“I can explain everything, Rhiannon. It’s not really what you think it is. Please don’t tell your father!” Beta Homer’s pleading voice greeted my morning like the cold breeze that slapped my cheeks.

I sighed and put a hand on my waist. “What’s more to explain, Homer? You two were caught kissing and touching each other!”

I saw them as soon as I checked the backyard garden, eager to see the roses blooming I planted half a year ago in Homer’s house.

“It was only to make Lazel’s mate jealous!” Homer insisted.

“Yeah, Rhiannon. My mate is...busy with another female Beta. I’m just giving him a taste of his own medicine.”

The audacity of Lazel to speak in between a fighting couple, an Alpha’s daughter and a Beta, is unparalleled.

I eyed her from head to toe. I noted her disheveled hair, the unbuttoned blouse, and wet lips.

“Get out,” I ordered with a whisper. Lazel didn’t move at first. But when I turned to her and matched her furrowed brows with a searing glare, she left.

“Babe...” my boyfriend tried to reach for my hand a minute later, even daring to hug me.

“You’re cheating on me,” I said deliberately, slowly, letting each word find their mark. “You know how I love you Homer yet you betrayed that love. That trust.”

Beta Homer dropped to the ground. He kneeled before me, holding my hand on his lips. “Please. It’s not what you think. It doesn’t have anything to do with love. Lazel is just a friend—”

“It’s nothing in the perspective of men like you who think it’s fine to kiss another female while your girlfriend is away.” I jerked my hand away and crossed my arms. “But in my eyes...it’s cheating nonetheless. I don’t care if you’re making someone jealous.” I scoffed. “If you want to make Lazel’s mate jealous, do you really have to kiss each other?”

“I...We—It was a mistake!” Homer exhaled a long sigh. “My lips slipped. I was just meaning to kiss her on the cheeks!”

I laughed mirthlessly, letting him know that I’m not going to buy whatever he says. “You really expect me to believe that?” I found myself sitting on the outdoor veranda, with a rose garden across us within a hand’s reach. I picked a rose and though its thorn pricked my finger, I ignored it.

“We’re done, Homer. You may be my father’s Beta but I no longer see you as such.” I looked away and smelled the rose. “My respect for you has disappeared along with the love I once devoted to you.”

I shot to my feet but left the rose that pricked my finger on the table. “Consider it as my last gift to you.”

Beta Homer shouted after me, repeatedly calling my name. “Rhiannon! Rhiannon!”

But I heard none of it and let my feet take me back to the packhouse.

***

“You’re not going to punish him?!” I flashed my teeth before my father, stomping on the carpet and crossing my arms.

“No, lest of all banish him.” My father, Alpha Dorian, did not so much as lift his head from his plate. Our dinner was already chaotic enough with the candles illuminating the dining room instead of the fluorescent lights and chandelier.

There has been some electricity maintenance so we’re half drenched in darkness for half of the night.

“But he cheated on me, Father. He—he broke my heart!” I shrieked. I didn’t care that I was crying in front of him like some middle-school girl throwing tantrums. “He broke your daughter’s heart!”

My brother coughed beside me, who was silent in the entire meal we shared. I’m used to my brother’s silence, either because he’s uninterested in the topic or he simply cannot relate.

“Rhiannon,” my father slowly put his utensils down, his expression solemn yet empathetic. “I understand what you feel. We all have been betrayed once but it doesn’t mean we should involve the whole pack in this. Homer and Lazel are still Betas. They still have duties to our pack, never mind the personal and emotional entanglement all three of you are involved in.”

As if uttering their names summoned them, Lazel and Homer strode in the dining room. Homer sat beside my father while Lazel sat beside my brother.

I eyed Lazel, as if to warn her that if she ever touches my brother too, I’ll stab her with a fork.

“Rhiannon, we really meant it. We’re sorry.”

“See,” Father gestured to Homer. “Your boyfriend is sorry, dear.”

“Ex-boyfriend,” I corrected.

My father shrugged.

Beside me, I saw Lazel brushed her hand on my brother’s finger subtly as if she just accidentally did, given she’s slicing her steak and my brother’s slicing his roasted chicken.

I narrowed my eyes on her. The bitch really doesn’t heed warnings.

“Just to remind you again, daughter. Personal things should be kept within one’s personal circle. It shouldn’t interfere with our duties and responsibilities with the pack.”

“I have convinced your father that, Rhiannon,” Lazel chirped from where she’s still terrorizing my brother who kept on dragging his chair farther from her.

“Ah.” I faked a smile. “Is that so?”

“Yes,” Beta Homer replied. His face was void of any expression. But what I’ve learned from three years of dating him and seven years of loving him since I was young, he’s good at masking emotions.

“That is why, given you’re no longer with Beta Homer,” Alpha Dorian uttered his name carefully, tossing him a side-glance, “I am proposing a much bigger responsibility for you. One that can help you recover from this ‘heartbreak’ while also letting our struggling beloved pack benefit from it.”

