MORGAN
There was a ringing in my ears. It got louder with each passing moment muffling the voices of those around me. I should guess you're wondering what has me in such a frozen state. Let's reverse the chain of events shall we?
"Remember on your ninth birthday, when Julie and her brother Demetre came to visit you and your parents," the man I had now identified as her father spoke to me in a calm tone as though trying not to scare me. Slowly, I nodded. "Well the day after that, You and Demetre seemed to get on so well and as such his mother and I made you play a game, this was with the full consent of your parents of course."
The man stopped again and looked at his daughter, who nodded in agreement. "I don't understand where this is going though," I said and my mother gave my hand a squeeze. "Just listen Morgan."
For some reason a feeling of paranoia had settled at the pit of my stomach. The hair on my neck stood at attention as I listened to him continue his tall tale.
"Even though he was only fifteen, Demetre was smitten by you and he happily agreed to take part because it is extremely rare for an alpha king to find his true half. However, later on we had to drug him before leaving because he went into a rage when we told him we'd have to leave you behind for a few years."
I was about to open my mouth when he continued to speak, it was then that I saw the guilty look on Julie's face and it was confusing to say it mirrored my parents. "That was no mere game, in actuality it was a ceremony practiced by my people when the alpha of a pack had taken a chosen."
I was confused to say the least. "uhm...alpha?...pack?....chosen?" I was genuinely lost and the man sighed. My father was the one who spoke, "Morgan, to put it it more suitable terms, it was an arranged marriage."
They got a reaction that they least expected. I burst out in fits of laughter, laughing so hard I clutched my stomach because it started to ache. When my laughter subsided, I wiped the tears from my face and looked at them. No one was laughing, in fact they looked...shocked.
"Jokes over, I admit you had me now can Julie and I go out?" I looked to my parents who avoided my gaze. "Morgan," Julie said my name softly as though she was talking to a child, "it's not a joke, you really are Demetre's chosen. He is an alpha, we hoped that we would never initiate this but things have...changed," I stared at her like she had sprouted another head. "You expect me to believe that I got married when I was nine, to an alpha; as in an alpha of a pack of wolves, do I look dense to you people?" I asked no longer finding it funny. How could they expect me to believe that such a thing as wolves that hide under human skin actually existed? Let alone the fact that I was married to one of them.
"It's the truth," my mother's voice came out barely audible. "You had seen him in his wolf form but your memory had to be erased after he left." Mr. Argento waved his hand and for the first time since I stepped into this room I noticed the male and female standing behind them. The woman walked forward and tried to touch my head when I slapped her arm away, "try touching me again and I'll break that hand," I said my mood quickly going from disbelief and confused to boiling mad.
She rolled her eyes at me and touched my head. This action was followed by a searing pain, and I hissed. All I could feel was burning and more burning. In my head I saw Demetre playing with a younger me. He then started to groan as his the sound of cracking bones made it's way to my ears. I watched myself try to run to him when Juliette stopped me and a few moments later a wolf stood in his place. I should have been scared, I should have run to my parents screaming bloody murder but I didn't. The wolf came to me an licked my face making me giggle. The next memory was of me and him playing the so called game.
The scene disappeared and I was back in the living room. My limbs were numb for many moments as the newly returned memory played again and again like a broken record. I stared at my parents in utter horror as I regained my movements. "You married me off at nine years old!" I screamed. It was not the elephant in the room but it was damn sure close. I was married to a werewolf. An actual werewolf. I had read stories but... I never thought for a second that those legends were true.
My parents flinched at my tone, I hadn't noticed that Julie was by my side. When she touched me, my reaction was automatic. I grabbed her my the neck, and for a second I swear her Blue eyes turned gold. A growl came from her father and I hesitantly let her go. I knew a lot about her kind thanks to the many books I read and one thing was that they were extremely violent. "As I was saying," my "friend" continued, "we didn't plan on this after well... Demetre found his fated mate a year later, but...three months ago She was killed in a rogue attack and he has been devastated to say the least. So our mother suggested that we come get you hoping that his feelings for you will be triggered and he can return to being Alpha again."
