The Alpha's Lie

Chapter 1 Ronan Vale stood alone in the cold room, his eyes fixed on the body of the woman who lay on the bed, the woman on the bed was Elara Vale, his mate, his Luna and his everything. Elara lay upon silk sheets soaked through with blood that had already started to cool, her hair clung damply to her temples, her lashes rested against her pale cheeks as though she was only sleeping, one of her hands remained curled over her abdomen, protective, even in death. The room smelled wrong, it smelt of blood, iron and death not the scent of roses and vanilla like it usually did. Ronan did not move, he could not, his body felt hollowed out, as though something essential had been ripped out from deep inside him and carried away without permission. The bond between them had not faded gently, it had snapped violently, painfully even, the sudden absence still screamed through him, a raw unrelenting ache that made even a task as simple as breathing very difficult. His wolf howled sorrowfully inside, it mourned Elara, painfully. The midwife knelt nearby, trembling. “Alpha… the Luna” she whispered as tears spilled down her face. Ronan did not respond, he eyes gently shifted to the small bundle resting beside Elara’s body. The child lay wrapped in linen, it was small, too small. Ronan quickly averted his gaze, he could not look at the child for too long, he feared that if he did something inside him would fracture beyond repair. This did not seem real to him, it seemed like some sick nightmare that he could not wake up from no matter how hard he tried. Elara had been laughing only hours ago, she had pressed her palm against her swollen belly and teased him about how stubborn their child already was and how it had his temper already. He had smiled and kissed her knuckles, he had promised her everything, peace, power and a beautiful future. Now, there was nothing left. No heir. No Luna. And certainly, no forgiveness from the laws that governed his world. Ronan finally moved, he reached out slowly and brushed his thumb across Elara’s cheek. Her skin felt ice cold beneath his touch. His chest tightened violently and pain shot through his entire body. “I am here, my love” he murmured, the words sounded useless even to him “I never left” Footsteps sounded in the room as Ronan’s closest and oldest friend, Anthony walked in, the moment his eyes fell on Elara, the color bled from his face, he bowed his head and pressed a fist to his chest, a sign of respect and grief for the late Luna. “Is she…?” he asked softly, the question was clear even though he did not complete it. Ronan nodded once. Anthony exhaled shakily “The council…” “They will know nothing” Ronan said immediately. The confusion was clear on both Anthony and the midwife’s faces. “She is alive” Ronan said, his voice low and deadly “She is simply ill, weak and recovering from the loss of her child. You will say nothing else” The midwife swallowed hard, her eyes darting around the room and finally falling on Anthony, hoping he could help her but she quickly realized no help was coming from him, he looked just as lost as she was. “But Alpha…What if they sense the bond…” she began quietly. “They won’t” Ronan snapped “Because I will not allow it” his eyes were still fixed on Elara’s face as he gently caressed her cold skin. With difficulty, he peeled his eyes away from her face finally and turned to face Anthony, his Silver Grey eyes sharp despite the pain and devastation that lay beneath them. “If the clans find out about Elara’s death, they will tear this kingdom apart” Ronan said, “Evander Knox will call for challenge even before her body is cold” Anthony nodded grimly “And they will have the law on their side” A Luna dying without an heir was an invitation for the others to try their shot at the seat of power, the position of Alpha supreme, the Alpha that other Alphas followed. Ronan straightened slowly, grief compressing into something harder and much darker. He leaned over Elara one last time and pressed his forehead to hers. “I will protect what you died for” he whispered “Even if it costs me everything else” ************** The body was removed before dawn and Elara was laid to rest with her ancestors without anyone watching. The room was scrubbed, the sheets burned and the midwife was sworn to silence under the pain of death. By morning, the whole clans believed their Luna was resting behind closed doors, her labor had been difficult but unfortunately, the child had been born stillborn, rumors of illness and grief spread instead of the truth. And as for Ronan, when he addressed the council, his control was strong, his grief hidden deep beneath a mask of power and authority, The council had just dispersed when a memory Ronan had long forgotten surfaced. Elara’s laughter had filled the room that day as she held her phone up to him, a picture glowing on the screen. “She looks just like me, Ronan, isn’t it strange?” she had asked him. He had barely glanced at the picture then and he simply told Elara that the girl looked like and obvious nobody but now, he remembered every single detail, that singular picture was the answer to his current predicament. “There was a girl” Ronan said quietly. Anthony turned to look at him, not quite understanding what he was saying. “I don’t follow” Anthony replied. “There was a girl” Ronan repeated “A human girl, Elara had seen her online months ago, they looked so similar, so similar, they could be considered twins” Anthony’s brows furrowed “How identical?” Ronan lifted his gaze. “Enough to fool a kingdom” “You want me to find her” Anthony said slowly. “Yes” Ronan