Bound to the enemy Alpha

SABRINA “My princess, the Alpha requests your presence at the throne room,” a voice came from behind. I turned, startled, my knees still bent on the cold stone floor of the praying room my father had built for the moon goddess; for prayers. My lips parted slightly; surely I had misheard. The throne room? Me, summoned? I was the bastard daughter, the child of an illicit affair; a mistress, a constant reminder of my father’s sin. I had no business with the affairs of the pack, no voice among wolves, already I was wolfless. My eyes darted to Joyce, the head maid who had been like a mother to me after my mother’s death. “Go and answer the Alpha. When the Alpha calls, you don’t keep him waiting.” she said, her face softened but her voice was firm. My heart pounded as I rose slowly. My blonde hair falling loose down my back. Why would my father summon me now? Was this another humiliation? Another cruel reminder that I do not belong? With hesitant steps, I followed the guard to the throne room. I felt something heavy in my chest that was not good. I knew my father, Alpha Fabian, and my half brother Gideon had just returned from the battle. The pack whispered of their victories, yet I had not laid eyes on them since. There were places within the vast halls of the pack house where I was forbidden to tread. Bloodmoon is the largest pack in the entire region, its power stretching beyond borders. Therefore, attracting a lot of enemies. A year ago, my father and brother had rejoiced, celebrating the death of the ruthless Alpha king. They thought his reign had ended but they were wrong. He left behind his son; Lucian. His name alone was enough to silence the bravest of men. He was young, brutal, merciless. He had claimed his father’s throne on the battlefield, rising like a phantom of vengeance, and now his gaze was set on Bloodmoon. My stomach tightened with anxiety as I stepped into the throne room. Two guards stationed at the entrance saw me and their eyes widened; as if they had seen a ghost. I don’t blame them, I have never been summoned before. Even as an Alpha daughter, I had no privileges my half siblings enjoyed. I was powerless in a world where strength was everything. My half brother Gideon stood beside our father, his broad shoulder straight, his wolf aura simmering in the air. Throughout my childhood, my father Alpha Fabian, shielded me in the walls of the palace. So I had decided to follow my mother’s steps and become a seer and messenger for the Moon goddess. I was ready to take my vows soon. Gideon’s voice reached me first as I stepped closer. They were aware of my presence, but neither of them bothered to look at me, as if I were invisible. “Father, I know there’s tension between us and the Nightclaws pack, but to defeat the eastern enemy, we need to form an alliance with them.” Gideon said, his tone calm but urged with urgency. I swallowed hard, my palms damp as I stood there, waiting for them to acknowledge me. The air in the room was thick with unease, the kind that promised ruin. I noticed Gideon’s attire, he was dressed as a warrior, prepared for bloodshed. “The reason we need to send what the Alpha of Nightclaws want, as a form of exchange.” My father's voice cut through the silence. His gaze finally lifted on me, slow, deliberate, cold and measuring. Masked with something that stung sharper than blade; hatred. He never said it aloud, but his actions from my childhood had been louder than words. I was the mistake he could not erase. The sound of his hand slamming against the table rang through the chamber. I flinched, my body trembling under the sheer force of his dominance. “Alpha Williams had demanded I give him my daughter, Lila, in marriage to seal the alliance,” Fabian declared. I gasped, the sound escaping my lips before I could stop it. My heart raced as my eyes darted across the room. Everyone was here except Lila. My elder sister wasn’t here. Why wasn’t she summoned? Confusion churned in my chest, dread passing heavy in my stomach. “This is a request I don’t have a choice but to accept. We need Alpha william’s warriors or we will be overrun by the eastern warriors. Lila must wed the Alpha of Nightclaws as a symbol of alliance.” Fabian growled, his voice echoing through the throne room like thunder. My pulse quickened as my father spoke. Gideon’s gaze shifted toward me, heavy with something I didn’t understand; sorrow. “Father… Lila has been missing since last night.” His voice broke the silence. His eyes never left mine, as though he were speaking to me just as much as he was reporting. The words struck me like a blow. I staggered back a step, my hands clutching my dress as my heart raced. Missing? That can’t be. Lila’s smile from last night flashed in my memory; warm and kind. Lila had spoken at length about her dreams, her hopes, and my destiny as a seer. And then we hugged; tight, desperate that had clung to me longer than usual. At the time it had puzzled me, now it made my blood run cold. She had been saying goodbye. My father’s fist slammed against the table again, the sound making everyone stiffened. “I know she’s missing, she is my daughter; the sunshine of Bloodmoon! Our warriors are already searching for her but time is not our ally.” Fabian roared. “Lucian and his eastern dogs have already taken pack after pack. He will not stop until he swallows us whole. We must seal the alliance, immediately!” he yelled. My father's cold stare swept across the hall until it found me again. My blood chilled with a dreadful certainty. “I will do it,” I said suddenly, my voice trembling but clear as I stepped forward. “Sabrina,” my father’s head snapped up, his cold eyes narrowing. “Sister,” Gideon whispered, his voice breaking in shock. “Isn’t that why you summoned me? You need a replacement for Lila. Then send me.” I said, forcing myself to keep my chin high even though fear trembled inside me. “She knows nothing about being a princess, Alpha William will not agree.” one of the elders said. “I will go as Princess Lila, and they won’t notice.” I said firmly, my voice shaking but determined as I looked directly at my father. “The princess is very beautiful, the Alpha will know.” the elder muttered, his words like a dagger to my chest. My throat tightened painfully. I lowered my eyes for the moment, shame and hurt burning through me. My father leaned back against his chair, his gaze heavy like a predator sizing its prey. “Both my daughters have blonde hair. Alpha Williams has not met either of them before; so I doubt he would know.” The venom in the way he said my daughters did not go unnoticed. Finally his lips curled into something sharp, final, and merciless. “If we must defeat the eastern warriors, Sabrina will take the place of Lila… and that is final.”