I stared at her emotionlessly, "and what happens if I refuse?" Julie sighed in exasperation. "When you are an Alphas chosen you cannot break that union, doing so will result in your parents being charged with treason and dealt with by execution. where as you will be stripped of any title or privilege you hold and driven out of the pack territory for any and all outside it to do with you as they please," she replied in the same tone.
"But we're not part of your pack!" I screamed and she sighed, "Morgan, you live in the out skirts of the royal pack lands; the places where you humans reside and because this is our land you abide by our rules."
I sat down and replayed tonight's revelations. My parents had practically sold me off when I was nine, werewolves are real and I'm married to one, I'm being used as a rebound and if I say no I die. I zoned out, everything kept replaying in my head.
This brings us back to where we are now. I can hear them but only in muffled tones. My blood pumped in my ears. My life was never my own. I started to feel my throat tighten and my vision became blurry. I couldn't breathe so I found myself gasping for air but it seemed like it was all being sucked out of me. "Morgan, Morgan!" someone shouted but it was too late. Black spots covered my vision and the last thing I remember is my body leaning to the side and warm arms encircling me.
When I opened my eyes, I was met face to face with a car window. Panic shot through me and when I turned I saw Julie. "What is this?" I asked her, "my father wanted you at the pack house as soon as possible, you had a panic attack earlier so when you passed out we brought you with us." I stared at her, what kind of sick fucks were these people? This was basically kidnapping!
I guess you dont have much if a say when you've been married for nine years without any knowledge of it. Somehow the fact that werewolves were real didn't bother me as much as the whole Alpha king's rebound.
I remained silent as faced back towards the window. We were driving through a dense forest and I realized it was a black night perfect for my mood right now. As we drove I noticed something or rather someone. I could only make out his silhouette and nothing more. The figure seemed to appear again and again until it finally stopped. We exited the forest and drove into a very large clearing where at the end of it stood a mansion that was nothing short of a palace.
Guards surrounded the car immediately it came to a stop and opened the doors. I got out first, earning a few looks of bewilderment. I noticed the two that were carrying suitcases and turned to my traitor, yup that's what she was now. "Well at least you had the decency to get my clothes, not that it makes me hate you less of course," Julie looked hurt and a part of me felt bad but that part was crushed by the reminder of the part she played in my new life. 'the alpha's rebound' just wonderful.
We walked into the house as it was just as magnificent on the inside as on the outside. A marble staircase led the way to the second floor. I found myself thinking about Demetre, no matter how pissed off I was it was still a tragedy that he lost his mate or whatchamacallit. Julie and I walked upstairs and I was engrossed in the paintings when a high pitched voice yelled her name.
I looked around not seeing anyone until the same voice said, "down here," my gaze lowered and I was met with the most gorgeous aquamarine eyes staring back at me, eyes that seemed so familiar yet so foreign. My heart melted, "and who might you be?" I asked the little boy who was no more than three years old. He gave me a smile and told me his name. "Orlando," I ruffled the mess of black curls on his head and get giggled. Orlando said bye to is and went on his merry way.
After walking a bit more Julie stopped in front of a door and walked in. "This is your new room, there is the bathroom," she pointed at one of the doors, "and there if your closet." I was amazed, the room was beautiful. It was painted in black and silver and there was a queen size bed in the center with beddings that matched the decor and a window seat too.
As I was admiring the room someone entered. "Julie where did you go?" A voice that was even and velvet asked her. When I turned i was met with eyes that were identical to Orlando, only the gaze was more intense. He was the spitting image of Orlando in an older version.
He opened his mouth but no sound made it's way out, after a few minutes he looked from me to Julie and back to me, "Morgan."