Alpha Hidden Obsessions

The Price of Politics

Three months. Three months since the rejection that ravaged my reputation in the pack. I had

resigned myself to my new life, a specter among mortals. I worked in the kitchens, kept quiet,

and only reacted when actually addressed. It wasn't much, but it was survival.

So the summons to the Pack Council chambers was a shock.

"Alera Nightshade, report to the Alpha's Hall immediately." The messenger, young soldier

Derek, would not meet my eyes when he gave the command. He seemed uncomfortable with

what was about to happen.

I placed the vegetables I had been chopping on the counter and smoothed out my frayed

apron, trying to calm the growing panic in my chest. The Pack Council only called people for

something other than a serious transgression or a big piece of pack business. Since I had done

nothing more than try to stay hidden for months, this had to be something entirely different.

Alpha's Hall dominated the center of our central compound, its sleek curved ceiling and stone

walls designed to make the person who walked in feel dwarfed. I had to push the heavy oak

doors open, but inside I was surprised at what I saw. The five Council Elders were seated

around their curved table, their expressions grave. Alpha Jackson stood at the side, his jaw

clenched, as a few other pack leaders filled the gallery seats.

Elder Thane called me closer. "Alera, I'm glad you're here. Sit down, please."

I stood my ground, too nervous to trust my shaking legs to a chair. "Is something wrong? Did I

do something?"

"Far from it," Elder Thane's creased face twisted into what might have been a smile. "You

might have resolved a very serious problem."

My puzzlement must have been obvious because Elder Marcus, with his silver hair and serious

face, moved closer to explain. "We're on the verge of war, child. The Bloodmoon Pack has been

encroaching on our borders for months now, testing our walls and shoving at our borders.

Their Alpha, Damien Blackthorn, seems determined to annex our territory into his empire."

"I don't understand," I breathed. "What am I doing here?"

Jackson finally spoke, his voice rough with hardly contained fury. "Speak to her of the

treaties, Thane. Speak to her of the age-old laws that continue to govern our lives."

Elder Thane warningly eyed Jackson before returning to me. "Ancient pack law commands

that marriage mergers resolve conflicts among bordering Alphas. When an Alpha possesses a

formed mate bond—even a rejected one—that bond takes precedence in such unions."

Blood drained from my face as I comprehended. "No. You can't be serious."

"The mates' bond between the two of you was observed by all the members of the pack," the

sole female on the Council, Elder Sarah, explained gently. "According to the old laws, you

remain his destined mate even after the rejection. That the two of you would marry would

meet the terms of the treaty and prevent a war that would claim hundreds of lives."

"This is madness," Jackson growled, pacing back and forth like a caged animal. "I'm not going

to be married to a man I don't want. There has to be another option."

Elder Thane's expression hardened. "The alternative is war, Jackson. Will you send our young

warriors to their deaths to avoid a union that the Moon Goddess herself decreed?"

I witnessed this argument swirl around me with growing disgust. They were discussing my life

as if I was a commodity to be exchanged in politics. The irony did not pass me by. The same

weakness that had made me unworthy of the affections of Jackson now made me worth

something as a political commodity.

"What if I say no?" The words tumbled out softer than I'd intended, but they silenced the

fight.

All eyes were upon me. I straightened my shoulders, tapping a strength within me that I

hadn't known I possessed. "What if I refuse to say no to this wedding? What if I choose not to

be your sacrifice to peace?"

Elder Marcus frowned. "You would condemn innocent wolves to death for your own feelings?"

"Meaning those same innocent wolves who've treated me poorly my entire life? The same pack

that just stood there while their Alpha humiliated me in front of everyone?" I spoke louder

with each word. "Why should I save people who never treated me well?"

"Because it's the right thing to do." Jackson's gentle response shocked us all, including

himself. He regarded me with an inscrutable expression, respect flickering in his amber eyes.

"is it?" I prodded. "Or is it easy for everyone else?"

The silence between us was thick with unwritten truths and wounds dating back centuries.

Finally, Elder Thane cleared his throat.

"The choice is yours, Alera. But I beg you to think of the greater good. At times we have to put

aside what we want for the good of all."

I glanced around the room, where faces looking at me were expectant, commanding, and

diplomatically bland. These people had never been concerned with my happiness, my desires,

or my aspirations. But they required me now, and that provided me with a power I'd never felt before.

"I need time to think," I said finally. "This is a decision I cannot make."

Elder Thane nodded. "You have until tomorrow night. But Alera," his voice had a touch of soft

warning, "remember that sometimes the Moon Goddess puts us where she wants us, even when

we cannot know why."

Stepping out of the Alpha's Hall, my mind was churning over possibilities and horrors. For the

first time in my existence, the fate of the pack was now in my hands. The question was, what

was going to do with that power?