From The Abandoned Slave to the Alpha's Mate

Regina’s POV.

I was carefully frosting my anniversary cake.

Yes, today was my first anniversary with my husband, Nigel. But it was 8:30 already, way past our normal dinner time, and Nigel still hadn’t come home yet.

It was OK, I kept telling myself.

Nigel was simply caught up at work. He must be. He told me the other day that the alpha of this pack had given him some serious work to do, which might improve his standing in this pack. So it was good for the family.

Actually, in my original plan, I wanted this day to be more special. I hoped that we could have dinner at a fancy restaurant and maybe went to see a movie afterwards. Because ever since I married him a year ago, I hadn’t dined out since.

But when I subtly hinted to him what I wanted for our anniversary, Nigel threw a huge temper tantrum at me:

“Do you know how much it costs to eat at a fancy restaurant? It’s MY fucking money you are throwing away! And you don’t even know how to taste a decent wine! It’s a waste to bring you to those upscale places anyway. Just cut the crap and stay the fuck at home!”

But Nigel was wrong. I did know how to taste wine. He just never bothered to get to know me.

I finished my last bit of work with the cake and let out a long sign.

I really hoped tonight could help rekindle our love, the kind of love we used to have before we got married. It was part of the reason why I was asking for a chance to dine out. Not that I missed that fine food, I simply hoped we could find a chance to reconnect.

And Nigel had become more and more grumpy recently.

I got it. Every marriage hit a bump somewhere down the road, which was why I had to work extra hard now to salvage it.

“Regina!!”

A loud and harsh voice came from the living room, snapping me back to reality.

“Regina! Where the fuck is my soup!” the voice demanded.

Oh crap, I almost forgot about that! I quickly wiped my hands on my apron and rushed to the stove, where a pot of soup had been heated. I took the pot off the stove and was about to dash out there—

But a large woman had come into the kitchen already.

“Regina! Are you slacking off in the kitchen again?!” the woman croaked, “I asked for my fucking soup half an hour ago! Are you trying to starve me to death?!”

This was my mother-in-law, Melany.

I had always been terrified of her. Now just because of her large size—I was pretty sure she can smack my skull open with one punch—but also because of her rude and obnoxious personality.

She always cursed me with the most vicious words possible. And she kept waving her large fists at me, threatening to beat me up if I slack off during house chores.

There was a time when she treated me slightly nicer, when Nigel and I first got married. But as my dowry started to run out, her temper became worse.

“I—I’m sorry,” I take a small step in fear and murmur. “I was simply making a cake. You see—tonight is our anniversary…”

“Anniversary? What dumb excuse was that?” Melany snapped, “Are you trying to get Nigel spend more money on you? You greedy little rat!”

She waved her massive hand and knocked me off the table. It hit the floor and was smashed into a mess of cream.

“No—!” I blurt out. I had been working on that for almost an hour!

“What did you just say? Are you talking back to me now? The hostess of this house? Your mother-in-law?”

Melany’s voice was getting louder. And the next second, she grabbed me by the hair with her large hand and shoved me to the fridge. I cried out in pain but earned another hard kick on my back.

I smelt alcohol. Melany must have been drinking again. Her getting drunk usually ended with scars and bruises on my body.

“No—Melany—Please!”

“Shut up, rat!” she roared, wrenching open the fridge’s door. “Nigel shouldn’t have married you! He had a chance with the alpha’s daughter! But instead, he took you. You filthy little shit ruined my darling son’s life! God, do I wish to choke you to death!”

She started to shove me into the fridge. I was petite. She could succeed if she really wanted to. But I wouldn’t let her—she was trying to get me killed!

“No! Don’t! I’m sorry—”

I scream desperately while holding onto the fridge’s door with all my might. But she broke loose of my grip easily.

“Just stay in there and think about your mistake! Little fucker!”

She slammed the door shut. And with a loud thud, she blocked the fridge door with a table so I couldn’t open it from the inside.

I shivered in this small crack, sobbing and begging. It was so freaking cold. And I didn’t have many clothes on. But Melany didn’t listen. I heard her humming the sound and her heavy steps disappeared into the living room.

Darkness and cold ate me up. I tried to bump the door open with my shoulder but failed. Gradually my motion slowed because of the cold.

I also wanted to burst into tears. But I wouldn’t dare because I was afraid that my tears would freeze up in my eyes. And I would go blind.

At this very moment, I started to regret marrying Nigel.

None of my family liked Nigel. And the person who hated Nigel first was my brother, Gray. He had always said that Nigel was a total jerk and any woman who liked him was also a complete idiot.

When I announced that I was marrying Nigel, Gray went down to Nigel’s house and beat the shit out of him. But even that didn’t stop me from marrying him.

I had none of my family’s support.

