Alpha's Torn Heart

KATHERINE'S POV   I was sitting in front of my vanity, but my eyes weren't actually seeing the reflection on my face in the mirror. As a matter of fact, I was trying to be less aware of my surroundings as possible. I felt a slight pull on my hair, and then a satisfied chuckle. "Done" the hair stylist said, clapping her hands once and spraying some product on my hair as a final touch. "What do you think, Kate? Do you like it?" Muffling a sigh, I rushed back to reality and focused my eyes on my reflection. My usually wavy and slightly frizzy mane had been tamed and fixed in a beautiful bohemian half-do, full of soft braids and hair twists. She even managed to put some flowers and rose buds in it, and a tiara on the top of my head. It was an amazing work, but I just couldn’t be happy about it. The real problem about it was its meaning. As the only heir of my father, the Alpha of the Bright Moon pack, it was my duty to make sure the pack was going to have a leader (a male leader) after my dad; and the only way I could fulfill this duty was through my own marriage. That simple thought was enough to light up flames of anger inside me: many of the wolves in my pack had found their mate and were now happy and satisfied; I, on the other hand, would have been sacrificed to a man whose face I didn't even know. All I knew of him was that he was the son of the Alpha of the Silver Sea pack, Raynard, and that his name was quite unusual: Murtagh. The Silver Sea werewolves lived on the coast, and not much was known about them. According to rumors, however, they were a warlike and violent pack that subjected the smaller ones with the force of a wave. It was said that they killed men and women with the same cruelty, and that abandoned orphaned pups in the remains of their homes, leaving them to their fate. As if that weren't enough, it was said that since the last year Murtagh himself had become the cruelest of them all: he seemed to have killed more Alphas than anyone else in his pack, perhaps even more than his father. Rumors of his wickedness and cruelty had made the rounds of the packs over and over, and his name was always pronounced with a mixture of fear, respect and awe. 'Why precisely with them? Why with him?' I sighed to myself. 'Because that’s what the pack needs’ snorted Varya, my she-wolf. 'There are so many packs we could ally ourselves with! Honest and civilized packs! We are one of the main packs in the country, and of the highest rank'. 'Yes, just like the Silver Sea. Who were the only ones who had a future Alpha around your age. The others were either too old or too young'. Unfortunately she was right: Murtagh was the only suitor of my age. The only possible eligible candidate. 'I don't know what to do' I confessed. 'You have no choice' Varya murmured. 'Not that I like it, of course. I would like to meet our mate as much as you do. But sometimes, you have to sacrifice yourself for the common good'. 'They say he's cruel. What if…' the words choked in my throat as a familiar sensation gripped my stomach: fear. Murtagh's treachery was well known: he could have made my life a living hell with extreme ease, and the marriage contract I had signed did not include the possibility of a divorce, on either side. I would be stuck in a loveless marriage with a horrible and evil man. 'What if he beats you?' Varya concluded for me. 'Is this what you fear? It will not happen. Murtagh might have a hideous reputation, but he is not a fool: he will not dare to antagonize your father, one of the most powerful Alphas. Moreover, if he only dares to hurt us, we’ll kick his ass'. Her bravery made me smile and restored my faith in myself: I wasn’t the strongest female of my pack out of nothing. My father’s blood, the blood of the Alpha, ran in my veins. I was perfectly able to stand my chance against another Alpha. I thanked the stylist and the makeup artist, got up from the vanity and walked slowly towards the large closet of the hotel where I was staying: obviously the Silver Sea pack had offered me the best room in their pack house, but I had preferred to decline the offer, because I wanted to delay the meeting with my fiancé (I was disgusted having to use that word for a person I did not know and towards whom I was only afraid) as much as possible. The wedding dress was hanging from one of the doors: in a blinding white, it was created by the women of the pack, as was tradition. It was an off-shoulder, empire-style dress, with a six-metre train that started from the shoulders. The silk of which it was made was very soft and of the highest quality, with embroideries of moons and stars all over the skirt; it was very long, so much that I was afraid of tripping over it, given the high heels on which I had to walk and whose mere sight terrified me. The seamstresses had already started working on it the week following the "engagement", which had taken place at a distance; Murtagh's father had sent a letter to my dad with the offer of marriage, he had accepted and a few days later the lawyers of the two packs had met to define, together with my father and Raynard, the terms of the agreement. When he got home, Dad handed me a little black velvet box given to him by Raynard: the engagement ring used by all the future Lunas of the Silver Sea pack. It was a wonderful ring with a white gold frame studded with little diamonds and adorned with a beautiful moonstone, that now rested on my ring finger. Along with it had arrived another box closed by a blue bow; inside there was a beautiful tiara, made with sapphires and diamonds, the same that now rested on my head. The note inside made me realize that it was Murtagh's mother, Susan Kirk, who had sent it to me: she