Chapter 4 - Brianna

I knew something was off when my father insisted that we had a family dinner in our private dining room rather than with the rest of the pack. The last time we had dinner together as a family I was still a child. I must have been about eleven years old. That was the day that my father told me that he was enrolling me on an elite training programme. 

I left home a couple of months later and I didn’t come back until I was eighteen years old. I was stuck in that facility for seven years with a bunch of alphas, betas and elite warriors. The only people who spoke to me the whole time I was there were Nolan and Kaiden. We became very close during that time and I am sure that is why Nolan ended up falling in love with me. 

“I have some good news.” My father was smiling at me which in itself was a bad sign. How often have I seen my father smile? It couldn’t be more than a handful of times in all of my life. My mother kept her head down, looking intently at the plate of food in front of her. I didn’t miss the way she flinched at my father’s words though.

Placing my knife and fork on the plate in front of me, I prepared myself to receive bad news. Glancing at my mother again I could see that she seemed nervous, just like she did that night when my father sent me away. I could feel my anger rising. My father was about to interfere in my life yet again, I could feel it in my bones and I wasn’t going to let him do it. Not this time. Whatever he had in mind, I would fight it. 

“Alpha Mason Dalton has agreed to take you on as his mate.” My father grinned at me as though he hadn’t just given me a death sentence. Did he not realise that he had just thrown me to the big bad wolf. Mason’s reputation was not a good one. He was known for being a ruthless monster. He killed without remorse and took a different woman to bed each night, sometimes two or three at once. It was hard to believe that my father would want me to be with someone like him. 

“No.” I replied. It was best to keep it simple for him, that way he would know that this wasn’t up for discussion. 

“It wasn’t a question. You will be his mate and you will do exactly as he says. He is coming to claim you tomorrow and we will announce your imminent bonding at your party tomorrow night.” He told me before turning his attention back to his food. My mother glanced at me then started eating her food again. 

My palms were starting to get hot and sweaty. They were treating me like I was a child who was having a tantrum. Apparently my life was nothing more than a minor inconvenience for them, a stain on their perfect life. Our relationship has never been close, they resented me for not being born a boy and that only got worse when they realised my mother couldn’t bear more children. Even so I never thought they would stoop so low. 

“What if I meet my mate at the party?” I asked. 

“Then you will reject him.” My father had a smirk on his face as he spoke, he was loving this. What had I done to make him hate me so much? I wasn’t even here for a lot of my childhood so it wasn’t like I had been difficult to look after. 

We ate the rest of our meal in complete silence. There was so much more that I wanted to say but there was no point. Any objections I made would fall on deaf ears but that didn’t mean that I would accept my father’s plans for me. I had a different plan for my own life and I know which version I preferred. 

Dinner didn’t last long. My father had no interest in playing happy families and he left shortly after sharing his news with me. Once he left my mother reached for the gin and started drinking heavily. She was visibly upset about my father’s decision to sell me to alpha Dalton. She would never stand up to him though, she believed that lunas should follow their mate’s wishes blindly. It was why she and my father got on so well together, they had similar worldviews. It was just a shame for them that their only daughter was so strong willed. 

My mom continued to drink and I couldn’t bear to watch it any longer. I excused myself and left her alone with her misery. I walked straight out of the house, not even taking the time to change or put a jacket on. I probably looked strange dressed in an evening gown as I walked through the pack in the early evening but I was too distracted to notice any strange looks I was getting. It didn’t matter, I had to get to Nolan’s house before anyone could work out what I was planning. I just had to hope that he didn’t have company. 

Nolan had a small cottage on the edge of the pack a short distance away from my house. I was there before the cold night air had a chance to cool my raging temper. My wolf whimpered as I went to knock on the door of Nolan’s cottage causing me to hesitate. I know that she didn’t want me to do this but she hadn’t given me any better options. It wasn’t as though we were an omega who could easily submit to an alpha like Mason Dalton. Our alpha nature would force us to rebel against his cruel nature and I would end up getting myself killed. This was the only way I could see to get out of the arrangement my father made and still get to lead this pack. My mind was made up, this was the way it had to be. 

I knocked on the door in front of me. Nolan opened the door before I even had time to lower my hand. His blond hair looked uncharacteristically dishevelled and he looked as though he hadn’t rested since I last saw him. When his eyes landed on my face he smiled and ran his fingers through his hair. 

“I was worried about you. My brother told me what your parents are planning and I was worried they had locked you up to make sure you went through with it.” He said, the concern clear in his eyes despite the smile that was now on his face. 

“That’s why I’m here, I want to take you as my chosen mate.” I said. Nolan’s tongue ran along his lips and his eyes changed colour as his wolf made his presence known. He closed his eyes for a few seconds, gripping the door tightly as he tried to reign in his wolf. When he opened his eyes again he seemed to be more composed. 

“Are you sure?” He asked.

I nodded my head in agreement. Without another word I stepped into his house, closing the door behind me. The door barely had time to click closed before he was all over me. He pushed me against the wall, pressing his lips against mine and pulling me into his body. One hand held the back of my head while the other freely explored my body. 

He pushed his body against mine, grinding his hips into me as he continued his assault on my mouth. I could feel his erection pressing up against me. My own desire was rising and I’d had enough of this foreplay. I wanted him to claim me. 

“I think we should take this upstairs,” I said, pulling away from him slightly. 

“No, I’m going to claim you right here. Then I will take you upstairs so we can spend the rest of the night exploring each other’s bodies.” He replied as he ran his fingers up my thigh. I could feel the possessiveness behind his words. He didn’t want to risk losing me, he wanted his mark on my neck as soon as possible and I was more than happy to oblige.  

“Mark me Nolan.” I slowly moved my hair away from my neck and leaned my head to the side to give him better access. His eyes changed colour and his fangs extended. He was just about to lean in and bite my neck when there was a loud knock on the door beside us.

“Open this door immediately.” My father shouted.