Alpha Prince and His Replacement Bride

#3 i***t

Ivan's POV

I am Ivan Black, the alpha prince of the werewolves from the royal Blackmoon family. My father, Marcus Black, is the alpha king. We are the royal family, ruling over the werewolf world for over a century now. We could hold our position and maintain the power balance. For over centuries, my ancestors and father did not let anyone or anything topple our stand. Also, the three other potential families are so busy fighting among themselves for the second spot that it has left us above them.

I had always been the favorite Black among the new generation. When my father declared me the alpha prince sometime after my twentieth birthday, my popularity surpassed that level. But it has been years since that, but I could not find my mate. I can only take over the alpha king position after I marry. No pack is good without a Luna. 

I had always wanted to marry my mate. I believe the moon goddess gives us the perfect match, who can uplift not only our wolf but also our soul. But as an adult wolf, I had my needs. And I finally had to give in to succumb to those. While I rocked the world of the female wolves, my world kept falling apart because no matter where I looked, I could not find my mate. 

So, one day, my parents finally approached me to marry any unmated, high-ranked female wolf who can suit our standards. I resisted at first, becoming reckless. It went on like that for almost a year until my mother had a heart stroke. It was because of the stress she was taking because of me. I had to give up my stubbornness. I had to agree to marry. But I left it on them to choose the bride for me.

The two popular choices were Thea Barbara and Emma Hemming. The Greybeards had no unmated, high-ranked female wolves to compete in that race. Thea upped her game when she seduced me and warmed my bed. I wouldn't deny that she is by far one of the finest women I had f****d. She is flexible since she is a prime-time ballerina. I would have settled for her in lust since I loved neither of them. Plus, Emma is someone I have known my entire life. So, I knew she wanted to marry her mate like me, thanks to her sister. But Emma is my parent's choice. So, things shaped up differently.

I never liked Thomas Hemming or Gerard Hemming, despite their closeness to my parents. Those two are the most manipulative and cunning wolves. Clara Hemming, the Luna of Bloodmoon pack, was an amiable lady. But she never defied her husband, even if he did some mean things. Emma Hemming, their elder daughter, was sweet-natured, fair, trained to decide under stress, had decent fighting skills, and graceful. According to them, she was perfect, while Thea was shallow apart from her exterior beauty. My parents did not choose Emma because of those ties. They genuinely believed Emma is a more eligible Luna than Thea. And when my need for Thea's body faded away, I saw that more clearly. So, I finally agreed to marry Emma.

The thing is, before agreeing to this marriage, my father put forward certain conditions to Thomas Hemming. Since Emma is not my mate, it was only fair that we had a more open and contractual approach to this. There were very few provisions. But we knew they would end up agreeing no matter how many of them we put on the paper. Thomas Hemming would never let go of this opportunity to strengthen the relationship with the royal family.

The first condition in the contract is that Emma and I were free to walk out of the marriage after discussing in a closed room if any party ever finds their mate. The second one is that Emma must never interfere in my decisions until asked. She must keep her opinions to herself in front of others. She was free to discuss those with me, her husband, in private. The third and final one is, Emma should always put the Blackmoon before the Bloodmoon pack in any given situation. 

I knew they would sign the contract, but it startled me when the response was that fast. It made me wonder if Emma's father controlled her. My mother suggested that after the marking process, Emma would naturally incline towards me rather than Thomas. I decided to put my trust in my mother's experience. 

But in the hind of my mind, there was one confusion. I knew Emma was the filial daughter, and Gerard was the greedy son. But the Hemmings had a third child- the very odd, feisty, sassy, and arrogant Mia. I am unsure if they abandoned her like the rumor was or if she left our world to settle in the human city like her cousin Samantha once spilled. If she were around, she would have fought about this entire ordeal and make everything difficult for everyone.

I have not seen Mia for years. At every party or get-together for the last six years, my eyes squandered for Mia. But I never saw her after I sabotage her eighteenth birthday to celebrate my crowning ceremony. I was stupid not to realize that they were lying about her health, only to make me feel special. It was the day I started disliking Thomas and Gerard. If they could do to their family, I can never fathom their limit and greed. 

Mia was not a regular wolf, let alone compare with the other female wolves from the top four families. The children of the royal Blackmoon pack and the three other significant packs accompanied their parents for all the events. So, it was natural for us to know each other. Some of us even became good friends. But the power struggle became more evident with each passing year. By the time we were grown-ups, we practically knew everyone inside out. But Mia is the only one who confuses me to date.

When I was nine and, Mia was seven, we had stayed at the Bloodmoon pack during our spring break. My mother is close with Clara, their Luna. So we visited them more often. I was playing with her cousins, Samantha, Keira, and Jared when Mia barged in. At first, I was unsure why she was glaring at me like I stole her favorite toy. But her eyes were red with anger. She was shooting daggers with those big eyes while I stood there startled, wondering what I had done to deserve such treatment from her. Emma reached there just after her. She was gasping for air, pleading her to stop. But Mia was determined. 

