The minute I walk through the door, I feel it, the toxic waves of hatred radiating from them. Perspiration dampens my underarms as I come to a stop in front of the room, my face a cold, ungiving mask. I might be here to beg for help but I'm not going to give them the satisfaction of seeing me weep.
"The alpha will be here in a few minutes". The gamma who had led me into the room whispers into my ear, leaning in as close as she can manage. So far, she's been the warmest of them all….and she's far from warm. If the pack members are like this, I can only imagine what the alpha is like. The thought is barely through my head when the announcer's voice blares through the room.
"The alpha arrives!!!!". She announces. All around me, the pack members quickly rise to their feet, heads bowed in respect. I do the same, my heart thudding in my chest nervously. And even though I can't see him, I feel it the moment he enters the room.
It starts out as a dull sense of awareness at first, and then in a split second, it's like a compelling pull towards him. I shut my eyes tighter as I will the feeling away but it's…..so beautiful. It's like everything beautiful I know and love, standing at the other end, beckoning onto me. It feels like torture to shut it out. So I give in. My eyes flit open slowly and at the head of the oval shaped table, I find myself staring at the most intimidating man I've ever set my eyes on. And he's staring right back at me.
He's seated, but even that is not enough to disguise his height. Unlike the rest of his pack who are on the paler side, he's tan. Even his hair is a darker blonde, a perfect honey shade with golden streaks that I've never seen before. He sports a trim stubble over a strong, square chin and I think his eyes are green at first till he blinks and they seem to shift color again. I'll conclude on hazel. He's dressed in a black dress shirt that's buttoned all the way up his chest. I've heard stories about Draaven Ventura the Valiant, 1st of his name and the great alpha of the Silver Glow pack. What I never heard was that he is the most beautiful man alive….and he is my mate.
My heart does a funny dance of excitement and fear as that realization dawns me. By the intense look in his eyes, I can tell he feels it too. This is not at all the way I imagined it'd be like. This setting….is far from magical. His face remains hard and impassive as he stares me down, giving away none of his emotions. I don't let my expression waver either as I stare right back.
"You may sit". He says to the room, his voice a low, deep timbre and his eyes never once leaving mine. They all comply instantly, settling into their respective seats at the round table. And just like that, I'm the only one left standing. Once again, all eyes in the room turn to fix on me, and the scrutiny is so intense it feels like I'm naked before them. The alpha leans forward to plant his elbows on the table, an eyebrow raised at me inquisitively.
"Well well well…who do we have here?". He asks, a mocking inflection to his tone. The whole room stares at me for an answer. Resisting a cold sweat, I straighten my spine and square my shoulders. I might be a near defeated heiress, but I'm a proud one.
"My name is Valeria Heroux, daughter of Lyon Heroux, Alpha of the Shadowflame Pack of the South". I hear a snicker from one of the seats and my blood nearly boils over in rage. Once upon a time, Lyon Heroux was a dreaded name and Shadowflame was the strongest pack in the south. Now, we are nothing but a fallen kingdom and a subject of mockery to our enemies. How quickly things fall apart.
"I didn't hear that". Draaven says, his eyes boring into mine coldly. A whip of indignation flashes through me. He damn well heard me right. He raises the eyebrow higher at me. "Are you not going to repeat yourself?".
I'm not sure what to expect, but I'm pretty sure this is not how mates are supposed to treat each other. My blood curdles in fury but I do repeat myself, a little louder this time.
"My name is Valeria Heroux, daughter of Lyon Heroux, alpha of the Shadowflame Pack of the South which currently stands a risk of crumbling under the feet of the Ironclaw Striders".
"Like we give a bloody hell if you lot go extinct". Someone else mutters not so quietly from the seats. A few giggles ensue after him, and the corners of my mouth tighten in rage. But I refuse to look at any of them, keeping my gaze fixated on the one person who actually matters. When he speaks, the whole room goes quiet immediately.
"So why have you come? Shouldn't you be fighting to protect your lands?". He just wants me to say it, to beg for it. My throat closes up with pride but I remind myself that this isn't about me. It's for my family, for the pack.
"I have come to ask for your help, alpha. The war has gone on for three consecutive days, our lands lay ruined, our houses burned, our men killed and our women molested. We underestimated the Striders. We are holding up but we will tire soon. Shadowflame has sent me to ask Silver Glow for help, on grounds of a favour long promised".
"And what favour do you speak about?".
