Nina's POV
My eyes flew open as the sun from the window seeped into the room. I had barely slept last night, too excited for what today had to offer me.
I moved to the edge of my bed to admire my beautiful birthday gown draped on the mannequin across the room. Twenty. I looked forward to turning twenty since I found my mate, Richard.
After two long years of finding out we were mates, I expect him to finally propose to me today. I think he would. He proposes to me, I become Luna, and he becomes Alpha.
The thought was exhilarating but terrifying. What if he doesn't propose today? I shook my head discarding those thoughts. No, Richard won't wait any longer. I was certain.
The milestones I set for my life are being ticked off one by one and I couldn't be happier.
A soft knock broke my thoughts. "Come in!"
The door opened, and Anna, my servant, delicately walked into the room.
"Happy birthday my lady," she said with a sweet smile.
"Thank you, Anna," I replied, smiling back.
"Big day today huh?" Anna teased. She was also my friend and knew all the expectations I had regarding today.
I glanced at her, my excitement bubbling over. "What about the flowers? Did they arrive? And the musicians? Last I checked the hall was still in the decorating process. Are they done? Oh, and the cake—did they follow the design? What about —"
"Hush my lady," Anna cut me short. She walked up to me, grabbed me gently by the shoulders, and led me to the vanity chair.
I found myself still fretting over minor details. "Are you sure everything's fine? I can check if—"
"Enough, my lady." Anna's voice was gentle followed by a small smile. "You mustn't stress yourself. Everything will be perfect. What you should stress about is your father."
"Huh, why?" I raise my head to look properly at Anna.
"He had asked me to call you to the study. His face didn't look so good." Anna relayed and my face creased up in confusion.
"What does dad want?" I soliloquized once Anna left to go tend to other duties.
Not wasting a second more, I washed my face put on a simple gown, and headed to the study.
"Dad?" My voice was low and careful as I knocked on the door. I didn't wait for a response before I slowly pushed the door open. I peeked into the study, my silky black hair slipping from the back to the front.
"Ah! Yes, come in my angel." My dad said getting up from his work seat and going to the couch in the room.
I smiled widely when I heard the endearment, but something was off. His voice was cold, almost like it was carrying bad news.
I joined him in the couch area. "Anna said you asked for me."
"Yes, I did," my father, Alpha Thompson replied, his voice solemn.
"First off, happy birthday."
"Thank you, Dad," I smiled shyly, my head low as I looked at my fingers playing with each other.
"This new age you're turning comes with different responsibilities. You'll soon be Luna. You now have to make choices not based on what you want but how it will benefit the pack."
I nodded my head in understanding. "I get where you're coming from Dad. All my life I've been trained for this one purpose. I'm ready to be Luna, Dad, and with Rich—"
"You are to be married."
"Yes, Richard will propose to—"
"A marriage alliance has been arranged between you and the son of the Lycan King. It is a union that will strengthen our pack's position and secure our future."
I went silent for a minute. "What do you mean dad?" My head was spinning as I tried to make sense of what my dad just said.
"It's just as you heard. You are to get married to the heir of the lycan kingdom."
"I-I have a mate Dad!" My voice cracked as I tried to hold back tears.
"Forget about him," my father said, his tone leaving no room for argument. "As the Alpha's daughter and future Luna, you have a responsibility to the pack. You will marry the Lycan prince, and that's final."
"No!" The word escaped my lips before I knew it. The tone of my voice surprised me. I have never raised my voice at my father before. I tried to calm down and reason with him.
"You can't just expect me to abandon my mate dad, I can't do it. I won't do it" Tears are rolling down my eyes at this point. My heart twisted in different knots and I found it hard to breathe.
"It's for your good, Nina. What good will a Beta do to our legacy? Reject him." My father spat and turned his face away from me.
I stood up. "We are one of the biggest and strongest pack dad. We don't need the Lycan kingdom! Have a rethink dad," I cleaned the tears from my face but more fell out. "Please."
His face was turned away from me and I felt dejected. With nothing else to say, I turned on my heel and left the study.
I ran through the hallways in tears and paused to catch my breath. I leaned on the wall, my head was spinning and I felt trapped with no escape. I needed a solution.
Richard. He was close to my dad. My dad watched him grow and treated him like a son. I'm sure if we plead together my dad will let our bond grow. Richard could probably talk him out of the marriage alliance.
I pushed myself up from the wall, but I ended up falling because my leg didn't have enough strength. Luckily, a servant was passing by and she caught me. "Are you alright, my lady?"
"Yes I am," I answered weakly. "Have you seen Richard anywhere?"
"I last saw him at his quarters a few minutes ago." The servant said and I dismissed her.
With the hope that Richard could have a solution, I regained a bit of my strength and hastened my steps. Soon, I was standing in front of Richard's room.
I made to open the door but my hands paused at the knob when I heard sounds coming out of his room. Moans.
My hands were clammy with sweat and I withdrew them from the knob like they had touched a hot object.
It couldn't be what I was thinking.
I took in a deep breath and pushed the door open. My world shattered a
t the view before me.
There he was—Richard, my mate, lying in bed with Sheila, my stepsister.