Unplanned Marriage

~Nyra

I hated the founder's party with a passion.

The last time I was here, I was four.

Now, without looking at anyone, a faint net draped over my head, I performed a warrior’s dance for the officials. Ten long minutes that felt like a hundred finally came to an end.

I bowed and was about to leave when the Alpha’s voice cut through the murmurs.

"I would like to see the face behind this mysterious lady who dances like an angel." His tone was deep, commanding, clear.

I knew I shouldn’t disobey him. But one thing I respected as a warrior was humility and integrity.

At the very least, he could have said “please” before invading my privacy. I opened my mouth to reply, but my father stood first.

"Unfortunately, my daughter is a very shy lady," he said, trying to lighten the moment. "I’m sure you’ll see her face later, as much as you like."

I didn’t lift my head to look at him. I could lose control, attack him on instinct, and anger had a sharp edge that never dulled. I left the stage and retreated to the room we were given at Bloodfang Pack.

My father, Beta of Blood Moon Pack, had brought me here for the founder’s party. I wasn’t meant to be anywhere near this, not really.

The Alpha of my pack had given my father a letter, almost a death sentence in disguise. He was to plan on killing Alpha Knox, the deadly, ruthless Alpha of Bloodfang Pack.

A man who lived to kill and killed to live. Rumors painted him more dangerous than a dragon. But he had never faced me.

I'm the finest warrior of the Blood Moon pack so bringing me along was more than essential.

I moved to the closet, rifling through clothes. Too small, too big, nothing fits right.

A warrior must be ready for war at any moment. I chose a garment slightly too large, letting it hang, because preparation mattered more than perfection.

"My lady! My lady!!" I heard my maid’s frantic voice even before she reached the door. Alarm shot through me. Did something happen?

"Aren’t you supposed to be scouting the Alpha’s main building and mapping it for an easy infiltration?" I asked, arching an eyebrow.

"My lady… I was," she panted, barely catching her breath. "But I overheard something… disturbing."

"And what might that be?" I pressed, my mind immediately leaping to the worst, had the Bloodfang Pack discovered our hidden intentions?

"Your father… he just made a proposal to the Alpha," she blurted out. "He requested his son’s hand in marriage for you."

I nearly laughed aloud.

Alpha Knox and my father had been inseparable friends since childhood, but life had forced them onto different paths.

Yet the bond remained, unbroken, unshakable. That was part of why my father’s current mission, this impossible, deadly order pained him so much.

"My father would never make such a declaration without consulting me first," I said, my voice cold, sharp. "And he knows exactly how much I despise being controlled by a man. Especially someone weak… the Alpha’s son, who bears none of his father’s strength or fire, could never be my husband."

The words left no room for argument. They carried all the defiance and pride of a warrior who refused to be tamed.

As I fastened the belt around my waist and prepared to step out, the door creaked open. My father walked in. His timing alone told me he already knew why I was looking for him.

“Is it true?” I asked, not bothering to hide the edge in my voice.

His eyes immediately slid to my maid, hard and accusing, as if she had committed treason. She flinched and bolted out of the room before I could stop her.

“Father,” I snapped, “tell me you didn’t do something that foolish.”

He let out a long breath, the kind he used when he was choosing his words like weapons. “Nyra… it’s part of the plan.”

“The plan,” I repeated, almost laughing. The anger clawed up my throat. “The plan is to infiltrate the Alpha’s building at night and kill him. Not sell me off like a bargaining chip.”

“You think it’s that simple?” he asked quietly, stepping closer. “Alpha Knox has over a hundred warriors surrounding his building every night. A hundred. Sending you in there is a death sentence, and you know it.”

“I’d rather die fighting than…”

“Listen to me,” he cut in, voice heavy with a father’s desperation and a Beta’s loyalty. “The only people allowed into Knox’s personal chambers without inspection are his wives… and his son. Not his guards. Not his maids. Not even his generals. Only them.”

I froze.

He continued, “If you marry his son, you won’t need to sneak past guards or risk your life slipping through windows. All you’ll need is Knox’s trust. Enough of it for him to call you into his house… freely.”

My jaw tightened so hard I felt it crack.

“So your brilliant plan,” I said slowly, “is for me to crawl into his family and play obedient daughter‑in‑law until I get close enough to slit his throat.”

He didn’t deny it.

He didn’t need to.

I felt the weight of the decision crash over me. Rage. Disgust. Fear. But under all of it… a dawning realization.

This mission was mine whether I liked it or not.

He looked at me, his expression unreadable.

“The wedding… it’s in two days.”

I blinked, as if hearing him wrong. “Two… days?”

He nodded slowly. “Yes. I have to return to our pack, gather some things, and update out Alpha myself. You… get prepared.”

“Prepared?” My voice cracked, a mix of disbelief and fury. “Do you even hear yourself? Two days, and you expect me to…”

“Nyra,” he cut in softly but firmly, “this is the only way. You know what’s at stake.” He spoke like a man carrying out orders he hated but couldn’t refuse.

I stared at him, searching for a hint of hesitation, a glimmer of compromise. But there was none.

“Get prepared,” he said quietly, avoiding my eyes. Then he turned and walked out.

The door shut behind him with a soft click, but it felt like the sound echoed through my skull.

I didn’t move. I just stood there, staring at the wooden door as if it might swing back open and he would take those words back. As if he’d suddenly remember I wasn’t some pawn he could position on a board.

But the room stayed silent.

My throat tightened. The first tear rolled down before I even felt it leaving my eye, sliding down my cheek like it knew exactly where it belonged.

Another followed. And another. I didn’t sob. I didn’t make a sound. I just let them fall, helpless and hot, while the reality settled heavy on my chest.

In two days, I would belong to a man I had never spoken to.

In two days, I would be walking into the lion’s den wearing a wedding gown.

In two days… I would step into Alpha Knox’s family as the girl meant to kill him.

My maid slipped back in quietly. She opened her mouth to speak, then shut it again. Good. She knew better.

When I’m furious… when the hurt sits in my throat like broken glass… I kill anyone. As many as I want.

But not here. Not in the Bloodfang pack. Not before the mission even begins.

So I turned to the other thing I do when I can’t spill blood.

“Check for me, Lira, on G****e Maps,” I said, wiping the last tear from my face with the back of my hand. “Is there any clubhouse around here?”

Crying was pointless. Tears didn’t change betrayal. Tears can't stop a father who would gladly sacrifice his only daughter just to obey an Alpha’s command.

Lira tapped through the tablet quickly.

“There’s one very close,” she said. “Inside this premises. Five minute walk.”

Perfect.

I went to the closet and grabbed the shortest dress I had seen earlier. Red. Tight. The kind of red that made men.

It clung to my cleavage, barely covering my thighs underneath. If I sat, anyone would see the color of my panties.

Good.

Let them look.

I slid it on and adjusted the straps over my shoulders.

“Get ready,” I told Lira quietly. “We leave by seven. Once the sky is dark.”