The Lonely Alpha

"I'm sorry, my queen. I have no other choice," he said, his voice cracking slightly. I heard the dull thud of a glass hitting the surface of a desk and quiet sobs filling the room. My heart sank into my stomach. Please father, say this is all a lie, I thought to myself. I burrowed myself farther into the closet. I sent a silent prayer to the moon goddess Selene.  Our pack numbers are diminishing greatly, we barely have food..," his voice cracked again and I felt the searing pain in my heart. "Is there no other pack?," my mother asked gently. "I tried, Penny. No one else wanted to marry her," he said.  Please, no, I thought, my hearing sinking as I realized what was happening. He's going to marry me off to save the pack. "Well, let me break it to her at least, Roderick. This is life changing," she said. After a moment of silence, he cleared his throat and said, "Fine, but make it quick, we only have two days."  "I'll go find her," my mother replied. I heard a chair scraping the floor and the sound of the door opening and closing. I waited until I heard my father leave not too long after. I opened the closet door and sprinted for the door. Listening for the sound of people walking by, I waited until the coast was clear, and ran straight up the stairs into my room. Closing the door behind me, I slowly sank into the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. I laid there for seemed like hours, my mind racing. I heard soft knocks at the door behind me. Getting up from the floor, I wiped my face off and took a deep breath before opening the door. My mother stood on the other side. Her warm brown eyes were sympathetic and she swept me up into a hug.  "I'm so sorry, sweetheart," she murmured. I cried into her shoulder, her hands stroking my back. Leaning back, I looked at her. "Why, mom?," I asked. She lead me into my room, sitting down on my bed and motioning for me to do the same. I sat down beside her and waited. She drew a deep breath and said, "Your father has made a deal with the Alpha of the Sapphire Crescent Moon Pack. Their Alpha, Nicholas Black, has agreed to marry you in exchange for our pack to receive rations and access to their hunting grounds.This deal will save our pack from dying out," my mother explained.  I sat there in shock. Not only was I being married off, but I was being married off to one of the most powerful packs in Southern Oregon. The Sapphire Crescent Moon Pack was one of the largest and most powerful packs on the western side of the country. They were lead by their fearless leader, Nicholas Black. He had a reputation of being the most bad ass warrior and Alpha ever seen. His fighting skills were considered almost god-like and he never lost a battle. He was only 24, and had never taken a mate. I briefly wondered what meeting him would be like. Shaking my head at the thought, I tuned back into what my mother was saying.  "Remember your training, Aria. Remember to be gentle, polite and gracious," she told me. Meeting her eyes, I swallowed and said, "When do I marry him?," I asked. I tried to be strong but soon broke down into tears again. "Mama, I don't want to leave you or Papa. Is there anything else we could do?," I cried. My mother shook her head. "It's already done. They will be here in two days. You will be married to him and then you will become his Luna," she said. I nodded my head and said," Okay, but I'm only doing this to save our home." My mother looked at me with tears in her eyes. "Thank you sweetheart. I love you so much." She placed a gentle kiss on my forehead ans stood to leave.  "Goodnight mom." "Goodnight Aria." I soon fell into an uneasy sleep, wondering what my future would bring.  ********************** The next two days passed by in a blur. In between packing my things and getting last minute Luna lessons from my mother, I hadn't had much time to think about the upcoming marriage to Nicholas. But now that the day has come, I was a nervous wreck. I tried not to let it show, but I glanced at the clock almost every minute, waiting for it to strike 3 o'clock.  At precisely 3 o'clock, the doorbell to our pack house rang. Omegas scurried about, cleaning the last minute things. I stood in the foyer, next to my mother. My father walked to the door and and opened it. Two armed guards dressed in all black, walked in flanked by four more armed guards. Then the Alpha and his beta walked in, followed by four more guards. I snuck a peek at the Alpha. He stood at 6'3, with golden bronzed skin. His curly brown hair was pushed back from his face and his hazel eyes were piercing. His eyes swept the room before landing on me. I felt my heartbeat quicken and I felt as if I was going to faint. I met his gaze and heard my wolf, Olympia whimper in my head.  Just as quick as our eyes met, he turned his attention away and focused on my father. Holding a hand out, he and my father exchanged pleasantries and titles. I peeked around at the guards he brought with him. They were all armed to the teeth and the Alpha was no exception. He carried his gun by his side, encased in a leather sheath. I heard my father say, "Alpha Black, allow me to introduce you to my daughter, Aria Silver." I jerked my head to pay attention. I felt his eyes scanning my body. "Hello, Aria." he said in a cold voice. He turned his attention back to my father. "We can continue this conversation in your office, I presume?," he said. My father nodded his head and lead the way to his office. After we all shuffled in, Nicholas walked over and pulled out a paper from his jacket.  "This is the contract, stating our agreements and the exchange of property," he said. My father cleared his throat and pulled out a pen to sign. Signing his name, he rolled the paper back up and handed it to Nicholas. It's done, I thought. My life is signed away. Nicholas nodded to my father and turned to me. "Are you ready now?," he asked. I nodded meekly and walked to his side. He clasped my hand in his and I felt a warm breeze pass by. Picking up his scent, I almost moaned out loud from how delicious he smelled. He smelled of sandalwood and freshly cut grass. I felt his hand slightly squeeze mine. My father stood in front of us and read our vows. "Do you, Alpha Nicholas Black of the Sapphire Crescent Moon Pack, take Aria Silver of the Jade New Moon Pack as your wedded wife and new Luna?" he asked. "I do." Turning to me, he says, "Do you, Aria Silver of the Jade New Moon Pack, take Nicholas Black of the Sapphire Crescent Moon Pack to be your wedded husband?" I hesitated a moment. "I-I do." My father breathes a sigh of relief and says, "I now pronounce you Alpha and Luna." I feel my mind ripping in two as my mindlink is established with my new pack. I hear voices in my head, welcoming me as their new Luna. It takes a short while but the pain eventually subsides. Dropping his hand from mine, Nicholas turns to one of his guards and says, "Grab her things and let's leave." As the guard leaves the room, Nicholas turns to my father and says "Someone will be in touch to start granting you access to the grounds." He motioned to another guard. "Put her in the truck."  A guard grabs me and I struggle against his hold. "NO! Let me say goodbye!," I yelled. My mother and father start sobbing. Nicholas turns to me and yells,"THAT'S ENOUGH!" He grabs my face and says "You now belong to me. You will do as I say and when I say it. Stop acting like a child and get the f**k in the car." I had no choice. I had to obey. I let myself be carried away, sobbing the entire way. My world was crushed in a matter of moments. The guard carried me outside and gently placed me in the car. I curled up against the window, hoping this would all be a bad dream. I felt the truck door open and slam shut. Soon I smelled his scent again and fought the urge to want to curl next to him.  "Drive," he said, coolly. The truck started and started to drive away from my childhood home. I closed my eyes, hoping my new home was more accepting.