The Luna Who Dared to Defy the Alpha

chapter two

KANE.

"f**k!" I grabbed the glass and hurled it to the wall as it became unbearable for me. It shattered into shards, falling at the foot of the bed.

Another heavy sigh left me before I miserably sauntered over and sat by the edge of the bed, staring at the wall again.

My mind drifted back to one of my father's last wishes. He was lying in bed, his breathing was very shallow. He took my hand and looked at me with those intense, tired eyes.

"Kane," he said feebly, as he retched out a dry cough. "M..make sure you find your stepsister, Rose. Marry her once you do." He said, drumming the words into my head for the thousandth time since his wounds began to fester. It was a devastating time, having to watch the person you loved die slowly, knowing there was nothing you could do while it made my chest rake with pain. He'd been stabbed with a dagger forged in wolfsbane, and no medicine he took salvaged his situation. They were all useless.

And as his dying wish echoed in my head every now and then, the anger doubled. I'd decided to have some time to myself after the wedding at the church. The vows were still ringing in my head, they made me furious. The elders had forced my hand, and now I was tied with someone I barely knew, even worse, she was an Omega but I had no other choice. I was adopted into the Pack after my father couldn't get a male heir, so the elders insisted I wasn't fit to be Alpha when he died. They wanted a blood heir.

But after much persuasion because of how precarious the Pack's situation was, they agreed to let me inherit the Alpha title, only if I married someone they chose and I had no choice but to accept it.

I clenched my hands, trying so hard to find an outlet but I was interrupted when the door was pushed open and my mother walked in wearing a soft blue dress that flowed around as she moved.

She looked at me, shaking her head before closing the door. "Are you beating yourself up again? Already?" She asked, not happy.

I sighed, reaching for the wine on the table but she slapped my hand away and grabbed the bottle. "What are you doing to yourself? You're very close to getting what you've always wanted and this is what you want to do? Ruin it? Do you know what the elders are going to say when you walk back in there, smelling like a local inn?"

I sighed. "I made a mistake. I shouldn't have agreed to the elders when they came up with this stupid offer. It was a very bad choice, I let them manipulate me."

She walked over and sat next to me. "Kane, sometimes we have to do things we don't want to for the greater good. There was no other way we could have done it. This was the only way.”

"I know," I said, rubbing a hand through my hair. "But marrying Rose... I know it's all just a way for them to control me."

"Are you bailing out?" She asked, her eyes searching mine.

"Would have loved to. But every time I talk about it, you keep bringing up why I should do it because the Pack needs stability. I won't, I can't even bail out anymore."

"Then be calm," she admonished, before taking my hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. "Finish the rites with Rose. You can reject her later if you want. Nothing will happen and none of the elders will be in your way to stop you."

I spun my head in her direction, wondering if that was really possible. "I could do that?" I asked.

She nodded. "Of course, Son. And I will be there to support you."

I nodded, already feeling a bit better. "Thank you, Mother."

She smiled and patted my hand. "It's just a matter of time, and you'll put all this behind you. Trust me." She added.

As I made my way back to the hall with her, I remembered something else about my bride, Rose. I couldn't sense her wolf. It bothered me because my wolf had been very ecstatic the moment I walked into the changing room where the stylists were working on her. It was a wave of undeniable attraction that had only lasted a few seconds, because I couldn't allow it. I tried to attest it as natural because she was stunning, no doubt, but it wasn't just her beauty. There was more to it, and it scared me.

I was very confused because my wolf never acted that way, oddly enough it was around a lowly Omega. She didn't even seem to feel anything. All I could see in her eyes was fear. How could I live with a weak Omega who had not yet found her wolf, it was absurdly funny.

Getting back to the hall which was already filled with Pack members and elders, I kept my emotions in check, telling myself that this would be over soon. The walls were adorned with banners and the room was buzzing with the conversations of the mingling guests who were only the council elders.

Rose was at a corner of the room with a few guards but she made her way towards me the moment our eyes met. When she got close enough, I took her hand and presented her to the elders, as was customary.

"Here she is," I announced, before a standing ovation from the elders followed.

I walked her to the head of the round table which was in the centre of the large hall and sat. The meeting began shortly after.

It was going well until one of the elders, Raven, stood up and said something that brought back the anger. "We will not approve you as the Alpha until you mate and mark her."

It took almost everything to hold back the surge of anger but I didn't show it. "Why do you think I won't treat her like I would treat my Luna if you'd allowed me to make my choice?"

Raven looked at me, flashing a small smile. There was a vague amusement in his eyes. "She's an Omega, Alpha. And on occasions like this, discrimination overrides sense of duty. We are just letting you know so we can be sure this Pack has an heir soon. We can't afford to make the mistake your FOSTER father made."

"Can we please respect the dead?!" I growled, angered by his ballsy move.

He didn't stop. He flashed a hurried smile and continued.

"You have a month, Alpha. You can take all the time to know yourselves, but we should see a mark on her neck before the time-lapse is over. And we expect to see her with you in your office, meetings, also while attending to important Pack matters. Only then can we give you our blessings and have you endorsed as Alpha." He sounded so belittling.

"I believe we are done here." I said, getting up and taking Rose's hands even though I wanted to let go of her as soon as possible.

Why on earth was everyone so infuriating?!

I walked her out of the room and once we were at a safe distance, I turned to her, seething. "Stay away from me after this," I warned. "I will never accept you as Luna. I will reject you when the time comes, so don't even think about it!"

She looked hurt, but I didn't care. I turned and walked away, heading back to my room. The new request had my head pounding. One month was all I had. I had to find my stepsister and stop this madness. They were only making all these requirements because they wanted a timid girl who they could control, someone who would let on everything I did to them. I held my head in pain, feeling my heart twist with each thought. That was the moment a knock sounded on the door, snapping me out of my reverie.

Thinking it was my mother, I got up and opened it. But it wasn't her.

It was Rose.

I frowned, staring at her. "What are you doing here?" I growled.

But what happened next wasn't what I expected, not even in my wildest dreams.

"MATE! MATE!! OUR MATE!!!" My wolf purred.