Zeno
I'm ready. I think.
The big day is here, the milestone for the whole pack and my father: for everyone but me. Today, I'll be trapped in a loveless marriage with another man.
Not that I've ever thought about marrying a man, but the thought of my partner's gender doesn't bother me as much as the thought of who I'm marrying.
In our society, it's relatively common for same-sex partners to tie the knot. What isn't so common is getting married to a soulless, heartless killer who wanted to slaughter your entire pack unless you agreed to marry him.
At the end of the day, my odds were between this man and a possible war, so I had to choose the least dangerous of all worst. I may be giving up my life and pride to that man, but at least I'm saving hundreds of lives as I do.
A light knock on my bedroom door startles me, and seconds later, it's opened wide enough for my father to poke his head in. "Zeno, son, are you ready yet? The guests are arriving; even some of Rogue Alpha's men have gathered," a sad smile spreads across his lips as he notices me standing in front of the mirror. Opening the door a little wider, he enters the bedroom and closes the door behind him. "You look handsome."
I wish I could look happy and thank him for the compliment. I wish I had the talent to pretend and play this spectacle for him. But I can't. I can't force myself to act- we know this isn't my happy day.
Unfortunately, by the time I leave the comfort of my bedroom, I'll have to put on the mask of the happy groom. The pack can't find out this is a part of a vicious deal for the sake of their safety. If a rumour gets around, the rest of the Alphas will find out I'm siding with an enemy, and that will bring massive consequences. God, help me pull this off.
"I think I'm ready. Has the Alpha arrived yet?" I swallow the lump forming in my throat and get busy adjusting the tie.
"I couldn't tell." Father walks up to me and helps me with the tie. Actually, mom would do it, but her health has deteriorated, so I assume she's back in her chambers resting.
Thoughts of my mother cloud my mind until father tugs at the tie around my neck. All of a sudden, my brain kicks into high gear, and I think of his previous words. "What? Wait, haven't you met him yet?"
He chuckles and shakes his head, "Not really."
"Father? Is there something you forgot to mention?" I raise an eyebrow, but all he does is force his lips into a thin line and stare at me. I ignore any need for a neat hairstyle and run my fingers through my hair. "I'm the Alpha of this pack, remember? There's no need to remind me that you were an Alpha before I took my place; like it or not, it's part of the past. I'm the present and future of Silver Moons. I respect you and your choices, but you have no respect for me, either as a son or an Alpha. I've overlooked the fact that you made this deal behind my back, but from now on, I won't tolerate disrespect. Spit it out, father." As I speak, I grow more frustrated than I've been in years.
I don't want to be like this- a spoiled, disrespectful brat, but he has no right to go behind my back. One thing my father can't seem to comprehend is that since the day I took over, he has no rights. None at all. I make the rules decide what's good and what's not, and I'm definitely not the one to be left in the dark.
He averts his gaze to his feet, "We had a meeting, but I don't think the Rogue Alpha was in the office with me." His voice is a mere whisper, and the once-powerful Alpha now looks like a scolded child.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I start pacing the room.
There's no way he agreed to this stupid, outrageous deal without having a chance to meet the man, is there?
"They were all wearing masks," father shrugs.
I don't get it. For the last two days, he's acted like his world has fallen apart, but now he's so carefree- I don't know him. So the whole deal with the Rogue Alpha is huge, but selling away his only child is a small sacrifice now.
I raise an eyebrow again. There's something really fishy about everything he says. "And you couldn't tell which one had the strongest aura?"
I watch as father steps away from me and eyes the bedroom with nothing but suspicion. Could this mean he thinks I'm hiding a camera here? He walks over to my bed, sits down, and finally looks at me. "One of them caught my eye, but he didn't say anything, and for the most part, he stood aside. I thought he was a bodyguard for one of those men."
Now, he's annoying me. There are so many factors that could point to the Rogue Alpha, and he still failed to notice them? "Size difference? I heard he was born under the Hades moon, so that should give him out even in a massive crowd. Those Alphas are over seven feet tall, so that's a massive giveaway." I point out the most obvious thing.
He seems to be thinking before his gaze returns to the floor again, "Well, it doesn't help that his army is mostly made up of Alphas from Hades Moon, does it?"
"Yeah, I guess it doesn't." I retort and head for the door.
There's no need to question him any longer. My father has aged, and I get his memory may be worse than it used to be. I don't wait for him and walk straight to the living room of our packhouse- that's where the ceremony will take place.
As if my day couldn't get any better, as soon as I walk downstairs, I notice a commotion in the far corner of the room. As I get closer, I see a massive man dressed in black with a black mask covering his face. Yet, the part that piques my interest isn't his giant figure or the dangerous aura surrounding him- it's one of my pack members he's holding in a deadly grip, pressing against the wall.
