Contract with Beast Alpha King

Elara's POV

“Miss Elara, are you sure you want to volunteer as the sacrifice?……It means you will die!” Gamma Miller whispered.

“You’re Alpha’s daughter. Your family love you. He and your brothers wouldn't watch you die!”

I smiled and shook my head. “That was a lifetime ago. Now, I’m just a wolfless, everyone look down more than an Omega.”

Half a month—that’s all the life I have left.

Just two years ago, the whole pack sang rhymes praising my name. My birthday used to feel like a celebration for the entire territory. Now, in the eyes of my own family, I might as well be invisible dust.

My gaze fell on the death certificate in Gamma’s hand, the ink still damp. I nodded once more, firm and steady. “I’m ready.”

He looked crushed. He didn't see what was happening inside me. He didn't know that my life already worse than being dead.

Every hundred years, the dark energy in the Abyss would stir, threatening to rot the forest and turn our pack into shadows. They said the so-called dark energy seeping from the Abyss… it comes from an ancient monster that has slumbered at the bottom of the cliff for a thousand years.

To stop it, someone had to jump. A voluntary soul for the void...Yet life is precious. No one would willingly give it away so casually.

...but I’m willing to.

It was a sick joke. I was the adopted daughter of the Alpha family, raised as the pack’s darling princess until I turned eighteen. Everything changed the moment Selah, the Alpha’s true-born daughter, returned.

At first, I did everything I could to make her feel welcomed into this family. But in the end… everything I had somehow became hers. My family, my fiancé...

“But what about your fiancé Kaelen?” Miller pressed. “He’s the strongest warrior we have. You two were once so deeply in love. Surely, he—”

“Stop,” I cut him off. Just hearing Kaelen’s name felt like a punch to the gut. “That’s over, Miller. There are no 'cherished' daughters here anymore.”

Kaelen hadn't even broken the engagement. He just stopped talking to me like I was a ghost.

All of this is because I'm wolfless. I lost my gift, my wolf.

And those without a wolf are seen by all as beings forsaken by the Goddess—a disgrace to the pack.

Every wolfless individual, upon reaching a certain age, is driven out of the pack and becomes a rogue. I was once picked up by an alpha family from the depths of a chaotic forest, and I know all too well the dire situation female rogues face. Given the choice between ending up like that, I’d rather die.

And ever since I was little, I’ve been different. I’ve always felt an inexplicable closeness to the Abyss… a strange, intimate pull.

Suddenly, my father’s voice boomed over the pack speakers.

“Citizens of Silver-Oak!” Alpha Silas’s voice was deep and proud. “We are still looking for a hero to volunteer for the Sacrifice. Giving your life for the pack is a great honor.”

“Whoever steps forward as the sacrificial volunteer—I hereby swear in the name of the Alpha family that this person will receive the highest honor and utmost respect from our entire lineage!”

Gamma's expression grew even grimmer, while I remained silent.

My father didn't even pause before his voice turned bright. “And don't forget! In days, we’re throwing a massive gala for my daughter Selah’s twentieth birthday! Let’s show her the love she deserves after being away for so long!”

The broadcast ended. The office went silent.

My heart ached until it felt raw. After my eighteenth birthday came and went without a wolf, I never had another celebration. My family left me with nothing but scorn and dismissal. They seemed to forget that my birthday was the day after Selah’s.

Miller sighed and stamped the forms. He handed me the Sacrifice Certificate with a look of pity. “If you do this, the kids and the pack will be safe. You’re braver than the people ignoring you, Elara.” Then he bowed to me with a deep, solemn salute.

“You are a person of true virtue and integrity, worthy of the highest respect. Thank you for all you have given.”

“Thanks, Miller.”

I left and went straight to the bank. I took out every cent I’d saved over the years. I spent it all on bread, meat, and candy. As I walked through town with the heavy bags, I felt people staring. The looks weren't friendly.

“Look at her,” a woman hissed to her husband. “The family shame. She’s still hanging around like a bad smell. If I were Wolfless, I’d have the guts to leave and become a rogue.”

“Pathetic,” her husband muttered, not even bothering to lower his voice. “Even the pups avoid her. No wolf, no worth—she might as well be a ghost in this pack.”

"Having someone like her in the Alpha family is truly a disgrace...!"

I kept my head down.

I walked to the outskirts to a crumbly stone building. This was the orphanage. As soon as I opened the gate, a bunch of kids piled onto me. They screamed my name in delight.

“Elara! Did you bring the cakes?”

I knelt down and let them pull at my sleeves. For the first time all day, I actually felt warm. These kids didn't care that I didn't have a wolf. They just knew I was the person who fed them and told them stories.

If I must die, then I want my death to mean something—if it’s to protect these angels, I’m willing.

The director, Martha, stood in the doorway. She was the only one who knew my plan. When she saw me, her eyes filled with tears. She had to look away.

“You shouldn't have spent all your money on this,” she whispered.

“What am I going to use money for where I’m going?” I smiled. “You were the only one who didn't treat me like a freak when my power started fading. Let me do this for the kids. If I jump, the darkness won't touch this house. My brothers will live. The pack will survive.”

“I’ll keep your secret,” Martha promised. Her voice was thick with emotion. “But the world is going to be darker without you.”

I hugged her tight. Then I started heading back to the manor to pack the rest of my stuff. My heart felt like lead, but I kept my face blank.

I was almost to the servant’s entrance when someone stepped in my way.

My sister.

Selah.

Her blonde hair was flawless. She wore a dress that likely cost more than the orphanage’s entire annual budget. Her gaze was icy as it fell on the small wooden box—the one holding my sacrificial certificate—in my arms.

I caught a flicker of malice in her eyes—it was clear she didn’t actually care what was in the box. She just wanted to destroy me.

“What’s in the box, charity case?” Selah sneered.

“None of your business,” I said. I tried to move past her.

She stepped in front of me again. “Everything in this house is my business. You’re just a parasite, Elara! You're a toothless dog eating my dad’s scraps. Give it to me!”

She lunged for it. I pulled back, but my foot caught a root. I tripped and hit the gravel hard. The box flew out of my hands and hit the ground with a loud crack.

“No!” I gasped. I reached for the splintered wood.

Selah’s face changed instantly. She didn't look happy. Instead, she looked terrified. She let out an ear-piercing scream.

She threw herself onto the grass and clutched her arm like I’d struck her.

“Help! Please, help me!” she wailed. “Elara, why? I just wanted to talk!”

The front doors flew open. Seconds later, my brothers were charging down the steps.

“Selah!” Rowan cried. He dropped to his knees beside her.

“She pushed me!” Selah sobbed. She hid her face in his chest. “She said she hated me for taking her spot. She said she wished I’d died!”

My brothers turned to me. Their eyes were glowing amber.

“Did you touch her?” Silas Jr. growled.

“How can you be so vicious?! When are you going to learn your place?!”