Alpha's Conquest

Alana POV I felt sick to the stomach. I had only turned 17 three days ago, and choices were still being made for me without my consent like I was a child still and I hated it. My father, Lord Arthur Crimson, was scowling at me from the other end of the table, I knew why my father was only abiding by the rules of our king, but it did not make things any better. It was just announced to me that I would be marrying the Prince Duke Exelby the soon to be new alpha of the Shadow Dawn Pack, his father King Austin Exelby had rule these lands for decades and when our pack was in a grave time of need he gave us a refuge and eventually made my father a Lord but it came with a price. Many years prior to my birth my father once fought in a great war alongside many other wolf packs to save all of werewolf kind, a terrible evil that still dwelled in the north was threatening our extinction. Due to the war taking place our pack numbers were massively depleted and our original homeland was desolate and uninhabitable leaving my father no choice but to take our pack (The crimson pack) and find a new home. King Austin welcomed us with open arm or what it seemed like at the time but it came with a price and a deal was made, my father told no one of what was promised that day but I knew it couldn’t of been anything noble or good. Ever since then my father was at his every beck and call doing his dirty dealings and being his b***h! I hated it, my brother and sister hated it and most of my mother hated it. “Alana, I told you! My hands are tied, and this is something you must do for the sake of our pack!” my father shouted at me after taking a sip of his drink, my brother and sister looked very uncomfortable and shifted uncomfortably in their seats. It was okay for them, my brother Louis had free choice to choose a mate and my sister Emily was promised to a alpha of another pack who turns out to be her mate! What are the chances! I crossed my arms in protest I was 17 not 7 and I did not want to marry that monster, but as my father always says his hands are tied and it was not his decision. “All I am saying father is there are plenty of other lords in his kingdom with daughters already of age, why me? What makes me so special?” I continued to protest. To my surprise his scowl turned to a smile. “Well young lady why not you? This was decided when you were young but the reasoning behind it is starring back at you when you look in the mirror. You have strong genes Alana, you are a beautiful shewolf with a strong will and you would make a good Luna, not to mention sometimes you are too smart for you own good!” I could not argue with what my father had just said to me although I felt as though there was so much more to this decision that that. I quickly finished breakfast as I did not want the argument to continue as I had things to do. I went up to my room and grabbed my bag with my drawing pad and pencils inside, when I was mad or feeling at war with myself, I liked to head into our large and vast gardens and draw. There was something so therapeutic about being able to draw beautiful flowers and wildlife capturing every single minor detail and characteristic. Myself and my sister Emily were taught from a small age how to paint and draw it was safe to say we both had taken to it really well, Emily’s paintings were beautiful and a lot of them hung in the halls of our home along with my sketches and drawings.  I found a spot underneath one of the oak trees by the lake, I looked beyond the lake and out towards the hills and nestled between the two was my future home The Shadow Palace. I shivered at the thought, it always seemed to dark and gloomy over there and it was very unsettling at times. I opened up my bag and begun to empty out my things when I heard footsteps nearby when I looked up it was my sister beaming over me with a big smile. Emily sat down beside me and flick her golden locks behind her, my sister was beautiful she had gorgeous olive skin which was completely flawless and glowing, plump pouty lips, a cute button nose and two huge blue dazzling eyes frame by thick long lashes and well groomed brows. “Oh Sister I wish I could convince father to call off the engagement, did try and reason with him but I failed” she announced, I looked up at her again she always had my best interest at heart and looked out for me. I guess that is what big sisters are for, her and Louis were older than me not but not by much, however I would always be the baby to them, and it did not help I only stood at 5ft 3. “Thank you sister” I replied smiling back at Emily I lent back against the tree and let out a sigh “Are you ready for the ball tonight?” she asked me, I shot up and looked confused ball? What ball?! Oh, wait I must have forgot we were attending a celebration of Emily’s upcoming wedding to Prince Lucas Augustine of the Moon Stone pack. Lucas was a strong and honest man who was very much worthy of my sister, he was the recently elected Alpha of his father’s pack after he stepped down to pursue his duties as king. His father King Eric Augustine rule the Neverglade Region I land rich in forests and woodland with his palace residing at the top of a cliff side spanning views from miles around. The Augustine family was on old and noble blood line spanning back generation after generations not only this but it was home to two packs not only Lucas’s but his younger brothers as well Prince Lance Augustine, oh Lance, he was dreamy and sexy as hell or at least last time I saw him he was but that was 4 or 5 years ago he has probably forgotten about me by now but I haven’t forgotten about him. Our families has ties reaching back years King Eric fought alongside my father in the great war although now my father was a lord underneath the rule of the Shadow Dawn Pack of Hillcrest region who were the Augustine’s arch rivals it never came between their friendship. The quarrel was not with my father but the Exelby Family, but this was a story for another time! My attention redirected to my sister, “you forgot didn’t you?” she asked and I shook my head but really I knew full well I had forgotten and what on earth was I going to wear to such a occasion, “No, no of course not!” I laughed but Emily saw right through me and started to laugh. Myself and Emily head back towards the house to prepare. I loved my home it was surrounded by open lands filled with fields and flowers for miles around I would miss it greatly when I had to leave. Although each region had its own ruler there was still various different packs living within its borders each lead by a alpha or Lords as King Austin liked to call them, my father being one. Our pack was the Crimson Pack, its name came from one of my great grandfathers he was known by his deep auburn locks of hair so the name kind of stuck. My brother Luis was set to take over from my father once he had found his mate, but he was yet to find her, I hoped one day he did, he deserved to be loved and cared for. The pack lived with us in our stately home, it was large enough to house them all, boasting a large 12 bedrooms