The Runaway Breeder

CHAPTER 6

　　I look at my handiwork in the kitchen. This is the last room to be cleaned. All the dishes are now done and stored nicely and neatly in the cupboards. It has been an exhausting day, from being designated as the new Breeder to my small breakdown outside and finally having to clean an entire cottage all by myself. I should have made a stupid guard help me clean since their job is to basically keep me locked in this property. Still, the thought of one of the wolves outside stepping into my designated space causes the anger to swell inside me at this unjust situation.

　　I lean against the marble counter, a glass of red wine from the bottle I found in the pantry in my hands. Taking a sip, I turn to look at the time on the microwave—ten o'clock at night. I know that as a sixteen-year-old, I'm three years underage to legally drink in Canada but f**k it, I really need something strong after the day I've had. Chris always limited me to one glass of wine at functions, so the alcohol has little effect on me. Suddenly, something vibrates against my leg, causing me to jump and nearly choke on my drink. Remembering that I had stashed my cellphone into the pocket of my skirt earlier this morning, I place the glass on the counter and proceed to take out the device. My screen flashes with a picture of me and my best friend Abby, and a small smile plays on my lips as I slide my finger across the screen to answer her incoming call.

　　"Hey, Ab-" I begin, heading upstairs as she cuts my greeting off.

　　"Is it true? Are you the newest Breeder?" I wince at her words and sigh—something I've been doing all day—telling her to give me a moment since there are guards outside my cottage. Heading towards the master bedroom, I make my way towards the bath and turn on the shower, letting the running water mask our conversation.

　　"Yeah, it's true, sadly," I reply after a while, sliding down the wall to sit on the cold tiled floor. "We have to save you!" My best friend exclaims, worry evident in her voice. The tears start to pool in my blue eyes and escape down my cheeks.

　　"You can't do anything. Think about your mate. He's the Beta here, and if Alpha Sam finds out you tried to free me, imagine what would happen." My voice cracks as I begin to sob again for the second time today. I make a quick decision and tell my best friend all my fears and worries about my new position, about how I wish I wasn't chosen as a Breeder at all and wish I had met my mate before today since mated females are safe from becoming a Breeder. By the end of my sobbing rant, I feel better with a clearer mind. Talking to a friend really helps.

　　"I know I'm allowed to come to see you tomorrow to help get the house decorated, so I'll bring you some essentials. What do you want?" Abby says quietly, trying to distract me from the current situation. I smile and let out a chuckle at her antics. As the Beta Female and surrogate Luna of this pack, my friend has a say in what happens with the new Breeder, and it is her job to help the Breeder settle in on the second day. I somehow got lucky, with Abby being my best friend and growing up together as children, even if she is three years older than me.

　　"As many clothes as you can grab from my closet, lots of chocolate to help my emotionally unstable mind right now and my phone charger, please. Talk to my cousin and his mate about stuff to bring for me." I rattle off a list, glad that my friend's status allows her to visit me whenever she wants.

　　"Okay, I will see you tomorrow then." She reassures me as we say our good nights and end our phone call. I turn off all sound on my phone, not wanting the guards to take it away from me in case I need to reach Chris or Jack in an emergency. I turn off the shower, and silence resumes. Trying to think of a hiding spot in my room where no one will find my cellphone, I leave the bathroom and make my way towards the nightstand beside the bed and pull open the top drawer, a wide grin spread across my face. What looks to be a simple empty drawer actually holds a pleasant surprise: a false bottom that I had discovered in my mad cleaning session. It was something I guess the previous Breeder had created using a piece of wood matching the nightstand since she had left a leather notebook containing what I assume to be a biography or note for the next Breeder now sitting on the nightstand. I plan to read it at some point to see just how the Breeder who once resided here lived daily. Hopefully, this book could give me details on how to survive and what I can do to make my life less miserable as a Breeder.

　　Once my cellphone is secure in its hiding spot, I look at the leather notebook and debate whether I should read it or not. Curiosity wins out as I grab it with one hand and sit cross-legged in the middle of the bed, taking the time to read what my predecessor wrote. I decide that reading everything in one sitting is a bad idea and focus on the first few pages. I quickly discovered that this notebook is actually a diary. My focus is captivated by the first entry from twenty years ago when she was forced to become a Breeder and what transpired on that day. My heart breaks for this she-wolf who remains nameless in her entry, as she wrote about being immediately dragged away to the cottage without a goodbye to her family. She was thrown into this cottage that was completely empty compared to what it is now—save for a bed—and this she-wolf spent her night cold and lonely. I felt better knowing that the treatment this she-wolf went through is different from what I went through today. At least I had some food in the fridge, and there is some form of furniture and bedding for me to use, even if the other rooms were empty.

　　Taking the time to read the next entry, my eyes widen in horror. Instead of the she-wolf having a few days to settle into her new role, the breeding process started the next morning. She had lost all her rights as a regular wolf right away. My heart drops in horror as I read of her being awoken and promptly r***d by the Alpha and another Warrior. There was neither the courtesy that we experience now nor any humane treatment.

　　Placing the leather book down, I take a deep breath and re-evaluate my situation. I could settle into my new role, knowing I have a few days to take everything in and focus on any plan I could, or I could fight back and possibly be injured. I decided a shower would do me well with the new information from the diary and make my way to the bathroom, turn the shower on and undress while the water comes to a temperature I prefer. Stepping into the spray of warm water, I allow my thoughts to circulate with the rules I was told of being a Breeder, what the next few days will be like for me as well as the two entries from the Diary. If I want to survive, I will have to be obedient as a Breeder for now and do what I am told. Accepting my fate, I pick up the loofa and scrub away the grime from cleaning off of my body. My mind wanders to the thought of what to do with this cottage. I think of what to do with the other rooms since I have no choice but to perform this role as the pack's Breeder. Since I would need a nursery for the many newborns, I will be forced to have and a room for any toddlers, I would have to decorate those rooms first. The time ticks by, and I force myself to stop thinking. Anything that needs to be done can be dealt with tomorrow.

　　With the water turning cold, I turn off the water and step out of the shower, wrapping my body in a towel that envelops my small body. I slowly open the bathroom door, the steam escaping the warm room. I start to shiver from the cold breeze that rushes to greet me. Quickly, I run to the walk-in closet, taking the oversized, long-sleeved shirt and boy shorts I had found and cleaned earlier and quickly towel-dried my body to put the fresh set of clothes on.

　　Padding quietly into my room, I shiver once again, remembering that all the windows were opened when I began cleaning earlier. I want nothing more than to fall into the queen-sized mattress and allow sleep to take over. But instead, I rush around the cottage, closing all the windows and the back door. Even though it is late spring now, the weather in our pack territory still held up as early-spring-almost-at-the-end-of-winter weather since we are located in the northern part of Ontario, close to the Hudson Bay. Checking the thermostat to make sure the cottage warms up, I finally head back upstairs and into my room. I climb into bed, wrapping the warm, soft blankets around me and letting my exhausted body relax as the scent of the lavender fabric softener surrounds and soothes me into a deep, dreamless sleep.