When I left home a year ago, my grandpa Victor said that I was to keep my mouth shut about who I really was if I insisted on marrying Nigel.

So I did.

I kept my identity a secret and married into Nigel’s pack, away from all my family, hoping that I would be happily ever after.

But I didn’t. Not even close.

Was I making a huge mistake here?

Time slipped by. And I was about to pass out in the cold.

Didn’t know how much time had passed before a series of footsteps came close and the door was wrenched open from the outside.

I came falling down directly—couldn’t even stand straight. The person who opened the door didn’t give me a hand. Instead he stood there and watched me collapse onto the floor.

I crawled my body up and trembled, my teeth clattering. Then I slowly looked up and saw my late rescuer.

It was my husband, Nigel.

Then I smelt alcohol on him too. He was drunk, just like his mother.

“What the fuck are you doing in the fridge?” he asked, frowning.

He still looked super handsome with that frown. No wonder so many girls fell for him back in school, and that included me.

“M—M—Melany locked me in here…” I couldn’t say a full sentence, “She—was mad—d about—”

But he didn’t have the patience to listen through, “You pissed off my mother again?! Regina! You need to fucking respect my dear Mama! You hear me now?!”

I wanted to explain that I was simply making our anniversary cake. And I wanted to say Happy Anniversary Darling. Sorry about the cake.

But he stayed for none of that. Turning on his heels, he was heading to the kitchen door already.

“Come into the living room!” he snapped impatiently, “Quick!”

I crawled on the floor and pulled myself up awkwardly. I couldn’t walk straight. My feet were dead. But I still headed towards the living room slowly as he said.

Why did he need me there? Did he bring me an anniversary gift? As I had hoped?

My heart was filled with anticipation when I arrived. Yet before I had stepped into the living room, I heard some loud laughter.

There were strangers in this house.

Nigel was in the living room with two strange men. Both of them had drunken red cheeks and were burping non-stop.

Seeing me arrive, Nigel spun them around to face me. There was a huge grin on his face.

“Here’s my wife! Pretty, huh?” he cackled, “You two can have a night with her and all my debts go away. Great deal, right?”

Regina’s POV.

I froze on my spot as though a thunder had been struck on my head.

What did Nigel mean by “having a night with her”?

I was his wife…How could he give me to other men?

What was happening here?

Letting out an evil laugh, one of the two drunken men took a step towards me, a vicious gleam in his eyes.

“Nigel, you should have mentioned you have a pretty wife like this then we wouldn’t have trouble in the first place,” he grinned, flashing his yellow teeth at me. “Now come to me you little beauty.”

My heart was racing like crazy in my chest. Seeing the man reaching over to grab me, I quickly took a step back, “No—No! What are you doing? You are not welcome here. Nigel…Nigel—get them out of here please!”

The two of them burst into laughter, “Your dear husband Nigel got us here himself! Didn’t he tell you about his debt?”

I shook my head desperately with tears in my eyes.

No, I don’t understand…What debt? What were they talking about?

Nigel had been watching out exchanges quietly by the side. He suddenly took a large stride forward and grabbed my shoulder forcefully.

“Regina, listen to me.” he whispered urgently into my ears, “These two men are big shots in this pack who are willing to help with my career. I’ve been playing poker with them, trying to please them. I do owe them some money—but they have promised me that they will give me a promotion as soon as I clear my debt!”

So he was asking me to sleep with them?

He wanted to clear his debt by selling out his own wife?!

I stared at Nigel’s handsome face through my tear-blurred vision and suddenly found that I didn’t even know this man anymore. Was he still the same guy that I fell in love with?

How could he be so…shameless?

“Nigel, but I am your wife!” I gasp and sob, “How—how can you ask your own wife to sleep with other men? There have got to be some other ways to solve this!”

Nigel’s face turned dark. And he snapped in fume, “What other men? I told you…they are my superiors! Having one night with them will not only help me—but also this family! It is such a small price to pay!”

Seeing the devastated look on my face, Nigel quickly softened his tone and wooed me, “Regina, baby, are you afraid that you will become damaged good afterwards? Don’t be afraid…I will love you all the same. It’s just one night. I won’t mind.”

“No. It’s not about that…” I shook my head, “I just can’t…”

I couldn’t do that.

My body wasn’t cargo. It was not for sale!

“Hey Nigel!” one of the men shouted, “What’s the deal here? I thought you had sorted things out with your wife already!”

“I have—just a minute Sir!” Nigel answered with a loud voice.

Then he snapped his head back to me. The look on his face suddenly became cold and vicious.

“You better fucking listen to me here, Regina!” he tightened his grip on my shoulder, hurting me. “Since you married me, you have done nothing for this family. All you do is fucking sleep and eat like a goddamn pig! I am tired of that you hear me? Now it is time for you—to do something—for this family!”

