Vampire Love

The Alpha's Bargain

Chapter Two

Celina's POV

The grand doors creaked open, and there I was standing for the first time in the throne room of the Alpha. My legs trembled not with pain in my limbs from the woods but from the silence surrounding me, heavy as weight. Tall stone pillars were planted firmly on either side of the hall, the Moon Crest Pack's banners draping down between them, silver embroidery lit up with flickering gold from the candles.

At the end of the hall sat my father, the throne carved out of wood, but he was a stranger.

The Alpha.

It beat painfully against my ribs. It felt like my heart was a tight knot within my chest. I should have loathed him; however, a small ember in me, the solid child still inside who had longed for his acknowledgment, wanted him to look at me and finally see me- not the illegitimate daughter; not the mistake; just his daughter.

"Celine." His deep voice filled the room, stern and threatening. It was not a fatherly voice; it was a ruler's voice.

I gulped it down. "Father."

A long and tense moment passed in silence while he forcefully slew me with cold, unreadable eyes. There were no deniable warmth and appreciation for the times I spent living in the servants' quarters, mourning alone for my mother, just judgment.

"You have been brought here for a purpose," he finally said, pushing himself from out of the throne before he started walking down the steps with slow, deliberate unstoppability in his black cloak trailing behind him. "You may think of your life, as it is, as your own, but in fact, you were born and given a duty to this pack. The responsibilities you, youngest among them, have here must be fulfilled; those that cannot be ignored."

I flinched at the words; a cruel laugh slipped out before I could stop it. "Responsibilities? After years of thinking I did not exist? After years of letting me rot away as Omega's child, the servant's mistake-you remember me now because I have responsibilities?"

The muscles along his jaw twitched as he clenched it. "Mind your tone."

"No!" I screamed through gritted teeth, letting out the pain of all those years. "I was nothing but dirt under your boots. And now I'm suddenly useful? Now I suddenly have duties? How convenient for you!"

His eyes narrowed, his voice coolly calm, with an edge of steel wrapped in velvet. "You are an Alpha's daughter. Whether you like it or not, your blood binds you to this pack. And now, you must serve it."

I winced with disgust. "What exactly do you mean?"

He stood just a few feet away, looming so high that I had to look up. His eyes held mine with an authority that was merciless.

"You are to marry Valerian Cross," he said.

The name crashed down into my chest as if it were a heavy blow. My breath suddenly caught. "What?"

"The Vampire Lord," he continued, his voice adopting a finality that dared not be shaken. "Valerian has agreed to strengthen our alliance through marriage; and you, Celina, will be the bridge between our pack and his clan."

The world blurred around me for a moment. My hands trembled violently at my sides. Marry... a vampire? My heart was hammering so violently in my chest I thought I might faint.

"You cannot be serious," I whispered.

His silence said everything.

I just shook my head incredulously. "You bring me here after years of just being there, so you could throw me to the monster? You've never even introduced me to anyone as your daughter. And now my first entrance into this palace is like a game of casting me off like a bargaining chip?" My voice trembled but I didn't care; the fire in my eyes was matched by the tears. "Am I that little in your heart?"

"Above all, you mean everything for the survival of the pack," he spoke with conviction, as though that was good enough to say.

"No! That is not love, that is politics!" I shouted. "I am not some pawn to be traded away-"

"Enough." His voice thundered within the hollow halls and I flinched, knowing well how heavy those next words were. "My decision is final. You will marry Valerian, and that will be without challenge. You have no voice in this matter."

"I will never do it." I shakily said, my voice quaking, yet I stood straighter. "I refuse."

His eyes turned black; anger sparkled in them. "You shall do as I say! Lest you'd forget, you carry my blood, and my blood binds you to my will. Do you understand?"

"I understand that you're selling me like property," I spat, my voice shaking. "You've never been a father to me, and now you want to dictate my life? No. I will not let you."

With that, he reached for me and monolithic force locked on my chin, compelling me to look him dead-on in those flaming eyes. "You think you have a choice, girl? You don't. This marriage has already been agreed upon. Your defiance cannot change your fate."

I could barely breathe. His grip was hard and unyielding, but it was the coldness in his eyes that shattered me. He was looking at me not like a father but like a tool.

"Father...don't do this to me please; I've been through enough," I whispered.

His eyes hardened even more. "It's not about you, Celina. It's about the pack. You will obey."

"Tears fell from my cheeks as I whispered, 'You're sacrificing me.'"

His hand fell away. "I am securing our future."

Before I could even react, footsteps echoed behind me. I turned around and there came my step-sisters walking into the hall, their faces twisted in an expression of cruel delight. The eldest, Veyra Noctra, wore a smirk as her sharp eyes swept over me. The younger one, Cassie Noctra, let out a chuckle.

"Father, shall we start preparing her?" she asked very sweetly. But even to the blind, the venom to her voice rang clear.

"Yes," the Alpha said, without an ounce of hesitation. "Take her to her chambers. Prepare her. The ceremony is tonight."

And then literally, my heart sank to the very bottom. Torn, like it was floating inside the enormous balloon, the last plummeting sound came out as- "Tonight."

"No!" I screamed. "Please, I'm not ready- I can't- "

He iron plunged his hands onto my arms, and simultaneously Cassie took hold of my other hand.

"Let me go!" I screamed against their iron fetters, but neither of them gave me an inch to breathe. They enjoyed every minute that I spent in torment while my weak self was no match for them.

"Stop fighting, little sister," hissed Veyra, lips close to my ear. "This is the only purpose you will ever serve. Be thankful you are finally worth something."

"Don't call me sister!" I spat. I jerked against her hold, but my voice quivered with despair.

Cassie laughed as she dragged me forward. "You're going to look so pre lovely in your bridal gown. The vampire will thrill on such a fragile little lamb."

"Please..." My voice broke, raw with desperation. I turned my tear-streaked face back toward my father seeking even a flicker of mercy. "Don't do this to me. Please."

He turned on his heels. He walked out of his throne without a second glance.

My last hope shattered within me.

My screams echoed within the monumental hall as I was dragged away. And yet there was no one to save me, not a single maid, not a single warrior cared to raise a finger for my rescue. Nobody cared for what I am saying here.

With a slam, the door closed behind our exiting figures, sealing me inside a palace that had never been my home. It came hollowly to me that I was no longer Celina, daughter of Elara. I was going to be Celina-the sacrifice. And by tonight, I would belong to Valerian Cross.