"How dare you to do that to me?" Mia grumbled. 

"i***t!" I seethed. I was not going to accept any allegation when I had done nothing to her.

Even before I could figure out the reason behind Mia's rage to defend myself or react, she declared me as a chocolate thief and attacked me. I had seen no one even to date so ferocious and angry for chocolate. But little Mia was fuming. If not for Samantha and Keira, who defended me, attacking little Mia, she would have turned me to dust that day. Mia ran away when her elder brother gave her an earful even without listening to her. 

It was only later I found from Emma why Mia reacted that way. Mia had hidden chocolates for her omega friends, and she believed I had stolen them. I never got a chance to explain to her that it wasn't me. And as time passed by, our animosity did not allow us to clear it. 

Without my knowledge, the memory of the time I poured cold water on her on a winter night flashed through my eyes. By then, Mia was thirteen and, I was fifteen. Everyone was teasing her that she had not yet shifted to her moon. Most of us had shifted after eleven. But I had seen Mia shift into her wolf during my last visit. So, it puzzled and angered me when she did not defend herself. I wanted her to shift and accept her truth. I wanted others to know she was better than most. Why would anyone not want to be a wolf? So, I poured cold water on her in a frenzy. I thought she would shift to protect herself from the chill. But that stubborn teen held her ground, shivering and glaring at me. 

Mia went far enough to exact her revenge. She poured water on the stair so that I would slip. And I did fell. I could see it in her eyes that she repented it immediately, but she was too stubborn. I did not say her a word even though I loathed her for being too presumptuous and aloof. She never made an effort like others to please me. Thomas and Clara gave her a mouthful. But her eyes were fixated on me. I knew it was the stepping stone of resentment. As time passed, it only increased. 

We only saw faults of each other. Mia despised me, the royal family, and everyone. She was always opinionated, aloof, and cold. Mia always had a different thing to suggest, while we all agreed to mostly what I stated. She had no friends, and she never tried to make one. Her arrogance made it impossible for anyone to like her as well. 

With time, I resented her as well. I despised her for not liking the werewolves. It bothered me why she loathed us so much when I clearly remember she was a joyful, compassionate kid before. I snubbed even at the mere mention of her name sometimes. I hated her for not accepting and admiring me like everyone. Or at least, that's what I thought until I started missing Mia in the events. Without Mia and her strange opinions, everything was beginning to feel mundane. 

"Prince, Ivan, we are here." The driver called me, snapping me out of the chain of thoughts. I shook my head when I realized how most of my attention was again captured by Mia when I should be thinking about my soon-to-be-wife, Emma. But I did not reflect my inner turmoil, putting a blank expression. 

I arrived a little early than my family. I needed to ensure that they made the arrangements as per my father's expectations. It would be the wedding of the decade, and everything needed to be perfect to save our reputation. Honestly, I wanted a private affair. But being a royal came with its cons. We had to go for the extra length for everything. The more we showed, the more we are ahead. So, I was here personally to check that everything was in place. 

It was short notice, but I was glad when Emma, Thomas, Clara, and Gerard received me warmly. I felt slightly disappointed when I could not see Mia. I did not know I was even expecting her presence. They escorted me to my room, which I have been using for years whenever I visited Bloodmoon pack. After they left me, Mia and her strange character again engulfed my thoughts. I was feeling so overwhelmed that I decided to go for a run. I had just gone out and was closing my door when a feminine figure bumped into me. 

At first, I thought it was Emma. But whoever it was, she was either human or- My heart thumped when Samantha's word popped in my head. Was it Mia? She stayed in the human city. So it was natural that she smelled like that. I turned immediately to confirm my doubts. And what I was seeing in front of me set my heart and body on fire. 

I had never felt more relieved and happy to see someone. It was indeed Mia. She still looked the same. Or perhaps, prettier now that she looked more feminine. I felt attracted. She looked confused and scared. She immediately distanced herself from me. I was already feeling sad because of the loss of contact. She looked outside and then at me. She looked tempting, and I felt amused to see her confused yet beautiful face. 

"Ivan!" Mia whispered. When I heard her, I realized how much I had missed that arrogant voice of hers. Everything was so bland without her antics. 

"Mia?" I knew it was her. But I wanted to be sure. That foul human smell masked her essence. But she shook her head in disgust like I made a crime by just speaking her name. It hurt me to see she still hated me. 

But then Mia's expression softened. Probably, she was surprised to see me too. She was not expecting me to remember her. Or perhaps, she was trying to hide something behind those layers of her. I could not tell. But she looked breathtaking. But suddenly, her big eyes widened even more. I knew she was going to run away. And she did exactly that.

"i***t!" I chuckled, the nickname I gave to Mia when she had made a failed attempt to beat me up for eating her chocolate when I was nine.