The Alpha's Daughter

Prologue

"Ah!" her cry was heard as his heavy hand met her face.

"Maman!" Emma caught her mother before the pregnant woman could hit the floor.

“When will you learn woman?” Dusan glared down at his wife, Samara growled with teeth bared. He still towered over their son unfazed.

“Luna please remember the baby”, her attendants started to crowd her.

Samara pushed the women away. “They’re all my children!” She bared her teeth and they were scared silly, “Why are you forcing me to prioritize?”

“Maman s'il te plaît”, Emma fretted over her mother. She was worried Samara may lose this fourth pregnancy and it wouldn’t be Dusan’s fault. “Just breathe”, she counseled her mother.

Samara calmed as she focused on her daughter's face until her eyes flitted upwards. Dusan raised his hand again. "Stop it", she escaped Emma’s hold and grabbed his arm, "he's only seven!"

“His suffering is your fault”, he roared, “giving birth to disgraces! If I had known alpha women were so useless I would’ve taken an omega b***h instead!” He raised his hand again.

“Don’t touch them”, Emma grabbed his hand before he could deliver the blow. Dusan’s eyes flared red, Emma knew what was coming before he raised his foot. To her surprise, a hand came around her middle and the expected impact was softened. “Emmett!?” Emma held onto her hunched over twin. The fourteen-year-old grunted and he took a knee.

“What are you doing here Fils?” Dusan arched a brow as he stalked towards his eldest child.

Emma moved but Emmett stopped her. He stood to his full height and blocked everyone from his father. “I heard the commotion, so I came to investigate Père”, his voice was levelled.

“But you have class now. No?” Just then the tutor made it on the scene, he was out of breath. Dusan slowly looked at the man over his shoulder. “I should kill you for your incompetence”, he hissed.

The tutor swallowed harshly and quickly stood by the heir. “Emmett let us return”, the tutor gripped the boy’s shoulder.

However the fourteen-year-old remained unmoving, his expression stiff but his eyes burned with loathing. The Alpha knew that look. “I don’t like that look Fils, but I’m willing to overlook it”, Dusan grunted, "leave with your tutor son.” Emmett gritted his teeth, still straining Beta's arm. The Alpha's brow ticked, "GO STUDY BOY!" he growled.

The eldest flinched and the Beta took that as an opportunity to drag him away. Emmett was quick to snap out of it, he pulled his limb free with a growl of his own. This time he faced his mother. "Go bébé", Samara mouthed. Emma nodded to her twin as well with a small smile. Samara could see the tears that welled up behind his glasses as his hand curled into fists. Emmett turned away from his tutor and ran to the study.

The sight of murderous rage in his unusually passive son pleased Dusan. "That boy would've been perfect if it wasn't for that damned defect", Dusan grumbled.

While Dusan was distracted Emma gathered her younger brother and mother and started for the exit of the courtyard. Her focused eyes abruptly screwed shut as she screamed out. She futilely kicked at the air as Dusan held her up by her hair. Emilio desperately grabbed at his collar that threatened to choke him.

“Hold her”, the Alpha grunted.

The attendants immediately restrained their Luna. "No!" Samara helplessly reached for her struggling children.

Both remained silent while the Alpha grumbled, he stopped the moment they entered the courtyard of the family wing. Dusan threw the children to the ground, “stay out of my sight you disgraces.” Emma fell first and was quick to try to lessen Emilio’s impact with her body. She met the Alpha’s eyes with a defiant glare as she hugged her brother protectively, Dusan merely snorted. She had impressive reflexes and sharp instincts. “A shame you’re a girl”, he grunted as he walked away.

The Alpha disappeared around the corner, it was then that Emma felt the small body in her arms begin to shake. She hugged him close. “You did well”, she patted Emilio’s back. The seven-year-old hadn’t cried once but now that the Alpha was gone he couldn’t hold it any longer. “It’s okay”, Emma petted him gently, “you can let it out here.”

Emma curled up on the hard courtyard floor and hugged her baby brother close as he sobbed in her chest. She tilted her head up and swallowed the pain in her throat, biting back tears of her own. Soon the child fell asleep in her arms. Emma fought her pain and fatigue and carried her brother to his room. She laid his blue penguin blanket over him, even at midday, Emilio’s room could get very drafty. Emma stretched and headed for her room not too far away. Her hand hovered over his door and she turned back to her brother.

“Sweet dreams”, she kissed him on the forehead the way their mother would. Only then did she feel satisfied despite the taste of blood and dirt in her mouth. She pulled the door adjacent and finally left. Emma leaned herself against the wall but ultimately slid to the floor. As she took a moment to recover Emma could only pray for her mother and unborn sibling’s safety. Emma sucked in a deep breath and pulled herself to her feet. With a hand on the wall, she dragged her body along the corridor. Despite her prayer, she felt as though nothing would be alright as long as Dusan ruled. Emma chuckled to herself, she doesn’t think she’ll be able to pay attention when Emmett sneaks into her room to teach her what he learnt today.

That smile was maintained by a single hope that by some miracle Emmet would take over soon. He was their only hope.

Emilio could feel himself drifting in the dreamlike plains when the sound of something being locked cut through his tranquillity like a knife. Emilio shot upright, white-hot fear pumping in his veins. As if falling into a night terror, howls suddenly filled the night. His ears were assaulted by a wave of anguished wails, just when he thought it couldn’t get any worse smoke tickled his nose. The room suddenly became much brighter than before and its temperature spiked drastically. Tendrils of red hot dancing flames swallowed the roof, incessantly licking the sides of the wall. Dusan liked to lock Emilio in his room just to get the child out of his sight, Emilio’s fear spiked.

