The Alpha's Mark

The ceremony hall was full of people from my pack. Their eyes were on me, whispering to each other. I felt my heart beating so fast I could barely breathe. My father, Alpha Victor, stood at the front, looking serious. I knew something bad was about to happen. 

"What are you doing, dad," I asked, trying to sound brave even though I was scared. I looked up at my father, Alpha Victor, who towered over me like a dark shadow as I was surrounded by a circle of guards. They had dragged me here at midnight on my father’s orders. 

He raised his hand, and the room became silent. "Today," he announced, his voice loud and clear, "we will make our pack stronger. We will join forces with Alpha Rowan's pack. And for that I will allow Rowan to mark my daughter, Liana."

I gasped. The name Rowan made my stomach twist. I had heard stories about him. He was a ruthless Alpha who hurt people for fun. I couldn’t believe my father wanted to join forces with him. I stepped forward, feeling a lump in my throat.

"What are you talking about, Father?" I asked, my voice cracking with nervousness. "You can't do this." My father had always treated me like I wasn't important, even though I was one of the strongest wolves in the pack. He never cared for me. It was a life I had embraced after mom died when I was just ten. Now he wanted to give me away to Rowan just to get more power?

My father turned to look at me, his eyes cold and hard. "You will do what I say, Liana," he said sternly. "This is not a choice."

I shook my head, feeling tears burn in my eyes. "No, I won’t marry Rowan! You can’t force me to do this."

"You will do as I say!" my father shouted, his face turning red with anger. "I am your Alpha and your father. You will be marked by Rowan tonight!"

I shook my head. "I'm not something you can trade away. I won't let you use me like this!"

The hall grew quiet. Nobody had ever talked back to Alpha Victor like this before. His eyes flashed with fury as he pointed at me.

"Guards! Hold her down!"

I struggled, trying to pull away. "Let me go!" I yelled, but their grips tightened. I couldn’t believe this was happening. My own father was treating me like a prisoner. My heart broke as I realized how little he cared about his only pup’s happiness. 

The guards tied my hands behind my back with thick rope with silver intertwined in it, and forced me to my knees. When I thrashed against them, they tied my ankles as well. The silver in the rope burned my skin, weakening my powers. I was gasping for air, trying to break free as the rope burned like thorns in my skin. 

Rowan stepped forward, and I got my first good look at him. A cruel smile donned his face. He was tall, with dark hair and cold dark eyes that looked like they belonged to a wild predator. A shiver ran down my body when I realized he enjoyed seeing me scared.

"The little wolf has spirit," Rowan said with an ugly laugh. "I'll enjoy breaking it."

Rowan knelt beside me, leaning in close. He grabbed my hair and yanked head to the side. His breath smelled like smoke and something bitter. "This won’t hurt... much," he whispered in my ear. Then, without any warning, he sank his fangs in my neck. I screamed. The pain was sharp and hot, like someone pressing a burning iron to my skin. I felt his teeth break through, marking me. Tears ran down my face – not from pain, but from anger at this betrayal. My vision blurred with tears, and my whole body trembled. I could feel the mark searing into my flesh, tying me to him in a way I couldn’t break.

"You belong to me now, Liana," Rowan said, pulling out. His voice was deep and rough, sending shivers down my spine. He reached out to touch my face, but I jerked away. The mark would tell other wolves that I belonged to Rowan now. But he hadn't finished the bond yet. To do that, he would need to claim me fully as his mate. I knew he was waiting to do that later, when he could lock me away and control me completely.

"Don't touch me!" I spat, my eyes full of hate. I had never felt so angry and helpless in my life.

Rowan laughed. "You will learn to obey me," he said. "Take her to her room," Rowan ordered the guards. "Keep her there until I return tomorrow." 

He turned to my father. "Let’s finish this."

I looked at my father, pleading with my eyes. "Please, don’t do this," I whispered. But he didn’t even look at me. He just nodded to the guards.

My neck was bleeding where Rowan had marked me, and my wrists were raw from the ropes. Since it wasn’t the mark of a mate, I knew that it would bleed a lot and then convert into two ugly red raised dots on my skin.

The room was quiet, except for my ragged breathing. The guards let go of me, and I collapsed to the ground, feeling weak and dizzy. My fingers touched the mark on my neck, and it stung under my touch. I looked up at Rowan, who was smiling down at me with satisfaction and lust.

"Now you are mine, and you'll learn to submit" he said, my blood glistening on his chin.

I knew I had to get out of there. I couldn’t let him claim me fully. I forced myself to stand, even though my legs felt like jelly. I took a shaky breath, looking for any way to escape.

My hands shook as the guards dragged me down the familiar hallway of my home. Well, I guess I couldn't call it my home anymore. Not after what just happened. 

How could Dad do this to me? I was his daughter, not some trading card he could give away to make his pack stronger. I knew dad was greedy as fuck, but what he did to me broke every convention, every limit

My neck still burned where Rowan had marked me. I could feel warm blood trickling down my skin. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I couldn’t help imagining the horror Rowan would shower on me.  

"In you go," one of the guards growled, pushing me into my bedroom. The door slammed behind me with a loud click of the lock.

I stood in the middle of my room, my whole body trembling. 

Looking in my mirror, I saw the ugly bite mark on my neck. Rowan's mark. My stomach turned at the sight of it. I felt like puking. Tomorrow he would come back to finish the bond by claiming me, to make me his forever. The thought made me feel sick.

"I have to get out of here," I whispered to myself.