Married To The Prince and then Mated To The King

1. ALINA~ I hated this. Everything my parents worked for was on the verge of destruction and this marriage was the only solution. But as much as I hated this, I had no choice. How could they expect me to just accept a man I didn’t love? I had dreams, ambitions— wasn’t that enough to deserve a real choice? Yet the answer stared me in the face. As the princess, I had to do this— for them, I had to marry the Alpha’s arrogant son. “Alina, I know how difficult this is for you but I can assure you that it will get better in time… you will learn to love him just as he loves you…” My mother whispered as she fixed my hair. “What about my mate?” I blurted without thought. My mother’s hands froze over my head and I could see her beautiful green eyes begin to darken in the mirror. “Once you are married to the Alpha’s son, you must accept him as your mate. It doesn’t matter whether there is a bond or not…” A scoff hitched to escape my throat at her response but I swallowed it back. Deep down I knew that there was no way I could fake a mate bond… I wasn't her. She sighed and came to stand by my side, watching my reflection through the mirror. “Now, you know what to do. Go find Prince Darryl and join us at the terrace…” My wolf tightened at the idea of going to meet with the Prince but I forced a smile and bowed; “As you wish, mother…” I slowly got off the chair, without sparing a glance at the work she had done to my hair, I walked out of the room. My head was filled with different thoughts but one thing was certain, I couldn’t continue like this for the rest of my life. I couldn't afford to live in pretense like my mother had done all her life… ‘Speak to him…’ my wolf suggested. But it was pointless. The marriage would still happen. It was beyond me. With threats of war from every side of the realm, my people needed the protection his pack would bring. If I dared refuse the union, I would only be known as the worst princess in the entire realm. I had no other choice. ‘There is nothing wrong with speaking to him.' my wolf went on in my head. 'If he truly loves us as he says, he will understand and give us some time… besides he needs this union as much as we do.’ I nodded, agreeing to her statement. Prince Darryl also needed this union to work. While they had the strongest army in the realm, their lands were barren. They needed food from our fertile lands to survive. And this union was going to give them the access they needed to get as much food as they wanted. 'Maybe talking to him wasn't such a bad idea,' I concluded. Determination flooded through and I walked even faster. I passed through the corridors of the palace till I got to the guest wing where I knew he would be staying. I raised my gloved hand to announce my presence but as soon as they connected to the door, it slightly pushed open under the weak force and the sounds from inside caused me to freeze. "... I mean just look at me. I am a god among men and now, I'm stuck with... Her!" He hissed, his voice coated with disgust. For a second my mind shut down and I refused to believe that Prince Darryl was talking about me. But another chuckle gave me the answer I needed. "My prince, it is true that she is hardly a prize. I have seen better looking serving girls..." Prince Darryl's laughter echoed through the room, the sound hitting me like deadly arrows. "I know right? I'll have to close my eyes to bed her. But at least she'll be good for one thing— producing an heir." The second person with him snickered. "Yes and that will secure your hold on the throne... We can only pray that your prize manages to push out the baby without too much trouble... I've heard she's got hips like a cow." Prince Darryl laughed again and this time it felt like I was being slapped in the face. I couldn't believe this was the same person who wrote of how much he loved me... I couldn't believe that he thought so lowly of me... Shame, pain and anger crashed through me and my legs slowly left his door. I couldn't face him. Not after listening to his plans... I was going to rot away in their pack for the rest of my life— and what was worse I still couldn't refuse this! My throat began to burn as tears formed in my eyes. I was helpless because even after listening to that, I couldn't break off this engagement. No matter how many times I tried to tell myself that we would be fine without his pack, I knew I was only being delusional. His pack were the only ones ready to strike an agreeable bargain. The others wanted to oppress us. They were our only hope and I was stuck with him! It was clear that Darryl saw me as just another sacrifice for survival, but that didn’t make the hurt any less real. I wanted to scream in pain as my pace turned into a run. Each step tearing a hole inside my heart as Prince Darryl's words echoed in my head... My fate was too cruel. The goddess was being too hard on me. It was already bad that I had to give my body and wolf to a man I didn't love and now— I had to give it to a man that considered me to be nothing but a pawn with a face too plain for his godlike stature! "No," I hissed as I got to my room, my mind already brewing with a plan. It was true that I couldn't break this engagement but I had the right to decide who I gave my virginity to! It was a sick plan and maybe even dangerous for a princess to do but it was better than letting that arrogant fool be the first man to touch me. With a heart filled with anger, I yanked off my tiara and changed into simple clothes. The engagement ceremony was about to start at the terrace but I didn't care. Darryl could do without me for one more night! With my body wrapped in a hood, I sneaked out of the palace and went to the reserved man-w***e bar at the eastern side of the palace. The dimmed light and thick air mixed with a strong whiff of smoke and cheap perfume, was enough for me to blend between the people without anyone recognizing me. With this advantage, I headed straight to the bar. "Give me a bottle of your strongest wine..." The bartender furrowed their brows, as if they were trying to place a name to my face but thankfully, he nodded and served me my drink. I drank to my heart's content. Letting the alcohol numb every ounce of rationality and shame in me. "Hey..." I signalled to the bartender as soon as I began to sway. "I need a man tonight... Someone very hot..." I giggled and pointed to the ceiling. "Do you have any in the upper rooms?" The words sounded alien as they left my lips. Could I even say such things? Yet the alcohol had erased my dignity, and I couldn’t stop myself. The bartender smiled. "Of course. That's what we do here... Give me a second." He turned to speak to someone and then returned to me. "Go to room 224, your package will be waiting." Like a child being given a package by the goddess herself, I happily stumbled out of my seat and started making my way to the upper level. The alcohol made everything look so beautiful and dazzling, I couldn't stop smiling. By the time I got to the doors, I started checking for the numbers and my smile grew even bigger as I finally found it. "There you are... Room 442!" As soon as I stepped into the dark room, my smile narrowed as a strangely alluring scent tickled my nostrils. Despite the alcohol dimming my wolf senses I could still pick out the strong scent… It was a mixture of oranges and mint. Strong and alluring… and beautiful... The funny thing was that, the scent seemed to call to me. I wanted to ignore it, but my alcohol brain didn't want that. I searched through the shadows until my eyes fell on a silhouette of a person on the bed. "Hey handsome... There you are..." I giggled as I finally realized who he was— my package. Without shame nor fear, I let the door close and I went to him. His perfectly handsome face only stared at me... He was so cute, he looked like he didn't know what was happening. But the alcohol in my system gave me the liquid courage I needed for the two of us. I was happy to give my body to this handsome stranger with a sweet scent than to that arrogant Darryl! Without thinking I shamelessly crashed my lips over his. He froze at first but that sweet scent filled my nose once again and this time, it came with a burning desire that made it impossible for any of us to deny. "Beautiful, we should stop..." He whispered, his voice so sweetly manly, my core tightened. "I don't want you to stop... I want you..." I moaned, my hands were already searching through his body... "Besides I paid for this..." I mumbled, the words barely audible as I began kissing my way to his neck. "Fuck..." He cursed as his strong arms lifted me and the burning desire returned, washing over us like a flood. At this point, I couldn't bring myself to stop and neither could he. We were both consumed by the eternal force. As his hands tore through my clothes, the alcohol in my head slightly washed away and my brain reminded me of what was happening. I was going to give myself to another man when my wedding was tomorrow... But I didn't care… It didn't matter... this man was definitely worth it. We enjoyed a passionate night together and as sleep finally came over my body, my wolf’s question sounded distant but alarming... “Why does he smell so good... Is he our mate?”