Chapter 1

Accalia-

“I am not going to ask you again,” My father grumbled, his voice muffled by the bedroom door.

“Unless you are willing to discuss this, I am not coming out of my room!” I yelled.

“This isn’t up for discussion!” His authoritative and thunderous voice echoed through the hallway.

My father has never yelled at me, so I knew that I was testing his patience. Since the day I was born, he has doted on me. No matter what I asked for, he gave in to me. I should be the one giving in to him now, but his request was over the top.

“I am not going to agree to an arranged marriage.” I mumbled, knowing fully well he could hear me.

“I love you, Accalia, but you can’t become the Queen without a King.” His voice softened, but his tone was still demanding.

When my great-grandfather was the Alpha King, he helped establish peace with the humans. Now, humans and werewolves co-existed. Other supernatural creatures were still in the dark, but our kind overpopulated the world.

Almost five hundred years ago, rogues found out that if they bite a human, it would turn humans into werewolves. Unlike those born, they were cursed under the full moon. My ancestors had tried to contain it, but there were too many of them. Every full moon, the turned werewolves would wreak havoc, as they couldn’t control their inner beast.

In a few short years, the population of werewolves overtook the humans. The human officials had been infected, and it had almost brought Armageddon upon the world. Since then, werewolves have taken over as the top officials.

Unlike my family, the other prominent families were located in the same area. They constantly fought for dominion. They weren’t strong enough to go against the King, but they were trying to raise their ranks among the four other families.

First, there was us, the Thorne family, who have led our kind since the beginning. The second family was Hynes; they were the strongest when it came to business and the second largest. That was the family my father was trying to marry me into.

The following family was Payne. They were strong in their own way but a far step below the Thornes and Hynes. The fourth family was known as the Quinn’s. They were almost on equal grounds with the Kenyon’s, but they were filled with egotistical morons. The last family was the Kenyon family, which was struggling to maintain its hold within the five royal families.

“My great-grandmother was Queen for years after my great-grandfather died. No one told her she had to remarry to keep the throne.”

“That is because she proved herself a worthy Queen.” His voice was firm at first but then softened after he sighed. “You are still young. If you had used your title in school, all your achievements could have helped you. If you continue to hide who you are, no one will take you seriously.”

I was starting to get frustrated now. Lying on my bed, I covered my head with the comforter. I imagined I was a small creature being swallowed by a predator. Anything was better than marrying someone to give in to what society deemed appropriate.

“Then maybe you should have had a son!” I kicked my feet up and down on the bed in a fit of frustration.

“That is enough!” My father’s voice rumbled a second before I heard him yell at one of the staff to bring him the key.

Throwing the blanket off my head, I sat up abruptly just as my father entered the room. “You promised you wouldn’t come into my room without permission!”

“That was when you were behaving. Even if I have spoiled you your entire life, that doesn’t give you the right to act like a spoiled brat.”

Huffing, I crossed my arms over my chest while pulling my knees up to curl into a ball. “I won’t marry Alpha Hynes!”

“Then what do you suggest?” My father sat on the bed beside me, looking defeated.

Dropping my arms and legs, I sat up and leaned toward him. If he was willing to hear me out, maybe I would have a chance to convince him to let me try to prove myself on my own terms. I already had a plan, but if I married Alpha Hynes, I wouldn’t be allowed the freedom I desired.

I have heard that Alpha Hynes was ruthless and domineering. Even if I were the rightful heir to the throne, as my husband, he would be able to call the shots. For all I knew, he would take the throne and then kill me. The best way to handle this is to prove that I can take the throne and marry who I want to.

“Give me a year.” I moved to my knees and grabbed my father's arm. “Let me prove to everyone that I am capable of leading without depending on my identity.”

“A year?” His eyes tilted as he looked at me quizzically.

“Although I used a different identity during college, I was accepted to join Z.H. Tech. The company was formed five years ago and climbed the ranks to become the strongest company in the world worth trillions. From what I know, it is almost impossible to get into the company unless you have connections. Without using connections, I was able to get in.”

“The Hynes family owns Z.H Tech, so if you want to work there, you can just marry the Alpha.”

“Do you remember what happened my freshman year of high school?”

“You were kidnapped and almost died.” My father sighed as a wave of guilt moved across his face.

“Exactly.” I released his arm and sat back slightly. “My best friend at the time had been behind it. It was your idea to hide me away for the remainder of my high school education. When I went to college, I didn’t want to use my real identity, just in case another incident occurred.”

“Even if it wasn’t dangerous, you were still bullied endlessly. If it had been up to me, I would have destroyed everyone who looked at you the wrong way.” My father pounded his fist against the table beside my bed, causing my lamp to tip over.

“But I was able to become stronger because of it. I also learned that I couldn’t rely on anyone except myself. If I hadn’t pretended to be someone else, everyone who bullied me would have become fake friends.”

“Things are different now than they were then. You have your wolf now and know how to protect yourself.”

“That doesn’t mean there aren’t people out to destroy me if they knew my identity.” Picking up the lamp, I returned it to its rightful place.

“What makes you think you can prove yourself in a year?”

“You told me yesterday that you wanted to hold a banquet for my twenty-first birthday. Since only recognized individuals are allowed to attend, it will give me a year to prove myself in the company and get an invite as someone recognized for their talent.” I bit my lower lip as I waited for him to respond.

“You want to obtain an invite to your own party?”

“If I manage to get an invite through the popper channels, you will allow me to determine my own future.”

“If you don’t?”

I knew I had his attention now. His brows lifted as he turned his body toward me more. Knowing I had to make this idea appealing to him, I exhaled slowly.

“If I don’t, I will accept the arranged marriage.”

My father stood and paced the room a few times. “Fine, I will agree. However, there will be rules.”

“What rules?” I sat up as excitement filled me down to the core.

“You won’t be allowed to use your title for anything. You will be cut off for the entire year. When there is an event where you are required to be present, you will wear a mask to conceal your identity. You will also attend the engagement party in three days. You can wear a mask, and I will announce that the engagement will be put on hold for a year. The only resource you will have is a one-time payment of five thousand dollars to get you by until you receive your first check.”

I knew he was intentionally making it difficult for me so I would fail, but I didn’t care. I could find a way to work with that. I didn’t graduate college ahead of schedule without a bit of hard work. I also had my own income from a side job I did that he wasn’t aware of. The only thing I had to do now was find a way to keep my identity a secret.

“Fine, but you aren’t allowed to interfere with any choice I make within the year, no matter what it is.” I jumped off the bed and hugged him tightly.

His arms wrapped around me as he sighed. “I will agree to that.”

Feeling like I won the lottery, I couldn’t help but giggle as I gently shoved him out of my room. “Then I need to get to bed. I need to get up early to go to the States.”

“I will take you to the States since we need to attend your engagement party the day after tomorrow. After that, you are on your own. If you ask me for help once, you will forfeit the year that I am giving you.” My father resisted a little.

“Don’t worry, I won’t.” I smiled as I pushed him into the hall and then shut the door in his face.