"As you all know, my mother, Lilith Heroux is not of southern origin. She's one of you….".
"We don't consider her one of our own". A harsh voice cuts me short from the seats. The owner is an older man with the most piercing set of green eyes I've ever seen. They blaze at me in anger. "She forfeited all rights to her kinship when she chose to marry the southern barbarian that's your father!!!!".
"But she still bears the right to her promise!!!". I snap angrily. "Every member of the alpha family is bestowed a word of promise at birth, no? My mother might have been cast out, but she never got to use hers. Northern blood still runs in her veins and for as long as it does, she will always be entitled to her promise". I turn to face Draaven. "Am I wrong?".
He stares at me with an intensity so deep I'm pretty sure it's hatred. "Your mother might have only told you half of the story, kitten". He says. My nostrils flare in irration at the nickname but I reel myself in.
"What has she not told me?". I ask.
"It seems you were not told that a word of promise only carries weight if the alpha family is still in power". He cocks his head at me. "Your mother's family no longer sits on the throne and on legal grounds, I owe neither you nor your mother nothing". My heart drops to my stomach as his statement sinks in. Why wasn't I told that part? But…I can't just go back like this. This can't be the end for us. I need his help.
"Oh….I'm not aware of that". My voice is smaller. I hate that my nervousness is finally beginning to show. I think of what to say next but there's really only one thing I can do at this point. Beg. "I'd still like to request for your aid…..alpha. Shadowflame needs your help…. please".
He keeps staring at me emptily and I can just tell that he's not impressed. So I do the next best thing I can think of. Shoving down my pride, I get down on my knees. A little gasp ripples through the room and I'm glad they all understand how big of a deal this is. Members of the alpha family of a pack never kneel….and yet here I am. The tears prickle my eyes but I blink them away aggressively.
"I kneel before you today on behalf of all of Shadowflame. Please, help us. I beg of you.".
He stares at me intensely from his seat and with each passing second, I feel the tears sting my eyes harder. Finally, he speaks.
"We'll help under two conditions". Of course….of course there'll be conditions. I expected this much. "Shadowflame shall pledge allegiance to us, a pledge to willingly offer aid in the form of army, land and resources should we ever need it".
"Agreed". I say without hesitation.
"And the second condition….". He leans back into his seat, a smirk appearing on his lips. "....is that you, Valeria Heroux, shall become my bride".
What have I done?I stare transfixed as everyone in the room files out, leaving behind only Draaven and I. He's still staring at me, a look of amusement on his face. When the door closes behind the last person, I finally bring myself to look at him and the longer I stare at his face, the more furious I become."Why?". I ask quietly, my voice thick with emotions. I take a step closer, my fists clenching at my sides. "Why did you do that?"."You are going to have to clarify what you are talking about, kitten".I suck in air sharply. "Do not….call me that". I hiss. The smirk widens on his lips and he pushes to his feet suddenly, taking bold strides towards me till he's standing in front of me. Our bodies are only a few inches apart and as angry as I am, I still feel the sudden urge to lean into him. I take a step back. "Why did you ask me to marry you?".He thrusts his hands into his pockets and cocks his head at me. "To be clear….i wasn't asking. And what's wrong with me wanting to wed
My heart sinks to my feet as we drive into Silver Glow territory. This is really happening. I've spent the last five days in a haze, my days passing in a blur as I prepared to leave. Each day, I waited for a messenger to bring a message informing me that he was no longer interested and wanted to terminate the bond….it never came."Are you nervous?". I jerk at the sound of my father's voice from beside me. He decided to travel with me for this trip and I don't know how I feel about that. I can't seem to erase the look of horror on his face when I had brought back our copy of the agreement. He hadn't even been aware that I went to Silver Glow for help…..because it was Mama who had sent me."What have you done, mi amor?". He had asked, his blood stained fingers trembling as he gripped the paper tightly. And I had said nothing. I might have made a bad decision, but at least my family and pack were safe….the only thing that mattered.When he had said he'd follow me on this trip today, I ha
I don't know how I manage to hold up during the whole makeup process but I do. My mind is faraway, rummaging through the recent events in my life, so when the attending omega taps my shoulder lightly to inform me that I'm ready, I'm very startled. I look at my reflection in the grand floor length mirror, taking in the icy blue hue of my dress and the matching silver details and accessories, representing the color of Silver Glow. I want to ask them what they did with my red dress….but am I sure I really want to know? They've put my hair up and wiped off my red lipstick, swapping it with a peachy nude one. If left to me, I'd never do my makeup like this in a million years."They are calling for you in the banquet hall, Luna". The omega says, head bowed courteously. Luna? Is that what I am now? And most importantly, am I really going to be treated like a Luna. I shove all those thoughts to the back of my mind and give a slight nod, following the omega out the door and towards the faint
