Episode 1

DIANA’S POV

"Choose a mate tonight, or you will be exiled from my pack!" My father's voice boomed immediately I stepped into his throne room.

I stood frozen, my mouth agape as I stared at him in disbelief, surely he wouldn't be that heartless to exile his only child from his pack just because she's refused to choose a mate?

For a moment, my gaze was so fixed on my raging father that I barely realized my step mom and her daughter, Freya, who would always try to get under my skin every single time, standing beside him.

And when I did, the smuggish grin plastered on Ella's face made me frown. My step-mom on the other hand had her shoulders raised high as she pretentiously acted like she was trying to calm him down.

"You don't mean that father" I sighed and protested, "You wouldn't actually banish me from our pack, from our family just because I won't conform to your wishes."

“Someone’s being selfish again.” Ella taunted, whispering.

"If you respect me, Diana, you would honour my wishes! I am sick and tired of your stubbornness.” Father continued, spitting fiercely. “You've successfully chased away the tenth noble man that has come to seek for your hand in marriage in just two weeks!"

“Well it isn't my fault that the supposed suitors didn't do a good job winning me in the tournament.” I retorted with an eye roll, “I mean if they can't even beat me in a tournament for my own hand are they really worthy of being king?” I asked, striding towards him while trying my best to ignore Ella who was obviously enjoying the duel I was having with my father.

Plus, I knew I was being a complete smartass with my father but I didn't care, this whole marriage thing was his idea not mine.

And the last time I checked I was an adult. A fully grown adult with a working mind. Forcing me into a political marriage wouldn't work on me.

Not when I'd just found out that Darius, my mate, and I were expecting a child. I hadn’t told him yet, but I planned to when he returned from pack duties in two days. The thought of his reaction warmed my heart, even as I stood in the icy tension of the throne room.

My step mother who had been quiet all through suddenly chirped in. “The competition was hosted with you as the prize but somehow you managed to twist things by competing. Not lady-like if you ask me.”

I scoffed. “And what do you term lady-like?”

Turning to Ella who was the subject of what I was about to say, I continued. “Frolicking with every male in the pack as long as they have a dick in-between their legs?”

Like a provoked banshee, my father roared in frustration, shooting up from his throne with the speed of light. “Enough Diana, you’re 21years old, the only seed of mine your late mother could carry, yet you're so keen on sending me to an early grave. Why can't you be like other alpha daughters? Why can't you be like your sister Ella?” He thundered, his eyes blazing with fury that I didn't give two fucks about.

“She’s not my sister, Father!” I snapped. “She's a daughter to you and to your wife, not my sister!”

All my life I've always being compared to Ella. Forced to walk in her shoes no matter how many times I showed my displeasure. Ella wasn't me and I could never be her, but my father didn't seem to get that – never seemed to get that.

And here I was again, being compared to her.

“You fancy her more than you fancy me, she's the one who deserves to be sold out like a fish in the name of a marriage not me..!” I barked openly.

Ella's eyes widened and a smirk pulled at the corner of my lips.

“That's it young lady!” Father sneered, banging a hand on the wooden arm rest. The poor thing cracked instantly, not a tad bit repellant to the might and valor of his strength as an alpha.

“You will choose a suitor tonight in the werewolf power competition and you won't be joining the competition this time around!”

I simply shrugged, “But you can't force me not to join father, the tournament was my idea.”

“Oh you think so? Wait until You're stripped of your title as princess and bundled out of the pack tonight!”

For a moment I got scared but quickly shrugged off the feeling. For all I know this could be another antics of his to try to get me to dance to his tune.

“You can't be serious, Father” I laughed, trying to sound calm but his expression was unyielding.

“Dead serious, Diana! You'll do as I say or face the consequences.” his voice boomed in finality. “The tournament starts in an hour time, think and decide on what your new fate would be.”

“But father….”

“No buts, Diana! Take your stupid self out of my chambers before I lay a hex on you!”

I stomped my feet, hissing. “Fine!”