He shoved me forward. I staggered and fell to the ground. From a peripheral look, I saw those two drunken men approach me. Letting out a terrified scream, I crawled back and scrambled up, wanting to escape this room, but I ran directly into Nigel the moment I turned.

“Where are you going!”

He seized me by my hair and spun me around. My forehead knocked against the table corner, blood streaming down.

“—Didn’t I tell you to serve our guest?!” he roared.

I collapsed on the ground, sobbing and holding my broken forehead.

Those two men stopped in their tracks. After a little while, one of them shrugged, “Look Nigel, your wife is pretty alright. But she is too feisty. I don’t like that for a woman.”

“Yeah, we’ll come back when you can manage your woman.”

They laughed and exited the room. A little while ago, I heard the front door closing.

“YOU BITCH—”

Nigel snapped his head at me, his face twisted in burning rage.

“—WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!!!”

He hopped in on me, grabbing me by my throat and backed me against the wall. I put my hands on his wrist and struggled to breathe.

Please no…I was suffocating…

“You blew my chance to success!” he roared onto my face, “How I wish to—”

A series of hurried steps came into the room, followed by a croaked voice yelling, “Nigel! What happened? Why did your friend leave so quickly?”

Nigel tossed me to the ground and turned to his mother, “It was all because of Regina, mother! She refused to serve my friends. Now my career is doomed! What should I do!”

“What?!” Melany shirked, “You’ve gotta be kidding me! You filthy little twat…how dare you ruin my son’s career like that!”

She strode over and grabbed my collar. The next second, a hot slap landed on my cheek.

“If he didn’t marry you, my son would be with the alpha’s daughter right now! And he would be so much more successful! It was all because of you…you bitch!”

She raised her hand and was about to slap me again.

But Nigel stopped her.

“Not the face, mother.” he said coldly, “We still needed her.”

Then Nigel looked down at me, a cold and sarcastic look on his face, “You don’t have a choice here, Regina. Do as I asked, or I will reject and throw you out of this household…You don’t want to be a rejected woman, do you?”

A chill was sent down my spine.

No, I didn’t want to be rejected by him. I had lost so much along the way…I couldn’t lose him too.

“Think about it.” he said. “I will invite my friends over 3 days later. I hope you can learn to behave by then.”

After that was said, Nigel left the room without any hesitation. Melany followed right after him, giving a disgusted glare at me before she left.

I sat on the ground, shivering involuntarily.

God…please help me…what should I do here?

I hated to offer my body to other men in exchange for something. I wasn’t a prostitute!

But if it was for Nigel’s career…

I hesitated. Then I shook my head firmly again.

I couldn’t do it even for Nigel.

There had to be other ways to solve this. Nigel said he owned those men money.

Money was not a big deal.

My grandfather once said that if a problem could be solved by money, it wasn’t a large problem at all.

I slowly pulled myself up from the ground and wanted to talk to Nigel again, asking him how much money he owned. And maybe we could find a way to gather that amount together.

I pressed my bleeding forehead and moved out of the living room.

Just then, I heard a series of conversations coming from outside the door. I hesitated, and moved closer and then pressed my ear against the door, listening.

“…Regina turned them down…but don’t worry…I’ll talk to her later…” That was Nigel.

Then I heard a woman’s voice saying, “You can’t lose this chance, Nigel. After you get this job, you will become the ambassador of our pack. You will even have a chance to go to Ever Moon Pack and meet with its Alpha a few months later. What a great honor is that!”

“I know. It’s a huge honor. Maybe Ever Moon Pack’s Alpha will like me, and we’ll even become friends.” Nigel giggled stupidly, “And then, I will have more leverage to meet with your father and ask him for your hand…”

What was he saying?!

I couldn’t believe my ears.

The next thing I knew, I knocked the door open and stumbled outside.

The couple standing outside jerked around to look at me together.

Nigel had his hand warped this woman’s slim waist. He seemed surprised to see me here.

The woman he was holding had silky long hair and a pretty face. She darted a nasty look at me and then turned back to Nigel.

“What is your wife doing here, Nigel?” she snorted.

Nigel frowned at me, “Regina, go back to the house!”

But instead of going back, I took a shaky step forward, “Nigel, who is this woman?”

“This is Miss Angel. She is here to help me sort out my debt problem. You go back to the house now!” Nigel snapped impatiently.

“But why do you still have a debt problem? I thought you were going to—to—” I couldn’t finish.

I thought he was going to offer me to those men. And then his debt would be cleared.

So what did he still need this woman for?

That woman named Angel suddenly let out an icy sneer. Looking down at me, she curves her lips into a sarcastic smile.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said. “An old tramp like you isn’t even worth a penny. I am the only one who can help Nigel.”