Cruel Lycan's Chosen Breeder

Elena's POV

I was late. One minute, and by the time I reached home, they would be ready to kill me. Rain had soaked through my worn dress, and mud clung to my feet. It wasn't the first time I had been caught in a downpour while visiting the Carlton farm, and I knew all too well the price I would have to pay for this perceived disobedience.My family lived in a modest house on the outskirts of our small Texan town. It was a world apart from the grandeur of the Kane estate, where the vast expanse of their land stretched as far as the eye could see. But despite the differences in our stations, I couldn't help but feel drawn to the farmland, to the simple life and the kind eyes of the farmer boy who worked there.Just as I approached our house, I overheard hushed voices drifting from the open window. I froze, rainwater dripping from my hair and clothes, and strained to catch their words."Surely she's been with that farmer boy again," my step-sister Isabella's voice rang out, dripping with a mix of annoyance and delight in her own mischief.My heart sank as I recognized the teasing tone in her voice. Isabella had always taken pleasure in tormenting me, making it her mission to ensure my life was as miserable as possible."Oh, without a doubt," Victoria, my other step-sister, chimed in. "And Mother won't be pleased. You know how she feels about Elena's 'associations' with common folk."I listened in silence, hidden from view, as they gossiped about me. The irony was not lost on me; I was the one who had to endure the consequences of their rumors, even if those rumors were based on half-truths and lies.Eventually, I pushed open the creaking front door and stepped into the dimly lit house. The atmosphere was far from welcoming, heavy with the palpable tension that had become a constant companion in my life.My step-mother, a stern and unforgiving woman, regarded me with a disapproving scowl. "Elena, you're late. Do you have any idea how long we've been waiting for you?" Her words were laced with thinly veiled resentment.I offered a quick apology, my voice barely above a whisper. "I'm sorry, ma'am. I lost track of time."Isabella and Victoria, flanking their mother, exchanged knowing glances and couldn't resist the opportunity to throw their barbs."Oh, lost track of time, or lost track of your common sense?" Isabella sneered, her words cutting like a knife.Victoria chimed in, her laughter dripping with mockery. "Honestly, Elena, you act as though that farmer boy of yours is worth the trouble."The rainwater dripped from my clothes and pooled on the wooden floor, unnoticed by my step-mother as she roughly yanked her purse from my trembling hand. She didn't care about the fact that I was soaking wet; her attention was solely focused on the contents of her purse. As she rummaged through it, I couldn't help but feel like an intruder in my own home."$10? That's all you got?" she sneered, her voice dripping with contempt. Her disapproval was palpable as she glanced at the crumpled bills and loose change I had managed to scrape together. I bit my lip, my eyes cast down, and replied softly, "There wasn't much to sell at the trade fair, Mother. No one wanted to buy my trinkets.""Well, maybe if you made something worth buying instead of those handmade trinkets." Isabella seized the opportunity to twist the knife a little further. Her words were laced with cruelty as she chimed in.Tears welled up in my eyes, but I dared not let them fall. I knew that showing weakness would only invite further torment. My step-mother's patience had worn thin, and with a harsh flick of her wrist, she threw the little sum of money at my face. The coins stung, but I was more use to the pain of their words and actions.She muttered, "Useless. What are we going to use to feed the house today or buy Isabella new clothes?"The world was painful, as I had an injury on my back but still no one ever reasoned about giving me money for ointment, still Isabella was most important. Unable to bear the injustice any longer, I mustered the courage to speak, my voice shaking. "Isabella is my elder sister, Mother. Why doesn't she work for once?"My step-mother's anger flared, and she slapped me with a force that sent me reeling. I hit the ground, tasting blood in my mouth, and the tears I had fought to hold back finally fell.As I lay on the floor, tears mingling with the blood in my mouth, my step-mother's anger knew no bound She couldn't believe I had dared to challenge her authority. With a fierce and cruel kick, her foot connected with my stomach, sending a searing pain through me. I gasped, curling into a protective ball."Disgrace," she hissed, towering over me. "How dare you speak to your sister that way? If I hadn't met your father and had to take care of you after him, and your wretched, dead grandmother…" I interrupted her, my voice quivering with defiance, "Don't speak about my grandmother like that."My step-mother's eyes narrowed, and she snarled, a vicious expression contorting her face. She raised her hand as if to strike me again, but Victoria, my step-sister, intervened."No, Mother, you mustn't," Victoria said firmly. "Don't forget the deal."I looked at them, puzzled by what they meant. My step-mother's face twisted with frustration, and she spat out, "That foolish, pretty face of yours."Victoria smirked, taunting me, "A pretty face that would disappear soon."I wanted to ask what they meant but I was scared that that might lead to more questioning on my part. It seems that what Victoria said had stopped her from hitting me one more time. She glared at me and then barked, "Get out of my sight, Elena, before I do something that would make me hate you even more than I already do."As I stumbled to my room, my step-mother's harsh voice pierced the air, stopping me in my tracks. "Where do you think you're going?" she demanded, her tone dripping with venom. "You aren't sleeping in your room tonight. Go sleep in the dog shed outside."I felt a shiver of fear run down my spine as I turned back to face her. The dog shed was a miserable, cold, and damp place, far from the warmth and comfort of my room. I couldn't hold back the plea that escaped my lips, "Mother, please. It's so cold outside. I could die out there."Victoria, always eager to support her mother's cruelty, chimed in callously, "One night won't kill you, Elena. Sleep in the shed, you idiot."Desperation welled up inside me, and I sank to my knees, my voice trembling as I begged with all my might. "Please, Mother, please. I promise I'll do better. I won't speak out of turn again."But instead of relenting, my step-mother used a cane to strike my back. The injury that was there before hurt more now. The pain from the wound felt as if it had torn open again, I felt hurt and scarred, both physically and emotionally. She had no compassion left for me, and my pleas fell on deaf ears.With tears in my eyes, I silently left the room and made my way to the dog shed, the relentless rain beating down on my injuries.It didn't take long before I fainted from pain and cold.

I woke up in a moving car, my head throbbing and my vision blurred. My hands were bound, and my eyes felt puffy and heavy, likely from the tears that had fallen as I was being taken away from everything I knew. Panic welled up inside me as I tried to sit up, but my attempts were futile. I was stuck on the car seat, tightly restrained.Desperation clawed at my throat, and I called out, "Hello?" My voice trembled, and I could hear the fear in it. But there was no response. The car continued to roll on, the scenery passing by outside the window a blur.“Hello??” The partition of the car was rolled up and I could not see anyone. I was the only one at the back sit. Time stretched out endlessly until the car finally came to a stop. The door was yanked open, and strong hands grabbed me, pulling me out. I blinked and squinted at the harsh moonlight, my eyes adjusting to the surroundings. And there, I saw the person who had taken me. A man with