Chapter 3

I look at my handy work in the kitchen. This is the last room that has to be cleaned and all the dishes are now done and stored away in the cupboards nice and neatly. It has been an exhausting day from being designated as the new Breeder, to my small breakdown outside and finally to having to clean a full cottage all by my-self. I should have made a stupid guard help me clean since their job is to basically keep me locked in this property but the thought of one of the wolves outside stepping into a space that is designated as mine causes 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 grasp while I take a sip and turn to look at the time on the microwave - ten o'clock a night. I know that a six-teen I am three years underage to legally drink in Canada but fuck it, I really need something strong after the day I have had and 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 the device out. 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 as there are guards outside my cottage. Heading towards my room –the master bedroom – I make my way towards the master 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 states worry evident in her voice causing tears to pool in my blue eyes and escape down my cheeks.

“You can’t do anything. Think about your mate he is 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. How I wish I wasn't chosen at all as a Breeder and how I wish I had met my mate before today as 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 am allowed to come see you tomorrow to help get the house decorated so I will 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 antic. 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 much clothes as you can grab from my closet, lots of chocolate to help my emotional unstable mind right now and my phone charger please. Talk to my cousin and his mate about stuff to bring me.” I say, glad that my friend’s status allows her to visit me whenever she wants.

“Okay, tomorrow I will see you then.” She reassures me as we say our good nights and end our call. I turn off all sound to my phone not wanting the guards taking the device away from me in case I need to reach Chris or Jack in an emergency and turn off the shower now. With silence resuming I think of a hiding spot in my room where no one will find my cellphone and a grin spreads across my face as I leave the bathroom and make my way towards a night stand that is situated beside the bed and pull open the top drawer. What looks to be a simple empty drawer actually holds a pleasant surprise of a false bottom that I had discovered in my mad cleaning dash. It was something I guess the previous Breeder had created using a piece of wood that matched the nightstand to create a false bottom to the drawer as she had left a leather notebook of what I assume is a biography or a note for the next Breeder that now sits on the nightstand. It will be something I plan to read later 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 could do to make my life less miserable as a Breeder. Once my cellphone is secured in its hiding spot I look to the leather notebook and debate on whether I should read it or not. Curiosity wins out with my hand grasping the leather note book and I sit on the middle of the bed taking the time to read what my predecessor wrote. I decide that reading the information in one sitting is a bad idea and focus on the first few pages; finding that this notebook is a diary. My focus is captivated by the first entry and how twenty years ago 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 goes on about being immediately dragged away to the cottage without a good bye to her family, how she was thrown into this cottage that was completely empty compared to what it is now - save for a bed - and how 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 that 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 that instead of a few days setting into her new role that the breeding process started the next morning. She had lost all her rights of a regular wolf right away. The horror of being woken by the Alpha and another Warrior in the morning and how she was raped causes my heart to drop. There was neither 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 undressed 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 as I think of what to do with the other rooms since I have no choice but to perform this role as the packs Breeder. Since I would need a nursery for the many new born 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 envelopes my small body. I slowly open the bathroom door the steam escaping the warm room and shivering from the cold breeze that rushes to greet me. Quickly I run to the walk in closet taking the large, long sleeve shirt and boy shorts I had found and cleaned earlier and quickly towel dry 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, wanting nothing more than to fall into the queen size 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 earlier spring, almost end of winter weather as we are located at the northern part of Ontario almost close to Hudson Bay. Checking the thermostat to make sure the cottage warms up I finally head back upstairs and into my room. Climbing into bed I wrap the warm soft blankets around me and let my exhausted body relax as the scent of the lavender fabric softener surround and sooth me into a deep dreamless sleep.