Alpha’s Revenge Luna, chapter one

Emery My hands shake as I try to fix my dark, unruly hair in the foyer mirror. I glare at my reflection. I’m half tempted to find a pair of clippers and shave it off; it’s pointless.

My mother would pitch a fit if I shamed her like that on the night of the ceremony. “Your hair looks fine. Besides, if you look ugly, at least you won’t be picked,”

Caleb, my six-year-old little brother says as he watches me finish preparing for the annual mating ceremony. I huff; he does have a good point. Maybe I should risk Mom’s wrath by shaving it?

I ponder that thought for a few moments, imagining her horror. “Why are you even awake, Caleb?”

I ask him. He shrugs and then sulks, jutting out his bottom lip, his eyes turning glassy. “I wanted to see you off,” he mumbles, and I purse my lips at his words.

The ceremony is held once a year in a different pack, and this year, it’s my father’s pack’s turn to hold the ceremony. “But you should be in bed,”

I tell him softly, turning to face him. He stares up at me with his big green eyes, his blond curls getting in the way, making him swipe his fringe aside. “But what if it’s the last time I see you?”

I frown at him. I’m terrified of what tonight may bring, but that doesn’t mean he should be. Unfortunately, this is just one of the barbaric traditions werewolf society has upheld and forced upon women.

Once a she-wolf comes of age, or if the ceremony falls on the year of their nineteenth birthday, they must attend at least one. Even being an Alpha’s daughter I would still be required t0 go. Dropping the brush, I move toward him.

“How about I tuck you into bed?”

I ask, only to see him gaze up at me with tear-filled eyes. “What if you don’t come back? What if you’re chosen? You’re my only friend, the only sister I have left,” he sniffles, wiping his nose on his pajama top.

“Trinity came back, didn’t she? No one would be silly enough to challenge Dad for my hand,”

I remind him, brushing his hair from his eyes. “What about Alpha Dion? What if he shows up?”

Just his name turns my blood ice cold, and a shiver slivers up my spine. He is my father’s biggest rival and is feared just as much. “Alpha Dion has a mate, silly. Why would you think that?”

I try to reassure him. Caleb fiddles with his fingers in his lap, and I take my seat beside him. “Caleb?”

I brush my fingers through his hair. “Please don’t go; I heard the servants speaking about what Dad…” he whimpers.

“You heard what?”

I ask, confused by his sudden fear. Caleb refuses to give me an answer, so whatever it is has scared him into silence. Instead, he clutches my dress, his little knuckles turning white.

“Don’t go, please, Emery.”

I furrow my brows. “If we leave now, we might be able to hide in the forest until the ceremony is over.”

I swallow, glancing away, trying not to let emotion get the better of me. “I can’t lose you, too. Who would play with me?”

I smile sadly. I hate seeing him so upset, though I understand what troubles him. He’s right; I am his only friend in this mansion we call home.

Caleb is also the only friend I have, too. We weren’t allowed to attend school or meet the other pack children. Separating from him would feel like losing a part of myself.

This place is just a fancy prison. We are homeschooled and only allowed out for functions or to visit my grandmother, and we are always under guard. We rarely interact with anyone besides those who work here in the pack house.

My father is paranoid, and it has a suffocating effect on everyone around him. My sister Trinity hated it here and was constantly in trouble for going against our father. He raises us in his image, and Trinity was supposed to be the next Alpha, so she was allowed out for “training,” but never without our father.

She longed for freedom and eventually got her wish to leave this place. Only I never expected her to leave it the way she did. “Aren’t you scared?”

Caleb asks me. I am quick to shake my head, although the plunging of my stomach proves it’s a lie. I’m petrified; it’s no secret that Alphas can be cruel and possessive monsters, but I’m of Alpha blood, too.

Indeed, that has to stand for something right against another. Not only that, but I’ve only met one male Alpha, and that is my father. I’ve heard horror stories about them, especially Alpha Dion.

But I can’t tell my little brother how scared I truly am. Besides, there’s no point in us both being frightened. “Have you seen your father?” my mother asks, entering the living room and using the hall stand mirror to put on her earrings.

Her eyes dart to Caleb beside me. “Caleb, why are you awake? Bed, now!”

“But mom?” he whines.

“No, buts mister. Now get to bed; don’t make me get your father,” she commands.

Caleb instantly jumps to his feet at the threat of our father. He wraps his arms around my neck, squeezing tightly. “If you’re chosen, promise you’ll escape, promise you’ll come back to me?” he whispers, and I swallow.

My mother meets my eyes in the mirror, and I avert my gaze, kissing him on the cheek. “Go climb in bed before you get in trouble,”

I whisper, knowing I can’t promise that. It’s unlikely I’ll be chosen given who our father is, but I won’t promise him, just on the off chance something goes awry. Caleb rushes off, and I run my fingers through my hair.

“Where is your father? We’re going to be late,” she hisses.

