My Vow to the Ruthless Alpha

1

Amara's POV

‘I, Amara of the Whispering Pine, choose you, Damon, to be my mate and my Alpha.’

I always imagine to declare the holy vow to my childhood friend, the only man that I always love and idolized since we were kids. I have never see other man can replace him.

But such imagination is no longer a dream. Next week is the day for me and Damon to declare our vow to be the Fated Mate. For me, who born and live as a Alpha Crimson Valley pack servant, it such a grand achievement.

Then, in an unexpected night, Celia, my mistress suddenly call me to her room. A familiar scent of eucalyptus fill my lungs as I knocked the door. I don’t know the reason Celia called me on the middle of the night, but I always hope its not related with any I feared of.

“Come in, Amara.”

I open the door, welcomed by the scent of eucalyptus, mixed with sweat scent. An after s*x air filled the room, a common situation for my mistress who casually played with variety of men. It’s a no secret among Crimson Valley pack.

Celia sit on the edge of the bed, with the pillows and sheet in a mess behind her. My wolf perks constantly warning me due to the familiar scent of the man that I always longing from my childhood. And such scent is all over the room, mainly in the bed.

“Don’t hide yourself. Come.”

“Celia, why you’re calling-“

“Come. There’s something you should explain.”

I gasp the moment I heard a weak and small voice of the man that I’m not expecting for. My body trembling in fear, shaken by the footsteps of the man who come from the corner side of the room.

“Ara…”

It just one word, his favourite pet name for me since we’re friend from little, but it shattering my heart into pieces. I took one to two steps back with tears rolling down on my cheeks, unable to bear the only love of my heart coming to me, begging for forgiveness.

“Ara, wait.”

Damon tug me toward him, whispering nervously.

“I-I can explain this, Ara. You should think clearly for best to both of us. I-“

“You slept with Celia?”, I force myself to ask, like swallowing down the poison.

“No…of course no…”, Damon hugged me tighter, stirred the longing deep inside of me with his warmth touch.

“Yes, we’re just finished. Damon always the one who initiate it.”, Celia intervene with growl.

“Celia, I just only came to this room as you want.”, Damon hurriedly explain, but it feels dry to me.

“…then you screwing me, Damon. It had been two month. Have you forget all of that?”

“For months?”, I repeat in disbelief. Celia’s answer messed my head, force me to release myself from Damon. But, the pain in his eyes putting me to second thought, sulking myself to his calming eucalyptus scent on his body. The reality hit me back when I smell other scent, a woman scent that overly sweet for me.

“It become daily routine for us in the last month, I think.” Celia said with unbothered tone.

I took my fully attention to Damon, right on his face, to confirm this painful truth. He glances at me nervously, can’t hold his chin up, even his shoulders deflating. I can feel his bare chest heaves up and down. He is suffocating, but I no longer took a pity for him. The long planning of our marriage in the last two month shattered from my memory, tainted by the fact he playing with the mistress. Even he’s trying to reach me, I just took step back.

“Ara, we’re just….being playful each other. I’m serious to choose you as my mate!”, Damon come closer, but I shake my head. Not accepting any word from him.

“Good decision, Amara. With this, I’m sure you’re already know your fated one is actually not your as you expect to be.”, Celine slow claps, celebrating this mess.

“Now I can continue to my next plan on using you for the next arranged marriage with Lucian.”

“What?”, I quickly ask, but Celine nodded, assuming I understand her plan.

“Lucian is not an ordinary Alpha. It’s dangerous to scheme such marriage for both packs.”, I warn the mistress.

“Of course I know him, Amara. The Lycan King from Shadow Moon Pack. This political marriage is boring. Father want me as the representative of Alpha Crimson Valley pack, but I don’t. As long as I live, there will be no one can force me to be screwed by the ugly and brutal alpha nobody wants….”, Celine’s voice dripping with disgust.

“The consequence will be war if you insist to do that.” I warn her. Again.

“It won’t because it’s you who will marry Lucian as a Alpha Crimson Valley Pack representative, as a ‘Celine’.”

Both me and Damon frowned at Celine. There’s no way I can accept such crazy plan!

