Sold To The Alphas

Kaia

It was too early for anyone to be awake, but my room felt like a coffin. I couldn't stay in there. I hadn't slept, and my body felt like lead, dragging across the floor. My brain was a thick fog, heavy and slow, moving like a corpse.

The hallway was a tomb. Silent. Empty. Perfectly still.

Then I felt it. A prickle on the back of my neck. Something was in the shadows, tracking me.

The hit came out of nowhere. A shadow slammed into me, shoving me into a dark corner until the walls felt like they were closing in to swallow me whole.

A white-hot flash of pain erupted across my face. The slap was a single, sharp crack that echoed off the stone.

"You little bitch!"

Devora's face was twisted, ugly with a manic kind of rage. Behind her, her two shadows hovered with grins that were too wide and far too sharp. Their teeth glinted like small, hungry predators.

She fist her hand into my hair, yanking my head back until my scalp burned. "You're a whore! I saw the way you threw yourself at Damon! You think you're good enough to even look at the son of the Second Empire?"

My cheek was a sheet of fire. I tried to pull away, my voice trembling. "I-I didn't! I never even looked at him!"

Her laugh was thin and jagged, like breaking glass. "Liar! You're nothing without your father. You're trash! He is mine!"

The air left me. They moved in like a pack. A fist sank into my stomach, stealing my breath. Another cracked against my ribs. A brutal rain of strikes followed-stomach, side, face. One set of nails clawed at my head while another blow landed in my side. Every nerve in my body screamed in a single, dying note of agony.

Then, something inside me snapped.

The pain didn't just fade; it vanished. The world stopped hurting. Everything went quiet. The high-pitched, terrified ringing in my ears died down, replaced by a low, hungry roar.

I didn't plan the next move. I didn't think at all. I just became a blur. My hands shot out, not to block, but to destroy.

I locked my fingers around Devora's throat.

Her eyes went wide. The hate drained out of her face, replaced by raw, naked terror.

"G-gah..." She tried to scream, but it only came out as a wet, choked rattle.

Power surged through my veins, hot and heavy like molten metal. I lifted her off her feet. She kicked and clawed, but it was like a doll fighting a mountain. I threw her against the cold wall with a force that made the stones vibrate. She felt light. She felt pathetic.

Her friends froze. Their cruel little smiles shattered. I could smell the sharp, stinking scent of their fear.

I felt nothing. No pain, no regret. Only the rage.

My vision bled into something else. The blue was gone, replaced by a cold, burning silver. A monstrous strength filled me, something that didn't feel human at all. Something that was starving for more.

"He... is... not... worth... this," I hissed. My voice was a dark, heavy rasp that sounded like dry bone grinding under a massive weight.

"L-let me g-go..." Devora sobbed. Tears streaked through the purple-red bruises forming on her face.

The silver light in my eyes flared. The hallway felt too small for the thing I was becoming. Devora felt like paper in my hands. I could crush the life out of her with a single thought. She had dared to touch me.

Her friends didn't wait around. They shrieked, stumbling over their own feet as they bolted down the hall. "Help! She's killing her! She's a monster!"

My rage beat like a war drum in my chest. Devora's face was turning a sickening shade of gray. It would be so easy to just finish it.

I was a second away from snapping her neck when the heavy, synchronized thud of boots broke the silence.

Two massive figures rounded the corner. Academy Guards. Their eyes locked onto the scene, turning hard and cold in an instant.

"Miss Kaia," Victor, the lead guard, barked. His voice was a wall of authority. "Drop her. Now."

The molten heat in my blood simmered down. It knew the rules. It recognized the power in his voice. I let go.

Devora crumpled to the floor, coughing and sobbing as she clutched her bruised throat. My hands were shaking, not from weakness, but from the sudden, violent loss of that power. The silver light snapped back to a dull blue, leaving a hollow, aching void behind.

Victor didn't even look at Devora. He watched me. A flash of something-knowing, maybe a warning-danced in his hard eyes for a split second.