Rage welled up inside me as I made my way out of the throne room. Sighting the triumphant smile on Ella's face didn't make it any better.

And when she caught me staring, fists clenched at my sides and all, she rushed to father and knelt politely before him.

I heard her muttering out words to him but couldn't make any sense out of what she was saying because of the distance.

I felt like I had been punched in the gut when the sounds of their laughter tagged behind me.

The realization that my father was laughing heartily with Ella seconds after making a cruel decision for me broke my heart into pieces. Once again, I had been subtly ignored.

‘Ignore them, Dee.’ my wolf whispered, ‘just choose someone today, we'll figure out what to do later. You know we have Darius, right?’

Right.

We had Darius – my one true mate whom father knew nothing about. And that is because, Darius wanted our relationship to be kept a secret until he's finally being upgraded from a chief warrior to my father's beta.

Until then, he didn't stand a chance standing before father, let alone talk about getting married to me. Or about the child we were going to have which he knew nothing about. Yet.

Ziva’s words of assurance solidified my resolve as I walked back to my room and lay down to sleep, eagerly waiting for the tournament to begin, so I could get it done and over with.

—-----

The castle's grand fighting hall was a flourish of howlings and men. Tons of men whose presence alone made me want to puke.

They literally flocked in and out while I sat on my seat, beside father's , watching and wishing they could all be magically wiped away from the surface of the earth.

Never to be seen or heard again.

The more I stared, the more furious I seethed.

‘You know what, Dee?’ asked Ziva who could barely contain her own fury from sputtering out of her voice.

She was a force on her own.

When I first had her, I wasn't quite used to having a wolf who had a mind of her own as opposed to other she-wolves in the pack whose wolves were always in synchrony with them: mind and all.

Keyword being Always.

But with Ziva it was often times the opposite. And I'd soon learn to come to the acceptance that she was unique. To me and to herself.

I crossed my arms, my eyes still glued to the fighting ring. “Spill, girl.”

‘I know I said to choose someone today and figure it out later, but goddess the scents of every single man gathered here makes me want to rip their heart out of their chest!” She hissed. “You've got to leave here before I do something drastic, Dee.’

Before I could react, thick fur reeled down the edges of my arms and I cursed at Ziva.

For heaven's sake, she could have at least given me a minute or two before deciding to let herself out! Now I needed to be out of here before things got out of hand. And by things, I meant Ziva’s rage.

I closed my eyes, inhaling a large volume of air to relax before snapping them open.

They must have been bloodshot red when I opened them because one of the men in the fighting ring pointed at me, eyes widened.

Shit.

I stood, not even thinking as I ran out of the fighting hall, tearing past groups of unfamiliar faces in the hallway.

The entire time I ran, Ziva was beating on my chest, begging to be set free completely.

But I couldn't let that happen, not here, not now. It wasn't safe or wise.

I ran as fast as my legs could until I made it out of the castle and its surroundings, heading straight for Oak forest. My favourite spot in the pack.

One shift could appease her. Or maybe one howl? Or even better, a hunting spree?

I don't know.

All I wanted was to get to Oak woods as fast as I could. Whichever option Ziva wanted was totally up to her.

When I reached the entrance into the woods, my claws elongated and Ziva sprinted to the surface like a panther. The zipper of my velvet gown ripped apart due to the force, I could only wish that it was still useful after now.

Dropping to the floor, I tipped my head back and Ziva let loose a guttural howl that sounded like a pride of lions were roaring.

She was that mad?

Another howl tore from her but this time it ended like a human cry filled with rage and agony. Or maybe I was choosing to ignore the fact that maybe this was one of those rare moments where our minds became one – where we shared each other’s pain.

The pain of having a mate but not being able to spend the rest of your life with him just because your father cared more about societal positions than your happiness. The pain of continuously having to watch your father's fuck chick and her daughter mock you every now and then for loosing your mom shortly after she gave birth to you.

Ziva howled continuously until I lost count. And when the last howl tore from my throat, I collapsed to the ground, panting heavily as my claws retracted and the fur dissipated.