“You don’t have any choices, Amara. Look at you now. Your fated one is betraying you. Your mother is sick, fully dependent on our Shaman. What other choices you had except follow my order?”

My heart stutter the moment Celine mentioned my mother.

Few months earlier, my mother suffer an unexplainable disease. She survived until this day thanks to Crimson Valley’s Shaman. She always tell me not to worry about her, but I can’t simply nod and let her suffer. Both me and my mom are Alpha Crimson Valley Pack’s servant for plenty of years, so we’re pretty much relies our live on them.

“Become ‘Celine’ only for this marriage, then your mother will be safe.”, Celine grip my hand, forcing me to accept it.

“Celine, stop! You can’t force her like this!”, Damon intervene while tug me back to his chest, spread its warmth all over me again.

“Just like Amara said, it is you who should take this marriage. We don’t want kill each other. Shadow Moon pack is not some random Alpha you can messed with.”, he added while landed a kiss on my neck from back, pushing me to hold his arms tightly.

He attempt to regain my trust. He want me to be his mate, even with all of his mistake. He doesn’t care if it’s already too late. How come I let myself go with this? A ten years relationship that slowly grow from friends to mate is not easy to abandoned just like that.

“Yes, I can, Damon. Don’t you ever forget you and your family also in your debt from my pack Shaman’s recovery!”, Celine stepped closer to us, forcefully take Damon’s hand of my body.

“W-what? B-but it was years ago and-“

“And it’s a long debt you and your family can’t ever paid. You know the pride of your family is the price if you’re helping Amara.”

Damon’s grip became weak. He even felt powerless looking at my teary face. Such debt is a checkmate for Damon. He surely will protect his name and his family name by doing anything, even it mean to betray me.

“Tell her already, Damon. You’re already belong to me now.”, Celine arrogantly ordered Damon.

My tears coming down as Damon’s face become bitter. I release his grip, yet he no longer try to pull me back with desire as he usually do.

“I…Damon, reject you, A-Amara, as my Mate.”

A suffocating weight pressed against my chest. My long awaited dreams shattered. Damon become entirely different person that I longing for. Inside me, my wolf howling in despair, expressing painful cry that hardly to deliver into words or sounds.

“Back to the plan, Amara. Everything already settled up. In the next week, you will be ‘Celine’ that will marry Lucian. Just do it for your mother sake so you can shrug it off this…well, how I’d put it….an unexpected turn of event?”

I hate to admit, but Celine is right. If it’s for my mother sake, I will do anything for her.

“I know you’re not that pretty and gorgeous as I am, but rest assured, the Lycan King is not fully aware of it. He will not realize the real Celine, so at least, you will not be beaten up right at the feast by those brutal from Shadow Moon pack.”

I don’t know how to fell anymore. The betrayal, the political schemes, everything had left me depressed. With half of my consciousness remaining, I nodded, agreeing Celine’s demand without any word or question.

I turn back, eyes to the ground, not sure whether it’s still visible to walk due its dark and my body felt heavy and stiff. But as long as I managed to step out from the cursed room of Celine, I know I can breath, no longer smell the s*x scent that already destroying half of my life.

“Oh, wait, Amara. There’s an update from my father! Lucian coming at this night! He and his armies currently on the ballroom. The feast already prepared!”, Celine suddenly shout out the order, not caring my complicated situation.

“…so it’s your turn now to show yourself, welcoming them as a ‘Celine’. Just wear anything properly, ah, use this.”, Celine throw one of her red dress, a dress that supposed to be wear for Crimson Valley packs.

A beautiful dress, but I wonder it fit to a mere wolf like me. But the show must go on. I wear the dress, looking myself at the mirror on the wall, a quick touch up for ensuring the dress is well equipped. The dress is alright, but my face were drowned into a pile of depression – swollen eyes rimmed red, cheeks puffed and blotched.

I quickly wiping my face, encouraging myself on the mirror, that I can do this. For my mother. No matter the danger would be, I will face it as long as it for my mother sake. The anger and disappointment in my heart become an energy for me to push forward to the ballroom.