Chapter 3 I Want To Be Your Breeder

Katherine’s POV

Alexander Grey didn't look like a good man. He looked like someone who can cause trouble with a blink of his eyes. He was huge, with muscles carved from stone and skin covered in battle scars.

His hair was black, and his eyes were a terrifying, glowing gold.

He was the Ruthless Alpha. People said he was a monster who killed without mercy. And because of that, everyone was terrified of him.

Alpha King Jonathan stepped forward, his face pale. "My dear, you are confused. My son, Alexander... he has already chosen a mate."

"I.. I don’t care." I didn't even blink.

The room exploded with whispers. "How dare she defy the Alpha King?" someone shouted from the crowd. "She is wolf-less and disrespectful!"

Then, Nikolai stepped toward me. He reached out to touch my arm, but looking at him made my heart shatter all over again. In my first life, I had loved him so much.

For five years, I had tried to be the perfect wife. I had tried everything to give him a child. But in the end, he didn't care. He didn't believe I was finally pregnant. He had killed me and our unborn baby without a second thought!

"Katherine, what’s wrong?" Nikolai asked. His voice sounded so hurt, so gentle. It was the same voice he used right before he slit my throat. "I thought we had a plan. Why are you changing your mind? Why choose my brother you haven't even met before?"

A sob caught in my throat. I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry until my lungs gave out. The memories of his betrayal felt like fresh wounds, but I forced myself to stand tall. I couldn't let them see me break.

I looked him dead in the eye, my voice shaking with rage. "I know. But I want to marry your brother."

I knew I sounded crazy.

I knew the pack thought I had lost my mind. But I didn't care. Marrying Alexander was the only way to stay alive…

Alexander stepped forward. Every hit of his boots against the floor sounded like a death march. I couldn't breathe while staring at him.

He didn't look at my face at first. He stared at my hands—white-knuckled and shaking—as I clutched the fabric of my dress.

Behind me, I heard Sofia’s sharp, cruel giggle. She leaned toward our mother, "Look at her flinching. She really thinks she can tame him? He’ll snap her neck before the first dance is over."

I stopped backing away. I forced my legs to go still.

Alexander kept coming until the heat from his body hit me like a furnace. He was a wall of muscle and scars. I looked up, forcing myself to meet his eyes. He lowered his head, his dark gaze cutting through me.

"Wolf-less little girl," he rasped. His voice was deep, masculine, and dangerous. "Why choose me?"

I swallowed hard, but I didn't look away.

"Because..." I whispered, my voice growing stronger. "Because I believe our future heir will be powerful if he comes from you."

Shit. I did say that... out loud!

Nikolai let out an angry, choked sound. He looked at me like I had just stabbed him in the heart.

Alexander didn’t laugh. He didn’t even find me funny. But a dark smile pulled at his lips.

Everyone in the room knew the stories. The girls who left Alexander’s bed came out pale, covered in blood, their spirits broken. They said he couldn’t control the beast inside him.

They thought I was a lamb walking into a slaughterhouse. They didn't realize I was already dead once; a monster in the bedroom was nothing compared to the one I had already lived with.

Suddenly, the crowd parted. Agatha Pears stormed forward, her face twisted in shock.

"What is the meaning of this?!" she shrieked. "Alexander, are you really choosing this wolf-less girl over me? I am your chosen mate!"

Alexander didn't even turn his head fully. He glanced at her like she was a fly buzzing in his ear. "I have not mated with you yet, Agatha..."

"And?!" Agatha screamed, her voice cracking.

The pack stared at me. I could feel their judgment. They looked at me like I was the cause of this chaos—a crazy girl ruining a perfect tradition.

Fine. Let me be the chaos. I was done playing nice for everyone else’s peace. This time, I was choosing my own.

"Enough!" The Alpha King, their father, stepped into the circle.  "Katherine," he said, his voice deep with warning. "You are free to choose, but Alexander already has a mate. We agreed months ago that you would choose Nikolai. It is settled."

I took a step forward, right into the King’s space. I didn't bow. I didn't lower my eyes.

"With all due respect, Alpha King," I said, "Alpha Alexander can reject his chosen mate. He can reject the tradition. And he can choose me instead."

The entire place went speechless. You could hear a pin drop. Then, the gasps started.

"She’s insane," someone whispered.

"A wolf-less girl telling a King what to do?" another hissed.

I ignored them all. I looked at Alexander, challenging him to prove me right.

I looked at the Alpha King, then at the shocked faces of the pack.

"Since you all think I am nothing," I said, "Let’s speak the only language you understand: Results."

I took a breath and threw my dignity into the fire. "If I provide Alexander an heir within one year, he can let me go. He can return to his 'Chosen Mate' or find another. I am just a breeder to this pack, right? I am here to fulfill a prophecy and birth a powerful Alpha. So, let’s make it official. That is the deal."

I had just called myself a tool in front of everyone, and the shame of it burned—but the power of it felt even better.

Nikolai stepped forward, his face turning a dark, ugly red. He looked like he wanted to strangle me right there.

"Katherine!" Nikolai roared, "What the hell is wrong with you? You belong to me, prophecy or not! My brother would not agree to this! right, Alexander?!"

Alexander stared at me. His eyes were dark, searching my soul for a hint of fear.

The Alpha King turned his cold eyes toward his eldest son.

"Alexander," the King asked, "What do you have to say about this?"

Beside him, Agatha Pears was shaking her head. She looked like a victim, her eyes filling with fake tears.

In my past life, I had discovered Agatha’s secret. She wasn't a loyal mate. While Alexander was away, she was in the beds of other men. She used a special potion to hide their scents so Alexander would never know she was dirty.

She was a liar, just like Nikolai.

"I will think about it," he had told the King. But his eyes told a different story.

Alexander didn’t wait for my parents to speak or Nikolai’s permission. His large, scarred hand clamped around my wrist—not to hurt me, but to claim me. He pulled me through the gossiping crowd.

The whispers followed us like a swarm of insects until he slammed a heavy door shut, locking out the world.

He didn't let go. He spun me around and pinned me against the wood. His body was a wall of heat, pressing into me, trapping me between the door and his hard chest.

He was so tall I had to tilt my neck back just to see his jaw!

"What the hell are you doing, Katherine Knight?" he growled.

He leaned down, his face inches from mine.

His golden eyes were narrowed, hunting for a lie.

"You couldn't even look at me without trembling," he hissed, his thumb pressing firmly against the pulse in my neck. "You spent months trailing after my brother like a lost pup. Now, you stand in front of the King and offer yourself to me as my breeder?"