01. Alina

I closed my book and let out a long, wistful sigh. A group of friends, off on wild, dangerous adventures, learning the true meaning of friendship and finding a bit of romance along the way. 

“Why do I torture myself like this?” I muttered as I flung the book carelessly onto the side table. 

It skidded off and landed on the pink fluffy carpet and I immediately felt guilty. I hurriedly picked it up, dusted it off, and placed it back in the bookcase that I’d arranged in alphabetical order.

As the Alpha’s daughter, you would think I’d have the entire pack wanting to be my friend. Actually, they probably would if it wasn’t for my father. As the only heir to the pack, my upbringing had been completely different to that of my packmates. 

Up until I graduated last week, I was home-schooled by private teachers. My father had always taken my perfect grades as a sign he made the right decision. But honestly, I think I would have done just as well at school. 

And I wouldn’t be so lonely.

I looked around my enormous bedroom, every inch of it decorated in white and every shade of pink. Framed pictures of ballerinas and unicorns adorned the walls, and the huge, white four-poster bed was filled with stuffed toys and throw pillows. It was a little girl’s bedroom, not fit for someone on the eve of becoming an adult.

All it did was showcase how utterly boring I was. Not a single thing was out of place, everything immaculately organised and neat. That’s how I’d been raised. I had to act with grace and decorum at all times, dress appropriately, look presentable, speak clearly and be knowledgeable. It left little free time for being a child or having fun.

My father always said that’s what would be expected of me as the future Alpha of the pack, and likewise, my mate would expect nothing less. 

I made my way down the four flights of stairs in the gigantic castle-style mansion I call home, and knocked on my father’s office door.

“He’s busy,” called a voice from behind me. My shoulders tensed immediately, and I wished I could just ignore him. But then he’d complain to my father that I’d been rude to him, and it wasn’t worth the verbal scolding that would ensue.

“Thank you, Ellis. If it’s all the same, I’ll wait and find out for myself,” I replied, turning to face him.

“Come in, Alina,” my father’s voice boomed through the door. Even after all these years, it still amazed me that he could recognise every pack member by scent long before he saw them enter a room. I hoped I would have the same ability once I had my wolf. 

I gave Ellis a small, self-satisfied smile and opened the heavy door. As I turned to close it, he pushed past and entered the room with me. How rude. I waited for my father to reprimand him and tell him to leave, but he just sat there, looking at me as though I was wasting his time.

“Uh, father, I–”

“Sentences do not start with ‘uh’,” he scolded with a shake of his head. “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten the basics of language so soon after graduation.”

I took a subtle, deep breath to settle my nerves. How did he always end up making me feel like this? Like a small, stuttering child.

“Father, I would like to redecorate my room. Now that I’m an adult and about to receive my wolf, I feel my current decor is much too childish for me.”

“What do you think, Ellis?” he asked.

I inhaled sharply. Why would he ask such a question? It’s my bedroom. Ellis’ opinion should not matter here. The only way he would ever see the inside of it would be to step over my cold, dead body.

“Alpha, I believe it would be a waste to allow it. She will come of age and be mated any day now, therefore will have no use for the room.”

“I concur, my boy. Smart decision,” he replied with as close to a warm smile as was possible for Father. “That will be all Alina, I’m busy.”

‘My boy’, he’d said. Always using terms of endearment where Ellis was concerned, while I was treated as though I were a formality. He’d never really hidden his disappointment that his only child was a girl, and Goddess knows my mother had paid the price over the years. 

I left the room quietly, before the tantrum I felt rising inside me threatened to spill over. Ellis followed me out.

“Once we’re mated, I’ll let you do whatever you want with our room,” he said.

Smarmy. That was the only word to describe him. Constantly acting as though he was in on a little joke that I’d never been told. He followed my father’s rules for perfection. Always perfectly dressed, perfectly groomed, and his smooth, brown skin was always cleanly shaven. He was even more boring than me, and that was no mean feat.

“That will never happen,” I replied emphatically.

Ugh, the mere thought of it made my skin crawl. Ellis had been convinced since we were little kids that I would be his mate. We had grown up together in the packhouse. His father is the pack Beta and therefore when Father hands the pack over to me, Ellis will rightfully become my Beta.

It would never work. I couldn’t stand him, but I had no option. It was already going against tradition to allow a female to reign as Alpha. I couldn’t rock the boat too much.

“Alina, darling, there you are. I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” gushed my mother, coming towards me with arms outstretched, pulling me in for a hug and a kiss on both of my cheeks.

I stifled an eye roll. I’d been in my room, alone, all day until five minutes ago. My eyes landed on her outfit and I spun her around and almost dragged her up the stairs. She was wearing what my father referred to as her ‘house clothes’. 

She wore a loose, flowing, bright purple dress with a green tree frog pattern. Her stockings were orange, and her red ballet flats were sprinkled with glittering sequins. Her long blonde hair, that was an exact match to mine, was left untied and cascaded down her back in waves. 

She was stunning and had her own unique style, but if he saw her in the public section of the packhouse dressed like that, he’d make a scene. A loud one. A Luna should always be conservative and look respectable, according to him. He considered anything less an embarrassment to him as the Alpha.

As we climbed the stairs and reached the first floor landing, I felt a set of eyes on me. I looked up into the darkest blue eyes I’d ever seen. They widened slightly, then lowered as their owner bowed his head. I wondered why I’d never seen him before. He looked about my age, perhaps he’d only just started working as a guard.

I felt an elbow nudge my ribs, pulling me from my thoughts as I realised I was staring. He gave me a small smirk and my eyes darted around, not knowing where to look. I glanced at Mum, who was biting her lip to hide a smile. She’s no help at all. I grabbed hold of her arm again and continued upstairs.

“What did you need me for, Mum?” I asked, as we reached the top floor, our private residence, and the colour in my face had finally returned to normal.

“Come, come, the event planner is waiting in the living room. We need to go over the plans for your party tomorrow night.”

My mother could downplay anything. Although I suspect she did it more so out of habit and necessity than blind obliviousness. My father had worn her down over the years. She was a free spirit, an adventurer. She was never meant to conform to his standards, but he had crushed and moulded her until she fit his purpose, without caring that he had to break parts of her to do it.

According to household gossip, when she’d failed to produce a male heir, and the doctor informed her she could no longer have children, she’d never fully recovered. My father managed to make her feel so insignificant and worthless that she created a fantasy land in her mind, and that’s where she now lived.

She’s a wonderful mother–caring, loving and affectionate–but when he enters the room, she retreats. It’s as though she’s a completely different person.

Anyway, my party, as Mum called it, was actually the social event of the year. The future Alpha’s coming-of-age ceremony was going to be a grand affair in the main ballroom. Leaders from other packs would attend out of respect to my father, and to meet me before I officially became Alpha. 

They would bring any eligible unmated wolves from Alpha or Beta bloodline in the hopes that one of them would be my mate. I was hoping for a Beta, or an Alpha’s second or third son. If my mate was a true Alpha, it would mean I’d likely have to leave my pack, and I had no doubt Father would hand the pack over to Ellis. I did not want that to happen. This pack was my birthright.

I took a seat on the couch as Mum and the event planner fussed. I’d been planning for this event for months, yet the nervous energy was only beginning to set in now. Tomorrow evening, I’d be on display for every important Alpha in the country. Would my mate be there? 

Please, Moon Goddess, don’t let it be Ellis.