"What in the world is going on here?" I finally hiss, drawing everyone's attention to myself.
Another male dressed the same as the intruder jumps in front of them and throws his hands up. "Look, guys, here comes the bride!"
Alpha Hades We chose to stand behind the gathering crowd. I don't want to let anyone know who I am until the time is right. Damon stands next to me and watches as the wolves arrive to take their places.He nudges me and leans closer, "Are you sure this is the right thing to do? We discussed the deal, and you never told the old Alpha you would think on the day of the ceremony. The Rogue Alpha signed the papers, my friend; we can't back out of this without losing our honour."I scan the crowd once more and let a low groan pass my lips. I don't see the old fool among the guests nor the young Alpha. Have they decided to blow the deal before I've fully made up my mind?Damon
Zeno "My name is Nero Hades, and you, Alpha, look like you're mine."His words echo in my mind again and again. The longer I look at him, the more I feel like my head is spinning. Especially with the tone in which he said the word "mine". He said it so loudly and with so much emphasis that I'm sure even our neighbours heard him.Even though we're literally in the spotlight, and I'm sure my pack members don't want to miss out on the drama, his men slowly lead everyone to their seats.Never, not in a million years, did I think I'd be thankful for the Rogue Alpha's men around me.Wait, he can't be the Rogue Alpha now that we
Alpha HadesAh, if only I could put his facial expression in words. The best comparison I can think of to how the Old Alpha Silver looks now is a child who had a chance to grab and taste a lemon for the first time in his life.Someone's not happy about giving his son away. No one asked him for such a deal; it was his idea, not mine.Yet now, while his pretty little son stands in front of me and I hold his hands, the old bastard keeps throwing me death stares.I wonder how he'll react when he finds out I'm taking his precious son away from this territory. Arranged marriage or not, I can't let anyone put my almost-husband in danger.I grin at the older Silver when Zeno, I believe th
ZenoI should listen to my father; every part of me almost cries out that I should. But I can't.An adult Alpha wouldn't allow a friend, or a pack member, to support his weight unless something was seriously wrong with him. I won't mention it; I'm sure Nero has a reason to hide his possible injuries.Fake marriage or not, the man in front of me is my husband, and I promised to stay by his side for better or worse, and that's exactly what I intend to do.This whole spectacle wasn't my idea, it was my father's, and he should know that I'm supposed to stand by my husband's side so that everyone believes we have feelings for each other.Isn't deciding for me whom
Alpha HadesThank the Goddess, I didn't have to chase my bratty wife around the damn pack.It's amusing how I understand that my spouse is a man and I should call him my husband, but I can't restrain myself from thinking of Zeno as my wife, let alone addressing him by anything other than that.But to be fair, I didn't expect him to be like this.When old Silver Alpha came up with the deal, I was sure I was getting involved with a spoiled brat, but Zeno proved to be anything but that.Yes, he's a bit bratty, but that's something I can put aside as an Alpha trait- the constant need to defy everyone and prove his superiority.
Zeno"Damon, you have thirty seconds to close that door," Nero growls, his eyes still fixed on my face.Here I was, thinking Nero's friend saved my ass, but it seems my husband won't let anyone free me from his grip.I gulp and try to get off him, but Nero growls even louder and tightens his hold on me.The friend, Damon, doesn't move from the spot. I glance at him, hoping I look as desperate for help as ever, which I probably do because his gaze holds pity. Great, even one of Nero's men pities my position. I can't drop any lower than that."Five," Nero snarls, turning his attention to Damon.
Alpha HadesDid I come off too strong? Perhaps, but then again, he's an Alpha and should be able to take my shit with ease.Now that I think about it, maybe, just maybe, I'm wrong.What if there really is more to Zeno than meets the eye?One of those hidden things must be connected to the medicine he mentioned earlier. What kind of crap does he have to take if he doesn't want to die? How severe is the disease? What in the world could be fatal to an Alpha? Unless it's another shifter, I've never heard of a disease that could take down an Alpha werewolf.Then comes his unique appearance. Only a blind man wouldn't notice how handsome the Silver Alpha is, b
ZenoI can't believe this. He's impossible.Nero always has an answer ready, no matter what I do or say. And on top of that, to make it worse, he chooses what to respond to or what to ignore.Couldn't my father warn me about Nero and his behaviour? Probably not, since he had no idea whom I would marry.I wait for Nero to carry me inside the bedroom and let me back on my feet. Again, I have to remind myself why I put up with his behaviour. For my people, I'll sleep in the monster's bed. It sucks that his bedroom looks perfect and his bed incredibly comfortable. I'd feel like I'm doing more if he locked me in the cells.Nero's gaze nearly bu