Bride Of All packs

The first thing Elnira Wolfsrein heard that morning was the sound of bells. One. Two. Three. The deep chimes echoed through the vast corridors of the Wolfsrein Manor, rattling off the stillness of the ancient halls. She opened her eyes. For a few heartbeats, she remained on the bed staring up at the ceiling, her thoughts drifting away with another bell ringing somewhere far away from her room. Twenty bells. Twenty years. Her birthday. Elnira sighed and sat up. Outside of the large windows, the Wolfsrein estate was bathed in pale morning sky, with towering black trees circling the manor. Beyond them the stone walls that marked the territory of Wolfsrein stood. It was beautiful. It was also a prison. She pulled herself out of the bed and moved to the mirror. A pretty young woman stared back at her. Long blonde hair cascaded down her shoulders, catching the early sunlight. Her eyes were the same deep blue as her mother's, but the sharpness of her face was all Wolfsrein. Twenty years old. The Heir to the most powerful human family in the supernatural world. And apparently old enough to be married off. Elnira frowned. "Happy birthday to me." A knock came at the door. Without waiting for an answer the door opened. "Lady Elnira." Mira, her personal attendant, entered with a long ivory dress in her arms. "The family has already awoken." "Of course they have." Mira smiled. "Your parents requested that you dress formally." "On my birthday?" "Especially on your birthday." Elnira turned towards her. "That sounds suspicious." Mira's smile was gone. That was answer enough. Elnira crossed her arms. "What happened?" "Nothing happened." "Mira." The young attendant looked away. "Your father has summoned you to the ancestral hall." Elnira's stomach twisted. The ancestral hall was not a place her father called to without a good reason. It was where the Wolfsrein family deliberated on matters that could affect entire kingdoms. Or entire species. "At what time?" "Immediately." Elnira looked towards the window. The bells had stopped. Twenty chimes. Twenty years. She had a feeling she would remember this birthday for the rest of her life. The Wolfsrein Manor had stood for more than eight hundred years. Its walls of dark stone, its huge windows, and decorated halls that housed portraits of generations of Wolfsrein heirs. Elnira walked through these halls with Mira several steps behind. Each portrait seemed to watch her. Each ancestor looked upon her with the same cold face, filled with power, control and unreachability. The Wolfsrein family had never been an ordinary human family. Their greatest secret was the reason why werewolves obey them. For centuries the werewolf clans had possessed incredible strength, speed, senses and healing abilities. Humans should never have been able to control them. But the Wolfsrein bloodline was different. A Wolfsrein could influence a werewolf's instincts. Not control every thought. Not turn them into mindless servants. Something subtler. A command from a Wolfsrein had a weight that a werewolf's instincts recognized. The older the bloodline, the stronger the influence. That gift had allowed the Wolfsrein family to unite the werewolf clans centuries ago. Four great bloodlines eventually rose above the others. The Alphas. The Omegas. The Moon Bloods. The Fang Betas. Four families. Four traditions. Four powers. And every three generations the Wolfsrein heiress was expected to choose a mate from them. Elnira knew the history. She had been forced to study it since childhood. She had never expected the ancient tradition to become her problem so soon. She reached the ancestral hall. Two guards opened the huge doors. Inside her parents waited. Her father stood by the long table, dressed in black. Her mother sat near the fireplace. Neither looked especially happy. Elnira stopped. "Whatever this is, I would like to remind you that today it my birthday." Her father gave her a tired smile. "We know." "Then perhaps we could pretend this is a normal family celebration." Her mother looked at her. "You know it isn't." Elnira's smile disappeared. She walked into the room. "What happened?" Her father gestured towards the chair opposite him. "Sit." "I'd rather stand." "Elnira." "I am twenty, Father, Not twelve." Her father's expression hardened for a moment before softening again. "You are right." He waited until she finally sat before placing an old silver pendant on the table. Elnira recognized it immediately. The Wolfsrein crest. A wolf surrounded by a crown. Her father's fingers rested on the pendant. "The Moon Tides begin in six weeks." Elnira said nothing. She had expected those words eventually. She just hadn't expected them today. Her mother continued. "You know what that means." "I know." "The covenant must be honored." Elnira looked at the pendant. "The mate selection." "Yes." Her jaw tightened. Every three generations a Wolfsrein heiress was required to choose a mate from on of the four great werewolf families. The chosen family would receive the ancient grace of Wolfsrein. They would rule alongside the Wolfsrein family for six hundred years. Six centuries of influence. Six centuries of political authority. Six centuries of being the family closest to the throne. All because of one woman choosing one man. Elnira stared at her parents. "And if I don't choose?" Silence. Her mother looked towards the fire. Her father did not answer straight away. Finally, he said, "You will choose." "That wasn't my question." "Elnira." "What happens if I refuse?" Her father's expression became colder. "The covenant does not recognize refusal." "So I have no choice." "You have a choice." She laughed bitterly. "Between four families who have probably been preparing their sons for me since I was born?" Her mother sighed. "There are five." Elnira blinked. "Five?" "The Fang Beta family has two heirs." Elnira had forgotten. The twins. Kael and Kieran Draven. The only pair of brothers in generations to inherit the Fang Beta bloodline together. She leaned back. "Wonderful." Her father ignored the sarcasm. "The Alpha family will send their heir. The Omega family will send theirs. The Moon Bloods will send theirs. The Fang Betas will send both twins." Elnira stared at him. "Five men." "Yes." "And I am supposed to choose one?" "Or two, depending on the Fang Beta tradition." That caught her attention. "What?" Her mother finally looked directly at her. "The Draven twins are permitted to share a mate." Elnira stared. "You cannot be serious." "It is their bloodline's custom." She rubbed her forehead. "This is insane." "It is tradition." "Tradition is an excuse people use when they don't want to admit something is ridiculous." Her father almost smiled. Almost. Then his expression became serious again. "This is bigger than marriage, Elnira." She knew. That was the part she hated most. The decision would not belong to her alone. If she chose the Alpha heir then the Alpha family would gain six hundred years of authority. If she chose the Omega heir then the balance of power would shift. If she chose the Moon Blood heir then an ancient and secretive bloodline would rise. If she chose the Fang Betas then the twins would bring their family into the heart of Wolfsrein rule. Her choice could change the supernatural world. Elnira looked down at her hands. "What if I don't love any of them?" Her mother was silent. Her father answered quietly. "Love has never been part of the covenant." Something inside Elnira went cold. She stood. "Then what am I?" Her father's eyes met hers. "The Wolfsrein heiress." "No." Her voice shook. "I asked what I am to you." Her father did not answer. Elnira turned away. For twenty years everyone had told her that she was special. Powerful. Chosen. The future of Wolfsrein. But standing in that room, she finally understood what those words truly meant. She wasn't being prepared to inherit freedom, she was being prepared to inherit responsibility. And responsibility came with a price. A sudden knock interrupted the silence. The doors opened. A nervous servant entered. "My Lord." Her father turned. "What is it?" "The first delegation has arrived." Elnira's brows furrowed. "Already?" "They requested an audience." Her father exchanged a look with her mother. Then the servant stepped aside. A man entered the hall. He was young. Tall. Impossibly composed. Long white hair fell around his shoulders, almost silver beneath the light of the chandeliers. His eyes were pale and sharp. He stopped several feet from Elnira. For a moment neither spoke. Then he looked directly into her eyes. "So you're the Wolfsrein heiress." Elnira slowly raised her chin. "And you are?" The man's lips curved into a faint smile. "Aurelian Veyr." The Alpha heir. The first of five. And suddenly Elnira's birthday didn't feel like a birthday. It felt like the beginning of a war.