Dear Alpha

Two

Alaric watched as the petite girl got on the back of the wild horse and rode off.

Never in his life had he met someone that would even dare challenge his authority.

Women trembled at the mention of his name. His Stories were told at nighttime to children to frighten them from bad behaviours. Men feared him.

But here in this Godforsaken land a woman so small he was sure he could fling her with a single finger has just challenged him. Had demanded to have her wild horse handed back to her.

If it were to be back home in Scotland, he would have had her flogged to shut her mouth.

It was unheard of. He was Alpha Alaric the leader of the Scottish isles. His world evolved only around him, except when he had to answer to the King of Scotland.

Speaking of answering to the king of Scotland, this was why he was here in the first place. All because of his king. He feared and admired his king. His king was the only man that he respected.

And that was why when then King had called him at his palace to inform him that he was going to have Alaric married if to a British girl.

Alaric had been baffled. Confounded. Lost for words. In complete shock.

“I am to marry a British girl.” Alaric said at the absurdity of his words.

“Yes. You are. I trust no one other than you.” King Carmen said as he rose up from his chair. “The King of England and I have felt that perhaps this is a way for us to strengthen our ties. By joining at least a British Royalty with a Scot. He expects that it is going to strengthen our relationship. Make things better for the both of us.”

Alaric looked at his King in shock. “But your majesty. All the Brits I have ever met, I have killed.”

“In war that is, yes?” King carmen corrected.

Alaric said nothing because it was the truth.

“It’s high time we merge together and set our differences aside.” King Carmen said. “And with your help, hopefully we would be able to deal with that. With your help, there would be a bright future between us Scots and the British.”

And so here Alaric was, riding towards the house of man he had never encountered. And he was to take a British woman as his wife.

Alaric didn’t see the need to marry. He had had as many women as he had ever wanted. Women begged at his feet.

Crawled to him in fact. And now to make matters worse, he was not just marrying any type of woman, he was marrying a British. Not even one of his own.

“Jeff.” He called out to one of his men.

“My Lord!” Jeff answered.

“Go out into the lands and find out where the supposed Earl’s home is and return back to me.” He ordered.

Jeff nodded and rode off.

“Why don’t we just go together?” Logan, who was his next in arms and his best friend asked him.

“Because I can’t have my men and I parading a town that we know nothing about.” He stated. “The earlier we get this over with, the earlier it is for us to leave this godforsaken place.”

Jeff returned a very short while later with the directions to the house and then they rode down.

Very soon, Alaric was going to pick his wife.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Deni rode back home and kept Angel at the stables.

“What happened?” Eren the stables boy asked her.

“Some children tried to scare Angel while I was fetching her water.” Deni said. “They are lucky that they didn’t get trampled to death.”

Angel neighed loudly and uncomfortably.

“Easy girl.” Deni said massaging Angel’s head. “Easy. I’m with you. Even is going to take care of you.”

Deni whispered some music to her ears and she became quiet.

Deni handed the reigns to Eren. “She should be fine.”

“Deni! Deni! Is that you?”

Deni turned around and saw one of her four sisters, Elena who was the eldest of all of them.

“Yes I’m here.” Deni answered. She eyed her sister up and down. “What is the matter? You look all flustered.”

“You need to come down with me immediately.”Elena said dragging her hand. “There is a matter with the utmost urgency at hand which we need to discuss.”

Elena was the eldest of all my sisters.

She had four sisters. Genevieve, Lana, jade and Elena.

She was the middle child.

“Is it something really serious?” She asked her.

Elena did have the tendency to be a bit dramatic.

“Yes and I am not being dramatic. There is a new development of the utmost urgency and you need to hear.”

Deni was dragged out of the way and into the main house.

“Won’t you tell me at least?” She asked.

“I can’t tell you because I personally have no idea what it is. But papa has refused to tell us anything until we were complete.” Elena told me.

We reached our main hall and she saw my father seated down.

Her other sisters were standing obviously waiting for her arrival.

She looked around.

“What’s going on papa?” She asked.

“There has been a development.” He said. “I was unable to tell either of you because I could not find it in me to say it.”

Deni walked to her father and squatted beside him.

“What is happening papa?” She asked. “You may tell us.”

“One of you is to get married.” He said. “To the Alpha of the west Isle in Scotland.”

“No!” Genevieve shouted in alarm as her and her siblings listened to their father.

“But Papa do you really mean to say that one of us is to marry a Scott?!” Lana said.

“We heard they are barbaric!” Jade said.

“And not just any Scott an Alpha Scott!” Elena said in horror.

“I heard that they eat their meals raw and go to war naked!” Genevieve said.

“I heard that they hang women who cheat on their husbands infringe of the whole town to see.” Jennifer said.

“Where in the name of God did you hear such?” Lord Lucas said in anguish at the words his well trained daughter was saying.

Jennifer kept her mouth shut.

Then Deni who was the youngest sibling of all who had been listening to her sisters in a wild chatter calmly said.

“Papa are you sure that there is nothing that can be done?” Deni asked him.

He shook his head.

“None. We are in so much debt. And because the king and I have been at odd ends, he used me as a scape goat.” He said. “He told me that he was going to pay it up and to strengthen ties with the king of Scotland he is going to have one of my daughters married to Scottish lord.”

“We are ruined.” He said.

“Can we not sell our land?” Genevieve asked.

“And who would pay for our vassals?” He asked. “This is way beyond me. It is not in my power. Even if I did sell the lands, nothing can be done. It would not be enough.”

“So who is it going to be?” Deni asked the question and there was a hush in the room.

“He is going to choose for himself.” Papa said.

“You say that like we are meat being hung and waiting to be bought!” Lana said.

“Why am i the most beautiful?” Jade wailed. “Surely he would pick me over for my good looks.”

“Do you mean to be serious or you to be unnecessary foolish today?” Genevieve asked.

“Can both of you stop squirming?” Deni snapped at her sisters.

“But Papa what did you do with all the money then?” Genevieve said. “The farmers said our produce brought in a lot of money last harvest.”

“Have you seen the state of this house?” He demanded angrily. “Last Christmas all of you except Deni burnt down the kitchen. Elena was so careless that she let all the pigs die of poisoning, Jade spent money on dresses, all of you have one thing to be guilty of. All of you except Deni.”

They became very quiet now.

“But Papa we can not marry a Scot.” Lana wailed. “We would die.”

“If I get chosen I would want my sisters to come with me.” Elena said.

“Heavens forbid it! I’m not dying with you!” Jade said and they started fighting again.

“Would all of you behave civil for once in your life?!” Deni yelled at her sisters.

And they did.

Deni turned to her father.

“Maybe we could appease the king?”

Papa shook his head. “There is noting that can be done. The Scots should be here by today or tomorrow.”

The room became as quiet as a graveyard.

Then the girls started crying and wailing and throwing fits.

Deni c****d her head. Was it that the men she had seen was the man coming to marry one of her sisters?