Hunter (Crescent Wolves Book One)

Chapter Two

"You will finally be useful to me– I have struck a deal."

All the while, he watched all these emotions run across my face. And that smug grin of his did not falter, not once.

"What have you done? What deal?"

I hated to ask, but I had to. Feeling suffocated, like someone had a grip on my neck. And the following words would choke me. He was not hiding his now evident grin as he looked down on me, his only daughter. He rose from his seat, walking around the table to tower over me.

"You are to marry Serina; your husband is on his way now. You are to be a bride".

I couldn't hide my emotions as they came over me—horror, fear, dread—too many to keep track of. I gripped the arms of my chair as if, at any moment, I would be swept away. I couldn't speak. I couldn't move. Marriage? And then I felt it bubbling up from my chest.

Rage.

How dare he! Sell me like livestock!

"Who have you chosen? Who am I to marry?"

My father had been sitting at his desk in front of me all the while, watching the turmoil in me. Enjoy it. At my words, however, he was the one to get angry, if only for a second, and then the smug smile set in.

"That Is none of your concern for now, Serina; it was your life for the survival of this pack. I will not tell you so you can go and ruin it at the ball."

That was his tactic then; guilt. This pack, the pack that had adopted me, cared for me. When my mother passed, the wives of the pack had taken me in and cared for me.

"Do you not wish to be a useful daughter? They specifically asked for you. You should be honored".

I must have been as pale as the empty walls surrounding me. My heart was beating in my ears. My father turned his back on me, walking back to his desk.

"I will let you know, however, that the rumors are true; the royal pack is attending this year. But I will not allow them to interfere with my plans. Stay away from those princes, Serina. You should leave now and get ready for this evening".

Dismissing me.

I don't remember walking out that door or going to the gardens. I only found myself sitting on the old wooden bench overlooking the grand estate, people everywhere cutting grass and hanging lights. The summer sun shone brightly on the trees surrounding the house and everywhere abuzz. But I was frozen to the core, numb.

I was to marry. I knew this day would come, but somehow, I always thought I would find my mate and finally be free of my father and his schemes. But now, I was engaged. On top of that, the Royal Pack was attending. No doubt, the person I hated the most was with them. Maybe he's come to enjoy my pain. Laugh at me being trapped in my arranged marriage.

Hunter Crescent…The prince of the royal pack. My royal pain in the ass,

I felt sick. For years, he endlessly tormented me. Always there, always watching, waiting. We had only been pups, playing at the gatherings, all of us running through the woods and swimming in the lakes. Some of the happiest times of my life. Then he would arrive. He was cruel, laughing when I got hurt, pushing me over, tripping me up. Nipping on my heels when we ran. Throwing me into the lake. It even resulted in broken bones. Years of endless torment. He constantly sought me out and tortured me in his own ways.

I hated him.

The summer the crescent pack stopped coming to the gathering was the best I had known. I had just turned sixteen. No one ever understood why, but the royals of the wolf clans could do as they pleased. They answered to no one. But that summer, my short-lived joy was cut short when my lessons began. Learning how to act, eat, dance. I hated every part of it. And now I know why, the pieces had finally clicked into place.

I was being taught how to be the perfect wife all this time.

The anger raged inside me.

How dare my father, how dare all of them! To take this choice from me, I needed to find a way out.

The alpha's decision was final. No one could argue with him or fight him – unless they had a death wish. But there had to be something I could do to run away. Leave my pack behind, be considered as down as a rogue, alone in the world. That thought alone made me shudder.

It was a fate worse than death for a wolf.

We were pack animals and needed a pack around us.

If I could survive, if it meant being free, then it's a chance I would take.

But I had to consider that as a last resort… Then it dawned on me. There was one thing that could save me now. I had to find my mate. It was the most upheld law. If you find your mate, nothing can stop you from being together. We will be bound for life. There would be nothing he could do about it. A grin set across my face, a plan spurring into action.

I am not yours yet, and I'll do everything I can to ensure that I am not.