Just A Breeder

Elara’s POV

Last night, curled up on the cold floor of my room, I had made a firm resolution to run away. I was ready to pack a bag and vanish into the freezing wilderness rather than face the humiliation Zarek had planned for me. But as the next evening rolled around, the sheer exhaustion of my grief had anchored me to the mattress.

Heavy knuckles rapped against my solid wooden door, vibrating through the quiet room.

“Time to get up, Elara,” Kaelen’s voice called out, muffled but persistent.

I groaned, rolling over in my messy sheets. My head throbbed relentlessly, pounding like someone had taken a sledgehammer to my skull. My eyes felt gritty and incredibly heavy, swollen red from the hours I had spent crying the night before.

“You okay?” Kaelen asked, poking his head into the room.

“Fine,” I lied, my voice coming out harsh and raspy.

He stepped fully into the room and leaned against the doorframe, crossing his thick arms. “Listen to me. The new Alpha of the Tempestroar Pack, Draxon, is visiting today. They are throwing a massive banquet in his honor tonight. As the Beta’s family, we are expected to be there.”

I pulled the blanket up to my chin. “You think I’m in any shape to play dress-up and smile for some visiting Alpha?”

“Are you just going to hide in this bedroom forever?” Kaelen challenged, his tone softening with a mix of pity and tough love. “You’re stronger than that, Elara. I know it hurts, but you have to show up looking stunning. Prove to everyone in this pack that you are not broken.”

He stepped forward and placed a sleek, matte black gift box gently on the edge of my bed.

“I picked this out for you. Wear it tonight.”

I stared at the dark box, a fresh ache flaring in the center of my chest. Deep down, I knew Kaelen was right. If I cowered in my room, Vespera and the rest of the pack would only whisper about the pathetic, rejected girl. I absolutely refused to let them see me hide. I couldn't let them see me crumble.

“Fine,” I muttered, tossing the blanket aside. “I’ll go.”

An hour later, I stood in front of my full-length mirror, smoothing down the fabric of the form-fitting, sky-blue gown Kaelen had chosen. It was beautiful. The silky material hugged every curve of my body perfectly, catching the light with every subtle movement. I had spent extra time taming my chaotic hair into soft, loose waves and applied just enough makeup to conceal the redness around my swollen eyes.

I took a deep breath. I looked stunning. I looked unbreakable.

When we arrived at the grand banquet hall, the air was already buzzing with loud chatter, deep laughter, and the sharp clink of heavy glasses. The massive, long wooden tables were heavily laden with platters of roasted meats, fresh bread, and large pitchers of dark wine.

I walked quietly alongside my family and took my seat right between my parents. Kaelen sat directly across from us. I kept my gaze fixed straight ahead, strictly avoiding the head of the table. But even without looking, my stomach twisted violently. I could see Zarek in my peripheral vision, his gleaming golden hair catching the bright light of the iron chandeliers overhead.

For a split second, I slipped. Our eyes met across the crowded room. His stare was cool and completely unreadable. I immediately jerked my gaze away, staring fiercely at the porcelain plate in front of me.

The fragile, tense peace shattered a moment later.

Alpha Draxon, an imposing, broad-shouldered man with a neatly trimmed salt-and-pepper beard, stood up from his seat at the head table. He raised his silver goblet high into the air.

“To the Rimeveil Pack!” Draxon’s booming voice echoed through the hall, silencing the chatter. “And to Zarek, a fine young wolf who will undoubtedly make a hell of an Alpha one day.”

Draxon took a long drink, then grinned casually at Zarek. “Tell me, son. Have you found your mate yet?”

The heavy silver fork froze halfway to my mouth. My heart slammed against my ribs.

Zarek didn't hesitate. He looked directly at me, his face a mask of absolute calm. “I have,” he answered evenly, his voice carrying effortlessly across the silent hall. “But she is completely unsuitable.”

