoned warriors, built for combat. I was… I was just me. But as my father’s words sank in, the weight of his expectations pressing down on me, I realized I didn’t have a choice. I was trapped, once again, by his will. And if I failed this time, it wouldn’t just be another punishment waiting for me back home.