Staring at the flames a single thought entered his mind. “Did Dusan finally lose his mind? Was he going to kill the entire pack?”

He snapped out of his daze as the smell of smoke burned his lungs and stung his eyes. He found a bit of clarity, even if Dusan went crazy a bloody rampage suited that bastard more than razing the property to the ground. New motive invaded his thoughts, escape ricocheted in his head.

Emilio remembered the tunnel Emmer and Emmett had dug for him. The boy rushed to the bed and dropped to his knees, the pain registered faintly in the back of his mind. He pushed his night table aside and pulled two-ply of wood to reveal the entrance of his escape tunnel. In truth, he’s only used this a few times to escape from his personal prison. Emma’s room was his usual sanctuary, but his sister was the furthest from his focus at the moment. Emilio dropped on all fours, without transforming, and entered the tunnel. He could feel the heat beginning to rise in his tunnel, he glanced back to see the flames dancing on the wooden floor. The seven-year-old steeled himself, he pulled his weight, soldier crawling to freedom despite the crackles of the laughing fire surrounding him. He reached the boards that led to outside, he was eager to get out of this cramped space. Emilio pushed hard against the boards but they wouldn’t budge, it was blocked. His fear spiked. Had Dusan discovered his exit since the last time he used it? The air was thinning and dry heat stung his lungs, he could tell his room had already been consumed by the fire. He couldn’t go back the way he came and the exit was blocked, he started to panic. Shifter or not if Emilio didn’t escape he would die.

He was young and untrained but he knew he needed his Gamma’s help. Emilio put both his hands on the last barrier of wood, “please help me”, he whispered hoarsely.

He felt the wolf within rising, almost immediately strength surged through his muscles. He took the cue and pushed with full force. The wood gave under his hands, so easily in fact, that he wasn’t able to prepare for the fall. He landed with a thud on something hard yet soft. Strength was sapped from his body, so he laid still for a moment to collect himself. His wolf curled up asleep in his chest, he wouldn’t have help for the remainder of the night. As he raised himself his hand landed in something warm. He raised his hand and the smell of copper assaulted him. He hurriedly scrambled away from his place and scrutinized the lump. It was Dusan’s body, his head was a few feet away.

What shocked the seven-year-old was the relief that flooded his chest at the sight of his father’s decapitated corpse.

It was the shadow in his peripherals that reminded him what was at stake. The young wolf started for the woods, as damaged as his nose was, the swaying shadows were close enough for him to identify them. They were vampires. If they were vampires, then this was retaliation.

Dusan was a respecter of no man in the worst regard, he dealt treacherously with all races and stole their lands and subdued them to his iron rule. Yet, it was a shame that the good had to die with the bad. He could see no other outcome in his downtrodden view. They would all die here. Emilio knew that this property would be his grave, it’s just that he always pictured Dusan to be the one to put him six feet under. Vampires were never candidates until now.

The shifting shadows made the seven-year-old detour. He hid in the gaps of the weeping willow’s roots. It was dangerous as some of the exposed roots had sharp edges but it was also his best bet, this specific species would hide his scent for a while. He pushed himself further into the dirt and held his breath as feet passed by the gaps. His heart was loud in his ears as he waited for the danger to pass. After a moment there was silence. Emilio sniffed the air but he couldn’t tell if the coast was truly clear. He poked his head out first and glanced around. After confirming, no one was about, he began to crawl out of the hole. He was almost out when his shorts got caught. Emilio was yanked back and an exposed root rammed through his palm.

Emilio squeezed his eyes shut and bit back a scream. He was bleeding now, not good. “It won’t take long before”, his thoughts were cut off.

A shadow loomed over him. He blinked back the tears that clouded his vision, hoping it to be an illusion. Yet when his eyes were no longer misted over the figure remained, it stood still. Emilio slowly dragged his eyes up. The man before was tall, unnaturally so and he was deathly pale. His frame was hidden under robes of royal purple and blood-red, straight silver hair fell down his shoulders and back. Soon their eyes met and Emilio sucked in a silent breath, his eyes flashed brilliant red, an intricate crimson kaleidoscopic pattern danced in the iris before they became a bottomless black. Emilio immediately knew who this man was, a primal fear rose in his chest. He would only pleadingly hold the man’s eyes.

The man tilted his head and stooped to the child’s level. “I can see it in your eyes”, his voice deep and smooth but his words came out in a hiss, “request what you will child.”

“Help me”, he cried without hesitation, “please.”

Dark eyes scanned his body. “You do not seek death?” Emilio shook his head as tears rolled down his cheeks. “Very well”, the man replied the hiss leaving his voice.

Emilio looked back at him with suspicion when he reached towards him. With a single finger, he overturned the thousand-year-old tree, all its roots exposed. Emilio hadn’t realized he was frozen until a gentle hand lifted him off the ground. The boy found the feeling of being cradled against the cold chest strange, but not unpleasant. He looked back to the man’s face, dark eyes bore into his soul. The man blinked and Emilio was once again speechless. The darkness from the man’s eyes receded to show kind glinting diamonds, his face became more human. High cheekbones and a sharp jaw gave him an exotic appearance.

He parted his lips but his accent was foreign to the young wolf.

“I will take you to my castle and raise you as my own. Are these conditions suitable for you?” Emilio could only nod dumbly, awe-struck by the man’s breath-taking features. “Good.”