“I think he’s still in his office,”

I tell her with a sigh. My mother clicks her tongue, turning to face me, and her eyes widen. “Emery, get up. You’ll ruin your dress, oh, and fix your hair,” she scolds.

She stomps over to me, grabs me by my arm, hauling me to the mirror by the door and flattening my dress. “Emery!” she hisses.

“Hurry, hurry, fix your hair. Your father hates waiting and is in one of his moods,”

Mom scolds while I glare at my reflection in the mirror. I want to leave it down. Besides, aren’t we the ones waiting on him?

But she’s right; something has irritated my father; he’s been on a warpath all day. My father has always been impatient, and I can tell by the tone of my mother’s voice he is in a terrible mood. “Or we could just not go,”

I tell her, fixing the few strands that escaped my braid. “It’s tradition, and no one gets out of it. Not even the Alpha’s daughter,”

Mom says, shooting me a look in the mirror. I pout and roll my eyes at her. This is so unfair.

Trinity, my older sister, attended last year. She found it rather exciting and hoped to be picked by an Alpha so she could escape our overbearing father. I don’t that excitement one bit.

Unluckily for her, she wasn’t chosen. Dad made sure of that. No one would take his precious girls from him.

However, she was killed during the last rogue attack, leaving the pack to me as the second oldest, assuming I’m not married off tonight. I am three days out from my 19th birthday and from getting my wolf. I couldn’t wait because that meant Dad would start training me to take over the pack.

My sister never wanted to be Alpha while I longed for it, but at the same time, it saddened me because I knew I only received the position by default after she met her demise. Unfortunately, werewolves are a dying species, and our numbers have slowly dwindled over the years because of hunters and vampires. It’s also what created these functions.

On one hand, it addressed the alarmingly low number of females. On the other hand, it helped to keep the treaties in check, which is crucial for maintaining peace. It is a way for the Alphas to have their pick of the litter, so to speak.

“But why? Why are we sold off like livestock? Why not the men? I don’t see why they get to choose,”

I snap, staring at myself in the mirror where she stood behind me. My green silk dress slides to the floor, and I glare at the silky fabric. “It’s not so bad. Besides, it is how I met your father, and we are happy enough.”

Mom shrugs. I raise an eyebrow. Who is she trying to convince, herself or me?

Mom sighs at my expression before returning to fix my hair. I’m tempted to make an excuse to use the bathroom and quickly shave it off to make myself fugly enough to ensure rejection. “You’ll be fine. Just keep your head down, and don’t draw attention to yourself. Blend in,” she tells me.

Yeah, because my guards would allow me not to stand out when Dad has them shadowing me everywhere, even in the damn bathroom. While people may look past me, giants beside and behind me cannot be overlooked. “You never know. You might even have fun.”

Mom nudges me. I roll my eyes. “Yeah, as long as some Alpha asshole doesn’t pick me!”

I grit my teeth, and Mom sighs loudly. She isn’t the one having to worry about being picked; she already did this. I doubt anyone would pick me and risk their lives, anyway.

However, there is only one Alpha I fear. Alpha Dion. He isn’t just a werewolf, either; he’s something else.

Alpha Dion already has a mate and Luna, so I know he won’t. Still, it also isn’t unheard of for an Alpha to discard his chosen if they couldn’t carry an heir, and I know Alpha Dion’s Luna has failed miserably to provide one in the past. I pray she succeeds because no one wants to belong to that monster.

My father told me Alpha Dion lives west of our pack in the mountains and his men are more animal than human. The other Alpha, I know, likely won’t attend, given his age. I’d be surprised if his manhood even worked, though maybe he would be a suitable choice with one foot in the grave already.

I could speed it up by giving him a slight push. I chuckle at my dark thoughts, earning a sharp look from my mother. She glances at the gigantic clock on the wall, ticking the minutes by.

“And what about destined mates? I could have a mate somewhere, and you would deny them?”

I ask, not that I wanted one of those, either. However, I am not interested in being paraded around while the Alphas get to decide which cattle are the juiciest, which has the best child-bearing hips, and which are worthy of carrying an heir. Me, I am one of the damn juiciest cattle on parade tonight.

“It’s the law, and there is no such thing as destined mates anymore, you know this. No one has found their mates in three centuries. It’s all myth and legend,”

Mom chides before shucking me under the chin and forcing me to meet her hazel eyes. It was the law that all females attend these functions the year of their nineteenth birthday. I will turn nineteen in three days, which, back when mates existed, meant I would finally be of age to recognize mine.

My mother says they’re long gone. But even if they exist, I will still be forced to attend. No matter their status, once you become of age, even being the Alpha’s daughter doesn’t allow me an exemption from it.

Mom pinches my cheek. “It’s your duty as the Alpha’s daughter to attend at least one of these functions. Then you get to come home and take over your father’s pack,” she says before her eyes scrutinize my lips.

