Two

Alec

The Head Maid cleared her throat from the doorway. "Alpha, the Elders are waiting for you downstairs for the toast."

I couldn't hear her words. All I could smell was Vanessa.

Vanilla, sweet honey, and pure, raw heat. The scent of a bonded female, an ache in the air that called to the most animal part of my soul.

I waved the Head Maid away with a flick of my hand. She bowed quickly and disappeared, closing the door behind her.

My beast, Jaxon, clawed inside my chest. He wanted to chase our mate and claim her right now.

Before Vanessa revealed her identity, my heart had exploded with joy that the moon had blessed me with a fated mate. I wouldn't have given a damn if she was an Omega servant, the lowest rank in our society.

Finding one’s fated mate was rare these days. Most wolves simply let their human sides fall in love and choose a partner.

To be one of the lucky few to receive that sacred bond should have been the greatest moment of my life. The pack would have been shocked that an Alpha of my prestige was bonded to a servant, but they would have seen it as a sign of the moon's favor.

But now, that gift had turned into a sick curse. 

The moon hadn't given me a mate. She had tied me to the daughter of a traitor.

Go to her! Jaxon roared inside my head. His fury shook me from the inside out. She is OURS! Why did you let her go? CLAIM HER!

I ripped the ceremonial robe from my shoulders and threw it into the fireplace. The expensive fabric caught fire instantly.

Then I slammed my fist into the stone wall. Pain shot up my arm. I hit it again. And again. The crunch of my knuckles breaking did nothing to quiet the war in my soul.

Jaxon went silent for a moment, stunned by my self-inflicted pain. Then his voice returned, no longer roaring, but a mocking growl.

You can break every bone in your hand. It won't change anything. She's our happiness.

"Shut the hell up!" I bellowed, my voice echoing through the room.

I closed my eyes, but all I saw was Valen Hunter. The image of his execution, six years ago, flashed in my memory. I remembered his piercing blue eyes, with flecks of gold in the center. The exact same eyes as his daughter. Those eyes had haunted my dreams for years.

When my father’s warriors captured him, he didn’t beg for his life. He didn’t cry for mercy. He spat in my father’s face. 

“You can kill my body, Alistair, but you cannot kill my soul. And my soul will haunt you and your generation for all of eternity.”

After he said that, just before my father tore out his throat, he looked away from the man about to kill him and found my eyes.

I was just a boy of seventeen, watching from the side. He looked directly at me. His gaze wasn’t filled with hate or fear. It was unbroken and held a strange kind of pity.

He died like a true Alpha, proud and defiant to the very end.

And now, the universe had bonded me with his daughter. What cruel game was this?

"Alec?"

I snapped out of my thoughts. Lucas, my Beta, stood in the doorway. His brow was furrowed with concern.

"You missed the toast. Some of the Elders are whispering. They think you're not as happy as you should be.”

"Let them talk," I mumbled. "I don't care."

His eyes scanned the room, taking in the scene. He frowned at my robe burning in the fireplace. Then his gaze fell to my hand and grew hard.

"Are you all right?" 

I didn’t answer. I walked past him into the connected bathroom, turned on the tap, and rinsed the blood from my broken knuckles. The cold water stung, but it was a welcome distraction.

Lucas followed me, leaning against the doorframe.

"I felt a bond," I said flatly. The words tasted like poison.

There was no response. I lifted my head and met his eyes in the mirror. He looked completely shocked.

Then a wide grin spread across his face, and he let out a low whistle.

"A bond? Are you serious?" His laugh was boisterous. "Alec, that's incredible news! Who is she? One of the noble daughters? Is it Maya? I always knew she—”

I didn’t let him finish.

"Valen Hunter's daughter."

The silence that followed was heavy. The grin slid off Lucas’s face. He stared at me, trying to process what I had said. I walked past him into the bedroom.

He rushed after me. "That's a really bad joke.”

His face shifted from confusion to disgust, then to fury.

“No way. You can't be bonded to that evil bastard's daughter."

I didn’t answer. My silence was all the confirmation he needed.

