My Pretty Alpha

Annabella's POV

“You’re about to sell me to an Alpha beast and you think I don't get to have a say, I DON'T LIKE IT!!”

“You don’t have to like it,” Darian said, leaning against the rail of the carriage, and I realized just how calm he looked, like this whole thing was just another Monday for him. For me, it was a nightmare, but he didn’t seem to notice.

“I don’t like it,” I said again, gripping the edge of my seat. “I hate it. I hate all of this. You can’t..”

“It’s already done,” he interrupted, and I hated that calm edge in his voice. “The Monroe council agreed. The Silvercrest people agreed. We don’t have a choice anymore. Not really.”

“You sold me,” I said, voice cracking. “You actually sold me like I was some damn..some thing…”

“I didn’t ‘sell’ you,” he said, eyes flicking to mine like I was supposed to understand this from the look alone. “We couldn’t feed the pack. Monroe’s empire was collapsing faster than anyone would admit. You saw the villages on the way out. Fields burned. Wolves starved. We barely survived the last winter. I didn’t do this to hurt you. I did it to save everyone.”

“Save everyone?” I asked, trying not to laugh bitterly, but it came out more like a sob. “And by ‘everyone,’ you mean me? You saved me by tossing me into the hands of some Alpha I’ve never even met? Some monster everyone says is ugly and cruel?”

He gave me that look again. “Kael Silvercrest isn’t a monster,” he said quietly, as if speaking too loud would make it false. “He’s… complicated. And he’s not ugly. You’ll see. I…look, Annabella, you have to understand. This isn’t about him. It’s about keeping our pack alive. You’re the only reason we still have any hope.”

I opened my mouth, ready to scream something, anything, but the words stuck in my throat. The carriage rocked slightly as the driver nudged the horses forward, and the trees on the side of the road blurred together in a mess of green and brown. My stomach lurched with every step, and I realized just how far away we were leaving everything I knew behind.

I tried again. “So I’m just…what? A gift? A bargaining chip? A..”

“You’re not a gift,” he said sharply, like he’d been waiting for me to say it. “You’re… well, yes, maybe a bit like that. But only because the world doesn’t give us options. And I know it’s awful. I know it feels like betrayal. But I’m not a monster either, and neither are you.”

I laughed, a bitter, sharp sound. “Not a monster? You’re literally about to hand me over to someone I’ve never met so they can..what? Marry me? Own me? Kill me if I piss them off?”

He winced, as if my words hit something deep. “No,” he said, voice low. “He won’t hurt you. He..he won’t, trust me baby sister.”

“You don’t even know him,” I said, my voice quiet now, almost a whisper to myself. “You don’t know what he’s like.”

“I do,” Darian said, shaking his head. “Not all of him. Not the private parts. But enough.” He looked at me for a long time, and I could tell he was measuring whether to say more. Then he just sighed and leaned back. “It’s already happening. We’re on our way. There’s nothing left to argue.”

The words hit me harder than anything else. Nothing left to argue. Not one thing. The carriage rattled along the stone road. The trees around me disappeared, replaced by walls.

Silvercrest. The kingdom of the moonlight thrones.

I had heard stories; whispers and rumors that had circled the Monroe Empire for years. They said the Silvercrest city gleamed like it was carved out of the moon itself. Silver wolves roamed the streets. Marble towers reached high into the sky. Palaces lined with silver, gold, and stone so white it made your eyes water if you stared too long. And its Alpha… Alpha Kael of Silvercrest was apparently a beast.

Pretty, huh. I couldn’t even begin to imagine. I pictured some cruel brute, half-wolf, half-man, face scarred from battles, eyes black and empty, teeth sharp enough to tear flesh without thought. But… as we turned a corner and the first glimpse of the palace stretched in front of me, I felt like my entire brain short-circuited.

But the palace… it was already active with work. The great hall stretched wide before me. Rows of people already seated, waiting. Their eyes flicked to me, measuring, judging, sneering.

But what bordered me now was Alpha marriage system in this world. I knew the basics from what I’d overheard back home.

Alphas could have multiple mates. Usually for political or bloodline reasons.

A Luna; true mate, chosen by fate or bond.

A Consort; chosen for alliance or beauty.

A Bloodmate; bonded through magic or ritual.

I already knew Kael had two. And now, I was supposed to… be what? Another? Something to strengthen the Silvercrest line? The thought made my chest tighten in a way that hurt.

I didn’t want to sit there. I couldn’t. I wanted to vanish.

While Darian was exchanging polite greetings with the council, smiling, nodding like he wasn’t about to hand me over like a piece of bread, I slinked toward the back exit.

No one was paying attention. I gripped the edge of the wooden fence behind the palace gardens. My hands were shaking. I could feel my pulse in my fingers. One leg over, then the next. One leap, and I’d be free. Away from the marble, the whispers, the Beast Alpha, the council, my brother.

And then… the sound. A soft click. My stomach dropped. Something shifted behind me.

I froze. My heart pounded in my ears.

I wasn’t alone.