Owned By The Alphas novel Chapter 2

“They protect us, Lorelai. If it weren’t for the wolves, our village would have been destroyed during the great war, the vampires would own humans, and we would simply be walking blood bags,” she reminded.

“As opposed to walking sex slaves?” I taunted, and her scowl deepened.

“Enough, Lorelai. It’s the way things are. We are human, surrounded by creatures far more terrifying than us. We must accept the blessings we are given, and that is the protection from the alphas,” she said, then left the room, expecting me to follow.

I did—just as the horn blared from the bonfire.

Mother’s eyes widened. “Lorelai, run!”

2. The Offering

“What, why?” I demanded.

“They are here! You cannot be late or our family will be cast to the Vampire Territory!” she cried.

I sucked in a breath. I had never seen that happen before.

She pulled a shawl over her shoulders, then grabbed my hand, abandoning our hut and hauling me through the matching homes.

It was bloody freezing, the warmth of the fire and wooden floorboards at home changing to damp grass and soft mud. I hadn’t even put on my twine shoes.

Apparently, that was less of an infraction than being late.

Mother and I raced through the huts toward the bonfire as the music leveled and the villagers fell quiet.

The night air was cold and ominous as my mother pushed me into the lineup with the other offerings, all wearing the same provided silk lace dress that I was. They had their twine feet decor on though.

Breathing hard, I eyed the dark carriages on the gravel behind the bonfire. There were two of them, both black with a wolf head on the side.

Mother patted my hair down and readjusted my dress as the others were fluffed by their own guardians.

“Mom.” I smacked her hand away as she tried to stand me straighter. I was already taller than the other girls, I didn’t need to stand out more.

I hadn’t been nervous before, but now I was; something about standing there on display, waiting for them to climb from the carriages, had my heart racing.

“Please them, Lorelai. Make them happy,” my mom whispered.

“They have everything they could ever want or need in their fancy mansion; they have access to any girl in the entire Werewolf Territory. How the hell am I meant to please them with a vagina I’ve never used before?” I demanded in a hushed tone, and my mom tried to hide her smirk, failing as she held my face and kissed my forehead.

“I know the books you read, my dear, you know exactly what to do.” She winked back, and I snickered, drawing frowns my way.

I ignored them and hugged my mom.

“I love you,” I whispered against her.

“I love you too.” She breathed, then stepped back. She looked over me, her eyes filled with pride, just as the moon began to cast red shadows over everything.

I sucked in a breath and looked up. The blood moon.

“Holy shit,” I bit, my legs feeling like jelly as the severity of the situation hit me.

It wasn’t just sex. It was three alpha douchebags claiming my body in exchange for my family’s protection. A family I didn’t even get to see because of their stupid laws.

My eyes scanned the crowd, locking on navy eyes and a face almost identical to mine.

My brother.

He was taller than me, with clean stubble covering his jawline. His hair was dark like mine, his body slender like mine, his lips full like mine.

My eyes watered as I felt the twin connection burn through me, still as strong as ever, and I hadn’t realized how scared I had been of not feeling that.

I clutched my arms tightly, the cold air giving me goosebumps as I smiled at him.

“Lucas,” I breathed, and as soon as the name left my lips, a shadow fell over me.

“Stand,” he growled, and everyone got to their feet. He stepped closer, my breasts brushing his torso as he looked down.

“Why were you late?” he asked, his voice a dangerous tone that said he was threatening me even though his words weren’t direct.

I scrambled my brain for an answer, opting for the truth-ish.

“I almost wore the wrong underwear. Sir,” I said, my eyes meeting his as his lips moved so close to mine, I could taste the whiskey on his breath.

A smirk tugged at his mouth before he leaned back, leaving my body drowning in sensation that I didn’t understand. His fingers brushed up my thigh, and my breath hitched.

He lifted my hem, revealing the white lace panties that I was required to wear, his finger tracing the lace trimming as my eyes fluttered closed, my skin on fire where he touched.

My heart raced. I had no idea why I was reacting so strongly, but it made the idea of getting naked with the guy that much more exciting.

“Hmmm. Carriage one,” he called before stepping back.

My eyes flung open, and he moved to the next girl. My eyes went back to my family.

My father was grinning proudly, his arm wrapped around my mom. She had tears in her eyes as my brother clenched his jaw.

I could feel his anger, and I wanted to go to him. I wanted to hug him. But I had to wait until tomorrow.

I swallowed back the emotion as the second alpha came over. The Forest alpha.

He was the oldest, but his face was the friendliest. His brown hair was shorter than the others and smoothed back. He wore jeans, his muscles and strong body on display as much as the other two.

The V on his hips went down below his waistline, and I bit my lip. The alphas were sexy as hell. I couldn’t even deny that.

My body hummed at the idea of being beneath that much power. Derik Achlis leaned in, sniffing my neck as I shivered, his body heat warming my icy skin. He smirked.

“Give Nikolai hell, beautiful,” he said in a low voice, brushing my ear with his lips before moving to the next girl.