Violent whispers immediately broke out across the room. I felt dozens of eyes snap toward me, burning into my skin.

Before I could even process the devastating public sting of his words, Vespera jumped at the opportunity. She stood up, her voice sharp, gleeful, and dripping with venom.

“Alpha Draxon, allow me to introduce the unsuitable woman sitting right across from you,” Vespera announced to the entire room, pointing directly at me. “Elara is the mate. But she has no wolf. She is a wolfless woman who could never bear strong heirs for our future Alpha.”

The hall went dead silent. The humiliation washed over me like boiling water. My face burned furiously, and I gripped my fork under the table so hard my knuckles turned pure white.

“Vespera, enough,” Alpha Varkas snapped, his deep voice carrying a harsh warning.

Alpha Draxon didn't look bothered by the drama. His dark eyes slid over to me, roaming over my face and the sky-blue dress, openly appraising me. “Shame,” he mused aloud. “She’s beautiful.”

I wanted the stone floor to open up and swallow me whole.

Draxon casually turned his attention back to Zarek, raising a hand as if struck by a brilliant, casual thought. “Here’s a practical thought, Zarek. You don’t have to reject your mate entirely. I could send you a powerful, beautiful female warrior from the Tempestroar Pack to act as a Breeder for you. It would secure strong bloodlines for your future, and it would greatly strengthen the alliance between our two packs. What do you say?”

The word struck me across the face harder than a physical blow.

*Breeder.*

He wanted to bring in another woman to bear Zarek’s children while I did what? Sat quietly in the corner and watched them together?

My father immediately slammed his hand on the table. “Alpha Draxon, that suggestion is entirely inappropriate—”

But to my absolute, sickening horror, Alpha Varkas leaned forward in his chair, rubbing his chin with a deeply thoughtful expression. “Actually, it is a very practical solution,” Varkas said aloud, cutting my father off. He turned to look at his son. “Elara has always cared deeply for Zarek. What do you think, son?”

Zarek’s blue eyes locked onto mine. For a fraction of a second, I thought he might defend me. I thought he might shut this sickening conversation down.

Instead, he spoke with steady, calculated logic. “It could work. If Elara agrees to it, she could still be the future Luna of this pack. The Breeder would simply ensure we have strong heirs.”

Furious disgust erupted inside my chest, burning away every ounce of my restraint. I violently shoved my chair back, the wood scraping loudly against the stone floor. I stood up, glaring at all of them with pure hatred.

“I am not willing!” I yelled, my voice shaking with raw, unchecked rage. “Not now, and not ever!”

I didn't wait to see the shocked expressions on their faces. I turned on my heel and stormed out of the banquet hall. I pushed heavily through the thick wooden double doors, fleeing the suffocating heat of the room and stepping out into the freezing, biting Alaskan night.

I marched furiously down the snowy path, my chest heaving with every breath.

“Elara, wait!”

Zarek’s heavy footsteps crunched rapidly in the snow behind me. Before I could get far, his large hand clamped down hard around my arm, yanking me to a sudden stop.

“Let go of me!” I shrieked, struggling against his grip.

“Stop being irrational and listen to me,” Zarek demanded, his jaw tight. “This is the perfect compromise! You get to stay by my side. You would be my Luna. What more do you want?”

I yanked my arm free with a violent jerk, glaring up into his handsome, utterly clueless face.

“What more do I want?” I spat, my voice laced with venom. “You actually think I would share my mate? You think I would just stand by and smile while you sleep with some other woman and raise her children? What kind of degrading, pathetic woman do you think I am?”

Zarek scowled, stepping closer as if to intimidate me into understanding. “She would only be a Breeder, Elara. Not a wife. It’s purely biological. Once she is pregnant, I would never touch her again.”

I stared at him in disbelief, a bitter, broken laugh tearing out of my throat.

