Her Ruthless Alpha

Bitter Fate

CHAPTER 1

"Aunt Veronica, why do you have to do this to me? Why should I have to pay for your crime? It’s too unfair!" Zerra whined at her stepmother. The tears that she was holding back were suddenly shed on her pink cheeks.

"We are already done discussing this. Don’t you care about me anymore? What about your father’s life that’s hanging on by a thread now? Do you really want to turn your back on our family and insist on being with that useless jerk rather than taking the chance to be close to the strongest alpha in the west?" Veronica replied angrily. She was getting more and more impatient with Zerra’s show of defiance over the matter.

"But, aunt, we all know that Alpha Erdy is cold and ruthless. He might kill me instantly with one wrong move," Zerra said while sobbing in fear. Everyone knows Alpha Erdy. He inherited his father’s throne at a very young age because of his immeasurable strength and unbeatable abilities as a werewolf. He also has the largest wolf ever in four regions. Although there was a truce between the four strongest packs in the world, the alphas from the three regions feared alpha Erdy because of his power. Alpha Erdy’s ancestry is the last remaining pack of werewolves that has royal blood. They descended from the ancestors of the first and most powerful werewolf breeds to ever exist. And only the pureblooded like them have claws that are able to paralyze any creature that may be wounded or even get a slight scratch from them.

"That’s why I kept on telling you to be a good girl and behave properly. What if he likes you not only as a slave? It will be very beneficial not only to you but to our family as well," her stepmom said.

"Enough of this endless complaining! We will send you to the kingdom now because we can no longer make the alpha wait for too long or else, we’ll all die." Jared – Zerra’s father and the Beta of the Blood Moon Pack, shouted angrily. This made Zerra gulp in fright. She’s also very scared of her cruel father. When her mother died, her father became crueler to her. Her life became so miserable that she wished every day that her mom would just take her to the place she’s in now.

While they’re on their way to the Red Kingdom, Zerra can’t help but think back to the real reason why she’s being given as a toy to the coldest and most ruthless alpha in the world. The memory was still so vivid in her head.

"How could you make such a mistake? Are you that stupid?" Zerra heard her father say, fuming at Veronica – her stepmother.

"I never expected that Lory would betray us in the end," Veronica retaliated while gritting her teeth.

"What did Minister Albert say?" Jared asked anxiously.

"According to him, the news of what I did had already been linked to Alpha Erdy. And a decision has already been made," Veronica replied nervously.

"And? "What was the decision?" he inquired.

"You know our alpha. A life to a life. So, it means I should pay for it with my life. That’s why I planned to offer Zerra to him in exchange," she said despicably.

So, for the sake of our future, we have no choice but to do so. We can not offer just anyone to him. Our only card will definitely be Zerra." Jared agreed to his wife. Zerra trembled in fear and started crying in anguish as she heard the conversation between her father and stepmother just now. How could they use her as compensation for her stepmother’s crime? She kills one of the alpha’s trusted assistants, which enrages him beyond imagination. And now, to soothe his anger, Zerra will be used in exchange to save Veronica. That fact pained Zerra’s heart more. Her stepmother is even more important to her father than she is—his own flesh and blood.

Zerra has always admired this palace since her younger days because of its magnificence and magical aura. Every corner of this fortress screams power and dominance over all living creatures in the whole kingdom and outside the region as well. But all she felt now was pain and frustration.

"Fix your face. You look grieving. Remember that you are here to save us all from doom," her father snapped at her irritably.

"Dad, do you love Veronica more than me? I am your flesh and blood, but why must you sacrifice me for her? You can remarry again, but why throw me out?" Zerra could not help but ask her father with a heavy heart. It was supposed to be her father who was protecting her, not the other way around.

"Don’t you dare talk back to me like that. This discussion is already over. Now go and walk with your head held high and put a smile on your pretty face. I don’t care how you’re going to fake it, but make sure you will be able to please the alpha, or else we’re all done here, " Jared warned her sternly.

Zerra’s heart was constricting with great pain as they entered the palace. His father is the Beta of this pack, so even if he’s on the brink of death, everyone was still addressing him politely. Zerra’s heart is beating faster and faster as they approach the court.

"Alpha Erdy is expecting us," Jared authoritatively informed the guards. There were four centaurs guarding the door of the hall. They looked so scary, especially with their red eyes.

"Greetings, Alpha Erdy. My whole family is here to seek your forgiveness for my wife’s grave mistake. We hope that you accept our humble offerings and find it in your benevolent heart to give us the chance to redeem ourselves." Beta Jared begged after his whole family went down on their knees and lowered their heads as a sign of respect to the alpha.

"Offerings? What kind of offerings, aside from your heads, are more suitable punishment for your crime?" The alpha said in a loud and heartless tone. Everyone gasped with the coldest voice they'd ever heard from their alpha. His tone was evidently showing a boundless ferocity that was impossible to appease.

"I know that what my wife did was unforgivable, but aside from the precious gems that we brought, I want to offer you my only daughter. You can do whatever you want with her, and she will be more than willing to obey you with all her heart." Jared replied while shuddering in fear and lowered his hands and head to the floor – almost kissing it.

Even the ministers and high-ranking officials in the court did not dare to raise their heads because they could see and feel that Jared’s case was hopeless, and nothing could soothe the anger of their alpha now.

"You’re a heartless man, Jared. You’re willing to give away your daughter to save you and your wife’s worthless life? I can kill you all in an instant now, so why should I listen to your rubbish?" Alpha Erdy growled to Jared and made Veronica cry in terror because she didn’t want to die yet. In Zerra’s mind, even if she disliked the thought of her father giving her away to avoid punishment, she still didn’t want her father to die. As a result, she decided to speak up.

"Great alpha, if you may let me speak p-please?" Zerra said in almost a whisper. Her head is still down, and her hands are fidgeting because she is so nervous. This is the first time that she’ll be talking to him.

Everyone, including Erdy, was surprised at the bravery of this girl to suddenly butt in while two powerful werewolves were talking.

"Raise your head and look at me. But I warn you, if you say something that will irritate me more, your head will immediately roll down to the floor." Erdy commanded dominantly. Zerra’s heart was racing abnormally fast, but she followed him and raised her head, then met his eyes. Her fear was slightly replaced by awe as she looked at the Alpha Erdy. He was the most handsome man she’d ever seen in her entire life. Those aquatic blue eyes are complimented with thick eyebrows and lashes, jet black hair, and a well-defined squared face that exudes unimaginable dominance and power. Even if he was wearing the royal clothing, the prominence of his hard and muscled chest, shoulders, and arms were visible.

Erdy was furrowing his brows because, instead of talking, this pretty lady was just staring at him with excessive admiration. He used to see those kinds of stares from other female wolves, humans, and other creatures that they even annoyed him so much. But why does he feel different about this one? He had been with different beautiful and sexy women before, but no one made him feel different. He f****d them, used them, and discarded them, and this one will be the same, but unfortunately, the wolf inside him is disagreeing greatly.

"Are you going to speak or will we just waste our time here?" Erdy said, trying to make his tone colder and angrier. But he’s getting mad because his wolf is urging him to go take her with him.

"I am Zerra Holloway, Beta Jared’s only daughter. I never agreed with what they did to you, sir, but as a daughter who has already lost her mother, I don’t want to lose my father, too. So, I am begging you to just take me and just let me pay for their crime." Zerra pleaded in a soft voice that even the hearts of the creatures around them melted for her. When Jared saw the reactions of the crowd, he secretly sneered the same way as Veronica.