The beast and the blessed novel by Ashley Breanne novel Chapter 6

Six: Natalie

Natalie's P.O.V.

A shiver of satisfaction rushed through me, but the feeling quickly passed as a drop of my pack mate's blood trickled from his grip on the top of my bag and landed on my neck. I tore my eyes away from his, not wanting to offend him further, only to have them land on the mutilated body of my Alpha.

His throat had been torn clean from his body, and he lay limp on the ground with his sobbing mate over him. My first instinct was to find Jake to make sure that he was okay. His father had just been murdered in front of him, and he was now the Alpha. But it wasn't my responsibility anymore. He had Haylee. His Luna.

The king let out another growl that made me want to curl up in a ball and hide away. Perhaps if I had done that instead of running, I wouldn't have been forced into this position.

I had heard horror stories of women who had been chosen as breeders. None of which I wanted to be a part of. To be chosen as one's soulmate was a different story. It was one of love and compassion. But as the beast stared down at me, I felt sick.

This was not going to be a storybook romance. Not with someone who murdered so freely and tore women from their homes and their potential to find their true mates.

I watched with horror as he lifted his other claw, and flicked his fingers toward his men. In an instant, they swarmed the women on their knees, searching for their mate or trying to find one they wanted to breed with.

From what I had heard as a child, the Lycans rarely found their soulmate as they could be of any species. But they had to continue their bloodline, and so, they would select chosen mates, otherwise referred to as breeders once they had given up hopes of finding their fated. The sole purpose of those women mating a Lycan was to produce male heirs to continue the line.

It appeared it would be mine now too.

I could feel his eyes burning into me as he held me up. My legs and arms hung limp as I swung slightly from the hold he had on my bag.

"Oh, good! You already have your things." The female from before said, seeming unafraid of the monster holding me in his grip as she moved next to him. "Best we get on our way then. This pathetic pack doesn't have much to offer."

Instinctively, I glanced from her to the man in front of me. His glowing red eyes were narrowed as he stared at me, and I could almost feel the regret coming from him. He had chosen wrong, and he knew it. No one wanted the human, even to breed. His offspring would be weak. I watched as his eyes traveled from my split lip to my bruised and swollen arm.

Once we got back to his pack, I would be demoted to be nothing more than an Omega like I was here. I would have to cook, clean, and would more than likely be beaten until they felt that I knew my place. It would be like it was here, only worse.

At least here, I had the chance to escape. Running from the Lycans would do nothing except assure that I would have a quick death upon my capture.

"You can still change your mind," I whispered as I dropped my gaze down to his chest. The thick fur of his beast did nothing to hide how muscular he was, and I was terrified as he let out a growl louder than any before.

I wasn't sure if he was angered by me second-guessing his decision or if it was because he felt stuck with me. Either way, I knew I was not in his good favor.

The animalistic sounds of his pack talking amongst each other told me that it was time to go, and my feet twitched beneath me as I expected to be placed back down. Instead, I was thrown over the beast's shoulder.

My body shook in his hold as he wrapped an arm around my legs to hold me to him. I gasped in shock as he took off at a run, leading his men. The sight before me as I looked up was terrifying. At least three dozen Lycans ran behind us on their two legs. Their half-shifted state was the thing of nightmares, but I couldn't help but notice one that stood out among the others.

While the rest appeared frustrated or angry, he was happy with his head held high and a girl from my pack in his arms, Mira. He didn't have her thrown over his shoulder. He cradled her against his chest as he ran, and she held on tightly around his neck with her cheek pressed against him.

They were fated mates. Even without knowing each other, there was an obvious love between them. It was something that I would not get to experience as a chosen mate. I let my head drop back down, bobbing as the king continued to run quickly.

The ground moving beneath us was a blur, and I closed my eyes as it began to make my head and stomach spin. The blood rushing to my arm made it throb, but I pushed back any vocalizations of my discomfort. It would do no good to emphasize just how weak I truly was compared to them.