Alpha King’s Favorite

What are you doing to my bride?

Before my mother's death when I was 3 years old, I was the apple of my father's eyes. I knew of their struggles to have more children, especially a male child to succeed my father's Alpha position after his retirement, but all was in vain.

Nevertheless, my father loved my mother so much that the love extended to me. However, all that perished with my mother. After her funeral, he became a shadow of himself. He stopped caring about anything that had to do with her because according to him, she was selfish and left him alone in this world. At first, I tried to be understanding as I was also affected by her demise. I tried to reach out to him, to comfort him, and made him aware that together we could pull through.

Then out of the blues he announced of his second marriage to Margaret, and that was when the torture began. From the very moment Margaret walked into the packhouse, she refused to accept me as her child and preferred I call her Luna. I was not her responsibility but rather unwanted baggage that came with her marriage to my father.

She would hit me, call me names,and lastly cast me to the Omega quarters where she said I belonged. I fell sick many times from crying and incurred several injuries, yet, my father didn't care. Even when the assault was committed right in front of him. I thought he would come back, that the love he once had for my mother would return and he would fight for me, but all that hope was gone after my 18th birthday when at transformation I discovered my wolf was cursed with weakness and I didn't have the gift of scent given to every werewolf.

I was a curse!

I wanted to kill myself. When they caught me, my father made them whip me in public for committing what he called a shameful act, and from then, I was officially demoted to the position of an Omega and banned from showing my face in any public gathering.

Now you see why I was very shocked when Lottie said my father had asked me to join the competition.

"You look as stunning as your mother, Nat," Lottie said to me, bending down to drop a kiss on my hair. She had managed to tame my red locks at the top of my head, securing it with my mother's beautiful hairpin. As I looked at myself in the mirror, my mother's spitting image looked back at me. Instantly, tears gathered in my eyes.

"Not tonight, kiddo," Lottie clapped her hands, gesturing for me to stand. "Now we are done with your makeup, it's time to wear your dress, c'mon," She went to the bed to pick up a dress she had brought with her and when I went to stand beside her to check out the dress, my mouth dropped open.

"Are you sure my father asked me to come down?" There was fear in my voice. "I won't want_"

"Ssssh," Lottie cut me off. "Whatever his intentions are, Nat, my guts tells me tonight you will dazzle more than the other girls and goddess have mercy, you shall catch the attention of the King."

"I'm an Omega," I let out in reminder. "Even if I catch his attention he would rather pick someone of better rank."

"You are the daughter of an Alpha, Natalie." She gestured for me to remove my towel and step into the dress, and I did. She pushed my shoulder forward in way I get to look at myself in the mirror and once I caught my image, I was dumbstruck.

The ball gown shimmered with a deep sapphire hue, the color of a clear summer sky just after dusk. Its luxurious, silky fabric cascades in elegant folds to the floor, catching the light with every movement and lending an ethereal, almost liquid quality to the dress. The bodice is fitted, accentuating my curves and then flowing into a voluminous skirt that floated around me like a dream. Delicate straps held the gown in place, while subtle embellishments added a touch of sparkle, like the glint of stars on a moonless night. The overall effect was one of exquisite grace and sophistication, like something out of a fairy tale.

"Wow," I purred, my eyes tacked to the person in the mirror. There was no way that was me. "Did my father get this?" I found myself asking, still looking at the image.

Lottie chuckled softly. "No.. I did." My eyes flew up to peer at her, emitting a gasp.

"Lottie!" My hands dropped from the gown and I twisted around to face her. "Lottie, this is too much! This would cost a fortune, how, how did you get the money to buy this? No, I can’t_"

"Natalie Cleopatra Ferdinand, listen to me." I was struggling to unzip the gown so I could rid of it. There was no way I was going to let her do this. We were returning the gown and getting back her money.

"Nat!" I shuddered at the snap of her voice and stopped fussing. She cradled my face and wiped the single tear that slid down. "I have watched them break you into several pieces every day, Natty. I have lived in pain knowing there was nothing I could do. I hated myself and wished that the goddess could strike them down, wishing your mother never left you."

"Lottie..." I was full on crying now.

"You are a beautiful child, Natalie. And today when your father asked me to make sure you join the contest, I knew I have to take advantage of this opportunity to do for you what your mother would have done.."

"I don't deserve this, Lottie," My voice came out in a rasp due to my sob.

"You deserve this and more, my child." She scooped me into a warm embrace. "I need you to do me a favor and shine tonight. Believe in yourself and leave the rest for the goddess."

I was nodding frantically. "Thank you so much, Lottie," I was saying. "I will never forget this, come what may."

***

I was shivering inside as we made our way to the ballroom where the Alpha King was being entertained. I was glad no one had come to look for me by now or called me to do any chore. That would have ultimately ruined all of Lottie's preparations.

As we neared the room, everywhere was brimming with she-wolves and their guardians, everyone here to show their respect to the King. Immediately they saw me, at once all eyes turned in my direction.

"Who is the new girl?" I heard someone ask. My blood froze. The new girl? Was I looking that different they couldn't recognize me?

"Damn, she looks so hot!" I heard someone else say.

"How come we haven't met her before?"

"There is new girl in the pack?" A girl's voice emerged from the crowd. "Is she Lottie's sister?"

"I think she came from another pack."

Different opinions flew in different directions as I continued walking to the door, my breath hitched.

"I don't think I can do this, Lottie," I said in a hush to Lottie who was walking beside me.

"As if I can let you change your mind," She whispered back. "Don't forget to plaster a smile_" We froze as we spied Margaret coming towards us. "…Shit! I will distract her. Go." She walked ahead of me and blocked Margaret while I hastened and walked past them, however, luck wasn't on my side. In wolf speed, Margaret stood in front of me, and grabbed my wrist.

"Margaret, stop!" Lottie blocked us, but Margaret was more powerful and used her wolf speed to send Lottie flying across the room in the other direction.

"No!" I cried and tried to wrench free from Margaret's grasp. "Please, let me go. Lottie!" I struggled against Margaret's hold, looking over my shoulder to catch sight of Lottie, but from her still body,she seemed to have passed out.

The kitchen door threw open and closed and Margaret let go of me, followed by a hot blow to my mouth. "How dare you?!" She picked up a spatula from the cabinet and hit me over and over again, ignoring my cries. I bent over to shield my face but she pushed me to the ground, and grabbed my hair, destroying the exquisite work that Lottie had done.

"You think you can shine more than my daughter?" She kicked my guts, clutched the front of my gown and ripped it in two. "Oh, you think this is a Cinderella's story. You are nothing but a weak, ugly and wretched Omega and would never amount to anything, you hear me?"

"I'm sorry..."

"Sorry for yourself! Instead of scrubbing the floors as you should you were playing makeover with the governess! Who would scrub the floors then? Me?"

I jerked my head, tears pouring down my face. I told Lottie this was a bad idea. My lips was swollen, my eyes puffed from the spatula blow and my beautiful gown now in shreds.

Margaret picked up the bowl containing dirty water on the sink and I hastily balled into myself to hide and wait but the water didn't come. Slowly, I unfurled my hands and noticed Margaret startled as she glanced at the door. My eyes traveled there and I gasped at who I saw standing there, his hands in his black suit’s pockets staring at us, lazily.

The stranger from the forest.

"What’s going on here?” His ethereal blue orbs skidded from me to Margaret and back to me.

His head tilted to observe me intensely. "What are you doing to my bride?"

...