Marriage?

"Rise and shine! My lazy sister." I whimpered when I heard my sister's energetic voice before she pulled onto my blanket to wake me up. 

"Ashley! Don't do that. Let me sleep. Just five more minutes." I cried and grabbed onto my blanket not letting it go. 

"No, more minute, you're going to be late for breakfast and Alpha will be pissed." 

"Hmmm…" Her words didn't seem to make any difference. I started to doze off, letting sleep pull me into the same dream I was having. 

The same one where I got to meet my mate but I never got to see his face. Whenever I come close to discovering his identity, my consciousness kicks off and I wake up in frustration. 

This time was no different.

I sat back on the bed, sulking. 

"I was so close to seeing his face… sooo close. Why don't I get to see him?" 

Hearing sadness in my tone, my sister said,

"You know you can't see a face in your dreams if you're not familiar with the person in your real life. And there is nothing to be sad about it. All you have to do is go out and start looking for your mate so next time you could see his face in your dreams." 

Shaking off my gloomy mood, I raised my head to stare at my sister. 

There she was standing, getting my clothes ready for the day. She looked so calm and serene. She might not be a hopeless romantic and crazy about finding mates and dreamed of happily ever after but she always knew the right thing to say so I didn't spend the rest of my day brooding. 

"Yeah, you're right. Just wait and watch once we graduate you and me going on a tour to hunt down our mates." I jumped off the bed feeling the new energy crackling through my bones.

That was the plan. 

Ashley giggled, "Yes of course. Once we graduate we're going to follow the plan but to do that, we need to survive Alpha Clearwood's today. You have 10 minutes to get ready and run downstairs to the breakfast table before he arrives." 

"Shoot me!" I ran into the bathroom and took the quickest shower I ever did in my life. 

I might be Alpha's daughter but not even I was allowed to slack off. My father was rigid with his rules. 

Today he called a breakfast meeting for all pack officials. He was going to make some special announcement. 

Which I had no clue about. 

Thanks to Ashley's help with picking out my clothes I got ready and reached down to the table in record time.

Well done, Sophie. 

"Good morning everyone. Dad's not here yet?" I picked an apple and helped me with some milk while asked. 

"He would be here any minute. You know he hates being late." Beta Jackson replied. He was my father's best friend and loyal to his alpha. For looks, he was an old and scary guy. 

He was sitting in the chair next to my father which of course was reserved for the pack beta.

Other than him there was Gamma Jason. He was a good but not very friendly type. He barely spoke more than two or three words in one sentence. Other than him there was one more character, an annoying one who shouldn't be here but who was I to kick her out? Yeah, I was a future Alpha of this pack but that goes for the future. 

Erin shot me a cheesy smile, which I ignored and focused on chewing my food. Our vibes never matched.

Footsteps descending the stairs alert us of the arrival of the alpha. 

Everyone straightens their back, eyes down, and stands up to their feet to greet the alpha.

"Alpha," Four of us said in perfect sync and bowed our heads down a little showing some respect to the pack leader.

"Hmm. I see everyone is here." Alpha Clearwood said in his rough and tough alpha tone before sitting down on his chair and we all followed suit. 

"Without wasting any time I'm going straight to the point." My father cleared his throat slightly to gain everyone's attention which was unnecessary because every one of us here was dying to know what he was about to say.

I wonder if it was about the festival coming on board, but didn't we already know what was going to happen tomorrow? We've celebrated this day for years.

"Tomorrow's festival is important and I won't tolerate any slacking." He turned his hard glare on everyone by one.

"There would be no mistake, Alpha. We won't disappoint you." Beta Jackson spoke on all of our behalf. We nodded our heads in agreement.

"I expect nothing less." My father's words. A servant came to serve my father breakfast. She hurriedly finishes her job and bowed her head before vanishing into the kitchen. 

My father looked down at his food for a second before taking the first bite. Others also resumed eating. 

He took his time chewing his food properly before saying something which felt like a punch in my guts.

"Our pack is going to start a business with White moon pack soon. Which is going to be beneficial for both parties. Regarding which Alpha Kerr and his men are going to come here to celebrate the snow moon festival with us. And there is also a marriage of my daughter, Sophia and Alpha Kerr. Make sure to arrange everything."

I choked on my food. I wasn't the only one affected by his words. 

Others also had halted amidst whatever they were doing except my father of course. He continued eating as if he didn't just drop the bomb on me. 

The entire room goes silent if not for my father's fork and knife cutting the omelet perfectly. 

All eyes were on my father now waiting for god knows what, maybe for him to take his words back. Even beta Jackson wore a quizzical look on his face.

Of course not. That was something Alpha Clearwood never did. 

"It's a good opportunity for a pack that we couldn't let go of our hands. Everything should be perfect. That's all for now. I'm done."

With that, he dropped the fork and knife and cleaned his mouth with a napkin before getting to his feet and leaving with a straight face like nothing was wrong.

Left behind, four of us looked at each other's faces, but nobody uttered a word. 

I stomped my foot angrily and chased after my father to his office. He owed me a hell of a lot of explanation. 

How could he do this to me? His own daughter. He knew what I had planned after school. I thought he would support me yet here he was trying to marry me off to a stranger? And for what, a business deal? 

He must have lost his mind if he thought for even a second that I would do as he wished and betray the man waiting for me to find him.

I thumped my fist on his office door. I knew my father was stubborn but I was his daughter. I would not let him decide for my life. At least not this part.