Chapter 002: Betrothed to a stranger

~Draven~

I had faced wars, rogue packs, and council uprising, but nothing tested the restraint of my temper like the moment my mother said her name.

“Lyra, your betrothed wife.” My mother said with the brightest smile.

I straightened slowly from my seat, my claws threatening to surface beneath my skin. “Repeat that.”

My mother didn't flinch. She rarely did when it came to matters she had already decided for me.

“You will be formally betrothed to Lyra of the northcrest pack,” she said calmly.

A low murmur spread through the elders seated around the circular hall, all of them suddenly fascinated by the grain of the wooden table.

I laughed once, sharp and without humor, “No,”

My mother’s gaze hardened. “Draven!”

“I said no,” I repeated, pushing myself fully upright now, the weight of authority rising through me like fire finding oxygen. “You do not decide who I bind myself to! I am not a treaty.”

One of the elders cleared his throat. “Alpha Draven, this is alliance is—“

“Do not speak to me about alliances,” I snapped, my voice echoing of the stone walls. “You are talking about handling me over like a bargaining chip to a pack I have never pledged loyalty to.”

My mother’s expression remained infuriatingly composed. “Lyra is well bred, politically advantageous, and acceptable to both councils.”

“Acceptable?” My jaw tightened. “Is that what I am reduced to now? Acceptable unions?”

The room fell quiet. “I will not marry her,” I said slower this time, enunciating each word like a vow. “This discussion is over.”

It was then the eldest council man leaned forward. “The union has been agreed upon by ruling council of both packs.”

That made me pause. My eyes narrowed. “Agreed upon by who exactly?”

Mother spoke again, “by me.”

The atmosphere in the chamber changed violently, “You went behind my back, without my permission and created a stupid alliance.”

She shrugged. “ It was necessary.”

“I am the Alpha of this pack,” I said, stepping foward, my voice dropping into something far more dangerous than anger. “And yet I am the last to know who I’m being bound to?”

One of the elders raised a hand as if to calm a wildfire. “Draven, this arrangement secures stability between territories that have been strained for years.”

“Stability.” I turned to him sharply, “you call a forced marriage stability?”

My mother stood now, meeting me fully. “You will meet Lyra in one week. The ceremony will take place under full moon.”

That was the final thread. I struck my palm against the council table, the sound cracking through the hall. “I will not attend.”

The elders rose immediately. “Alpha—“

“Sit down!” I ordered coldly and they did, though none of them looked pleased.

My mother did not move. “You will attend,” she repeated.

I stared at her, disbelief curling into fury. “We’ll see about that.”

With that, I turned sharply and walked out before I did something irreversible in front of witnesses I couldn’t kill.

I did not stop walking until I reached the training hall where I finally exhaled the anger I had been choking on.

A sparring dummy shattered under my fists in seconds, then another—and another…

“Alpha.” Marcel, my beta’s voice cut through the haze of my temper.

I did not turn. “If you are here to defend my mother’s madness, just leave.”

“I am not,” he replied carefully.

I turned slowly to him. He leaned against the doorway, arms folded, watching me destroy expensive equipment. “You heard the full announcement?”

“I heard enough to want to burn the council down,” I said flatly.

A faint sigh left him, “The betrothal is confirmed in one week,”

“I will not marry her.”

“You will, Alpha.”

That earned him a sharp look, “Careful, Marcel!”

He raised both hands slightly. “I am not your enemy, I am telling you what you already know—you cannot overturn a dual council decree without consequences.”

I exhaled through my teeth, turning away again. “There are always consequences,”

“Which is exactly why I’m here,” he continued. “You are going to need structure. Look, your personal quarters is in chaos because you have refused a dedicated maid for months.”

I scoffed. “I do not need someone arranging my bed like I am a child.”

“You do,” he said without hesitation. “And because you argue, you are not sleeping, you are not resting and you are certainly not maintaining order. A maid assigned solely to your quarters would stabilize your environment.”

I turned slowly, “You are seriously suggesting I hire someone to fold my clothes?”

“I am suggesting that you stop pretending that you can manage everything alone, despite the ups and down of being an alpha.” He corrected.

He was speaking as a brother right now and I hated the fact that he was right.

Finally, I exhaled. “Find someone competent, no distractions.”

A faint smile tugged at his lips. “Of course, Alpha.”