wrote that the sapphires would have matched perfectly with my skin tone, and that she couldn’t wait to meet me. She was the only member of the Silver Sea pack that had regarded me with at least a word, albeit in written form. Receiving those jewels, but above all that message, had warmed my heart: it was nice to know that, in that pack, there was at least one person who was interested in getting to know me in a pure, sincere and disinterested way. Slowly I ran the fabric of the dress between my fingers, lost in my thoughts: the softness of the fabric was mesmerizing, and the embroideries were so delicate and precise that I could perfectly guess their shapes by simply touching them. It was a wonderful dress, it was the dress I wanted to marry in: just not with a man I didn't know. I didn't even have a photo or description of him: I was about to walk down the aisle with closed eyes. Knowing I was already late, I grabbed the dress and opened the zip, hidden by the train: I inserted a cotton thread in the slider to be able to pull it up easily and then, being careful not to stain or crease the fabric, I put it on. Once the zip was closed, I cut the thread, put on the high-heeled, white lace pumps and turned to the mirror. Despite the situation in which I was falling, I could not help but smile in front of that sight: the dress perfectly wrapped my body, elegantly emphasizing the curves of the hips and breasts and making me look taller, ideal for a petite girl like me. The fabric slid over me like water and made my figure glow, matching my pale skin; and as Susan had written, the tiara she had given me made my complexion and my hair stand out in equal measure. "You look beautiful, wolfie”. The warm and deep voice of my father made me jump with surprise: without being noticed, he had walked into the room, probably while I was lost gazing in the mirror. "Dad!" I ran to meet him and plunged into his arms: immediately his smell of maple and autumn leaves enveloped me, bringing back the feeling of safety I always felt as a child. It was the scent of family, of the pack: and the pack does not abandon you. Never. "Oh, Kate ... I never thought I'd live to see this day ... but here you are, gorgeous as a princess" he smiled. His warm brown eyes were shining with emotion and the light of the full moon was reflected in his tears. I thought of catching that moment to tell him how I really felt about my wedding: with him, my grandma and all the other members of the pack I had lied shamelessly, always showing myself happy and in seventh heaven from the moment he told me he had arranged my marriage. It would have been easy to give vent to my feelings: I knew that, seeing me so scared and worried, he would immediately interrupt the ceremony. What restrained me was his proud and happy expression: Dad had rarely been so happy since the death of mom and Kenny. Since that tragic day he had done everything he could to protect me and make me happy, and I knew that this marriage was also part of that plan: he knew that the extremely violent but loyal members of the Silver Sea would do anything for the future Luna. Through the marriage we would have united the two most powerful and prestigious packs of the country, becoming a de facto royal family and giving security to both packs. It was the wisest thing to do: all sides would win and be happy. Everyone except me. Oh, and Murtagh, probably. Who knows, maybe he didn't want to marry me too. "Ready to get married, sweetie?" Dad asked, and I nodded. I rarely lied to him, and when I did I felt a lump in my throat; this time, however, I did not, because I knew that it would be the truth that made him feel bad. 'For the pack. I do it for the pack' . 'It will be fine' Varya tried to reassure me. 'I'm sure'. "Good" Dad smiled and held out his arm to me. "Then, off we go. Your fiancé is waiting for you". 'Murtagh' I tried to pronounce his name in my mind, just to get used to the pronunciation and sound: it was not a bad name, just a little strange. Rare, actually. It was the name of the man with whom I would spend the rest of my life: I had better get used to it. We headed for the exit of the room, but suddenly dad shook his head and put a hand to his forehead. "I was almost forgetting!" he exclaimed. Then he put his hand in his pocket and pulled out an elegant box, inside which there was a beautiful pair of yellow diamond earrings, one in the shape of a star and one in the shape of a moon. They were so beautiful that their sight left me breathless. The earrings were shining bright, and I couldn't help but be reminded of the name of pack, Bright Moon: the pack that I felt I was leaving, despite the fact that things were not quite so. 'I don't want to enter the Silver Sea ... I don't want to ...' "Honey? Katie, what's wrong with you? " dad asked worriedly and pulled me in a tight hug. "Come on, don't cry… don't ruin such a beautiful make up. Look, these earrings are part of the pack's jewelry collection, but they all agreed to give them to you as you are about to join two packs. Yes, from now on you will be a Silver Sea, but when the time shall come you and Murtagh will be Alpha and Luna of both packs. You will always be a Bright Moon... The most shining star of the pack. Look, now you have something old" and he pointed to the earrings. "Something new," and pointed to my dress. "And something blue," he concluded, adjusting Susan's crown. I quickly nodded and forced a smile on my lips: the sadness in my heart was not only for the change of pack I was about to undergo, but obviously also for the wedding: but this, dad didn't have to know. Dad handed me a handkerchief and I used it to dry my eyes: and now, I looked perfectly ready for my wedding.