Chapter 1: The Unknown Auction

Elena's POV

"You can't just give me out like that, I'm not some kind of property to be traded! I have feelings of my own. I won't let you throw them away," I cried out to my step-father while expecting him to have a change of mind but from the view of things the devil wasn't even budged by my outbursts. Instead he stood where he was his face impassive glaring at me angrily.

When he was finally tired of watching me sob like a woman that her child was taken away from her he finally spoke out,

"Elena can you for once stop being selfish, Alpha Darian has always been too good to us and we both know that he's good person," he said to me in a convincing manner while expecting me to succumb to his wish but only if he knew the anger that was boiling in my heart anytime he mentioned the name of Alpha Darian.

Who in our Pack would say that he isn't aware of how cruel and ruthless Alpha Darian is, even the mention of his name sent cold chills down the spin.

"Never dad! I will never bear Alpha pup to someone I don't love because it's convenient for you, he isn't my destined mate and I'm sure that soon the moon goddess will...," I tried protesting but he cut off immediately.

"Mate?" He scoffed in a mockery tone.

"You are twenty Elena for crying out loud, all your friends have found their destined mate right from the age of eighteen isn't it obvious that you aren't ever going to find this mate of yours?" He asked me, his voice raising in anger.

Those words were like a dagger and it was stabbing right through my chest, does he have to remember for me that at the age of twenty that I was still to discover my mate while my other friends had all discovered their destined mate and is that also valid reason to sell me off to the most cruelest alpha king of all time?

As these thoughts ran through my mind I couldn't help but sob more.

"But dad I don't love him," I protested sorrowfully with tears streaming down my face.

"Enough Elena!" My step-father's voice hollowed in anger and afterwards he sighed heavily and approached me and used his finger and cleaned the drop of tears streaming falling from her eyes.

Once he did that I felt this feeling of relief because according to me he has finally decided to change his mind but what he said after that almost made me to pass out.

"You don't need to love him Elena, all you need to do is give him a son and afterwards you will be set free," he explained to me with a calm tone while placing his hand on my shoulders.

As I turned and looked at him I couldn't help but wonder if he had or was it a stone that he had instead of a heart

As if that wasn't enough, he pressed on,

"Alpha Darian has always been good to us, he has done many good things for us without asking for anything in return; this is the first time he's asking me a favour and I can't refuse," he explained to me while trying his best to look innocent.

What I still couldn't figure out was why he was making use of the expression "us" as if Alpha Darian had ever done something good for me; it has always been about him and his ruthless endeavour for power.

Actually my stepdad was a man driven by ambition and a hunger for power, a man whose secrets ran deeper than the forest itself. He had married my mother when I was just a child, and over the years, he had become increasingly ruthless in his pursuit of dominance within the pack. It was a pursuit that had now led him to a sinister alliance with the cruelest alpha king of all times, Alpha King Darian.

My mother had been a kind and gentle soul, but her passing had left me vulnerable to the whims of my stepdad and the alpha king. I had been a pawn in their political machinations, a means for my stepdad to secure his position as an influential figure within the pack; I had known that my life was a pawn in my step-father's game, but I had never imagined that he would go to such lengths to secure his position.

When he noticed that I wasn't go to fall for his dumb explanation he heaved heavily before proceeding,

""Elena don't think this is easy for me too because it isn't, you are my stepdaughter and I promised your mother to take care of you but presently my both hands are tied and I don't have any other choice than to grant Alpha Darian his wish," he explained to me calmly while expecting me to succumb to his demand but from the look in my eyes he could easily detect that his dumb explanations were getting me more and more infuriated.

"I don't care dad! I won't do it, I won't bear him a son," I screamed my voice breaking.

"Enough of all these nonsense Elena!" His voice echoed in anger.

"My decision is final, you are going to bear him a son whether you like it not," he said to me.There was a lack of emotion on his face and his eyes bored into me with an icy glare.

"But..."I tried protesting but I was interrupted immediately by him.

"No but Elena, now go inside your room and park your belongings,I'm taking you to his palace right away ," he commanded me while ignoring my sobbing.

With those statements it dawned on me that his decision is final, I have no other choice than to accept my fate.

It was just like a nightmare for me, at that moment I couldn't help but feel betrayed.

"Elena I said go to your room and park your belongings unless I will drag you to his palace without your belongings," my stepdad threatened me angrily when he noticed that I was still standing where I was glaring at him angrily.

After giving him a disgusting stare for some seconds I started heading to my room.

After some seconds I came out with my luggage containing only the necessary things I needed; after all I wasn't going to stay with him forever, once I give him a son we will each go our separate ways as if nothing ever happened.

"We need to start going to Elena, the Alpha will already be anticipating our arrival," my stepdad said to ne while trying to help me with my luggage but immediately I stopped him.

"I can carry it myself," I said to him while peering into his eyeballs. The hate and anger in my eyes were too evident, even him too could see it.

With that he sighed heavily placing his hands on my shoulder but immediately I shoved his hand away from my shoulder.

"Elena I don't want you to view me as a bad person, I'm still your step-father and everything I'm doing is for your own...," 

"Can we start going?" I interrupted him immediately and after some minutes of silence he nodded positively and started heading outside and immediately I followed him from behind.

As the carriage rattled away from the forest, my heart was heavy with despair because deep down I knew that my journey into the heart of Alpha King Darian's castle would be fraught with danger and uncertainty. I could only hope that one day, I would find a way to escape the clutches of my cruel fate and return to the moonlit glens that had always held the secrets of my soul.

Little did I know that the journey was just beginning, and that the moon itself held the key to my redemption.