in the main house including bathrooms, a common room and a large kitchen. Our quarters were on a separate wing to the rest of the house my father liked to keep home life separate from pack life. Outside there were three separate lodges in the grounds one of which belonged to my dads Beta Richard and his family. Overall, our home was rather impressive, but nothing compared to the palace Prince Duke and his father lived in, that place looked huge although I had never been inside you could sense its vastness from its surrounding walls. I knew within its grounds the Shadow Dawn pack lived with their families, it was one of the biggest packs around, Austin had many brothers and sisters who in turn had children of their own. The family alone was like a small army without including the Lords under Austin’s command. Another shiver came over me oh I hated the idea of one day being a princess being told what to wear and what to say or what not to say, I would lose my identity leaving there I would become the trophy on Duke’s arm and nothing more. I had heard many of rumors on how corrupt the Exelby’s were, there family has a long history of violence and hostility I had even heard stories of how their mates weren’t treated as nothing more than objects rather than equals which was strange as this never used to be the werewolf way. I am sure the moon goddess would disapprove of such things. I walked through the door and a familiar scent hit me. Who was it? Where had I smelt this scent before. It was not my mate, but someone of great importance to me or at least so I felt. I stood still and looked around the foyer Emily looked back at me and could see the look across my face, “What is it sister?” she asked. I shook my end ending my trance and just like that the smell had dissipated. Strange? I smiled at her and said it nothing we then continued to walk towards our rooms to get ready and pack for the overnight journey to the Neverglade kingdom. I fell back onto my bed and my thoughts began to wander, it had finally hit me that I had no control over my life and I had to marry a stranger I barely knew more to the point a stranger I didn’t think I would love. What was my father thinking when he signed me over like livestock at a market to the Exelby’s, did I do something wrong to upset him or was this all apart of some elaborate plan? I did not know. What I did know was I was excited to see Lance again. Lance was truly majestic in every way, a strong fierce warrior he held the title of the strongest pack around and I was not surprised as not only was he gorgeous, but he was very tactical too. I thought I felt something when I last met him but I wasn’t sure what exactly it was as I was so young, it was a strange feeling not one of a mate kind or at least I was told it wasn’t. My father said I was too young to experience such feelings in regards to finding a mate, so I shrugged it off. It suddenly dawned on me that I had nothing to wear, well that was a small lie, I did in fact have plenty to wear I just did not know what. I started rummaging through my closet it was full of various dresses short in length, long in length, figure hugging, loose, girly and sexy. What oh what to wear Miss Alana? I thought myself. I finally settled on a long figure-hugging gown with off the shoulder straps it was a deep royal blue colour and I felt comfortable enough in it as I was not revealing all for the world to see. I packed my overnight bags then placed myself in front of my dressing table and looked at the girl starring back at me, I looked exhausted. Most likely from all the over thinking and the stress of the news forced upon me this morning at breakfast my hair was looking slightly bedraggled too from being in a messy bun most of the day It was probably a good idea I grabbed a shower before I got ready. First impressions are everything Alana I heard my mothers voice in my head, although this was not a first impression or encounter as such but either way, I thought it was best. I hadn’t been out of the shower long before Emily came bursting in twirling around in a long beautiful pastel coloured gown, “What do you think huh? Isn’t it wonderful?” She asked and I smiled and nodded it was wonderful and suited her so much. “Looks Beautiful Emily!” I replied to her once she had stopped twirling around and strutting like a model. “Thank you, Alana, Lucas bought me is as a gift he has such good taste.” There it was again Emily talking about her wonderful mate, if I said I was not slightly jealous I would be lying but I was happy for her and what she said was true he clearly did have good taste. I pointed Emily towards my chosen outfit hanging on the closest door she jumped up and smiled “Oh that’s beautiful Alana, blue suits you so well! You trying to steal the limelight?” She winked at me to indicate she was only joking with me. “Making an effort for a special someone are we?” she continued. What? Who could I be trying to make an effort for? Oh of course she knows about my little crush on Lance maybe subconsciously I was thinking of him when I chose this, I did after all know deep blue was his favorite colour. No Alana stop it your promised to someone else. “No, no of course not! I love blue” I exclaimed but the look on her face said otherwise like she could see right through me “also happens to be someone else’s favorite colour do.” She muttered under her breath. I threw a dirty look her way then she embraced me in a hug “Oh sister I’m only teasing! Now get ready. We need to leave soon” with that Emily left the room.   Emily’s POV My poor baby sister. I felt so guilty from this morning when father announce she was to be engaged to that asshole prince Duke, what would possess father to do such a thing? It confused and troubled me both at the same time that is when I heard mother shouting at father from their room, she hated how all he did was take orders now. Never have I ever seen him stand up to the Exelby’s or even try to reason. “I can’t believe you promised our baby girl to those cold-hearted snobs Arthur! After everything they have done to the people in these lands!” I heard her shout; my father had always promised to treat my mother as his equal with her being the Luna of the pack but over the past few years this has become less and less apparent. It was like my father was under a spell, he just was not the same at all. “Ophelia please!” he replied “Our children mean everything to me, and this was to secure Alana’s future, keep this family safe” I went to my room before I could hear anymore, I didn’t like to hear them argue no one wants to hear two people they care about argue. Besides tonight I got to see my mate again, my gorgeous mate, my loins ached at the thought of him yearning for his touch and to have him all to myself. Lucas had not marked me yet; I was hoping tonight he would before we married so I could finally feel his bare skin against mine. The thought sent me into overdrive fantasizing about what it would feel like the first time together my thoughts interrupted by my mother calling after me “darling are you ready?” she asked.