Sold To The Ruthless Alpha; Mated To His Brother

SASHA.

My feets were swollen. Raw, and pierced with thorns from the dried branches scattered all around the forest.

But that didn't deter me. That did nothing to stop me.

I needed to run away. I needed to get far away from home. From a father willing to marry me off to a tyrant.

A sharp cry rose from my throat as I stumbled upon a stone, which tore through my foot.

“Damn!” I cried, making contact with the ground before I pushed myself back up. The night was dark, completely devoid of moonlight. And with my wolf losing her powers, seeing through the dark was becoming a huge hassle.

Any moment now and Abbati would realize I was missing. And I hadn't made it far enough. If he didn't notice in time, then my guards would be awake at any moment because how hard would a few flu pills knock up three guards?

Definitely not for long.

But Sunday nights were always chaotic, because Abbati liked to throw parties for the parliament. So I suppose I still had a few hours before anyone noticed my absence.

‘You… really…shouldn't have… done that…to me…’ Ashina hissed, her voice coming out slurred.

‘I am so sorry, Ashina. We need to do this. We can easily get tracked down if you aren't subdued!’

‘But this is…knocking me out!’ she snapped. Ashina rarely doid that, so it meant she was beyond pissed at what I did. Heck, who wouldn't be?

‘I didn't think the potion would completely take away most of your abilities. The witch never said so.’

‘Well…that…’

‘Save your breath, Ashina. Shifting and healing me are what you can't do. Our scent and aura needs to be undetectable. But we can still communicate. The idea is to blend with humans, which necessitates you being shut out.’

‘But still…’

‘Please, Ashina. Let's not discuss this now. Please.’

The last thing I wanted was to shut out my wolf and her powers, not that she had anything to show, like me, but still. My goal was to completely disappear and blend in with the humans, and doing that required a sacrifice.

Even if that sacrifice was giving up on a better connection with my wolf.

I slowed into a jog, sucking in deep breaths as I tried to calm my thudding heart. Maybe carrying the backpack was a mistake, because it was heavier than I thought.

But I needed some essentials. A few things to hold onto as I found my footing. Hopefully though, I got to the main road soon and founf a car into the city. Far away from this pack. From my father. From everything.

Even more so, from the cursed marriage I was being forced into with a man whose stories of ruthlessness had traveled far and wide, across all packs in the northern region. A man who took pride in destroying things.

And, especially, people.

‘Once the portion settles, I won't be able to feel you for the next forty-eight hours, neither will you. Afterwards, we can communicate, but you can't shift, and can't react to anything. I will be as plain as a human anywhere, and no werewolf, be it an alpha or ranked one, will be able to sense my true identity.’ I explained to Ashina.

She simply spluttered some words, which made no sense before I felt the connection fully break.

Sighing, I decided to take a quick rest. I searched through the backpack for my water bottle and took a huge gulp, before setting the bottle down. My once wavy hair, now straightened, although I didn't know for how long, fell to my face, the once black locs now dyed in a lighter shade of brown and cut shoulder length.

A disguise I hoped would work, even if the large birthmark on my right cheek was a dead giveaway. A birthmark I found on my face since growing up, one that looked like a strike of lightning.

I sighed again, leaning my head against the tree bark as my stomach rumbled. But I couldn't eat the two sandwiches I managed to sneak in from the castle’s kitchen this afternoon.

So I closed my eyes after swiping at the sweat from my forehead as the memories flood it.

“The arrangement is finalized. You are marrying Alpha Turk in a month. Be prepared.”

“But Abbati, you can't do that to me. I…I…”

“What use is your life to me if I can't even get anything from your marriage?” Abbati thundered angrily, slamming his hand on the wooden table.

“I am your daughter!”

“A worthless powerless daughter is what you are!” He snarled, grabbing my long black hair. “Listen to me, Jamilah, and listen carefully. This marriage is your only way out of this castle and this pack. Safely. The last thing we will want is for your carcass to end rotten here now, do we?”

I HATED when he called me Jamilah. Despised the name so much. I prefer Sasha, the name my mother wanted to name me. But everyone called me Jamilah, because that was what my father wanted.

I swallowed hard and fast, my chest thundering with fear towards the man who was supposed to be my protector. But I wasn't born a male child, and the last thing my father, Alpha Lamido, wanted was a liability. And that was what he thought of me.

He never loved me. Even less so when my mother died while giving birth to me, and sadly, she was his mate. Despite having the male heir he craved from my step mother, Abbati never eased up on his hatred for me, and so all he‘d ever wanted is to find ways to capitalize on me. With this, he finally had it, he’s using me as a bargaining chip to ruthless alphas to become even more powerful.

All I ever was, all I ever would be to him, was a liability.

“Why don't you love me?” I asked, my lips trembling.

A look crossed his face before it vanished, replaced by the cold glare I was used to.

“Have you ever seen a father who doesn't love his child?” His hold loosened just a bit on my hair. “What I do not like is how pathetic and powerless you are. Your mother was a powerful wolf, but you are nothing more than an empty vessel.”

A cry tore through me as thick tears rolled down my cheeks. Abbati let go of me, stepping back as I covered my face with my hands, my frail, small, skinny figure shaking with the spams of my tears.

Then I dropped my hands, staring at the man towering above me, his face devoid of any emotion. “What can I do to make you like me, Abbati? What will it take for you to accept me for who I am?”

“Marry Turk and get me the papers I need. That is the only thing that will ever make me consider you anything worthy.”

And with that, he stalked out of the room, leaving me with a shattered heart in the attic of a castle, hidden from the world outside.

I made a promise that day to fight for my freedom. To escape this hell hole and find somewhere better. Which was exactly what I did two weeks later as everywhere was abuzz with my wedding preparations.

I pried my eyes open, feeling my cheeks wet with tears at the memory. While crying may not help me at this time, it was nearly impossible to think about my memories with Abbati and not feel any pain. Or not cry.

I reached for Ashina, but was met with emptiness. The portion must have taken its toll. So I stood up, dusted the back of my jeans and slid my backpack on my back again, ready to go.

Hopefully, it wouldn't be too long before I made it to the main road.

But as soon as I turned, a blunt object was smacked right across my face. And before I could make sense of who it was, darkness crept in, completely knocking me out.

So much for getting my freedom.