Chapter 2An Alpha's Duty ( part 2
985 Words
Chapter 2
An Alpha's Duty
Raymond's POV (Part 2)
The study door closed behind me with a heavy thud.
I stood in the corridor, staring at nothing.
One month.
Thirty days.
That was all the time I had to find a wife or lose everything I had spent my entire life preparing for.
I clenched my fists.
It wasn't fair.
For years, I had trained from sunrise until long after sunset. Every scar on my body told the story of a lesson learned, a battle won, or a sacrifice made for the Crescent Moon Pack.
Now, none of it seemed to matter.
My father wanted a married Alpha.
Not simply the strongest one.
A familiar voice interrupted my thoughts.
"You look like someone just declared war."
I turned to see Beta Adrian approaching. He had been my closest friend since childhood and had trained beside me for as long as I could remember.
"You could say that."
Adrian studied my face.
"What happened?"
"My father has given me an ultimatum."
His playful expression disappeared.
"What kind of ultimatum?"
I exhaled slowly.
"If I'm not married before the next full moon, he won't make me Alpha."
Adrian stared at me.
"He's serious?"
"I wish he wasn't."
For a long moment, neither of us spoke.
Finally, Adrian rubbed the back of his neck.
"Well... that's unexpected."
I laughed bitterly.
"Unexpected?"
"I'd call it impossible."
"You've never shown interest in courting anyone."
"I've been too busy preparing to lead this pack."
"And now?"
I looked toward the village below.
"Now I have thirty days to choose a wife."
Adrian remained quiet before speaking carefully.
"Maybe your father already has someone in mind."
The thought hadn't crossed my mind until then.
Knowing my father...
He probably did.
---
The following morning, I was summoned to the council chamber.
The Alpha King sat at the head of the long oak table while the Pack Elder and several trusted council members occupied the remaining seats.
The atmosphere was unusually tense.
"Sit," my father ordered.
I obeyed.
He folded his hands.
"I have spent the night considering what is best for this pack."
"So have I."
His eyes met mine.
"Have you chosen a woman?"
"No."
"I expected as much."
Silence stretched between us.
Then he spoke words I never expected to hear.
"There is someone."
I frowned.
"Who?"
He glanced toward the Pack Elder before answering.
"Lyra Willow."
The name caught me completely off guard.
"The hunter's daughter?"
My father nodded.
"Yes."
I couldn't hide my surprise.
"Why her?"
"Because she is kind."
"Because she is respected."
"Because despite what happened last night, she has never brought shame upon this pack."
I frowned.
"She has no wolf."
"We don't know that."
"The Moon Goddess never answered."
"The Moon Goddess works in mysterious ways," the Pack Elder said quietly. "No one truly understands why she remained silent."
I looked back at my father.
"You want me to marry her because you pity her?"
"No."
His voice remained calm.
"I want you to marry her because this pack needs unity."
He continued.
"Right now, the entire village is whispering about Lyra."
"They fear what they don't understand."
"If the future Alpha chooses her as his wife, those whispers will stop."
I stared at him.
"You've already made this decision."
"I've made a recommendation."
"I haven't agreed."
"No."
My father leaned forward.
"But you will."
Anger rose inside me.
"You expect me to marry a complete stranger?"
"You expect me to sacrifice my freedom because of an ancient tradition?"
"I expect you to think like an Alpha."
His words struck harder than any punch.
An Alpha.
Every decision an Alpha made was supposed to place the pack above himself.
Even when it hurt.
Even when it seemed unfair.
The room fell silent.
Finally, I asked the question weighing on my mind.
"Does Lyra even know about this?"
"No."
"And if she refuses?"
The Alpha King sighed.
"Then we will respect her decision."
I nodded slowly.
At least she would have a choice.
Unlike me.
---
Later that afternoon, I left the mansion alone.
Without realizing it, my feet carried me toward the edge of the forest.
The ceremony from the previous night replayed in my mind.
Lyra standing before the Moon Stone.
The hopeful expression on her face.
The silence.
The tears.
The way she had run from the clearing while everyone watched.
I had seen warriors survive brutal battles with less pain in their eyes than I had seen in hers.
For the first time, I wondered what she was feeling now.
Had anyone gone to comfort her?
Or was she sitting somewhere, believing the Moon Goddess had abandoned her?
A strange feeling settled in my chest.
It wasn't love.
It wasn't attraction.
It was sympathy.
No one deserved to have the happiest day of their life turn into a nightmare.
As I turned to head back toward the village, I noticed something lying on the forest path.
A small silver pendant shaped like a crescent moon.
I picked it up.
It looked familiar.
Then I remembered.
Lyra had been wearing it during the ceremony.
She must have dropped it while running.
I closed my hand around the pendant.
"I should return this."
I didn't know then that such a simple decision would change both our lives forever.
Far away, hidden deep within mountains no werewolf dared to cross, a pair of glowing crimson eyes slowly opened.
A powerful man sat upon a throne carved from black stone.
His aura alone was enough to make everyone in the room lower their heads.
A mysterious smile touched his lips.
"The time has come."
His voice echoed through the throne room.
"Find her."
His warriors immediately knelt.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The Lycan King had begun his search.
And fate was already moving toward the girl who believed she had been forgotten by the Moon Goddess.
- Writer
