Will you choose fate?

“Sign and we can be done.” “Just as soon as the other treaty is signed.” The sound of the ticking grandfather clock in the study overpowered the room, reverberating deep within them. The two elderly men stared at each other in silence, both sick to their stomachs with the deal they just struck. They were prideful, they were the patriarchs, they were the alphas, they were the fabricators of doom for their families. But they had been left with no choice. A ding lit up the phone screen lying on the dark, wooden desk. Carlo Amir glanced toward the screen and nodded solemnly, taking the pen in his hand and pressing it onto the paper. Maximo Levin leaned back on the leather chair and looked down at his clasped hands, his features shrouded by the shadows of the dimly lit room. It wasn’t uncommon for deals like this to be struck up, especially if it meant their families could prosper, if it meant the realm could maintain the peace. The two families hated each other, they were rivals after all, but the changing times had pushed them to take drastic measures. The war between the Alpha King and the Rogue King was seeping into their lands, innocent blood was being spilled near the borders, forcing everybody living nearby to be evacuated. The number of refugees and dead bodies was piling up by the minute. The northern and western packs, along with the eastern and southern packs had decided to strike up a treaty with each other in hopes of riding out the war. In the end each of the lands had to sacrifice one of their offspring, marry them off in an attempt to strengthen their bonds with each other. Arranged marriages had been a thing of the past, troubling times had caused them to reemerge. The eastern and southern packs already had mated alphas and Lunas, they would only have to marry their second son, the eastern pack’s beta, and first daughter of the southern pack, in order to form an alliance. Upon the arrival of the southern pack’s daughter it was clear that they were fated mates. The news shocked them all and also brought relief. Unlike the rest, their interactions and their loyalties would be pure and filled with love. The northern pack had a chosen alpha and Luna, the western pack had an alpha that had not yet found his mate, and so the north would send their second born daughter to be a chosen mate for him. --------------------------------------- Carmina Amir, second daughter of the Crescent Pack, sat on the foot of her packhouse stairs and looked vacantly at the suitcase in front of her. She understood perfectly that this was her duty. That the north and west had never been friendly ever since the territorial disputes started by their ancestor’s generations prior and this would be just the thing to try and mend those bridges. Duty be damned. The corners of Carmina´s mouth dropped in a scowl. Her brother, the new Alpha, Asher Amir, took a seat next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “This can go away as soon as the war ends, Mina,” he said. “If the war ends,” she replied, her voice devoid of any emotion. “I have faith.” The sound of crunching gravel made them look up as a black sedan pulled up onto their driveway. A man with a shaven head, round frameless sunglasses over a sharp nose dressed in a black, tailored suit stepped out of the driver’s seat, went around the car and stood by the passenger-side back door. He made a reverence to Alpha Amir and Mina, “Afternoon Alpha Amir. Miss Amir. I am here to take you to Alpha Levin’s lands.” Mina stood, dusting off her flowy, emerald skirt, and looked pleadingly at her brother. “Please…come visit.” Mina hugged her brother tightly, she had already said her goodbyes to the rest of her family and friends, promising to stay in touch, but saying goodbye to Asher was the hardest. They were the best of friends due to the fact that they were closest in age, they could tell each other everything. Pulling away, she tried to smile for him, much more for his peace of mind than anything, before disappearing into the darkness of the interior of the car. It took them roughly 6 hours to get across and into the Two Moons pack. The drive had been silent, Mina had tried conversing with her driver, but he didn't seem too interested and had kept his answers short. After about the second attempt she had given up and spent the rest of the drive looking out the tinted window at the fleeting scenery or trying to distract herself by watching a goofy comedy on her phone. By the time they had reached the packhouse the sun had begun to set on a partially cloudy sky, the sky tinged with orange and purple hues. Carmina stepped out of the car feeling stiff and reached her hands upwards, feeling the pull on her tight muscles. She eyed the large, two story cottage that seemed straight out of a fairytale, though it was really almost a mansion, it radiated warmth, the lights coming from the window cast a golden glow on the grass below. She could smell the crispness of the evening and hear the soft scurries and cries of the animals in the surrounding forest, settling in for the night. ‘It could be worse,’ she thought. ‘Damn right! It could have been a dark and cobweb filled dungeon!’ chimed in Loure, Carmina’s wolf. ‘Just where have you been?’ snapped Mina. ‘For a second I thought you had flaked out on me!’ ‘Relax Mina...besides, you know I’m not good with goodbyes,’ she whined. Carmina could almost feel Loure giving her the biggest puppy eyes. She rolled her eyes at her wolf and smiled. ‘You ready?’ she asked. 'Never,’ Loure chuckled, ‘But we can do it. I promise not to leave again.’ Loure had been a faithful companion ever since her shift at eighteen. With a sharp tongue and wit to match she had helped Mina on many occasions. She was a small wolf but she made up for it in nimbleness and surprisingly enough, strength. The man in the suit stood next to her with her luggage in one hand, gesturing for her to proceed with the other. Just then the heavy, wooden, double doors opened and out stepped the Levins, headed by the alpha, Thomas Levin, her future husband, Maximo Levin, the previous alpha, and Charlotte Levin, the previous Luna. Charlotte was the first to approach, arms outstretched, enveloping Carmina in an awkward embrace. She couldn’t blame her though; the situation was less than favorable for any of them. “Welcome to your new home my dear,” she said as she hooked her arm through Carmina’s and pulled her into the house, walking past the men and into the ample sitting room. Thomas Levin stared after the young woman as she made her way into his home. She seemed nice enough. Short, dark brown hair that fell in unruly waves around her small, round face, tanned skin and bright brown eyes. Thomas had been waiting to meet his mate. He was a sucker for love, and a Goddess given one was just about the most romantic thing he could think of. Needless to say, he was disappointed when he caught Mina’s scent and realized she smelled…ordinary. “Orion. Please take her belongings to the guest room,” Thomas ordered the man in the suit. Orion, the pack’s Beta, nodded and bowed his head. That piqued Carmina’s curiosity. Thomas had said guest room, that would mean they would not be sharing a marital bed for the time being. She felt some of the tension that had been cramping her neck for the past weeks leave her body. It was a relief knowing some of the pressure was off. For a while, they sat in the sitting room, Charlotte made small-talk while Maximo stared daggers into her, Thomas sat looking at her silently on a leather armchair. “Carmina-” continued Charlotte. “Mina, Luna Levin. It’s what my family calls me and, well, since we’re family now…” said Carmina. Charlotte smiled, “If that's how it’s going to be, then call me Charlotte. There are no titles when it comes to family.” “Maybe it’s time to call it a night, no? Mina must be tired after her journey,” Thomas was done being silent. While his mother and Carmina chatted he had noticed her eyelids droop briefly and how she tried to stifle a yawn, clearly trying not to offend her hosts. It was clear she needed an out. He clapped his hands together and stood. “I’ll take you to your room.” Mina smiled and nodded, she actually did need to lie down. The stress of the day was taking its toll on her and she wasn’t sure she wouldn't collapse into a deep slumber as soon as she hit the bed. She said goodnight to Charlotte and Maximo and followed Thomas up the stairs to the second floor, towards the west wing. Charlotte stood, watching them ascend the flight of stairs, and gave her husband's shoulder a light squeeze. Whatever prideful and trivial feud had led the two packs to become so hostile towards each other was about to end. There was something about Mina that made Charlotte feel deep in her very core, that it would all work out. The two young shifters walked side by side, Mina peeked at Thomas out of the corner of her eye, having to raise her head a little to visualize him at full height. Thomas was a head taller than her, clean shaven, dark brown eyes and auburn hair. He wore an impeccable dark gray suit with silver cufflinks. Neither of them spoke, not sure exactly what to say to each other, but the silence between them wasn’t uncomfortable. Thomas stopped in front of a door almost at the end of the hallway, “This is you. I’m at the last door on the left. If you need something during the night don’t hesitate to knock. Tomorrow we’ll talk about the details of our arrangement.” Mina nodded, “Until tomorrow. Goodnight Alpha.” She bowed her head and turned to enter her room. A jolt of electricity surged through her arm as she realized Thomas had taken hold of her wrist. Her cheeks flushed and her eyes widened. “Um…do you need something else, Alpha?” Thomas frowned and shook his head, “No. It’s nothing. Just please drop the title. We both know the situation and for this to work we need to be on the same page. So just like I’ll call you Mina, you’ll call me Thomas.” Mina flashed him a big, toothy grin. For a second she had felt fear creeping up inside her, thinking that something was wrong, but that faded almost instantly as she looked into his worried eyes and understood he was just as lost as she was about this whole thing. “Deal. Goodnight Thomas.” He returned her smile and released her arm. When the door closed behind her he let out a breath and walked to his own room. It hadn't been his intention to frighten her but the smile she gave him when he tried to explain himself had been so heartfelt and relieved that he couldn't help but smile back. Once in bed Thomas stared at his ceiling for a while. Even if it wasn't ideal he would do what he could for his pack, at least while he found his own, true mate.