I nearly jump away from her when I see her lick her thumb, and it comes toward my face to fix my lipstick. “Ew, Mom, I am not five, jeez.”

She chuckles. I grab a tissue from the coffee table to fix what she has been trying to do. The woman has eyes like a hawk.

My lipstick looks acceptable to me. Not to her, though. “You’ll always be my baby girl,” she laughs.

“A baby girl you’re sending off to parade in front of Alphas like a piece of meat for the slaughter!”

I retort. She rolls her eyes at me. “You’re being dramatic,” she says as I throw the tissue in the fire.

“Besides, you know these functions. You become lost in the sea of other women, just blending into the background. No one would dare go against your father. Look at Trinity; she got to come home after not even one Alpha dared try to take your father’s precious little girl from him. This year will be no different,” she tells me, and I sigh, praying she is right.

The doorbell chimes, and my mother glances toward the foyer. “That must be Nina; she’s going to watch Caleb. Go tell your father we are ready to leave,” she tells me before answering the door.

“I was hoping she wouldn’t show up, so we didn’t have to go,”

I mutter. My mother cuts me an ice-cold glare. I wander off down the hall, hearing my mother answer the door and greet Nina.

In his office, Dad is sitting by the fire waiting for us. Glass of whiskey in hand, he glares at the fireplace while his Beta talks in a hushed voice. Despite his Beta’s efforts, Dad is too focused on the flames to notice he is trying to explain the importance of their upcoming business trip.

He appears in deep thought. My father peers up when he hears my heels click on the marble floors. Beta Tyson also glances up before swiftly walking to the double doors and closing them.

I fold my arms across my chest. When voices rise, I jump away to stand by the kitchen door. However, I hear two of my father’s servants talking quietly near the pantry door.

Unable to resist the temptation to eavesdrop, I tiptoe to the door to listen in, wondering why they’re so secretive. “Alpha Michael better hope Alpha Dion doesn’t show up after what happened to his Luna,” one servant whispers.

“Do you think he would show up? Why would he look for an extra Luna?” the other replies.

“Wait, haven’t you heard about Alpha Dion’s pack being attacked? His Luna was badly hurt…”

“What?” the other exclaims.

“Don’t worry. She didn’t die… Apparently, the attack was bad. Alpha Dion blamed their Alpha and told him he would pay for it.”

“But what does that have to do with the ceremony?”

“Dion was overheard saying he’d come after the Alpha and take his wife as his Luna.”

I am about to rip the door open and demand to know what they’re talking about and where they got such ridiculous information when I hear my father’s voice behind me. “What are you doing?” he snaps, slamming the kitchen door shut and making me jump.

He grabs me by the arm and yanks me away from the whispering servants. My father’s Beta strides out, and his eyes widen as he watches my father scold me. “Ouch, Dad, that hurts,”

I tell him when the two servants walk out. My father lets my arm go, his glare turning on them. The two women freeze in their tracks as he points at them.

“What have I said about gossip in the halls and instilling unnecessary fear?” he snarls at them.

They both pale under his glare, his aura whipping out and lashing them. Baring their necks to him, one quickly blurts out, “Sorry, Alpha.”

“I’ll deal with you both once I return,” he snarls.

Both women whimper and rush off when my mother steps into the hallway. “Get rid of her while I speak to Emery,”

Father tells Beta Tyson, who quickly rushes off to distract my mother. Once he leaves, I turn my attention to my father. “Mom sent me to get you,”

I stutter out. “What have I told you about eavesdropping?” he growls, waving his finger mere inches off my face.

“I wasn’t, I was—”

I stammer, the words becoming lodged in my throat. My father growls, and I stop speaking. “One word to your mother about whatever you overheard, and you’ll spend a week in the basement,” he threatens.

I swallow and shrink under his gaze. He then straightens and fixes his tie. “Let’s get this over with,” he sighs.

He did this last year with my sister, and though she was excited about the event, I the same thoughts as my father. I don’t want to go. Reluctantly, I follow him, and Mom comes rushing over to me.

Her brows furrow when she sees my father’s grumpy face. “Did something happen?” she whispers as we follow him out of the car.

“Hurry, stop dawdling,” my father snaps at us, and we move faster, racing to catch up to him “Ready?”

Mom asks. “No,”

I say glumly, dragging my feet. I wonder briefly if I can chuck a tantrum to get out of it, but I know that won’t work. And I dare not give Dad a reason to get his belt or, worse, get one of his men to do it.

It has happened in the past. A good child needs discipline, or so he says. I suppose, in a sense, it worked when we were younger because we are his model daughters now.

Or I am anyway, since Trinity is no longer with us. “You’ll be fine. Just attend the ceremony, and we’ll take you home, I promise,” she says, pecking my cheek.

With a sigh, I follow her out of the house. As I stomp toward the waiting limo, she smooths down my dress at the back. I would rather go wearing a potato sack.

Though I hate wearing dresses, I even admit this one is pretty and perfectly fits my curves.