A Worthy Wolf?

Chapter 2 - Brayden

An arranged marriage was an inconvenience to say the least. I had waited, like my Alpha, and my Beta before me, for my fated mate to come along. Unfortunately, unlike my friends, my fated mate did not come along. She seemed lost in the chaos that was the world that we lived in. But, this did not surprise me in the slightest. Fated mates were known to be becoming more rare. Both of my friends had been incredibly blessed to have found theirs. They were happy, and, the truth was, mate or not, I was happy on my own...

Unlike my friends who had spent much of their free time traveling before taking their roles as Alpha and Beta, I, as Gamma, and the one in charge of our pack warrior squads, had focused solely upon specialized training. I had some big feet to fill taking over my father's role, so focusing upon my training had become an obsession of mine. Hence, why choosing a mate had become far down my list of priorities.

Yet, despite all of my protests, not one person was willing to listen to me. And, the pack elders' words seemed to have won over my friend, and Alpha, Leon, and through their brainwashing it was deemed essential that I should be mated. The issue was marked as urgent. Why, I did not know, but essential, it apparently was. And I found myself on the arranged marriage meat market...

Thankfully for me, as a male of rank, it was I who got to search. I, who, got to dictate. And I was able to be most selective. I had high standards. I did not want just anybody to be the next Mrs Sterling. My wife and my mate would be a woman of high standing. I may only be a Gamma in rank, but my family were from a successful business family. And, with the big shoes of my father to fill, I had a lot to fill up to, and despite already being in the Gamma role, I was unsure I was living up to the task. Therefore, I did not wish to marry some random she-wolf. Beautiful or not.

The damning thing had been that so many women I had carefully selected from the incredibly long list provided to me had been quick to discard me due to my rank as Gamma. They were wishing for an Alpha. Believing that, due to their high standing within a pack, they deserved only the best. Making my search even harder. Was I not worthy of them due to my rank? I had felt more than a little insulted.

But, after lowering my standards slightly and settling for daughters of Betas too, I came across a beautiful young she-wolf that had recently come of age. One who came from a good heritage. And one, who, after our first meeting I had come to the conclusion, appeared to be quite pliable in her views. Raven Thorncroft of Shadowed Storm Pack. Just the sort of she-wolf a man like me needed...

We had met on more than one occasion now, and I had to say, on each occasion I was pleasantly surprised. Curls of the darkest hair, a perfect comparison to her name. And the most stunning of smoky blue eyes. Skin so pale it was a stark contrast to her hair. There was mischief in those eyes. I had noticed on the one date I had been permitted to take her upon. The smile she had given me had left me wanting to smile too. A feat not many succeed upon. She had intrigued me with her unexpected intelligence, and that alone proved to me that the girl had potential.

Walking away from her left me wanting more, and that told me that the pairing of the marriage screening had done exactly as it was expected to. The girl was going to make a wonderful chosen mate. In time, I could shape her into the mate I needed, and meanwhile, I was sure we could have some fun getting to know one another...

Yet, potential or not, our packs were struggling to settle upon the financial agreements for the marriage. Ultimately, that was the reason for the marriage. It was a marriage of purpose first and foremost. One to benefit both of our packs. Did I believe there were possibilities for the chosen matebond beyond? Absolutely. But first they had to do just as we wanted of them, or she would be discarded and another would have to be found...