CHAPTER 4: A SHOCK

 "We are here princess." Anna heard Archie, her father’s most trusted man say to her and she looked up from her phone at the chocolate-colored walls of the mansion ahead of them then she sighed.

                 

 They had been on the road for the past five days, and her father had made sure she left the palace with an entourage, stating something about her safety even though she had strongly refused claiming she only needed a single person to take her there. He didn’t listen and they had embarked on their journey and she must say, these men were particularly meticulous. There was not a time when she lacked anything.

 They knew where they would be resting each night and had already made a reservation at a hotel before they got there, her meals did not suffer or get later or earlier than what she got in the palace. In fact, it seemed more like she was on vacation than on a journey to a new life. Most of all her father sending Archie with her gave her a sense of consolation and a feeling of home, even though she knew he could not stay with her at the pack.

 But the presence of Archie, her father’s right-hand man and an uncle-like figure that she has known since she was a little girl made her believe that her father truly cared about her. Even though she didn't know what he was thinking, marrying her away like this, she still knew he had her best interest at heart. At least, she decided that when she caught him actively crying later that night after their argument in the throne room.

 She had returned to his study after dinner that night to persuade him to let her stay for a few more days, at least to spend some time with him and say goodbye to her plants, but instead, she met him crying when while holding her mother's photograph and telling it of their argument and his decision to send her away the next day.

 The sight of that alone was enough to soften her heart and make her forgive him, it also made her finally agree to go to this new mate and maybe make a home with him there. Maybe she might learn to live with him. She had thought as she walked into the study and hugged her father from behind, he immediately wiped his tears, not wanting to see and she equally pretended not to

 She had then told him how much she would miss him and had made sure to tell him to take care of his health, and that she would call him daily. Her father had smiled and nodded saying he would, as he knew it meant she had finally agreed to get mated to Alpha Myron.

He immediately started making plans for her departure and they had left at noon the next day, and now she was finally here, she thought as the car came to a stop in front of the mansion and she stepped out.

"Not bad." Anna heard her wolf, Betty coo when her eyes met Myron’s, her wolf seem to like him instantly, she, on the other hand, was not so sure, actually, she knew nothing about this alpha, she hadn’t heard of him neither did she know what they do in their pack when her father had given her the decree, she had been too wrapped up with changing his mind that she didn’t even remember to gather background knowledge about him. She just hoped he could let her plant her crops.

She looked him up from head to toe and agreed with her wolf, if she was talking about physic and looks, this man was top-notch, he looked strong, of course, he was, he was an alpha, and his biceps were on display for all to see, he was at least a hundred and eighty centimeters tall, which was way above she, who was just one, sixty-five, but she loved it, that way she could get on their toes to kiss his thin lips.

What?!

Alvria mentally smacked herself, what was she thinking about right now? Was she fantasizing about a man that she had never met? Already? What would her true mate say?

“I don’t think you should worry about that. The true mate ship seems to have sailed a long time ago.” She heard Betty mutter and she let out an inaudible sigh, trying not to let people see how dejected she felt.

 While he was indeed not bad, he was also all muscles, a typical trait of a warrior, which had her guessing was the pack she came to, as all the men she had seen here from the border patrols to the men standing beside the alpha, even the woman seem more muscular than usual. The Alpha was dressed in a pair of workout clothes, which she wished he was not wearing, him dressed in workout clothes, doesn’t that mean he didn’t care for her arrival?

 She might not have been involved in politics but she still understood what subtle actions meant, maybe her father had been telling the truth when he said even this Alpha wasn't interested in the marriage, if that is so, then why? Why was her father adamant about this union?

 "I am Archibald, the king's right hand and this is..." She heard Archie begin the introduction, while she kept a neutral face like the princess that she was.

 "Not Princess Clare." Myron finished with a frown, somehow regaining his voice after coming out of his daze. He didn't know who this was, in fact, he had never met or caught a glimpse of her before and she was here, accompanied by the king's most trusted right-hand man.