I blinked, and slowly parted my lips in a gasp. “You want me to be the Alpha?”

Lazel snorted before bursting into laughter. My brother choked on his red wine, spilling some contents on his clothes.

“No, silly girl!” My father chuckled darkly. “I am proposing to hand you over to Alpha Azriel of the Moonborn Pack for marriage.”

It was my turn to choke on my grilled salmon, almost as if this entire conversation is a joke worth laughing.

I felt like I’m no longer Rhiannon, the free-spirited Alpha’s daughter who’d been loved by many and hated by a few. I felt I’m now Rhiannon, the broken-hearted Alpha’s daughter who’d been thrown by her father in a sudden arranged marriage.

Also, hand me over? What am I? Some sort of a property that can be easily sold to other’s hands?

I swallowed my food and shook my head vehemently. “No.”

“It’s not negotiable, Rhiannon,” my father’s face was grim. “You will be marrying Alpha Azriel of the Moonborn Pack whether you like it or not.”

I opened my mouth to say something, anything. But I just stared incredulously at my Alpha, his face the mixture of firmness and solemness.

I leaned in my chair. “But father—”

“I am your Alpha, Rhiannon.” My father, Alpha Dorian, always knows how to strike me subtly even with the softness of his voice. “You will not only obey me as how a daughter should obey her father, but also how a packmember should respect her Alpha.”

My father returned his attention to his dinner. But my plate of grilled salmon and roasted potatoes have already gone cold. I stared at the horizon, at the forest past the windows. At nothing.

I can never disobey him when he already demands to be obeyed. He still radiates authority even when half of his hair is already turning white.

“But why me, father? If you want someone high-ranking to throw in Alpha Azriel’s feet, why not Lazel?” I pointed at her, who froze but still held that amused expression on her face. “She’s a slut anyway.”

Homer cursed beneath his breath, “You’re going too far, Rhiannon.”

“Why shouldn’t I? It’s true anyway. She fucked every Beta in this pack. She also has eyes on my brother too just now.” My brother’s face went pale. Even if he’s the Alpha’s heir, he’s soft when it comes to women and females.

“No, I’m not!” Lazel countered.

“Of course, anyone here but me wouldn’t notice because my father and Beta Homer pinned their focus on me. Who knows? Perhaps you already knew that, Lazel, hence you joined our dinner just so you can take advantage of my brother.”

“Rhiannon.” My father called out to me once with that soft dangerous voice he always uses that sounded like a death bell in my ears. “Enough, please.”

As a free-spirited daughter of the Alpha of the Moonbeam Pack, I can’t deny that there are many who love me and a few who hate me. I don’t know which side my father stands now though: whether he’s one of those who adored me or among the few that secretly despised me.

“Can we at least delay the wedding until I found my mate?” I pleaded, resuming the topic ten minutes later when dessert was now beginning to be served. “Just so I can really decide whether I will stay with Alpha Azriel or not...”

“Stay?” My father gulped, shooting me a glare that can cut Rogues in half. “You will stay with him, Rhiannon. Besides, your mother also arranged for me back in our youth.” His eyes darted to my abdomen. “Our mating bond snapped as soon as she’s pregnant with you.”

“So are you saying that Alpha Azriel is my mate?” I narrowed my eyes. Crossing my fingers won’t bring me luck alone now that my father is willing to fight me at this table.

He cleared his throat. “I’m saying that...he could be your mate. That’s why you should marry him. Besides, my will will be done. Alpha Azriel not only holds the current title of the strongest and fiercest Alpha, he’s also the one that most of the females are talking about.” He jerked his chin towards me. “You know what I mean, child.”

“I know. You mean to say that I am the luckiest girl in all of the packs.” I sighed and frowned. “You’re choosing my husband-to-be based on the gossip circulating around packs?”

My father only shrugged, barely paying attention to what I just said.

“Has he even agreed yet?”

“He agreed since a year ago,” my father replied without looking up from his plate.

A...year ago? So my fate was decided a year ago?

I eyed Homer, who just seductively grinned at me. Looking at Lazel, I’m now beginning to wonder if Homer has truly loved me even when he already knew about my father’s plan.

I was silent for a few more minutes. Then, “So my fate is entirely not negotiable then. It rests on your hands solely.”

My father slammed his hands on the table, shaking the utensils and glasses. He’s now pissed off at me. “Rhiannon,” he warned.

But I shook my head. “I’m no weak lamb for slaughter, Father.”

“You are no lamb,” my father’s voice was still low but vicious nonetheless. “You are my daughter.”

Right. I’m an Alpha’s daughter. Yet I feel no different from an Omega who can be auctioned to other rich males in another pack anytime and anywhere.

