Runaway Breeder of the Dark King(Breeder#3)

Season3 Runaway Breeder of the Dark King Fire. Smoke. Howls of desperation. Thousands of bodies were under me, and I could sense no hope in the air. And there he was, standing on top of the pile of corpses, coated in blood. His body was as still as a statue; his face was emotionless, almost no different than those of the dead on the ground below him. Then he saw me. I watched light gather in his dark eyes and life seemed to return to him. Slowly, his lips parted into a stunning smile that outshined the starry night sky. He reached out his hand. “Come to me,” he whispered. My legs moved toward him as if they had a will of their own. But I was well aware that every step I took was one step closer to my own eternal death. *** “You seem awfully cheerful for someone who just woke up.” Brook grabbed my outfit for me. “But let’s hurry. We can’t be late!” “Thank Goddess you’re here!” I barely had time to yawn before I jumped up and started shoving myself into my clothes. We had arrived at the royal palace late last night. I was still exhausted from traveling, and looking around, I could tell that I wasn't the only one who felt this way. Eighty of us, all girls between the ages of twenty to twenty-one from different packs throughout the country, had been summoned and rushed to the royal palace within the past three days. The order said we’d be there to serve the royal court and would return to our packs with glory when we had fulfilled our duties. The royal court praised us for our diligence and commitment to the kingdom, but we all knew that the only reason we were here was because we had no choice. It was the only way to keep our packs alive. No one would voluntarily come to the palace. Alpha King Sebastian Crimson wasn’t known for being kind, and his favorite son, Prince Theo, was even more dangerous and ruthless than his father. But regardless of their fearful reputations, they were both worshiped. The royal bloodline descended from the Dark Moon, and their power to reign was blessed by the Moon Goddess herself. “I was honestly jealous that you were able to fall asleep. I’ve been worrying the whole night,” said Brook as we followed the head maid down the hall. Sleep was never difficult for me; I’d been trained since I was young to seize every opportunity to rest, ensuring that I was physically and mentally prepared to handle anything unexpected that came my way. “Worrying won’t help.” I gave her a small grin. “The more concerning the situation, the more important it is to have a well-rested mind.” “Easier said than d–” Brook didn’t finish her sentence as she gasped, “What is this place?!” I followed her gaze and immediately understood her fear. We were in a large, dimly lit room, with most of the space still hidden in darkness. All we could see in front of us was a huge painting of a wolf with a lifeless forest behind him; a menacing look covered its face as blood dripped from his teeth. The shadowy light in the room made the bloody wolf look even more vivid, as if it would jump out of the wall at any moment to claim us as its prey. A chill went down my spine, and all I wanted to do was to run for my life… yet the painting seemed to possess some sort of power that drew me in. I couldn’t look away. Then my gaze turned to the wolf’s eyes; they were the most breathtaking I’d ever seen on any creature. However, they were cold, bloodthirsty, and yet… filled with pain. “Wait here, ladies,” the head maid said, and then, giving a terse bow, she headed out a side door, leaving all eighty of us standing in the middle of the enormous, frightening room. We were surrounded by similar works of art; the eerie atmosphere made us feel like we were lambs waiting to be slaughtered and sacrificed. I’d taken a deep breath and pulled my eyes away from the painting when I noticed that some girls had started to sob, and others had nearly passed out and had to be caught by those standing next to them. I considered myself brave, but even for me, it was hard work to calm my pounding heart. I reached out to give Brook’s hand a gentle squeeze. “Brook, look at me. Take a deep breath.” Hearing what I said, she snapped out of her trance and let out a sigh of relief after a couple of seconds. Looking away from the painting had definitely helped calm her fears. “What do they want from us?” she asked in a murmur. I shook my head. “I don’t know. But think about something else. You’ll feel better; I promise,” I said. She swallowed hard and looked like she was trying to do just that. “Something else…” she said quietly, as if thinking it over, then she leaned over to my ear and whispered, “How about this–were you dreaming of your secret boyfriend again?” I almost choked at her words. On our train ride to the royal palace, Brook and I had became good friends. Her father was the Alpha of Elmorn pack. I had mentioned to Brook that I’d met