The Alpha's Unwanted Bride

Rosalind could feel the cold creeping up her spine, sinking through her skin and into her bones, as though the night itself was alive and hungry. The forest was eerily silent, the kind of quiet that warned of predators nearby. Her fingers trembled as she pulled her thin cloak tighter around her shoulders, the rough fabric no match for the biting wind. “This isn’t right,” she whispered, glancing over her shoulder. Her breath clouded in the frigid air, but no one was there. She was utterly alone. Or so she thought. “Keep moving,” a voice snapped from the shadows, sharp as a whip. Rosalind flinched but obeyed, her boots crunching over frostbitten leaves. The voice belonged to her stepmother, Lilith. Rosalind couldn’t see her, but she didn’t need to. Lilith’s presence lingered everywhere ,an oppressive weight, a reminder that resistance was futile. “Why are you doing this?” Rosalind’s voice cracked. She didn’t bother to hide the desperation in her tone. From behind her, Lilith emerged, gliding through the trees like a specter. Her emerald-green dress shimmered in the moonlight, its expensive fabric an insult to Rosalind’s threadbare cloak. Lilith’s golden eyes narrowed, her painted lips curling into a smug smile. “Why?” Lilith echoed, tilting her head. “Because, darling, it’s time you were useful for once in your life.” Rosalind’s stomach churned. She stopped walking and turned to face Lilith fully. “Useful? You’re offering me up like…like livestock! Do you even know what he’s going to do to me?” Lilith’s expression didn’t falter. “Oh, I imagine it’ll be unpleasant,” she said lightly, examining her nails as if discussing the weather. “But that’s not my problem. The Alpha wants a bride, and you’re the perfect candidate.” “Bride?” Rosalind spat, anger flaring despite the fear curdling in her chest. “You mean a prisoner. A victim. He’ll kill me, Lilith!” Lilith laughed, a sound so cold it felt like the forest itself recoiled. “If he kills you, then perhaps you were too weak to be worth keeping. Either way, the debt is paid.” “What debt?” Rosalind demanded, stepping closer despite the thundering of her heart. Lilith’s smile twisted, her gaze darkening. “Your father’s, of course. Did you really think his gambling wouldn’t catch up to us? The Alpha owns this territory, Rosalind. He doesn’t tolerate debts unpaid. Consider yourself the payment.” Rosalind staggered back as though she’d been slapped. She had known her father’s habits were dangerous, but this? This was a betrayal she couldn’t have fathomed. “And you just agreed to this?” she whispered, tears stinging her eyes. “You let him sell me off like a sack of gold?” Lilith stepped closer, her heels clicking against the frozen ground. “You overestimate your worth,” she said softly, her voice venomous. “You should be grateful I didn’t let him take you sooner. Now, stop whining and start walking. The Alpha doesn’t like to be kept waiting.” Rosalind’s throat burned with the effort of holding back a scream. Every instinct told her to run, to disappear into the forest and never look back. But where could she go? The Alpha’s reach was far,and has absolute power. There was no escaping him or Lilith. She turned and resumed walking, her steps heavy with dread. The clearing came into view some minutes later, its edges bathed in pale moonlight. Rosalind stopped short at the sight of it: an open space surrounded by towering pines, the ground dusted with frost. At the center stood a large, weathered stone. “Go on,” Lilith urged from behind her. Rosalind’s feet felt like metal. She turned to face her stepmother, shaking her head. “Please,” she begged, her voice breaking. “You don’t have to do this. There has to be another way” “There isn’t,” Lilith snapped, her patience evaporating. She grabbed Rosalind’s arm and hauled her forward. “You think I want this? You think I care? This is survival, girl. Yours is a small price to pay.” Rosalind yanked her arm free. “You’re a monster,” she hissed, her chest heaving. Lilith smirked. “Perhaps. But at least I’m still alive.” A sound like thunder rolled through the clearing, and both women froze. Rosalind’s blood ran cold as a figure stepped out of the shadows, his presence consuming the space like a storm. He was taller than she’d imagined, his broad shoulders cloaked in a dark leather jacket. His silver hair gleamed in the moonlight, but it was his eyes that struck her piercing, inhuman silver eyes that seemed to see straight through her. Lilith dropped into a low bow, her voice trembling for the first time. “Alpha Killian, as promised, I bring you Rosalind. She is eighteen, unclaimed, and… suitable.” Killian’s gaze slid to Lilith, his lips curling in disdain. “Leave,” he said, his voice a low growl. Lilith hesitated for a fraction of a second before scurrying away, her skirts rustling as she disappeared into the forest. Rosalind stood rooted to the spot, her body refusing to obey her mind’s frantic commands to move, to run, to do something. Killian’s eyes landed on her, and the weight of his stare nearly brought her to her knees. “So,” he said, his voice like gravel. “You’re the one they’ve offered.”Rosalind swallowed hard, forcing herself to speak. “I didn’t agree to this.” Killian’s lips twitched, but it wasn’t a smile. “Doesn’t matter. You’re here now.” He stepped closer, and Rosalind instinctively backed away, her heart slamming against her ribs. “I’m not afraid of you,” she said, though her trembling hands betrayed her. Killian stopped just a few feet away, tilting his head as he studied her. “You should be,” he said simply. Rosalind clenched her fists, summoning the last of her courage. “If you’re going to kill me, get it over with. But don’t expect me to beg.” Killian’s eyes narrowed, and for a moment, she thought she saw a flicker of something suprising .Whatever it was, it was gone as quickly as it came. “Kill you?” he said softly, his voice a dangerous whisper. “No, Rosalind. Killing you would be too easy.” Before she could react, he reached out, his fingers brushing against her wrist. She felt a strange warmth spread through her skin, like fire and ice colliding. A gasp escaped her lips as a mark began to form on her wrist, glowing faintly in the moonlight. She looked up at him, horror dawning in her eyes. “What did you do?” Killian’s expression was unreadable. “Bound you,” he said simply. “You’re mine now, Rosalind. Body and soul.” Her knees buckled, and she sank to the ground, the weight of his words crashing down on her. Bound. The mark burned against her skin, a reminder of the chains she could now feel tightening around her very being. “You can’t do this,” she whispered, her voice shaking. Killian crouched in front of her, his silver eyes locking onto hers. “I already have.” The howl of a wolf echoed through the forest, and Rosalind’s head snapped up. She expected Killian to react, but he didn’t move, his gaze fixed on her. “You think you’ve been betrayed tonight,” he said, his voice low and deliberate. “But this is only the beginning, little one. There’s far more at stake than you realize.” “What are you talking about?” she demanded, anger cutting through her fear. Killian stood, his towering figure casting a shadow over her. “You’ll find out soon enough.” And then he turned and walked away, vanishing into the darkness as though he’d never been there at all. Rosalind stayed on the ground, her trembling fingers tracing the glowing mark on her wrist. Her mind raced with questions, but one thought rose above the rest. She was no longer free. But if Killian thought she would submit without a fight, he had gravely underestimated her.