“Please understand, Rhiannon, that you are the only asset I have. The only treasure I can give to another for the benefit of our pack,” my father reached for my hand. This time, I let him. “Besides, you’re a late bloomer, you had your wolf two years after you turned eighteen. You cannot find a decent mate—”

Growling, I snatched my hand away and stood. “You have no conscience, Father.”

“Rhiannon,” my father sighed. My Alpha. “You are weak. Hence, it is only right to marry a stronger Alpha. Even stronger than me. I’m getting old, child. I can no longer protect you than I used to do. I only want the best for you. Alpha Azriel is the right choice.”

“No,” I hissed, “I am not weak.” I pushed my plate away and shoved my chair back to the table. “Excuse me, I need some fresh air to breathe.”

I can’t believe my father has thrown me into an arranged marriage fiasco on the day I found out my boyfriend-turned-ex had been cheating on me.

I turned away, leaving my family and the Betas alone in the dining room and strode outside the open door. The cold wind brushed past me, caressing my cheeks.

“Alpha Azriel is the right choice, Rhiannon!” Alpha Dorian bellowed behind me.

But I no longer heard my father’s words as my feet were already sprinting away from the packhouse—

And into the forest.

The dark forest is definitely not the best place to run crying to. Certainly, not the best place to seek fresh air either.

Rogues live here. They roam here—

And I just stepped inside their home uninvited.

The air here is thicker, denser. And the darkness is as unsettling as how it smells.

But even when I hate this forest, even when my father has warned me many times to never set foot in here, I still found myself resting at the bulgy roots of a giant tree sprouting from the ground.

Finally, I let my tears fall freely. I never want this place. But this forest is the only place that I guess will not judge me even if I cry my heart out.

No Omegas to gossip about me. No Beta’s daughters to roll their eyes at me.

Just me and the trees and the sense of feeling empty even when you’re being seen by everybody.

No one cares about me. My own father sees me like some brooding mare to be given away at the ripe age. My brother...my brother cares about me, yes. But he wouldn’t dare stand up against our father. Regardless of whether he’s his heir, Alpha Dorian is still our reigning Alpha. Our father.

And then there’s Beta Homer, who broke my heart on the day that’s supposed to be the anniversary of our first kiss. And Lazel...the elegant daughter of the richest Beta proved to be a snake who should’ve belonged here in the forest crawling for eternity.

I rested my chin atop my fist, musing on how to react to father’s request.

Truth be told, it wasn’t so bad to be Alpha Azriel’s Luna. But...

I want to be a Warrior like other Alpha’s daughters. I don’t want to be just a pawn for a political marriage. I want to be Beta Homer’s wife. I’ve loved him since I was in my early teenage years. He was the one who made me realize I want to be something more. I want to be someone more than what my father sees me to be: a she-wolf only designed to carry an Alpha’s pups.

I sighed and fixed my hair, letting the forest breeze caress me. My tears have dried out, but the trail where they fell remained stark against the bright moonlight above.

But perhaps my father is right: he never forbids me to be a Warrior. He just needs my help in the meantime.

“You must help me save our pack, Rhian. You and me.” His words echoed in the heart of my mind, clawing its way to my conscience.

Right. I can be both after all. I can be something more without sacrificing what my father expected me to be.

After all, once I become Alpha Azriel’s Luna, I can talk to him about this. Surely, he’s not some traditional male who always holds the leash of their females—

I shot to my feet at the sudden thought that struck me.

What if he is? He wouldn’t be feared if he was just some good Samaritan that even humans think they can manipulate him—

Something suddenly rustled behind me. I just hope it wasn't someone.

I swallowed and slowly turned around, willing my footsteps to be silent. Compelling my sight to watch out for twigs at the same time focus on the origin of the sound across the forest clearing.

I looked back to the path I’ve taken. I shook my head, panic rising in my throat. I can no longer remember my way back.

And this makes the cascading of my tears from my eyes start again, my sweat racing along that unnerving feeling of being watched.

“Well, well, well. Look what I’ve found...” The stranger purred, as if delighted to come across a sumptuous dinner.

I exhaled a sharp breath and asked calmly, “Who are you? Are you one of my father’s pack guards?”

The stranger smiled. No, he grinned. Wolfishly. Baring his fangs at me as if any minute now, he’ll tore a piece of skin from my neck.

“What is an Alpha’s daughter doing here in the forest?”

He ignored my question because he knew—we both knew—he’s not an Alpha’s guard.

Nor does he have an Alpha.

‘I told you we were being watched!’ I scolded myself, bile now settling on my throat. I think I’ll definitely vomit on the stranger.

A retching sound escaped from my lips. The Rogue sniffed the air. “Fancy, princess. You’re alone.”

I was about to turn on my heel and run in the opposite direction when I tripped—in front of him.

And in a heartbeat, we just remained rooted to the ground. Eye to eye. Staring at each other, waiting to see who will strike first.

I blinked, and as if it was his signal to strike, the Rogue lunged at me.