replied, the response was swift and without hesitation. “And if she refuses?” Ronan leaned back, exhaustion etched into every line on his face. “Then she will learn that not all sacrifices are optional” ******************** Amara Kingsley life was small. Not insignificant, it was just centered within the boundaries of survival. Everyday, she woke up before dawn and worked until her muscles screamed and then she returned home to bills stacked higher than she could ever imagine. Her father’s illness drained what little savings they, her younger brother, Leo tried to help but school came first, no matter how difficult things were at home. Things hadn’t always been so tough for Amara but two years ago, her dad had gotten sick, the Doctors said it was lung cancer so he had to be let go from his job when his health really began to fail and that was when things got bad and Amara had to take on the leadership role at just the age of 25. Life was hard but Amara didn’t complain, she just had to put with this until she landed that cooperate job she was chasing and everything will be fine but for now, she looked around her, the Greek restaurant she worked was packed tonight and so that meant it was going to be a busy night. “Hey Amara, order up at table 9” Her boss called out to her. “Be right there Spiro” she answered and rushed into smell of oil and lemon. ********* By midnight, when she finally helped close up the restaurant, she was tired and exhausted and wanted nothing more than to fall into bed and sleep immediately. Her house was just a few blocks down and she already knew this road by heart now and she could find her way home even with her eyes closed. She reached her front door and took a deep breath, placed a smile on her face and got ready to open the door but a hand suddenly grabbed her, the hold was rough and unyielding, a sharp gasp tore from her throat before a palm over her mouth crushed it back. Millions of thoughts ran through Amara’s mind all at once and none of those thoughts were good. “Don’t scream” a voice hissed “Unless you want your family to die before your eyes” Amara’s heart slammed violently in her chest as she was dragged toward her own door. “Hey Sis, you are finally back” Leo called out to her from the kitchen. Amara felt tears pool in her eyes as her eyes settled on her father whose eyes suddenly widened as he took in the scene before him. Hooded men rushing in and his daughter being manhandled by one the men, he stood up quickly “What the hell is going on here?” Mr. Kingsley thundered. The men moved fast. Too fast. They grabbed Mr. Kingsley and another grabbed Leo as he stepped out of the kitchen, he grunted and struggled to free himself. Another hooded man stepped and pulled his hood back, his eyes were an unnatural color and fear creeped up Amara’s spine. Before Amara could process what she was seeing, the man’s body shifted violently, the sounds of bones breaking and fabric tearing suddenly filled the room, in a few minutes, a monstrous wolf stood where a man had been moments ago. Terror filled the room immediately, everyone was too stunned to speak. Amara could not believe what she had just witnessed and neither could her father and brother. Another stepped forward, he walked with confidence, he crouched in front of Mr. Kingsley and Leo, his face was shielded by the hood he wore. “You will not speak a word to anyone, you will not search for her, you will simply say she disappeared and if you don’t, you all die painful deaths” the hooded man said. Amara could not breathe, she just watched wide eyed as she was dragged off while her family struggled with the men who held them down. She was dragged into a car and the door was slammed shut behind her. The world dissolved into darkness and fear. Amara did not remember the plane ride or anything in between, all she knew was that when she finally arrived at wherever the men were taking her, she was numb. The air was colder here, sharper. Stone walls that looked decades old rose around her, tall men lined the hallways, their eyes staring straight ahead, not moving even when passed by them. She was brought before a man, in a luxurious room, the room itself was beautiful but it was the man standing in the room that took her breath away. He was tall and had the most striking face Amara had ever seen, but at the same time, something dark surrounded him, dark and imposing, it was as though shadows clung to him like a second skin. Ronan Vale turned to look at her and the world stopped. His eyes widened slightly. Shock. Pain. Recognition. He crossed the room slowly. Amara could not move, she could watch his approach and even when he stood a few inches away from her, she still could not bring herself to step away from him. His hand lifted, fingers brushing her chin gently at first. Then his grip tightened. Pain flared and Amara whimpered despite herself. “Do you know who you are from this moment hence?” Ronan asked her quietly, his deep eyes seemed as though they were staring into her soul. Amara did not understand his question so she shook her head, tears blurring her vision. “You are Elara Vale now, remember that name no matter what” he said “You are my Luna” Her breath caught. “You will smile when commanded, speak when permitted and remember, every breath your family takes depends on your obedience and my mercy “ He leaned closer, his voice was colder than ice. “One mistake” Ronan whispered “And they die” He released her. Amara collapsed to her knees, shaking. Above her, the Alpha supreme turned away, his face harder than granite. The lie had begun and nobody outside this room would ever know.