"I'll kill her," he snarled. His eyes flashed. "I'll kill her with my bare hands."

My wolf threatened to tear through my skin and claw Lucas’s face off. The urge was so strong, I had to grit my teeth to hold him back.

Lucas looked at me with pure disgust. "We have to do something. The bond is still new. If we don’t break it, she will drag you into madness. The pack will lose all respect for you. They’ll never accept a traitor’s spawn as their Luna."

"I didn’t choose this," I growled.

"Get your head out of the clouds, Alec!" he snapped, stepping closer. "You have a pregnant girlfriend. Maya is carrying your heir. You will marry her, make her your Luna, and get rid of that evil girl. It’s your duty."

I stayed silent

"You don’t even have to lift a finger," Lucas added. "I’ll do it. I will slit her throat before the sun rises tomorrow."

A cold dread swept through me. I knew Lucas. He was ruthless. If he said he would do something, he did it. The thought of his hands on her, his blade at her throat...

"Don't," I said, the word slipping out before I could stop it.

Lucas stared at me like I had lost my mind. Maybe I had.

"Don't? What do you plan to do, Alec? Even if you break the bond, pieces of it will always remain. It will always pull you to her. And if you are foolish enough to complete the bond, to put your scent on her... when the pack finds out, they will revolt. Do you want to throw away your crown for a traitor’s daughter?"

"If she has to die, I will be the one to do it."

Lucas scoffed. "Handle it, then. Before things get worse."

The door opened, and Maya swept in. She wore a red sequin gown that probably cost more than a servant earns in a year.

Her baby bump was small, but she rested one hand on it like a trophy she had won.

"My lady," Lucas said, bowing and smiling sweetly. "You look radiant tonight."

She smiled back. "Thank you, Luc."

"I'll leave you two," he said, backing out of the room. "Alpha, take your time with your lady. I’ll handle things downstairs."

Alone with Maya, she moved closer, trailing her long, red nails down my chest.

"What’s wrong, my love?" she purred. "I know the pressure is a lot." She tried to hug me, pressing her lips to mine. "What do you want? A massage? A kiss? Anything?"

Jaxon recoiled inside me, snapping with disgust. The force of it was so strong, I flinched and pushed her hand away.

She looked shocked, then annoyed. Her painted smile vanished.

"What the hell was that?"

"Go downstairs, Maya," I said, my voice tired. "I'm not in the mood for this."

Her eyes narrowed. "Are you ever in the mood? For me, at least? You’re more friendly with Lucas than with me."

I let out a harsh chuckle. She was hinting that I was gay. If only the problem were that simple.

"You’ll be Luna in three weeks," I told her coldly. "Isn’t that what you wanted when you trapped me with this pregnancy?"

A storm raged in her eyes, but she masked it with a smile.

"I’m going to make our relationship work, Alec, whether you like it or not. I’m carrying your heir, and I'm the People's Choice."

She turned and left.

I waited a long time before I finally went downstairs. The party was in full swing. Loud music, laughter, and an endless flow of wine.

Beautiful, naked she-wolves paraded around, offering themselves to the males.

The debauchery of my pack was famous. It was our nature.

I sat on the Alpha’s throne. Pack members came to congratulate me and offer gifts. But it all meant nothing. The power felt hollow. I wanted it all to end.

My eyes scanned the crowded room. Then I saw her.

She was far across the hall, on her knees. One of the warriors, a big, drunk fool, had her by the hair, manhandling her.

Jaxon launched forward inside me, roaring with red-hot fury.

As if she felt my gaze, Vanessa turned her head. Her eyes lifted and locked onto mine from across the room.

My heart hammered in my chest. I looked away.

Servants and slaves were often used for sex. No one would question what the drunk man was doing.

But the thought of my fated mate being forced to please another male made my blood boil.

I wanted to cross the room, break that bastard’s hand, and rip his throat out.

I didn’t realize Lucas was watching me until he moved to my side. I glanced at him. He mouthed the words silently, his eyes hard as stone.

She is the enemy. The sooner she is dead, the better.

I couldn't respond. My wolf was doing all the screaming for me.