Chapter 57: A Princess Has No Choice
1102 Words
Elena's POV
The sky blushed orange as the sun took its final bow for the day, casting long shadows over the gathering of wolves.
The courtyard buzzed with whispers and uneasy tension. The entire pack had gathered, their eyes turned toward the raised stone pedestal where my mum now stood. Someone who was weeping but a moment ago, now her expression unreadable.
I stood near the front, my heart literally pounding in my chest. I could feel the shift in the air.
My mum raised her hand, and then the murmuring stopped.
"Alpha Ryker is dead," she said clearly.
A gasp rippled through the crowd like a sudden gunshot.
“The Alpha?"
“How could this be?"
“We're all doomed!"
Murmurs rose again, louder this time, voices tinged with disbelief and grief. My throat tightened as I felt the guilt making its way down my gut—this was all my fault.
“Yes, he's dead."
My mum didn’t flinch. “He gave everything for the safety of this pack,” she continued. “For the safety of his family. He fought hard and kept fighting even until his last breath.”
The silence that followed was heavy, raw with pain. Everyone was paying close attention to my mum as she spoke.
“But I'm afraid war looms,” she added, her voice steady. “The rival pack is watching us closely, more than ever before. They’re brutal, as you all know.”
The crowd became rowdy once again.
"But instead of fighting them with more bloodshed, I’ve—we’ve chosen a peaceful path.”
The murmurs rose again, skeptical, confused. Then I stepped forward.
My mum glanced at me briefly, as if asking me for my approval before she spoke any further. I nodded, and then she turned to the pack. “Elena will be married to the prince of the rival pack, the first son of Batholi,” she said.
The crowd erupted in disbelief.
“She will live with them for three months, as is expected during the courtship period.”
“No way—”
“This can’t be real—”
“But she’s the Alpha’s daughter!”
“We should just fight them!"
I raised my voice, silencing them. “Enough!”
They quieted, their eyes now fixated on me. My heart ached as I let out a heavy sigh, but I had to be strong. “Alpha Ryker…My father is gone. And now, more than ever, we need to protect what we have left. If sacrificing my freedom means keeping our pack safe, if it means your children can grow up without having to worry about losing any of their parents to war, then so be it. As next in line for the throne, I must make the hard choices when they come. This… this is one of them.”
I saw my mum's jaw tighten slightly, her usual fake smile plastered on her face—she couldn't fool me.
She turned to the crowd again. “As we all know, every firstborn of the Alpha bloodline is destined to lead as the next Alpha. Elena will be crowned Alpha Queen once she returns, after the marriage has been sealed.”
She then turned toward Eli, our trusted combat trainer and my uncle. “Eli,” she said, “please choose the strongest wolf among your students to accompany Princess Elena during these three months.”
Uncle Eli nodded and called, “Students, line up!”
A row of warriors-in-training stepped forward. Some were tall and broad-shouldered, others lean but agile. My eyes scanned the line, checking for a potential pick.
Then Eli began to move down the line, slowly, assessing each one of his students with that same serious stare he always wore in battle training.
He stopped in front of Ray. “I pick him."
Loud gasps rose from the crowd.
“Ray?” someone whispered.
“Is this some kind of joke?" Another one said.
Mark, another student, stepped forward, frowning. “You can’t be serious. Ray’s the weakest of us all. He can’t even keep up during sparring sessions.”
Ray lowered his eyes. “Sir, they're not wrong.
I remembered him from training—he was a quiet one who always pushed himself, even when he fell behind the rest of the pack.
Uncle Eli lifted Ray’s chin gently and looked him in the eyes. “What makes a warrior strong is not just muscle or speed—it’s heart. And this one has more heart than all of you combined.”
Suddenly, the whispers stopped.
Mum called out to him, “Ray, come forward.”
Ray approached the pedestal and dropped to one knee before her.
She placed her hand on his left shoulder. “By the power vested in me, I, Queen Lucy, hereby charge you, Ray, with protecting the princess Elena. You must stay by her side, no matter what. Do you swear it?”
Ray looked up, his eyes burning with determination. “Yes, my Queen. I swear it.”
My mum leaned down and whispered something into his ear. I don't know what she said, but whatever it was, it made Ray's face go pale for a split second… but he nodded nonetheless.
Just then, a car pulled up at the entrance. It was the same man from earlier—the messenger from the rival pack. He stepped out of the car.
He opened the back door. “It’s time, princess. Your new home awaits.”
Another vehicle followed, the driver swiftly transferring my packed bags into the trunk.
I turned to my mum. She gave me a nod—a weird kind of blessing. I stepped down the stone steps, each one feeling smaller than the last.
But as I walked through the pack, they all bowed their heads in silent respect. Even those who had yelled in disagreement earlier.
Ray followed close behind till we both got into the car.
Just as we were about to shut the car door, a voice shouted, “Stop!”
Everyone turned.
A girl—around my age—ran toward us, a duffel bag slung over her shoulder. She stopped in front of my mum and gave her a sharp look. Then, without a word, she slid into the backseat of the car beside me.
Then the door shut.
Ray looked from her to me, his eyes wide. “You two…” he said slowly, “You guys do kinda look alike. I guess you were right.”
Our eyes were locked onto each other.
- Writer
