Keren's POV.
"Ouch!" I wince and raise my hand to my head.
The maid my stepfather, sub-Alpha Streams, hired had just pinched a hairpin into my hair, except it prickled my head in the act.
She is about to apologize when my stepfather enters the room. He looks annoyed, as is his voice when he shouts, "What in heaven's name are you still doing? Get ready now!" And then he shuts the door after him.
I am already ready, but it's not like he sees that or cares. I stare at myself in the mirror for a few seconds before I hurry down the hallway to the outside.
Scoffing sadly, I give the home I have known since I was little a soft smile. I have to leave now, to a place where I no doubt would suffer.
My stepfather is already inside the carriage, waiting for me with all his impatience.
I am almost entering when I hear my name called "Keren," and turning my face, I see my best friend, Alsie. She is also Alpha's Stream's daughter, except she is the opposite of the personality her father portrays.
"I am so sorry. I wish I could come along."
As much as I understand her, it would not change a thing. I would still suffer where I am going, as I have been sold out by my stepfather.
I am about to speak when sub-Alpha Streams yells at us, "Alsie, get away from her. Now!"
"Father. You're being..."
"You are a good person, Alsie. Always remember that." I want to stop her from rebelling.
She nods at me and sniffles. Seeing she is about to cry, I shake my head and fake a smile.
The carriage soon began to move. I close my eyes, not wanting to see the look on Alsie's face as she sees me leaving her—by no agreement of mine, of course—and imagine my life being crushed just like the iron wheel crushes the stones on the ground.
We are now hours into the journey, and there has been no discussion between sub-Alpha Streams and me.
I remain stiff in my position, and that is because of the material I am sarcastically gracefully embroidered with. The chemise is punishably tight, pressing against my body such that I feel as though I am being pinched continuously, and the sleeves with contrasting colors make it hard to shift even my arms.
"We have been on this journey for four hours. Do you care to say anything?" Speaks sub-Alpha Streams in his Scottish accent.
I have just been sold out, meant to be used however the most powerful, cold-hearted, barbaric Alpha King wishes, to serve him for the rest of life, my life's goal now useless, and yet I am suffocating in this stupid gown that I would never wish my enemy to wear. All of my hear complain can not even be said so, there was no need.
However, I have to smile and say, "Well, I cannot wait to see the Alpha King with this beautiful dress you have picked for me, sire."
He scoffs and smiles. "I knew it would look nice on you. We need it to reveal your bosom, do we not?" He says it, and I agree with a nod. He continues, "Now, remember. You must be obedient when we get there. You are not to speak unless spoken to and asked to talk. You must do everything you can to claim the Alpha King's attention. I know you have gotten his mother's, Queen Akki, and that's why we have been called; however, I need the King to marry you. You're doing this to save my pack." Yet, I am not included in his pack.
Regardless, it hurts. I am a twenty-three years old She-wolf, who is yet to change into her wolf. I think things wouldn't be different even if I had.
His lectures continue, subjecting his stepdaughter to what and what not to do.
The doorman helps me get out after my stepfather. We have arrived. My nerves haven't spiked up as much as they are now.
My stomach hurts more, and it is as though I might faint.
My stepfather takes my hand, and we walk inside the castle.
Presently, I stand in the middle of a silent room. There are guards around and maids scurrying past as they come and go as silently as they can.
As the door opens again, a strong aura whirls into the room, and instantly, I bow my head, as too, my stepfather. It is Queen Akki, Alpha King Aarav's mother.
Stopping in her tracks, she stutters for a second, asking, "Wh... what is the meaning of this?" Her British accent sounds so clean.
"Queen Akki," my stepfather begins, still bowing, "I have brought my stepdaughter, as requested by the crown. The union can now be blessed."
She scoffs, "I have seen her many times enough. Get her to her room, and you," she directs at my stepfather, "can leave the castle. The crown shall hold to their promises." She finishes and goes to sit in front of the piano.
As she begins playing, the softness of the tune settling into my ears, a guard I didn't see next to me comes to direct me on the path I am to follow.
My eyes shift towards my stepfather, but he isn't even looking my way. He is smiling and concentrating on Queen Akki.
I feel betrayed.
With a swollen heart, I make my way up to a seemingly long hallway that seems as though it doesn't have an end. When I entered, I noticed every other maid stopped by the door except for the guard from earlier. He remains behind me.
"What are you doing?"
"I am an escort. I am to protect you and practically be your shadow."
I want to talk, but I shun my lips. This must be a normal thing here.
I take a step forward, and he looks me in the eye. "Tell me about the Alpha King." I demand.
"He is the Alpha to all sub-Alphas, Betas, sub-Lunas, and all werewolf species." He gives me the most knowable information.
I shake my head. He's probably not entitled to tell me certain things. I hate him already. "What room are you going to take me to?"
He doesn't want to talk again, so I say, "I am about to become the Luna to, well, the Alpha King." It sounds like a pain in my lips to state that devil's title: "And if you don't tell me what I need to know, you'd become my enemy. Do you want that?" I ask and he shakes his head.
