The Alpha And His Bride..

Valtira

I stepped down from the carriage slowly, my breath catching as my eyes drank in the sight before me. It wasn't just a palace, it was colossal. Stretching higher and wider than anything I’ve ever seen before.

The walls towered above us as we rode in, dark and unyielding. Thick shadows clung to their imposing surface as though the night itself had made its home here. A strange heaviness hung in the air, pressing down with urgent pressure on my chest, and making it hard to breathe.

As we approached the gates which were tall and menacing like prison doors, I froze.

Without warning, they creaked open, revealing two soldiers waiting on the other side. They weren't ordinary guards, but monstrous men, with broad shoulders and entirely fearsome. Their presence itself radiated death.

I swallowed hard as one stepped forward, his gaze darkening as it settled on me. “You’re the slave bought by Alpha Zarek, right?”

Slave? My face hardened, but my voice remained passively cool. “I’m no slave. I’m the Luna of Duskborne.”

The two hefty men exchanged a glance, a glimmer of suspicion flickering in their eyes before one gripped my wrist with iron-like strength. “Alright. Let’s go.”

I hid a wince as I forced myself to follow, keeping my head low but my eyes wide open and sharp.

I gazed in awe at the wondrous sight and sounds surrounding me. Having lived most of my life in my pack village, it felt entirely different.

Inside, the palace swallowed me whole. The halls felt endless as we walked and turned, like they were cloaked in shadows that rippled like a dark veil. I ignored the multiple eyes that turned to stare at us or particularly, at me.

Every step sent a shiver through me, as though the very walls were sending whispers of warning to stop me from venturing further.

Around my arm, I felt one of the soldiers tense up as well. He could feel it too.

For the first time in a long while, fear coiled cold in my stomach. Maybe the rumors about Alpha Zarek were true.

We finally halted before a massive golden door. It creaked open slowly, and the soldiers tightened their grip around my arms before yanking me forward into a vast hall.

Dozens of eyes fell on me at once. Fierce Moon soldiers lined the sides, their stares sharp and unyielding. Among them sat the elders, aged men with long gazes, some were laced with pity, while others were unreadable. The weight of their silence pressed down on me.

This must be the pack’s council chamber.

The hall gleamed with wealth, golden pillars, rich velvet drapes, and polished furniture that screamed of power and dominance. But none of it mattered, because my eyes found him.

Sitting on a golden throne, with his eyes set on me, he looked different from the rest.

His fingers were adorned with black rings and they tapped lazily against the armrest. His presence consumed the room.

My gaze drifted to his face, and my breath hitched. His sharp jaw was carved like marble, and his dark eyes were the color of storm clouds. A thin scar dragged across his brow; it should have made him hideous, but I was starting to wonder if he knew how much it added to his already devilish appeal.

He wore a long black coat over his powerful frame, and his aura fanned across the large hall like a chilly shadow.

I barely noticed the soldiers bowing before him until they gave me a little shove when I refused to move.

I kept my posture high, and my chin higher as confusion flooded me, who could command such fear?

“Alpha Zarek,” they said in unison.

My eyes widened. This is Alpha Zarek?

The Rogue Alpha of Dusksborne Pack. This young, imposing man?

I thought he would be some monstrous creature, a beast in human skin. Not this…not someone who looked like a fallen god carved from the shadows.

“This isn’t what I expected,” Xia, my wolf, suddenly murmured through our link. Her voice jolted me, instant relief, rushing through my chest. After three days of silence, I thought I had lost her too.

But before I could dwell on it, a deep voice growled through the chamber.

“Are you the daughter of Nicholas?” The words are cold and dangerous. Every single syllable, making the air shiver.

“Yes,” I managed, forcing my voice to remain steady. “I am.”

He leaned forward, eyes locked on mine. “Then you know your father sold you to me. You are mine now. My property.”

Property?

The words struck like chains snapping shut as our gazes remained on each other. None of us was willing to back down.

He was making a claim. To see how I’d react to it. I scoffed inwardly. Well, two can play this game.

I tilted my head, my smile, infuriatingly calm even as fury ignited in my chest. “I am not your thing.” I contended.

“And my father may have been cheap enough to think he’s sold me to you, but make no mistake, Alpha. I am a Luna of my own. I’m not my father. You would do more than throw a few deals in—to ‘own’ me.”

The room erupted in hushed whispers. The soldiers, suppressing their groans. Even the Elders stared at me wide-eyed, with scandal flashing in their eyes.

The air grew heavier and darker, as Alpha Zarek’s expression hardened.

A frown carved deep into his face, and his lips curled into a cold smirk. “If you are as powerful as you claim, then why were you sold like a piece of filth? You could have fought your father off. Yet here you are, dragged into my court!”

My skin crawled at the truth in his words. Anger twitched in my eyes.

Despite the fear lodged deep in my bones, I sent him a searing look that had his dark brows narrow. “Because my father is stupid. He is useless and undeserving of me. And I swear, I’ll make his life a living hell.” My words cut back sharply like knives.

He leaned back, unimpressed. His probing gaze slid down the length of my body with a curious glare.

“I don’t care about your pathetic ties to your father or your family. I bought you. You belong to me now, and you will serve me until I’m done with you.”

My fists clenched tight. My nails, digging into my palms. Rude bastard. Every word from him burned like poison.

“And what makes you think I’ll follow your rules like some puppet?” I spat, refusing to lower my gaze.

His eyes flashed dangerously and his tone dropped like thunder. “Because you have no choice. You are powerless. This is not your pack. This is my pack. My rules. You disobey… and you die.”

Death. Rebellion dimmed at that one word. My eyes turned tormented, but I hid it immediately so he wouldn’t see just how much his words affected me.

My father had mentioned his will to kill me, but while that threat had been like a feather in the wind, I knew Zarek’s words were spoken with weight.

They weren’t just threats but promises.

Deadly promises that pierced through me as his gaze locked on mine, sharp enough to strip me bare without even lifting a finger.

I swallowed.

Whatever he wants from me, it won’t be good.

Every part of me screamed that I won’t survive here. Not under him.

Tonight. I made up my mind. Tonight, I must escape.

“You just said it, that’s your rule, Alpha.” I sent him a smirk. “I will live by mine.”

For the first time, something flickered in his eyes, anger. His lips twitched, drawing emphasis to his scarred brow.

“We’ll see about that.” He snapped. “Let’s see how much that fire in you remains when I’m done with you.”

Wait— My brain scrambled. What did he mean—

“Lock her up.” His order echoed through the hall, taking me equally by surprise.

Two soldiers stomped toward me, the floor trembling beneath their heavy steps. Panic surged in my chest, but I held my ground.

“Now… apologize!” Zarek ordered, his tone deep and menacing. “Or you’ll rot in the dark for days without food or water.”

My hands clenched at my sides. My gaze, still defiant as I lifted my chin and sneered at him. “You wish.”

The soldiers seized me, catching me by the scruff of my neck as they hauled me forward. Their grips were more brutal than anything I’d faced in days as they shoved me through the carpeted floor, and dragged me across the hall. The elders murmured as people grew restless, yet no one dared to interfere.

Still, I didn’t flinch. If their alpha expected me to beg, he would be waiting forever.

I am Valtira. I don’t beg.

My own family’s betrayal has already shattered me. What could be worse than that? Nothing Alpha Zarek does will ever hurt more than that.