“You are unbelievable,” I whispered, stepping back from him as if he were diseased. “I would rather accept your absolute rejection than live in such a degrading, disgusting arrangement.”

His eyes darkened with anger, his lips parting to argue, but I didn't give him the chance. I turned around and sprinted into the darkness. My dress shoes sank deep into the thick snow, but I didn't care. I just ran, hot tears spilling over my cold cheeks, completely blurring my vision as I fled toward the frozen lake at the edge of the territory.

The lake was a massive mirror of stars, the thick layer of ice glowing faintly in the freezing moonlight.

I collapsed onto the icy, snow-covered shore, dropping my face into my frozen hands. I sobbed uncontrollably, the jagged, unbearable pain in my chest tearing me apart from the inside out. Everything was ruined. Everything I thought I knew about him was a lie.

“Miss, I hate to interrupt,” a calm, highly amused male voice suddenly echoed through the stillness, “but you’re sitting on my clothes.”

I gasped, freezing in place. I whipped my head around, my heart hammering wildly in my throat.

A man was emerging from the freezing, star-lit water of the lake. He stepped up onto the icy shore, completely naked. The bright moonlight washed over his highly attractive features and his broad, muscular shoulders. Water dripped down the hard, defined planes of his chest and tight abdomen, trailing straight down to his penis and testicles resting against his thick thighs. He made absolutely no effort to cover his genitals, standing tall and relaxed in the freezing air as if the ice didn't bother him at all.

I immediately took a massive step back, my eyes wide with suspicion and shock.

“Who the hell are you?” I demanded, wiping my tears quickly.

He chuckled, a low, warm sound that vibrated in the quiet night. He stepped closer, the snow crunching under his bare feet. “Easy. I’m with the Tempestroar Pack. I came here with Alpha Draxon.”

Still thoroughly panicked by his casual nudity, I blindly reached down, grabbed the pile of dark clothing I had been sitting near, and thrust them toward his chest. I spun around instantly, my face burning scarlet in the freezing cold, giving him privacy.

“Here,” I muttered sharply.

“Thanks,” he replied smoothly. I could hear the rustle of heavy fabric behind me as he finally began to dress.

As I stood there staring out at the frozen ice, that horrific word echoed violently in my head again. *Breeder.* A powerful, beautiful Tempestroar warrior.

Driven by a sudden, desperate wave of insecurity, I blurted out, “Does your pack really have a lot of strong, beautiful female warriors?”

The rustling stopped. “We have plenty,” he answered casually. “Why do you ask?”

My chest tightened painfully. I could already picture Zarek with one of them—someone strong, someone with a wolf, someone who wasn't broken like me.

“No reason,” I whispered, wrapping my arms tightly around my shivering shoulders.

I heard his boots crunch lightly in the snow as he stepped closer to my back. He was fully dressed now, his towering presence radiating a surprising amount of body heat.

“You’re beautiful too, you know,” he said, his voice dropping into a soft, breathless murmur that sent a strange spark down my spine. “You shouldn't compare yourself to others.”

I opened my mouth, completely caught off guard by the mysterious, charged compliment from a total stranger. But before I could even formulate a response, the frantic crunching of snow broke the moment.

“Elara!” Kaelen’s voice cut sharply through the dark.

My brother jogged up to us, breathing heavily. He stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes narrowing dangerously at the tall stranger standing so close behind me.

“Who is this?” Kaelen demanded.

“He’s just... he’s with the Tempestroar Pack,” I stammered quickly, stepping away from the man.

Kaelen didn't care. He reached out and grabbed my hand tightly. “You ran off. Mom and Dad are completely frantic looking for you. Come back to the house with me right now.”

I didn't fight him. I let Kaelen drag me away from the frozen shore. As we hurried back down the snowy path toward the pack house, I glanced back over my shoulder one last time.

The tall, highly attractive stranger was still standing by the edge of the ice, watching me go, but the shadows of the trees had already blurred his handsome face into the dark night.