It takes him a few seconds. "It is Alpha King Aarav's wing. There, you'd be prepared for the wedding tomorrow."
"Wait, what? The wedding is tomorrow?" I think I might die. I need space to think, so I did one thing that would distract this pest. I tore a part of the bosom. In shock, he turns to the opposite side, and I run.
Fortunately, I am able to get rid of the guard, whose name I haven't even asked for. I am in a library, and it seems silent. I rest against the shelves as my hand comes to calm my hammering chest.
Perhaps I should just kill myself.
"Did you know that high born werewolves can read low born werewolves' minds, sometimes even another high born's, except that I do not need to before I can tell you are about to pass out?" Rhetorically questions a masculine voice that I find exquisite. I love his arrangement of words even though he had just insulted me.
A frown grows on my forehead. "Who are you? I say this to the man in a gray linen shirt, his chest poking out of the shirt and very tight leather pants that hug his strong-looking legs.
His hand rakes through his dark blonde hair, which almost takes on the same shade as mine, as his beige skin warms up from the ray of sunlight.
"My name is Arley Halfclaw." When he tells me, I gasp. This is the Alpha King's stepbrother. My stepfather did teach me a lot about my in-laws before he brought me here.
I smile a pleading smile and say, "I'm sorry."
"For?"
"I..." I did not know what to say.
He chuckles. "You are giving Dustfang quite a bit of trouble right now." He tells me and nods his head to one side, gesturing for me to walk with him.
Walking with him, he lets me know he likes the fact that I was able to give the top-ranked guard some trouble, and to me, he seems like the nicest person I have seen here so far.
"I don't know if I am permitted..."
"Then, why ask?" He hijacks.
"Because I think I deserve to know." I say and stop in the middle of the way. We are back in the hallway I ran away from earlier, and it is dead silent. When he noticed my uneasiness, he told me that no one can enter unless permitted, as it is the Alpha King's wing.
He scoffs and continue walking. I think that's a green light.
"Can you tell me about the Alpha King?"
"What have you heard about him?" He answers me with his own questions.
"All sorts of bad things." I did not think I could be this blunt with my words.
"You can choose to use them for your answer or, rather, get to know your soon-to-be husband by yourself." He stops in his steps. "It is nice to meet you, Keren Wildlings." With a genuine smile, he starts to leave.
An individual clears their throat from behind me, and I groan inwardly.
"You found me, Dustfang," I say, and his brows raise. He mustn't have expected me to know his name.
"I see," is all he says, opening the door for me to enter a room.
"What is your actual name?
"Perhaps when the time is right, I will talk more, your highness," are his words as he closes the door behind me.
The frown on my face ceases the moment I take in the glance of the room I am in. Oh, goodness. I love it. It's so fancy. It screams wealth. I feel like I am in a fantasy world.
Screaming, I run towards the bed and fly in the air before dumping myself into it. It shoots me right back, and I laugh. For the next few minutes, I was filled with excitement.
In all of this pain, there is something for me to appreciate, and that is beauty, and speaking of beauty, Arley Halfclaw. His image strikes in my head again.
He seems like the opposite of what I've heard about him. Perhaps the Alpha King would be, too.
It is now nighttime, and I lay on that fancy bed. I am imagining how my beauty sleep would be tonight when, all of a sudden, there is the impact of an aggressive push on the entry door.
"There hasn't been an attack from them, Aarav," says Arley. For real, I can recognize his voice, but Aarav?! Oh-mi-gosh, that is the Alpha King.
They are in the next room.
"So, I wait till they attack? We both know the expense of that." His voice sounds deadly powerful, like he is some control freak. Well, with his position and the rumors, he might be.
Arley chuckles. "Something tells me you are doing this not because you actually want to capture these hunters' arms but to stay away from your mate."
"Mate?"
"Did you not confirm that she is your..."
"Stop this instance!" I can tell he is an aggressive type. "Is she here?" He adds.
"Of course. She should be asleep, I guess." Arley answers.
Oh, goodness. They are not about to talk too much about me, am I wrong?
"Whatever. I do not have my plans set just to stay away from her. Fuck, I don't even want her. I still can't tell what Mother sees in that chick who hasn't even turned into her own wolf yet. She's weak to the throne, and trust me, she would be nothing but a vessel to birth me a son and a mockery to the crown." He finishes and laughs. "Do you want a drink?" I hear him further.
A part of me feels like I should not be shocked by what I am hearing, and a part of me wishes to break down. I am a failure. Even the one to whom I am sold to doesn't see me as anything but a vessel he can use.
I clean my face with the bedsheet. I cannot cry.
"I will watch out for the time when you regret what you've said." Arley is basically supporting me, I suppose.
Alpha King Aarav chuckles. "I have lived for over seventy years. Why would I need a partner now?" He asked so proudly.
In my mind, I prepare a plan. I will walk through this pain. I will make an agreement. He doesn't want me, and I don't either. I think I have an escape plan already.
I just have to get through with the wedding tomorrow.