"Miss Kaia," he said again, his voice dropping to a lower, softer tone. "Come with us."

They flanked me, their sheer size forming a walking cage. They didn't touch me, but I felt the weight of the invisible chains as I walked between them. I left Devora gasping on the floor.

Students peered out from their doorways, their faces pale with fear. The whispers died the moment they saw my eyes.

They marched me away from the fake marble and the polished uniforms of the Academy. My father had built this place on our land-a gold-plated cage for the children of the elite. A place that demanded I stay silent and small.

I was the daughter of the most powerful man in the world, and all they had for me was hate.

"Your father will be notified," one of the guards muttered, avoiding my gaze as if I were radioactive.

Of course he would.

I was marched straight to my room like a common criminal. The door shut with a heavy, final click.

I sat on the edge of the bed, my hands still trembling. My mind kept looping the image of Devora dangling in the air. The ease of it. The strength. The fire in my eyes.

What was I turning into?

My heart wouldn't settle. Something inside my ribs paced back and forth, restless and wild. It felt like a fever that wouldn't break.

A knock cut through the quiet.

Astra walked in. She was cold as always, her lab coat crisp and her hair pulled back so tight it looked painful.

"Good morning, Kaia."

She set the tray of syringes on the table. The metal clinking made my stomach knot. I hated this routine. I hated how normal the sight of needles had become.

"I heard you attacked a student today," Astra said. She didn't bother looking up from her work. "Is it true?"

"Yes."

The word felt like lead in my mouth.

Her eyes flicked to the silver bracelets locked around my wrists. They were heavy and cold: cuffs disguised as jewelry.

"I see. How are the bracelets feeling today?"

"They're fine." My voice was sharper than I intended. I hated those things. I hated the weight of them.

Astra didn't flinch. She never did. She pressed a needle against my skin and I held my breath. The sting was sharp, but I let it happen. Pain was the only thing that felt honest anymore.

"Do you want the good news?" she asked, pressing a cotton ball to the red bead on my arm.

I stared at the floor. I didn't give her the satisfaction of an answer. She waited, then smiled like she was holding a winning card.

"Today is the last day for these."

My head snapped up. "What are you talking about?"

"Your father will explain at dinner. Just keep it between us for now."

Before I could press her, a guard stepped into the room.

"Miss Kaia. Your trainer is waiting."

I stood up fast, my mind spinning. No more needles. No more bracelets. Was I being cured? Or was this just another one of my father's traps?

When I got to the gym, Cain was already there. His arms were crossed over his chest, muscles straining against his black shirt. His jaw was a hard line. His eyes looked like they wanted to burn a hole through me.

"You're late, Princess," he muttered.

I reached for the weights, avoiding his stare. "Sorry."

I didn't even get to lift. Another guard burst in, chest heaving.

"Stop. Change of plans. The Boss is here early. Shower and meet him in the dining room. You have ten minutes."

My heart dropped into my stomach. My father never broke the schedule. Ever.

He'd heard about the fight.

I threw on the dress he'd left for me and ran downstairs. The ends of my hair were still damp, sticking to the back of my neck. The dining room was too bright and far too cold. The massive table was set for a crowd, but only three people sat there. My father was at the head. Astra was at his right. On his left sat a girl I'd never seen before. She looked stiff, her fingers twisting together as if she were trying to disappear into the chair.

My father's eyes locked onto mine the second I stepped inside. His gaze felt like a hand tightening around my throat.

"Kaia Wren Lykandros," he said. His voice was a blade. "You. Are. Late."

I sat down, my palms damp against the silk of the dress. "I'm sorry. I didn't think the schedule would-"

"Seconds matter in this life, Kaia." He cut me off without a second thought. "I heard you did something very unusual this morning."

I nodded, panic fluttering in my chest. "I'm sorry, Fa-"

"It's fine." His jaw tightened. "Starting tomorrow, everything changes. Your training will double. Your studies will shift. There are duties you should have learned years ago. I am correcting that failure now."

I dug my nails into my thighs under the table. I stayed silent.