someone special when I was young. Ever since then, she’d been calling him my “secret boyfriend.” I lowered my voice. “Hey! I’m trying to help you and you’re making fun of me?” I smiled a little and decided to play along. “He’s called a secret boyfriend because he’s a SECRET!” She chuckled, and that finally lifted her mood. We exchanged a grin. At least part of this trip had been worth it so far; at least I’d made a good friend. “What are we, slaves now?” An annoyed comment broke the silence in the room. Brook and I turned to see who had spoken. Sophia Chambers of Pomeni pack, one of the most beautiful women I’d ever seen, raised her voice and began to grumble about her mistreatment. “Really, they’re treating us like slaves, like cattle.” While I agreed with her to an extent, I wasn’t about to draw attention to myself like that. Our fates were in the hands of the royals, and I didn’t come from a powerful pack like hers, which even the Alpha King would think twice before challenging. I lowered my head to avoid eye contact with her, trying my best to stay out of trouble. But it was too late; she’d already spotted us. “What the f**k are you so happy about?” Sophia pointed at me; her eyes narrowed as if my grin was a direct insult to her gloomy mood. I pretended that I didn’t know she was talking to me, but that only irritated her more. “How dare you? I’m speaking to you!” The crowd parted, and Sophia placed her long fingers on her hips as she looked me over. Her dark hair was done up on top of her head, showing off the length of her elegant neck. Her long, flowing white gown brushed the floor as she stuck out her hip. I turned my back to her and grabbed Brook’s arm, trying to get away, but Sophia wouldn’t give up. Since she couldn’t seem to get a reaction out of me, she pointed to Brook instead. “You, redhead! Come with me to get my hair fixed. Now.” This wasn’t the first time Sophia had acted out. She was barking orders at the other girls on the train as well. Even when we’d gotten in late last night, she’d told one of the other girls to carry her overnight bag to her room. Brook hesitated for a moment. Not wanting to cause more conflicts, she took a step in Sophia’s direction, but I didn’t let go of her arm. “No,” I said, my voice not loud or harsh, but determined. “What’s that?” Sophia moved toward me, taking long steps to get closer. I sent a sharp look right back at her. “I said no,” I told her. “Listen, Sophia. We’re all Alphas’ daughters here. There’s no need for any of us to be bossing the others around. Besides, if you leave now, you might not be back in time. Feel free to get yourself in trouble, but Brook is not going anywhere with you.” “Well, who f*****g died and left you the queen of the world?” Sophia glared at me and raised her hand. I narrowed my eyes. If she dared to strike first, I would make her regret it. At that moment, a door across the room opened. Sophia gave me an ‘I’m-not-done-with-you’ look and stepped away to see who was there. In came a tall man about my father’s age. His uniform conveyed that he was important. “Ladies, ladies!” the man said, raising his hand to get our attention and to welcome us. We all moved in around him so that we could hear. “Thank you for being here. I am Beta Xavier, Alpha King Sebastian’s loyal servant, and it is my duty and honor to address you today.” No one said a word as we stared at him, holding our breath, praying to the Moon Goddess that we would finally find out what all this was about. “Now, I’ve heard that some of you believe you are here to be maids in the palace.” With that, I heard murmurs around me as others tried to confirm the source of the news. Beta Xavier paused for a moment and chuckled. “Well, no. You’re not here to be maids. You are actually here because it is time for our most esteemed and respected prince to finally settle down and… produce an heir.” “An heir?” Sophia blurted, and then, the other girls reacted as well, some of them rather loudly. “That’s right, an heir!” Beta Xavier’s voice was deeper and louder than any of ours, so when he spoke, everyone grew quiet. “If any of you is able to produce an heir for our prince, you shall become a noble lady and live in the palace for the rest of your life! Think of all of the honor that will rain down upon your family for being the woman who has mothered a prince, potentially the next Alpha King of our great land!” He spoke with grandeur, his deep voice echoing through the room, and once again, he paused to wait for the girls to react. Almost immediately, the tense cloud of gloom that hovered over the crowd was replaced with excitement. Even Sophia looked pleasantly surprised. “I see that you are delighted to hear the news,” Xavier said with a satisfied smile. “It may please you even more to know that it isn’t impossible that the young lady who is capable of birthing the heir may actually become… Prince Theo’s Luna!” #