The Wolf Princess

* Arriane * "Wake up Princess Arriane, the Luna Queen and Alpha King is waiting for you at the grand dining hall." I rubbed my eyes and groaned at the voice of Amira, my personal maid. Although I could sense her worry, if I have a choice I would have preferred to go back to sleep. "What's wrong Amira?" She deliberately helped me got up and have my dress ready. Her hands are fast, stripping me off my night gown and then putting on the new dress for me. "His highness the Alpha King is waiting for you Princess, this is not the usual day. We need to be in a hurry before he loses his patience. You can take a bath when the matter is finished." My body swayed slightly as Amira rushed around me, her movements precise but tense. That alone was enough to fully wake me. Amira never rushed unless something was wrong. "What kind of 'not usual' day?" I asked, my voice still thick with sleep, though my heart had begun to beat a little faster. She hesitated. And that gesture of her made my chest tighten. Amira rarely hesitated with me. "The Alpha King summoned the entire royal wolf family," she finally said, carefully fastening the last clasp of my dress. "Even the elders of the pack will be there." I froze. The elders? A cold unease crept down my spine. "What happened?" I whispered. "I do not know, Princess," Amira replied softly, though her eyes betrayed worry. "But the air in the palace, it feels heavy since yesterday." Heavy and different, I felt that too but I just ignore it like I always do. That was the perfect word for it. Even as we stepped out of my chambers, I felt it, the suffocating weight pressing against my chest. The corridors, usually alive with servants and quiet chatter, were eerily silent. Guards stood straighter, their expressions harder. Something was wrong with the pack. Very wrong. We walked quickly through the grand halls, my heels echoing against the marble floors. My mind raced with possibilities, war, betrayal, an attack from rival packs? Or worse. What could be worse? When we reached the towering doors of the grand dining hall, Amira stopped. "Princess," she murmured, gently taking my hand. "Whatever it is, stay strong." I swallowed and nodded. The doors opened. And the moment I stepped inside, every gaze turned to me. My father, the Alpha King, sat at the head of the long table, his presence as commanding as ever, but his expression was unreadable. Beside him sat my mother, the Luna Queen, her face composed, yet her eyes, her beautiful eyes searched for me, almost anxiously. That alone made my heart pound. The elders were seated along both sides, their sharp, assessing gazes fixed on me like I was no longer just a daughter of the royal family. But something to be judged and to be decided. I forced myself to walk forward, each step heavier than the last. "Father," I greeted, bowing my head slightly. "Mother." "Sit, Arriane," my father commanded, his voice calm, he was always calm but dangerous. I obeyed him, taking my seat. Silence fell in the big dining hall. It stretched long enough to make my pulse roar in my ears. But then father cleared his throat. "Today," he began, his golden eyes locking onto mine, "you will hear a proposal." A proposal. What kind of proposal? My fingers curled tightly against my lap. "I, see," I said carefully. "From which pack?" After a few seconds I already know it would be a marriage proposal. Because no one answered me immediately. Instead, the elders exchanged glances. My mother's hand tightened slightly over the table. And my father. He leaned back, his gaze sharpening. "Not from a pack you knew." A chill shot through me. "Then, from where?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper now. The massive doors behind me opened once more. The sound echoed like a final warning. "You may enter," my father declared. I turned. And the moment I saw who stepped inside. My breath caught. Because the man walking toward me. Was not just an Alpha. He was something darker. He is tall and big with dark hair that is slightly longer than normal. He possesses a very strong presence. Something that made every instinct in my wolf scream in alarm. A Demon Alpha. The air shifted with his presence, thick and suffocating, as if the very walls feared him. His dark eyes found mine instantly, deep, burning, and impossibly intense. Like he already knew me. Like he had already chosen me. "This," my father said, his voice cutting through the silence, "is Alpha Daemon of the Shadow Pack." My heart dropped. Shadow Pack. A place whispered only in warnings. In fear. "In accordance with the ancient laws," one of the elders spoke, "a union has been proposed, to bind our bloodlines and secure peace between realms." Peace? At the cost of me. I slowly stood, my entire body tense. "A union?" I repeated, my voice trembling despite my effort to remain composed. "You mean, a mating?" No one denied it. My gaze snapped back to the Demon Alpha. He didn't look away. Didn't bow. Didn't even pretend to respect the room. Instead, he looked at me. He smirked. "My mate," he said, his voice low, dangerous and certain. The word hit me like a blow. Mate. "No," I breathed, stepping back. "No, that's not." "It is already decided," my father interrupted firmly. My heart shattered against those words. "You decided?" I whispered, disbelief turning into something sharper. "Without me?" "This is your duty, Arriane." Duty. That word I had lived my entire life by. But never had it felt so much like a cage. "I won't accept it," I said, my voice rising, my wolf stirring beneath my skin. "You cannot just hand me over like I'm some." "Enough." My father raised his voice. The command slammed into me, Alpha authority laced within it. My knees nearly buckled, but I forced myself to stand. Barely. The room held its breath. And then, Alpha Daemon moved. Slowly towards me. Until he stood right in front of me. Close enough that I could feel the unnatural heat radiating from him. His face although not friendly, it isn't bad looking. It was a total opposite of what they call a demon. He has slightly thick brows but his lashes are long and thick with his eyes that turned from dark to almost golden it made me catch my breath. And my wolf felt something. It trembled. Not in fear. But in something far more terrifying. He leaned slightly closer, his voice dropping to a whisper only I could hear. "You can fight it all you want, little princess but your wolf already knows the truth." My breath hitched in anger. Little Princess? How dare he insult me! My chest tightened painfully as I restrained what I felt. Because deep inside, I felt it too. That pull and I hate it! That undeniable, terrifying connection. I clenched my fists, refusing to give in. "I am not yours." His eyes darkened, something possessive flickering within them. "You will be." Silence crashed over the hall. And in that moment I realized this was no proposal. It is already decided. But why does my father agree to him? He is no Prince and in fact he is more like a monster! I can't marry him!