 Anna also frowned at his words, the Alpha knew her sister and was expecting her sister? No wonder her sister had been very irritated at her when she left.

 She still remembered the day that she had stormed into the court session, when she stepped out of the throne room she had met Clare waiting for her by the door.

“I see you have finally made your move sister,” Clare had said and Anna furrowed her brows in confusion.

 "My move?” She asked then shook it off, “You did not even try to help me convince Father." She accused her sister who only scoffed.

 "I do not have the patience for your pretending anymore now Anna, you and I know Father sees something in Alpha Myron and now you got him, you think he is now your pawn right? I would love to see how you use him.” Clare accused as she then turned to leave

 "What? Why would you think that?" Anna was shocked, “After all this time you still think I am competing with you for the throne or a royal position? I already told you, I have no interest in that! Why wouldn’t you believe me?” Anna had asked her in distress, wasn’t it enough that she was being married off, and now her sister thought it was a scheme to claim the throne?

 Clare turned to her and raised a brow, "Oh? Then why else would you take the initiative to walk into the palace at a time like this? Isn’t it to draw all the attention to yourself?" Clare asked stunning Anna.

Clare was naturally a woman who looked to gain attention whenever she speaks or walks into a room, so she believed any woman who gains the same attention made an intentional move to get it, she gazed at Anna with an accusing smile.

 "Clare, I wasn't... I was just so mad!"

 "No need to pretend,” Clare said, raising her hand to stop her, “Say hi to Alpha Myron for me." Clare flashed one of her seductive smiles at her before she left, leaving Anna confused.

 "This is Princess Anna, the king's youngest daughter." Anna suddenly heard Archie introduce her and she came back to her senses as she saw the confusion on his face.

 Are those two in a relationship? Was that why her sister was mad at her? Was her sister the one betrothed to him first? No. Her father would never do a thing like that. She thought as she saw the Alpha turn from them to the brown-haired man beside him who had a smile on his face the entire time, he nodded to him in confirmation.

 "Clare is my elder sister." Anna took the initiative to speak with a frozen smile and he nodded with a confused frown on his face. “I was the one promised to you, did you not know that?” Anna felt unhappy with this alpha, her sister had been mated for about two weeks now and the whole realm was in an uproar about her marriage to him, but he was asking for her sister.

“Forgive my negligence princess, it must have skipped my mind. Since I assumed the king had only one daughter, I didn’t bother to find out who the woman was.” Myron responded and Anna felt hurt a little.

Was he saying he didn’t even care what woman was getting married to him? Well, even if she had also not cared to find out what man it was, she still couldn’t accept her mate looking at her as if she stole this position that was meant for another, it was unsettling, she was also a victim here.

“My sister has been married and mated for the past two weeks. Alpha Myron, I fear you are not very informed on the state of things in the realm. That might be dangerous for you and your pack.” She said, trying to calm her anger while Myron clenched his jaws.

 This woman just arrived and she was already lecturing him on what he should and should not change. Or was it a threat? How typical of a royal, they believe the world should revolve around them, she was not very different from her sister then. He thought.

 Not that he was expecting her to be different or anything, he just didn’t want a bossy bitch in his home.

 "My apologies princess.” He replied ambiguously and Anna immediately knew that he was mocking her, “Allow me to introduce my companions,” He said again, turning away from her and easing the tension.

“This is Colin, he is my beta." Myron said as he pointed to Colin who bowed to Anna with a proud smile, she nodded to him still too moody to flash a smile in return, "Winston, my gamma," He said as he pointed to the brown-haired man who walked forward, 

 "It is an honor to finally meet you, princess." He said as he took her hand and kissed it. Anna smiled awkwardly while Myron narrowed his eyes at the overtly enthusiastic gamma of his, who hadn't told him that the princess he was being mated to wasn't Princess Clare.

 "And Avi, my delta," Myron said 

 "And mate," Avi added a broad smile filling her lips, as she hooked her arms around his, while Anna's eyes widened as it seem as if an alarm had gone off in her head. 

He had a mate?!