Chapter Two

Helene

"There's no way I'll marry that man!" I yelled at my Father.

"Helene, he's not just a man." He said convincingly.

"I don't care!" I screamed.

"You have to care! What is wrong with you?" He asked angrily.

I scoffed as I looked away from my father. I had returned from a hunting spree and got dressed up ready to munch on my prey which had been garnished and cooked but my father called me aside saying he needed to discuss an important issue with me. I thought it was the pack's issue as usual but he ended up telling me I was getting married to some Alpha.

"Helene, you have to listen to me." He demanded.

"Father! Listen to yourself, you want to marry me off to some Alpha am I a burden to you? Have I done anything wrong to you?" I said emotionally.

"You'll have to leave sooner or later, you're a woman you can't stay with me forever Helene. Forget your bravado and prowess, all these will only be useful when you Lord over your own people." He reminded me.

I banged my hand loudly on my bedside table thereby shattering the inkstone and writing materials.

"I'm not intending to stay here forever and yes I'll get married I'm just staying I won't allow you to marry me off to someone I don't know! Someone years older than me!" I argued.

My Father sighed, he was getting frustrated, I was about to argue further when the door opened to reveal my mother. My Father rushed to meet her but I was faster, I took her hands and led her to sit beside me.

"Mother, will you please tell Father not to force me into getting married to a random stranger?" I begged.

"Lola, explain to your daughter that she can't stay with us forever, this is for her future!" My Father rebuffed.

"I'm not arguing that fact with him by I just want to get married to whomever I please." I insisted.

"There's no way that will happen! You'll marry who I ask you to!" Father retorted.

"And why is that?" I threw back at him.

"Because we've signed a marriage pact between both packs when you were born! How did you think we maintained peace all these years? We subdued them?" He said angrily.

A justified anger stirred within me.

"You're marrying me off because of a pact you made? I'm a peace treaty item now?" I asked in disbelief.

My Father shook his head slowly.

"Lola, make your daughter understand things please." He begged.

I turned to face my Mother. She smiled weakly at me and caressed my face, I cooked down a bit.

"Helene my dear, your father and I will never do anything to harm or hurt you, we're doing this for the sake of the pack. We've made a marriage pact and the future of the pack now rest on your shoulders." She explained.

I held her hands in mine and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Mother, let's break off the pact, we have enough soldiers if war arises we can defend ourselves, I'll give up my life for this pack and you know that but please don't be in a bondage in the name of a peace treaty, break it off." I said convincingly.

My Father scoffed.

"A pact that had been made before you were born should be called off? You grew up fighting minute wars and winning them does that make you think you're safe? Helene, they were there when this pack needed them and now they're asking for their rights in return so you expect me to say no just because you don't feel like it?" Father questioned.

"I would fight for this pack with every blood in my vein." I said indignantly.

"You'll fight for a pack that they sacrificed their lives to keep safe? They had our back all these years now you're thinking of going to war just because they asked us to honor our words? I wonder Helene what kind of a leader does that." Father said, scoffed and left the room.

My face fell as I knew what he said was the truth but would I stay still while I'm being sold? No! All my life I dreamt of my mate. How he'd sweep me off my feet and show me with love, how we'll spend he test of our lives together, how we'll go to war and come home victorious, how we'll lead our pack peacefully. All of that would go down the drain if I get tied down to an alpha I don't know.

The rumors that the alpha is an old man who would probably die off soon and his sons are nowhere to be found, rumors even has it that one of his sons was a human which is an abomination. How could I marry into such family? It was unheard of.

"Helene." My mother called out softly.

"Mother please, I don't want to marry a old man." I pleaded.

"I'm sorry Helene but there's little I can do about this, your father is right I'm afraid, we have to go through with this." She said.

"What of my mate? Don't you dare if I found my mate or he found me?" I asked.

At that point I was desperate, it felt like a suicidal mission if I were to marry the alpha.

"Your father and I are not mates yet we live our lives to the fullest with love and harmony, I believe you'll do same, who knows? He might be your mate." She said with a twinkle in her eye.

"Mother, nothing you'll say will change my mind, there's no way I'll marry that alpha, who knows what he's up to? I hear he needs more soldiers which is why he remember the pact, what if he's in trouble and only needs our help hence this marriage? I won't agree to this." I insisted.

My mother chuckled and gave my palm a gentle squeeze.

"You're a smart girl Helene, I know you'll make the right choice and choose what's best for the pack." She said reassuringly and left the room.