A GIFT FOR THE ALPHA

CHAPTER 3

Larissa's POV.

The truth is I had completely forgotten tomorrow is my birthday. I glanced at my father and smiled sheepishly. “You had forgotten tomorrow is your birthday, isn't it?”

I nodded. “Yes, father.”

He smiled. “I heard Prince Lucas is here, have you seen him?” At his question, the smile on my lips shriveled.

“Father, I don't like Lucas, I don't want to marry him. He is so gross!” I demonstrated with my hands.

“Larissa. I thought we've talked about this, you're marrying him just for political reasons!”

“I don't love him, father,” I said gnashing my teeth. Speaking of the devil, he entered the throne room and my father stood up to welcome him. Duh, I rolled my eyes, folded my arms, and looked away.

“Hello, King Stephan.” Lucas arches forward in a bow while glaring at me. “You were in a meeting when I arrived,” he said to my father.

“Oh, yes. We just rounded up," father said and patted the boy's shoulder. Without being told, I knew my father was about to tell Lucas about my birthday ball and I didn't want that to happen “Thank goodness you're here, I was about to send an invite to your family. Tomorrow is-”

I coughed. It worked as my father paused and glanced at me. I smiled and tried signaling with my eyes that he shouldn't tell Lucas. Well, fathers would always be fathers, they know best how to disappoint their daughters.

“Do you need water?” father asked me.

“No, it's fine.” I still was baiting him an eye.

“You were saying something, King Stephan.” Lucas happily brought up the topic again. He knew there was something I didn't want him to know.

Father moved his gaze back to his acclaimed future son-in-law. “It's Larissa's birthday ball tomorrow night,” he let out.

“Really?” Prince Lucas smirked. “You must forgive me, my lady, I had completely forgotten that tomorrow is your birthday,” he smirked.

“And you call yourself my betrothed,” I lashed at him.

“But you didn't equally remember your birthday, Larissa,” father exposed. I gasped, not believing my father would expose me this way before Lucas.

“Father??”

Lucas laughed while collecting the invitation card from King Stephan. “I should be on my way, sire.” He bowed again and moved his now taunting gaze at me. “See you tomorrow night, my lady.” There were tiny pieces of sarcasm in his tone as he headed for the door.

Until evening, I was still angry at my father as we ate dinner. “Larissa, you have barely touched your food,” he said glancing at my plate from across the table.

Heaving a sigh, I reached for a spoonful of the porridge and shoved it into my mouth and I chewed. “Seriously father, why did you tell Lucas about the ball?”

“But Larissa he's my best friend's son. I would still invite his parents and he would still get to know about it. And let's not skip the important fact that he's your betrothed.”

“Father I really don't want to marry for political reasons certainly not Lucas, the boy needs some growing up! I want to marry a man and not a boy. Lucas is but a boy!”

“Boys grow into men, give him a chance.”

Silence slipped into the space. And then a thought occurred to me, something that had bothered me for a while.

“Tomorrow I will be seventeen, right?”

“Yes.” King Stephan nodded.

“Can I now be allowed to at least exploit the kingdom?” I asked. Again, father shook his head.

“No,” he replied. And that's it, I lost it with him again. I frowned.

“Why am I never allowed to leave the four walls of this castle?” I demanded. King Stephan sighed and gulped down half his glass of water.

“I don't want to lose you like your mother,” he said.

“My mother died from an accident and accidents can also happen at home. You can't tell me that's the reason you've caged me behind these walls all my life, father.” He was quiet. It dawned on me it wasn't the accident but something else. “What exactly are you protecting me from?”

Exhaling, he cleaned his mouth with a serviette and signaled at Zia who was standing next to him to take away the plates. “Our arch-enemies, if you must know, the werewolves.”

Zia exited the room carrying the King's tray. I brought back my attention to the conversation. “Werewolves? What is that?”

“These are humans that can transform into ferocious beasts, wolves!” he said. I really tried not to laugh, I chuckled anyway.

“Please, father.” I found my appetite and resumed eating my food.

Father stared at me. “You don't believe me?” At his question, I reached for my glass of water and sipped.

“Even if they exist, let's say that they really exist, what do they want from me? Do we have a beef with them?” I asked.

King Stephan was strangely quiet watching my hand as I lowered the glass back on the table. The look on his face and his sudden quietness brought goosebumps to my skin. “The werewolves think that Azalea belongs to them,” he said.

“Well, does it?” I asked.

Again another silence. My belly suddenly was full and I signaled the servant beside me to take away the tray.

“This kingdom belongs to us and not the werewolves. Beasts belong to the forest," father said.

“If Azalea belongs to us, why are we then referred to as the Delans?” I asked.

“That's because we bear the name of the first man who started our lineage.”

“Why is our kingdom not named after him then, father?” I asked searching his expression.

“Our kingdom is named after Azalea the goddess that protects us from the werewolves.” King Stephan jerked to his feet. “Get some sleep, Larissa, I don't want you having eye bags in tomorrow's ball.” He turned and headed out of the room.

“Our kingdom is named after a goddess? I have never heard about this maybe I should ask my mother tonight,” Zia offered and resumed combing my hair. I had retired to my bedroom and related to my best friend what King Stephan had just told me.

“Have you seen a werewolf before?”

Zia shook her head. “I haven't,” she said, “But my mother once told me how they used to live here centuries ago,” the girl added.

“What?” I gasped.

“Yes, she said humans and the werewolves used to live together here in Azalea. I- I don't know what happened and now only we the humans inhabit the land.” Zia sighed.

I shook my head not wanting to buy the thought. “Call me naive or anything but I refuse to believe that shapeshifters exist, c'mon this is what we read in storybooks it's not reality.”

As we always do, I stood up from the chair and Zia replaced me. I began to comb her hair. “How do you think they end up in books?” Zia asked.

“Well, it's just somebody's imagination and they make it look so real that we believe it,” I said. And that marked the end of the argument. Minutes later after Zia was gone and the candles were off, my eyes shone in the dark as I lay in my bed wondering...

Do werewolves really exist?