That's when I heard it.

An actual human cry distances apart from where I laid.

My whole body stiffened as I jerked up. My mind didn't even wander to my damaged zipper, I just started to the direction I’d heard the cries, preparing myself for the worst.

The first thing I smelt upon inching closer to the now pronounced cries hit me right in the gut, sending a jolt of energy through me.

Blood. Fear. Male. Alpha.

And then it came, the most profound one–Demon.

I blinked, my mouth agape. A demon alpha was in our territory?!

One sniff again was all it took to have me slowing down my feet and coming to a stop behind a tree.

My heart racing, I peeked around the tree's rugged bark, and my worst fears materialized.

A man stood tall, his chiseled features illuminated by the fading sunlight filtering through the canopy above. His eyes were as dark as an abyss and was surrounded by vertical pupils, a hallmark of a demonkind.

But it was the alpha mark on his left cheek bone, a crimson-tinted signil that confirmed what he was. A demon alpha.

Ziva instantly retreated into me and I gasped.

He had a struggling human wrapped around his fist. The human's face contorted in terror, eyes bulging, and mouth agape in a terrific scream, but the demon alpha didn't budge. Didn't even bat an eyelash when the human threw a spittle on his face.

And then as if the roles were suddenly reversed, his mouth descended upon the human’s.

A sickening, wet sound filled the air as he sucked the life force from the human's body.

My stomach churned, horror freezing my limbs.

All my life I've only heard stories of them – Demon alphas who occasionally traveled from pack to pack, feasting on the life forces of humans, shifters or any other supernatural being just to increase their lifespan.

Whether I had believed or not back then, I couldn't tell, but with what I had just seen, belief was an understatement of what I felt thrumming through my veins.

Even as he stood meters away with his back turned to me, I could feel the weight of his malevolent gaze, as if he sensed my presence.

I tried all I could to move, even if it was just an inch but all my efforts were futile.

Suddenly, the human's body began to wither, shriveling like a leaf in autumn. There and then, whatever had led me down here let loose on me.

I spun around, ready to flee, only to collide with some sort of a wall. It wasn't until my eyes slowly lifted to a pair of eyes, no longer dark as an abyss but a piercing shade of silver staring at me that I realized it wasn't a wall I had collided with.

It was a chest: the demon alpha’s chest.

My eyes snapped close on instinct as I backed away in fright, holding onto the sides of my dress like my life depended on it.

"What is your name?" His voice, low and commanding, halted me for a fraction of a second, but my fear propelled me backwards and faster than I could ever imagine.

“I….I didn't mean to watch….” I mumbled lowly. “.. I'll just leave….right now.”

He stepped closer to me. “You don't have to,” his eyes softened a bit. “I won't hurt you.”

He's lying.

He was definitely lying. It's never been told that a demon alpha left it's prey unharmed.

So I shook my head, whispering despite myself. “I don't believe you…”

Again, he took another step closer to me. “You have to. If I wanted to hurt you, don't you think I would have done that by now?”

He had a point there but for all I knew, this could be just one out of many of his soul sucking tactics.

I had to find a way out of here. Had to get back to the castle and warn father of him.

Without giving it a second thought, I spun around and sprinted, my feet pounding against the earth.

I veered off the main path, taking a narrow turn through the dense underbrush. Branches scratched at my face, but I didn't dare slow.

As I ran, a familiar scent of citrus and cinnamon wafted on the wind, drawing me in and forcing me to stop.

My heart skipped a beat. Darius was here too?

Last we saw, he'd said he had a meeting to attend with other chief warriors in the neighboring pack and won't be returning until after the tournament.

And the tournament was just starting today. So what was he doing here?

Not even thinking, I followed Darius's scent, my feet carrying me toward a clearing. And that's when I saw him: my mate, Darius.

But he wasn't alone and wasn't clothed either. Bent over his hardened dick was an ass that wasn't mine—It belonged to no other than my step-sister, Ella.