"I think I'm done here".Draaven's hand comes to rest on my arm and I stiffen. Everyone in the hall is suddenly even more engrossed in our exchange and I have to remind myself not to give away too much, not to feed the prowling eyes of these vultures."I have an announcement to make after dinner. You should probably stay back for that". He chose the right set of words to make himself look good but underneath all that faux sweetness, I hear the hardness in his voice. He's not giving me an option here. I have to stay back. With my heart thundering in my chest, I sit back down, clenching my fists by my side as I resist the urge to punch something. Once I'm seated, most of the people go back to their meal, with only a few still stealing glances. I lean back against my seat and fold my hands on my lap. This night couldn't possibly go slower, I can't wait for all of this to be over.Shutting out the noise around me, I sink into my own thoughts as the chatter continues. Even when dessert is
I wake up as early as 7am the next day. I barely got any sleep throughout the night so when I finally see the first rays of sunlight filtering in through the windows, it feels like an escape. I go ahead to fix myself a hot bath. The water does me good and I don't get out of it till I begin to feel it go cold. Clad in a fluffy terry robe, I make my way to my bedroom, intent on the task of drying my hair. I hear the door to my living room open and my brows furrow worriedly. I'm not expecting anyone. I hear the soft footsteps of people as they make their way in and my confusion grows. I walk into the room to see a small group of smartly dressed omegas, wheeling in rows and rows of dresses, all in varying shades ranging from white to silver to blue to black. The one who seems to be the head turns to me when she hears me come in, a pleasant smile pasted on her face."Good morning, Luna". The others chorus the greeting, their voices much more timid. "Umm….good morning. What…. what's going
That night, I'm informed that I'll be having dinner with the Venturas, all of them. I'm not exactly sure how many they are supposed to be but I'm very nervous at the idea of meeting them. Not sure what the setting will be like, we decide to go for a semi formal look, pulling my long hair up into a ponytail and throwing on a pair of casual two-piece. "How did you find your first lessons, Luna?". Anna asks as she works on my hair from behind in the mirror. The history class had practically lasted forever with the sharp eyed woman drawling on and on about their own warped versions of history. Half of the class was me resisting the urge to scream "that's not what I was taught". But what did I expect though? As they say, no one is a villian in their own versions of the truth.The Internal Affairs lesson….when I had heard I'd be learning my duties as a Luna, I definitely didn't expect to be taught the numerous ways to pleasure a grown man in bed. My shock had been inexplicable as I listene
""What's my schedule like today?". I ask Anna as she hands me a steaming cup of coffee as per my daily routine. "Meeting with the event planners from 12-2pm. Basic Combat lessons from 4-6pm, Luna". My brows fly high in surprise. "Combat? I'm being taught combat now too?". "So it seems, Luna". I scoff loudly and swivel around on my chair to face the mirror. I wonder what basic combat skills they think the daughter of Lyon Heroux wouldn't have. I find this lesson a bit insulting but isn't that my entire existence in this new pack? Who is counting? I down my cup of coffee and proceed to get made up for the day. We focus on skincare this time, layering on all of my favorite skincare products. I don't expect any combat lessons to be held indoors, it's only best to be prepared in my own little way. I dab on a slash of pink hued lipgloss and start getting dressed, my mind unsettled for some reason. I've not seen Draaven since the day he followed me to my room. I don't know if that's a g
I aim at the bull's eye and fire. I miss…..of course. Archery has never been my forte, and more so when I'm agitated. All through the meeting with the event planners, I had been detached, my mind uneasy and restless. The planning team had been a group of three, very excited, very chatty women whom I had left scandalized by my request to wear a red dress for the wedding and coronation. Of course, they hadn't agreed, discussing reasons why I shouldn't like it's a world war I'm about to start. I yielded in the end because even though, they were not direct about it, they insinuated that they'd lose their jobs and possibly their heads if they dressed me in something like that. We had proceeded to go over the little details, decor, food, cake and drink flavours. All the little things I'd have probably been excited to discuss if circumstances were different and this was a wedding I was actually looking forward to. When the meeting ended, I had been more than glad to finally escape their com