~ALPHA BENEDICT

Walter sat in front of me, trembling as he pushed another envelope towards me.

The box he was holding was almost empty, which was great because I had grown tired of looking at the boring profiles of the girls my mother had chosen.

It was her dying wish to see me get married and since I had no interest in marrying, she had to do all the work and compile a list of the most eligible girls in our kingdom.

Envelope after envelope, I read their extremely boring and characterless introductions, it was almost like they had copied from each other.

This one was no different. "I love to cook, clean and sing. How original?" I hissed, tossing the envelope and its contents into the bin.

"My...my lord....at this rate, you won't pick anyone," Walter stammered, putting another envelope before me with shaky hands.

I never quite understood why he was so scared of me. I mean, everybody else in the kingdom was, but Walter was my right hand man. He knew all my secrets and my mother loved him. He had no reason to fear me so much.

"This one is from a lineage of very powerful wolves. I'm pretty sure she will make a good bride and bear strong heirs," Walter said, pointing to the envelope in front of me.

I picked up the girl's picture and immediately recognised her.

I let out a loud laugh and showed the picture to Walter.

His eyes widened with surprise as realisation set in.

"Mother expects me to marry Westley's whore?" I laughed bitterly, shaking my head in disappointment.

"I have seen her in every single pub in Thornvale, even fucked her once during my visit to Howlfen," I bragged, a small smile playing on my lips as memories of that day flooded my mind.

"Does it really matter, my lord?" Walter asked.

My expression shifted to a frown and Walter immediately retracted into his chair.

"I want a reasonable bride, not someone that would fuck my guards while I'm at war," I spat and Walter nodded in agreement.

I sighed deeply, relaxing into my chair. I was tired, bored and upset. From the way things were going, I might never fulfil my mother's wish. I wish she could just understand that I wasn't made for marriage or any kind of silly commitments. I wanted to be free and focus on making my pack the most powerful in all of Thornvale.

"This is the last envelope, my lord. If you reject this one, there will be no more eligible ladies left," Walter said, his voice laced with concern.

"Good," I muttered as I tore the envelope open.

"There's only a picture in here," I pointed out, shaking the envelope to see if anything was left inside.

"Is this some kind of joke?" I barked, my voice echoing through the room.

"No, my lord," Walter whimpered in fear. "I don't think she knows her father signed her up."

I paused for a moment, gently picking up her photograph.

"Reina Cole," I read her name out loud as I admired her picture.

I have visited the most exotic pubs and whore houses but never in my life had I seen a woman this beautiful.

She looked like peace and her long dark hair framed her soft face in a way that made her look angelic. Her pale skin and full red lips matched her strangely colored eyes. She looked like a mythical being and merely looking at her made my cock twitch in excitement.

"Tell me everything you know about Reina," I said to Walter.

I looked up at him and he tore his eyes away, focusing them on the large cutrains.

I could sense his hesitation and for some reason, it peaked my curiosity about Reina.

"Walter?"

"She has witch blood, my lord," Walter blurted and immediately, every ounce of attraction I had towards her faded.

"Her father is Alpha Alex and he has been trying to get rid of her for years. He is very rich and powerful and they will make good allies. I'm pretty sure her dowry would be huge but then, she might be a witch. She is 21 years old and has never transformed," Walter explained.

I leaned back, my eyes still focused on Reina's picture as Walter told me her pathetic life story. Alpha Alex was practically selling me a broken girl to ruin as I wished and it excited me.

I hated her kind, I killed very many of them in the past and now, I was thinking about marrying one just to please my mother.

"It's enough," I said to Walter, ending his several chaptered story.

"Reina will be my bride," I hissed and Walter's eyes lit up with excitement.

"Send a letter to Alpha Alex. I accept his proposal. I will marry Reina, but on one condition."

____________

~REINA

Marie told everyone I had tried to seduce her husband out of jealousy.

She had pushed me down the stairs to silence me but luckily, I survived with minor injuries.

While I was receiving treatment, Marie had taken the case to father and a judgement was passed without then hearing my side of the story.

When I recovered, I wasn't even allowed to enter the castle. My bags were thrown out from upstairs and even though I begged and cried, nobody cared.

My father called me a whore and said he wished I was never born. Davina spat on me from upstairs and called me a disappointment to my family.

I felt weak and depressed. How could my family treat me so horribly?

I decided to stop crying and leave. I returned to my mother's house in the slums. Her caregiver had quit because I had been owing her for months and mother's health kept deteriorating.

Before I left, mother had started smiling and moving her hands but now, she was struggling to keep her eyes open. She was completely paralysed and caring for her was extremely stressful.

Her healer said there was a slight chance mother would recover but the treatment was too expensive.

I sold my jewelry, my dressess and books. I had nothing left and we could no longer buy food.

After much hesitation, I decided to visit my father and beg for help.

Mother's face lit up in excitement when I told her I was going to father. I could tell she still deeply loved him despite everything he had done to her.

I begged mother's sister, Aunt Jill, to look after mother till I returned.

The journey back to Rivervalley took several long and painful hours. I had no money to get a horse so I walked.

A sense of relief washed over me as soon as I spotted the gates of my father's castle. I practically ran to the gates and to my surprise, the guards wouldn't let me pass.

Davina had ordered them to never let me set foot in my father's house again.

I explained my predicament and begged but they wouldn't listen.

After hours of crying and begging, the head guard came out.

"Why do you keep coming back to a place where you are not wanted?" He asked, scanning me from up to down.

"My mother is dying. Only father can save her. Please let me speak to him," I cried, falling on my knees in front of him.

The head guard took compassion on me and ordered the guards to let me pass.

I thanked him for his kindness and ran into the castle.

The first person I ran into was the one person I had sworn to avoid by all means.

Simon was seated on the porch with a glass of wine in his hand. He immediately dropped it and rose to his feet as soon as he spotted me.

"My love, I'm so glad you're back," he greeted with a wide smile that made my stomach churn.

Was he out of his mind? His wife and him had painted me as a whore and now he greets me like we are friends.

"Where is dad?" I asked, ignoring his greeting.

"Is there a problem?" He questioned, observing my disheveled look and tattered shoes.

"My mother is dying. I've sold everything I have and her healer still needs more money," I explained, my lips trembling as I spoke.

"How much money do you need?" Simon asked, brushing some stray strands of hair off my face.

"At least a thousand, I promise to pay back," I replied, my tears choking me.

"Stop crying, my love," Simon said, cupping my cheek.

"I will give you all the money and even more."

"Really?" I sniffed, wiping my eyes with the sleeve of my dress.

"Yes, I will do anything for you. All you have to do is make me happy," Simon growled as he eyed me like a hungry predator.

I suddenly began feeling self conscious. I adjusted the scarf on my shoulders and shifted away from him.

"You're not a baby, Reina. Stop playing innocent and let me make love to you," Simon whispered as he roughly grabbed my ass.

Something in me snapped. I lost control of my body and I slapped him hard across his face.

It was so loud that the guards on duty heard and turned in our direction.

Simon held his red cheek and his eyes blazed with anger.

"You think you're special," Simon laughed bitterly. "I'll make sure you regret what you've done."