The Alphas Prize

Chapter 5

Everyone’s eyes widened, and shock consumed us.

I raised a brow. “Ok, and? What did he say? What does he want?” I asked, becoming impatient; I needed to know, we all did.

He closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath. “He came here to discuss the treaty, to discuss what he wants in return for ending the war.” His nostrils were flaring, and his chest was heaving now. Something was wrong, and I could feel it.

“So……what does he want?” Mom asked hesitantly.

I could tell that he didn’t want to tell us and struggled very hard to stay calm. His remorse-filled eyes then focused on me. “He wants you, Freja.”

My eyes went impossibly wide, and a shudder of fear took hold of me, I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

“What! Please tell me that is not true?” Mom asked, tears welling up in her eyes.

Erik stepped in front of me. “No f*****g way, he’s not getting her,” Erik said growling.

“That is not your decision Erik, you will stand down and remember your position,” Gunnar said with ferocity.

Adela just started crying and remained silent.

A million things were going through my mind; I didn’t know what to do or what to say. Why did Alpha Cain want me? I couldn’t go with him. I had heard the stories, he would use me, torture me and then......no this can’t happen, I won’t let it and neither would dad, right?

I spun on my feet and headed towards dad’s office without wasting another second. Before I could reach for the door handle, Gunnar gripped my elbow. “Freja, I don’t think that is a good idea right now.” He said sternly.

I scoffed at him, yanked my arm from his hold and proceeded into the office. My mouth opened to say something but abruptly closed as I entered the room. I stood there taking in the sight before me; dad sat in his chair with his head resting in his hands while tightly gripping his hair. His office was trashed, things were shattered into pieces, and papers littered the floor. He was hurting; that much was clear. I shook my head and cleared my throat to get his attention.

“Dad, please tell me this is a joke?” I asked him calmly, not wanting to upset him further.

He slowly raised his head and looked at me; his eyes were pitch black, fury radiating off of him in waves. “No, this is not a joke, Freja.”

My brows scrunched together, anger building inside of me. “Why does Cain even want me?” I asked, not sure if I wanted to know the answer.

Dad closed his eyes. “He says that you are his mate.” He replied through gritted teeth.

CHAPTER 7: It’s time – Part 1/3

I gasped and stumbled back a bit; no, this can’t be possible; that monster cannot be my mate.

I shook my head furiously. “No, that’s not possible, I refuse to believe that, and even if it is true, I will not go with him,” I said firmly.

Dad ground his teeth. “I don’t like this any more than you do, but Alpha Cain has made it clear that he wants you. He informed me that if you go with him, he will end the war and sign a peace treaty between the packs.” He looked to be pained saying this.

“No, I won’t do it, dad! I will not go with him!” Anger was flowing through me now, like a never-ending river.

Dad pinched the bridge of his nose. “Freja, you need to understand the situation. Alpha Cain has made it crystal clear that he will come and destroy the pack if you do not go with him. Leaving no one and nothing behind, and then he will take you by force. Either way, he will get what he wants.” He replied, raising his voice.

“So, then we fight, we recruit other packs to stand up and fight with us. I won’t go with him; you can’t make me do this, dad.” I was almost pleading with him at this point; going with that man would mean the end of me.

He stood to his feet and slammed his fists on his desk, causing the wood to c***k a bit. “Freja, you have no choice; I have no choice. Do you truly want to sacrifice the lives of all our pack members? Because I will not.” He boomed at me.

His tone and the height of his voice made me take a step back; he had never yelled at me like this before. I remained where I stood, shock taking hold of me. I couldn’t comprehend the reality of this situation and that my own father was just going to hand me over to that monster without fighting.

He sat back down in his chair, sighing heavily. “He will be here within the hour to retrieve you. I suggest you pack quickly and say your goodbyes to everyone.”

Tears began to form in my eyes, and my lip quivered. Finally, I didn’t say anything else to him, just stormed out of his office. I couldn’t look at him anymore or be near him. I was so furious, confused and mostly scared of what the future held for me.

As I exited his office, everyone stood there with a remorseful look plastered on their faces. I stood there for a minute, just staring at them, a million thoughts going through my mind. All I could think about was that this might be the last time I saw them; I was being taken away from my family, from the ones I loved and cared for, being taken away from them by a f*****g monster. I felt like I couldn’t breathe, my head was spinning, my chest ached with so much pain.

