Pawn Luna for My Three Alphas

Marriage With Toler Brothers

Athena’s POV

"Miss Athena!" The maid burst through the door, breathless and wide-eyed as her voice trembled with panic, "S-something terrible has happened―it's the High Priestess. She's collapsed!" 

I froze, the bow nearly slipping from my hand. 

Without another word, I rushed out of the room. My heart was hammering in my chest as the world seemed to blur. The High Priestess was also my Godmother, the only person dear to me after the death of my mother.

'What would I do if she…?'

"The Alpha has called her for a divination reading," the maid beside me anxiously explained, "But the High Priestess suddenly fainted in the midst of it. The doctor is called, but she's not responding… w-we're afraid that…"

Hearing those words, a cold dread settled inside me. We soon reached the ground where the entire pack had gathered. The air was thick with tension.

I rushed by the High Priestess's side. The doctor gave me the way as I desperately whispered, "Godmother." Patting her cheek, hoping she would wake up, but her body was cold like ice. 

Her aged face was calm even as her silence stirred fear in all our hearts.

"This is such a bad omen…"

"What if something terrible happens to the pack?"

"It must be a sign from the Moon Goddess."

Tears brimmed in my eyes as the anxious whispers rippled through the crowd. I reached out to feel her pulse, and a tremor went through my heart. There was only silence.

"The High Priestess has passed away, Athena," The doctor informed me in a low voice.

I hesitantly glanced at my father, the Alpha of the Red Moon Pack, Anthony Cohen stared back with a gloomy expression.

"Dad, what happened? She was fine till yesterday. Was she sick? Why did you call her here if she wasn't feeling well?" I asked, my voice wavering. 

He had always been a harsh man; perhaps he pushed the High Priestess too hard, but even my father was not that cruel.

He coldly glared at me, "You know these are dire times, Athena. Don't act like a fool," he sneered. "I asked her how the Red Moon Pack can remain safe. However, before the High Priestess could give the message, she collapsed." 

My father sighed in frustration and told me to move away since they needed to prepare for her burial ceremony, too. But my body refused to move as I numbly clasped Godmother's hands, I could not bear to leave her so soon, she had been my everything.

Just then, I felt something in her grasp. Tears blurred my vision as I took the torn piece of paper from Godmother's hand and frowned, seeing what was written inside.

My father grew irritated, "What the hell are you doing, girl? Get up from there!"

I glanced at him in confusion, "I think Godmother left something for us, but it's strange… it says Toler."

My father snatched the note from me, his brows furrowed as she stared at the lone word, and slowly, something odd shifted behind his gaze. 

He made hasty commands, asking the High Priestess to be taken away while his eyes remained fixed on the note. "Could this not be related to the Toler Family?" he murmured.

My heart was aching from this sudden loss, but it seemed my father was more interested in this divination. He was always like that―utterly selfish.

He kept mumbling as he stared at the note. "This has to be the divination, and it's related to Tolers, but if it's them, then…" he bitterly crumbled the note and barked commands. "Follow me inside, Rowan, call the Toler Family immediately! Tell them it's very urgent!"

When I didn't budge from my place, my father grabbed my hand and roughly dragged me inside, not caring about how I felt.

Dad sat on the couch while my stepmother, Veliciah Cohen, also came to the living room. His gaze was serious, and I wondered if the note was truly related to the divination.

Things would be far too troublesome if that were true. The Tolers were our rivals, and the relationship between our packs had never been good. How would they become helpful in ensuring the peace of our pack?

"You will marry one of the Toler brothers," my father suddenly said. 

"What?" I was shocked. I heard wrong, right? He has to be joking. "Godmother has just passed away, and you're asking me to get married." His words made my skin crawl with frustration. How could he be so heartless? 

"Don't make trouble in times like this, Athena," Veliciah sneered at me, narrowing her sharp eyes, "How dare you have the audacity of questioning your Alpha when you're the stain of our pack?"

"Who are you to comment on my life?" I grimaced.

She coldly smiled. There was no need to say anything. My father stepped in on his own.

"You will not speak to your Luna like that!" 

I nearly flinched at the hardness of his voice. Still, he continued, "The High Priestess wanted to prevent a mishap, and the Toler family are her last words! How else can we ally with them without a marriage?"

I clenched my fists tight, forcing my voice to be steady, "They won't accept this."

My father scoffed, "They will have no choice but to agree to the High Priestess' last words. George Toler is not an idiot."

Before I could protest, Veliciah grabbed my hand, "Don't be selfish during such times. This is about the fate of our pack."

Her grip was almost too much to bear, "Leave me! The High Priestess didn't tell anyone about it! She would never have me―!"

Veliciah laughed at my futile attempts and tightened her grip painfully as she leaned closer, "You are just a weak omega, Athena. Shouldn't you be proud? This is the luckiest you can ever get."

I silently stared at her, fighting back the wave of rising panic.

If my father makes up his mind now, there will be no changing it, and what will happen to my life? Damon Toler, the future Alpha of their pack, already carried a deep-seated hatred for me.

And getting too close to the other two brothers would only be disastrous.

Veliciah smiled in satisfaction at seeing my silence and whispered, "Just be obedient. Who knows? If you're good enough, the three brothers might consider sharing you. So, just get married to them and save this family. You haven't even done anything good for us," 

My blood boiled with anger as I roughly shoved her back. She was the last person who had the right to mock me.

"You are the most evil woman I have ever seen!" I blurted out, not caring about the consequences of my words, "Nothing good has happened ever since you stepped in the pack!"

Before I could continue, a tight slap landed on my cheek. It was none other than my father. He glared at me with pure disgust in his eyes.

"Don't disrespect Veliciah. Are you going to take down the entire pack with you?" he shouted at me before grabbing my only archery set from the table.

"Dad, no!" I begged him, but he threw it in the fireplace without so much as a glance in my direction. His voice was filled with fury, "You're not going to waste your time with all this any longer! I am not feeding you for free, Athena. If you don't marry into the Toler family, I will sell you as a slave! So, you better uphold the dignity of our pack!" 

My heart sank as I watched the bow being eaten up by the flames.

But he continued, unbothered, "I have called them here, and we'll discuss your marriage! George Toler is a selfish bastard. Don't think he's just going to accept you, so you better charm one of the Toler brothers!"

Veliciah smirked, "And if you can't charm one of them, why don't you go after all three?" Her voice was laced with mockery, "That would be more befitting of an omega, after all."

She always liked doing that, humiliating me at every chance she got. 

My greedy father married Veliciah, a venomous woman from a strong bloodline, just to gain more power. Now, he wanted the same from me. 

"Fine. I will do as you want," I lied with a hardened gaze, holding back the overwhelming wave of my emotions, "But I have a condition."

"What do you want now?" Antony growled impatiently. 

"I want to be allowed in the training arena," I stated firmly, my heart racing as I waited for his response. 

Being born as an omega had always made my life harder, and there was only one thing I had ever truly desired―to become as strong as others and prove my worth. But I was forbidden from ever getting proper training.

Veliciah laughed mockingly, "What's the point, Athena? Once you're married, you'll have to follow the Toler family's rules. What would you get by training your weak self?"

I ignored her, keeping my gaze on my father, "Can you promise, Dad."

"Whatever," he narrowed his gaze at me, "But only if you do your job right. Train if you want, but don't you dare do anything to break this engagement."

I let out a small, innocent smile, "I would never."

That seemed to please him a little. My father coldly looked away, his expression still impatient, and just then, a guard announced.

"The Toler family are here, Alpha."