He gestured to the stranger. "This is Selene. She is your mentor. When you begin bleeding, we will hold your ceremony."

My breath hitched. Bleeding. Ceremony. The air in the room felt thin.

He dismissed me with a sharp wave of his hand. "You may go."

I didn't wait. A guard escorted me out before I could even blink.

By the time I reached my room, I was shaking. I stripped out of the frilly dress, throwing it on the floor, and pulled on a T-shirt and leggings. I opened my laptop to a story about a spy: someone with actual freedom. I envied her. She had danger, but she also had a choice. I just had walls and guards.

I'd only read a few lines when a knock came. Astra walked in, Selene trailing behind her. I slammed my laptop shut. The room felt tiny. The bars on the balcony suddenly looked much more like a prison than architecture.

"Kaia," Astra said, her voice steady and frozen. "We need to talk."

My heart gave a violent kick. "About what?"

Selene shifted, her eyes darting toward the corners of the ceiling.

Astra stepped closer. Her face was a blank mask. "You are a werewolf."

I stared at her. I waited for the punchline. I waited for her to laugh or point out a hidden camera.

A laugh bubbled up in my throat and burst out. "What? Is this a joke? Am I supposed to be scared? Where's the camera?"

Astra's expression didn't change.

"You are a werewolf, Kaia," she repeated. The words were slow and heavy: like a cage door locking shut.

My laugh died. The air pressure in the room seemed to drop, making my ears pop. "You're actually serious."

Selene nodded. Her gaze was steady, almost too calm. "It's different from the movies. Not less real. Just different."

"This is insane," I whispered. My mind was screaming, clawing at the walls of my skull in total denial. "What about my sickness? The shots. The pills. The diet. The... the diabetes."

Astra let out a tired, slow breath. It was the sound of someone finally putting down a heavy bag. "You never had diabetes, Kaia. The injections were a potent blocker. They were designed to slow your transformation. Your father's company developed the drug specifically for this."

A cold rush of fire burned through my head. "You lied to me. For years."

"For your protection," Astra said. The lie was practiced and smooth, rolling off her tongue like she'd said it a thousand times. "Your father wanted to delay everything until you were older. He wanted you ready. But no one expected your wolf to be this aggressive. No one expected what happened this morning."

My chest tightened until I could barely drag air into my lungs. "Protection? You kept me locked up. You controlled every meal and every movement. You drugged me for years without telling me. That isn't protection. That's a prison."

"It was the only choice," she insisted.

"No!" I snapped. The word felt like a physical strike. "It was his choice. It was never mine."

Selene stepped forward. Her voice was gentle enough to crack something deep inside me. "I know this feels impossible. I know the lie is what hurts. But I can help you. If you let me."

I flinched away, my head shaking violently. "I don't trust either of you. Not a single word that comes out of your mouths."

Astra didn't even flinch. "Trust isn't the point. Your transformation is coming whether you accept it or not."

My knees went weak. I sank onto the edge of the bed, my head spinning in sick circles. I lifted my wrists. The cold, heavy silver bracelets were digging into my skin, leaving angry red marks beneath the metal.

"And these?" My voice was a thin, shaking thread.

"Silver nitrate and a concentrated wolfsbane extract," Astra explained. Her tone was clinical. "They suppress the wolf inside you. They keep it dormant."

My stomach dropped into a hollow pit. "So you were drugging me. Every second of every day."

"Suppressing," she corrected. She spoke as if changing the word made it better. "To manage the timing. To keep you from shifting violently."

"I'm not a monster," I whispered.

Selene reached out. Her fingers hovered near my arm, careful not to actually make contact. "You're not a monster, Kaia. You were born with something wild and powerful. That doesn't make you evil."

I snatched my arm away. "I don't want this power. I didn't ask for any of this."

"None of us do," Selene said softly. She pulled her hand back. "But it's still who you are."

I pushed to my feet and started pacing. The room felt like it was shrinking. My breath came in fast, shallow gasps that didn't reach my lungs. "I don't want any of this. I don't want to be this."