I needed to gather my thoughts; I needed to take a moment and breathe. So, without wasting another minute, I spun around and headed for the back door. I could hear everyone behind me calling my name as I exited through the door and beelined it for the woods. The forest was my sanctuary; something about the trees, the smells, the peacefulness, brought me such tranquillity; it was the place I always came to when I needed to be alone.

As I entered the forest, I began to run. The leaves crunched under my feet, and the smell of the damp forest floor engulfed my nose. The branches from the trees brushed against my skin, and the moon shined down, illuminating my path.

As I furthered into the forest, I began to slow down, my lungs now burning. I then came to a stop, collapsing to the ground. I stared up at the moon and stars that littered the sky with their beauty. I sat there wondering why the Moon Goddess would bestow me with such a fate, why she would allow this to be my destiny. Angry tears began to pool in my eyes as the realization of everything hit me.

As I continued to sit there, I heard the sound of crunching leaves coming from behind me, and I didn’t want to see or talk to anyone right now. So I picked myself up and began to jog away, hoping to avoid whoever was looking for me. But as I started to distance myself from them, I heard a familiar and unwelcome voice stopping me in my tracks.

“Now, now, my love. I wouldn’t run if I were you; it will only make things harder for yourself. But if you truly want to, that’s fine by me. I love a good game of hide and seek.” He said in a menacing tone.

I stood there frozen in my spot, debating on what to do. Finally, I thought to myself; If I just keep running, I may have a chance of escaping him, of escaping my future. But if I do, then that puts everyone I love in danger. I didn’t know what the f**k to do. My internal battle continued for a second more before my instincts took over, as I heard him closing the distance between us, and I began to run from the monster that was hunting me.

I ran deeper into the forest; the moonlight faded, and darkness was enveloping me. The forest was dead silent now, except for the sound of our feet lightly hitting the forest floor. Then, finally, I spotted a fallen tree that was now overgrown with moss and vines. I dashed towards the tree and burrowed myself into it in an attempt to hide from him.

I lay there, attempting to slow my breathing, to slow my escalating heart rate so that I could listen closely to my surroundings. Nothing, it was now eerily quiet, and that frightened me even more. Just then, I heard the echoing c***k of a breaking branch and another and another, each one growing louder than the last. I knew that Cain was close now.

“You know I can smell you, right? The scent of your fear is all I need to follow to find you, my dear,” He said in an ominous tone.

His voice was so close; he could be right on top of me for all I knew. I tried my absolute best to calm my nerves and gather myself, reminding myself of who I was. I am a f*****g warrior; I’ve battled with the best of them and come out on top; anything that has come my way, I fought with courage and strength. But yet, this man scared the s**t out of me for so many reasons, some I couldn’t understand.

With my fear subsiding, I was now becoming furious. Angry with myself for hiding, mad that Cain was taking me from my family, and the fact that he was hunting me like I was his f*****g dinner.

Pushing all my feelings aside, I decided to do something that I would probably regret. I slowly climbed out of my little hidey-hole, carefully observing my surroundings and looking around for Cain. Then, as I rose to my feet, I stood there silently, listening for him and scanning the area for his presence.

Suddenly, the tiny hairs on the back of my neck rose in alertness. “Boo,” Cain whispered in my ear so quietly, so unnervingly, I jumped a little and attempted to run, but his large muscular arms wrapped around me. He pulled me back and into his hard chest, knocking the wind out of me for a moment.

CHAPTER 8: It’s time – Part 2/3

As I was about to scream, when one of his hands came up and wrapped firmly around my throat; he tilted my head back, bringing his lips to my ear and causing an electric shudder to course through me; holy f**k, why am I so turned on right now, what is wrong with me?

He brushed his lips against my ear ever so gently and whispered, “I always win at hide and seek, baby. But as fun as this has been, I am becoming bored and irritated at your games; we have quite the journey back to my territory. So now, you can either be a good girl and come with me willingly, and I will allow you to say your goodbyes, or I can take you by force, which I promise you will not enjoy, and you will not be allowed to say goodbye to your family. So, my love, what is your choice?”

I closed my eyes, weighing my options. I knew I couldn’t run, as the consequences would be dire for my family and myself. But, on the other hand, I knew what I needed to do, I needed to go with him willingly, as much as my wolf and I hated the idea, but we both wanted to say goodbye to our family.