My eyelids fluttered open as a low rumble vibrated through the walls, pulling me from my dreams.
I lazily pulled the thick covers and tried to snuggle up, l planned of sleeping late since last night only to be greeted by the harsh assault of loud voices and clattering sounds.
I groaned and turned over the side of my bed, I tried to bury my head deeper into the softness of my pillow but the noise only grew even louder as if the people were making loud noises on purpose to ruin my good sleep.
I blinked into the dim morning light that seeped around the curtains, my mind still sluggish with sleep, still feeling lazily, I forced myself to look at the digital clock sitting on my bedside table.
The clock relayed the time 6 o'clock in the morning which only made me feel annoyed.
"It's too early... I just want to get some more sleep..."
I groaned again before throwing the thick blanket up in the air.
"Something felt off..."
I whispered. No, it wasn't only because of the noise, it was the tension in the air, I felt something thick and expectant crawling under my skin.
"What on earth was happening?"
I whispered before pushing myself up, my long black hair falling over my shoulder like a wild cascade.
I sleepily strained my own ears to catch the words drifting through the walls.
"Almost ready.,make sure it's perfect for her. Is the feast set yet?"
The feast...
The feast...
My chest tightened with realization. I bolted upright, my heart thumping as the memory of the other night rushed back to me.
My sixteenth birthday...
Alpha Alaric and the pack's council had said that my birthday would be very important and that it would mark something, and she knew exactly what it was.
I pulled myself out of bed, my bare feet meeting the cold tiled floor. Despite the chaos outside, my room remained unusually still. My hand hovered over the metal doorknob only to be greeted by Alpha Alaric's servants.
--
The chill breeze swept through the grand halls of the pack house as I stood in front of a huge mirror, my fingers trembled as I adjusted the lace of my gown. The pale pink fabric hugged my skin, making me feel small and fragile.
I glanced at my reflection and sighed.
I thought my sixteenth birthday would be just as simple as my friends'. I'd never expected it to be this regal and grand.
"Foxy..."
Alpha Alaric called from downstairs.
"Are you ready?"
He asked, his eyes seemed to be admiring my feminine side.
It's been four years since the moon godess took my parents, and it's also been four years since Alaric has taken me into his home and treated me fairly like I was his own daughter.
I took one last glance at myself, then turned to Alaric and nodded.
I walked pass the hallway, every step I make felt it echoed louder than it should.
As I descended the grand staircase, Alpha Alaric's booming voice reached my ears.
"Ah... Brielle Fox, the one and only daughter of former Alpha Walden Fox, the birthday girl."
He said his smile was tight, but his smile was filled with pride. The same pride that made me feel more like an object on display rather than a daughter of the strongest alpha ever to live.
"Foxy, I hope you are ready for what comes next."
Alaric's whispered to my ears.
"Everything is arranged, we have been waiting for this for years, Foxy. It will be a perfect union."
I bit back the bitter words that rose in my throat. The union... The very thought of it made my stomach twist.
Since I got to Alaric's roof, I had know I was to be married to Aric, the Alpha's son. A man I have come to love ever since I met him, but I am not a fool not to realize how much he despise me.
I flinched as the memory of what Alaric and I discussed months ago.
"Why me?"
I asked, and Alaric sat beside me. My head is still turning from hearing about the idea of me marrying Aric one day.
"Why not you, Foxy?"
"I-I... I loved Aric since forever, but I know he doesn't want me. I can't marry a man who can't love me back. Besides, I'm just me... I don't even feel like I belong to this pack anymore."
I muttered and looked away.
"You are part of this pack, Foxy. In fact, you are not just part of this pack, you are part of something bigger. Your blood, your heritage. You are Walden's only daughter, Foxy you are this pack's future. This pack needs you and so you and Aric will lead this pack together someday."
I never wanted this life, had I never wanted to be bound to someone like him, Aric is cold, distant, and arrogantly sure of his place in the world.
Sometimes I even wonder how I'd falled in love with him. It's like I wanted him, but I never want to marry him.
And yet here I am, dressed for the occasion. As much as I tired to bury the resentment, the weight of the truth was suffocating, in just a few moments, Aric will be here.
I can't stay, I had to leave.
--
I paced back and forth in the small clearing near the Alpha's home. My heart beat erratically as anxiety started to gnawed at me. I could feel the weight of the promise hanging over my head—the promise Alaric had made to his own son.
I was Alpha Walden Fox's daughter, once.
My thoughts raced and my emotions tangled.
Now, I'm just an obligation.
I stopped my pacing and crossed my arms tightly.
It had been years since my parents died. Alaric had taken me in when no one else would. But the kindness he had once shown me felt like it had faded over time, replaced by expectations and distant authority.
"Brielle, Foxy..."
A voice broke me from the depth of my thoughts.
I spun around to face the figure, and there I found the son of Alpha Alaric, and the source of my inner turmoil. Aric Barlowe.
His icy blue eyes met mine, but there was no warmth in them, only disdain, the same disdain I had seen in his eyes every time he looked at me since my adoption.
"I didn't expect to find you out here alone."
Aric said, his voice flat, almost mocking.
"I needed some space."
I replied, my voice tight, and my posture stiff.
"Not everyone likes to be constantly surrounded by people."
Aric raised an eyebrow, stepping closer.
"Yes. Especially those who are only tolerated because of a bloodline and heritage?"
He sneered, his words hitting their mark. My throat tightened, but I didn't flinch.
"You don't have to remind me."
I said coolly, my nails dug into my own skin.
"But it's not like I asked for this either."
His lips curled into a cruel smirk.
"No, you didn't. But it doesn't change anything, does it? You still belong to the pack. And I still have to marry you, even if I don't want to."
His voice dropped to a whisper, as if the words were more of a confession than an accusation.
My eyes flashed with a mix of hurt and anger.
"Then why don't you just tell your father? You know, the one who wanted this to happen."
Aric laughed bitterly. "And what would that solve? My father already expects us to honor this arrangement. You and I, we don't get a say in it. You know that, don't you?"
I took a step forward, my fists clenched as I met the intensity of his glare.
"I did have a say once. I was born into this pack, this was once my father's pack. I don't owe anyone anything. And neither do you."
"Maybe you should think about what's at stake here, Foxy."
Aric said, his tone suddenly colder. He stepped forward, his presence overwhelming.
"This isn't just about you or me. This is about the future of the pack."
The words hung in the air between us like an unspoken threat. I swallowed hard, it felt like the weight of my position was now pressing down on me.
Though my eyes are starting to water, I tried to steady my breathing.
"You think I don't know that?"
I asked, my voice steady despite the storm of emotions inside me, "You think I don't realize that if we don't follow through with this, everything could fall apart? "
His gaze softened, just for a moment, but then it hardened again, the coldness returning.
"Then why do you still fight it?"
He asked, as if we were somehow on the same side. "Why not just accept it?"
"Because..." I started, my voice barely above a whisper, "I don't want to marry you, Aric, I never have."
My chest tightened with the weight of the words I had never dared to speak aloud.
"I love, I always have... But don't you think I know? You hate me, you always made that clear every chacne you get. And this marriage, it's not worth it. I know you only need me because you need to keep this pack stronger, and I can't live up to just that."
His lips tightened, and he took a step back, as if the weight of my words had caught him off guard. But then he quickly regained his composure, sneering once more.
"You don't get to choose that."
He said with finality before turning on his heel.
"Neither of us do. Not if my father, Alpha Alaric, still lives."