Chapter 1:

Irene:

Lunch is very different without my twin sister, the table used to be filled with her jokes, her joyous laughter and her never ending teasing, but the atmosphere looks tense and rigid. What used to be a happy family has now become something so forbidden.

I pick at my food, looking very gloomily. I stare across the table to meet the eyes of my father, who looks very disturbed. Things have been rough for my father, the Alpha. The problem of my sick twin sister and the constant war threats we are facing has made him lose so much weight.

“Darling, I think we should tell her now.” My mother speaks up, her bottom lips quivering. Silence hangs in the air for a while.

My elder brother, Alejandro who is set to become Alpha in a few months furrows his brows in confusion. “Father, what’s going on?”

My father clears his throat; his dark green eyes pinned on me. “Your sister is betrothed to get married to the Alpha King, Enrique De Luca of Nightshade pack, but with her illness, it’s impossible.”

My heart picks up, I fear that there’s more to my father’s words. Enrique De Luca is one of the feared Alphas in all of Puerto Rico, rumored to be the beast, he sets villages on fire, and kills without mercy.

Our pack was at the brink of falling apart, people were murdered and since my father couldn’t stand to watch the disharmony of his pack withering away, he made a deal with Alpha Enrique of the neighboring pack last year, offering my twin sister, Iris, as his wife. I was angry at my father. How could he treat his own daughter as trash?

Are we just pawns in his game?

“You are going to take her place, Irene. You will get married to him.” My father, Alpha Vincent says and my eyes widens.

“Are you serious right now?” I raise my voice, my hands trembling. “I can’t get married to a beast!”

“Watch your tone, young lady.” My father shoots me a warning glare, his green eyes turning a shade of light red. I can tell he’s trying to keep his wolf under control but he’s not the only one angry.

“Irene.” My mother snaps at me, but her eyes turn kind when she skims over my face. She shifts her chair aside and takes gentle steps towards me. “We want the best for our pack, your sister agreed to the wedding, but with her sickness, she can’t marry him.”

“So, I am your second usable option then?” Tears threaten to fall from my eyes, but I refuse to let them see me cry, I am not weak. How could they be so selfish? Giving me to a man I know nothing about?

I stare at my elder brother who has suddenly gone quiet, irritation and anger fills me. “Say something, Ale! Surely, you can’t let them marry me off to an unknown man.”

He stares up at me in pity, like everyone else, he has always been scared of our father, one slight mistake and my father could snatch his Alpha title right off his head and that’s what he fears. Why can’t he just stand up for me even if it’s for once?

My family has never been the loving kind, we survived under our own instincts.

“You should listen to mother and father, they know best.” He mumbles, staring down at his food.

I turn towards my father, trying to calm my angered wolf, Ora. “Please, father. Rethink your decision, there must be a way to stop this war threat, getting married will not solve it.”

“How do you expect me to stop this, huh? We are getting attacked each day, our pack’s stocks are dropping, watching people in my pack die has done nothing but add to the rising stress. Alpha Enrique will protect us and the pack-members.”

“Have you all lost your mind?” I stare at my mother who doesn’t say a word and then to my father who’s fuming in rage. “Do you know how ruthless this man is? He could kill us all!” My chest is heaving in anger, I am trying to let them see my point, but they just won’t.

His kingdom is darker than any other pack, his ways and advances are too cruel and yet hundreds of Alphas are shoving their daughters at his arm just for protection.

“You leave me no choice then, Elva will get married to him.” My father says, referring to my younger sister.

“What?!” I snap my eyes up at him, “She’s nothing but eighteen.”

“Then think fast, the banquet is tonight. Alpha Enrique will be here and he will be leaving with his bride,” Alpha Vincent slams the table hard, before walking out of the dining room, my elder brother follows obediently behind him leaving me alone with my mother.

I am left shaking in my seat, my bottom lips quivering.

“Oh, dear.” My mother says calmly, before moving over to me, her eyes are misty, and I can almost see a tear slide down her cheek. “This is for the benefit of the whole pack, your father loves you, but with the entire burden in his hands, it has made him stressed.”

“Is this how he will treat his daughters? Like we don’t matter in his presence? We have never even met Enrique before, for all we know. My twin sister is strapped on her bed really sick and now you want to force me to get married to him?” I ask, under my pale lashes.

“Your younger sister, Elva, is going to get married to him, darling.” She says reassuringly, as though it will make the whole situation lighter. Does this not bother her at all?

I stand up immediately staring into the warm eyes of my mother. I am four years Elva’s senior, she’s far too innocent and kind to get married to a ruthless king.

“Please mother.” I try begging, my hands clutching her frail arms desperately. “We can change that and convince father,” I bite my lower lips, my heart squeezing in despair.

“There’s nothing I can do dear, it’s out of my control.” She admits truthfully and I shake my head at her. She’s a mother, why can’t she understand the pain of losing her daughters?

Ever since my twin sister’s sickness, we haven’t quite been the same anymore, she was flown out of the pack to be taken care of, and now I just imagine how hard it must be for her battling an unknown sickness.

I turn my back away from her and start walking towards the hall, ignoring her gentle calling of my name. I don’t need any of their talks right now, I just need to be away from everybody else for a while.....