Chapter 2 Worry And Doubt

[Evelyn’s POV] Before I even had the chance to ask who it was my parents were choosing to give me away to, Isabella stepped forward with a wide grin on her face. “It's Young Alpha Alexander from the Moonstone Pack,” she said. My heart sank. Within seconds, the shock was beginning to sink in. I wasn’t sure when I stopped taking in literal breaths. All I knew was that all the blood that was meant to be circulating through my system had rushed to my head, making me feel dizzy and disoriented. I was waiting for my knees to buckle out from under me. I was waiting for my vision to grow tunneled and for my sight to black out. ...Alexander Kingston... I didn’t know anything personal about him but I knew of his pack’s reputation. The Moonstone Pack was the current largest pack in the country. According to what I’ve heard through passing conversations amongst the staff, Moonstone Pack owed all of its success to its Alpha. If it was three months ago, it was impossible for our packs to unite through marriage. Even if it happened somehow, Isabella would have saved the choice for Samantha. The young Alpha had been praised for being handsome and highly skilled in battle. He had defeated many poorly managed or undeserving Alphas and had earned the title of War God. He was exceedingly intelligent and had expanded his territory through trade. Our pack was truly no match for his. However, three months ago, he’d been horribly injured in a major car accident. Now, word was circling around that he looked terrifying, was disabled, and his temperament had become violent due to his life’s changes. Alexander’s pack had stopped expanding, and rumors that Alexander would never recover began to spread. And since then, he’d managed to turn down—rather frighten off two other previous matches. It seemed no one was able to handle this newly transformed Alpha. “You see, it’s all been arranged through the King,” Isabella recounted. “The King?” My brows pulled together in immediate confusion. What does he have to do with something as trivial as this? Unless... Rumor had it that because of Alexander’s striving popularity, he led the Alpha King to become rather wary of his ever-growing status. The Alpha King, feeling threatened by Alexander's strength and constant pack expansion, was probably looking to further weaken him. That had to be it. Setting him up with someone, like myself, who didn’t come from a necessarily large and influential pack, meant that Alexander wouldn’t be able to benefit from any future marriage. No doubt the other women came from smaller packs as well. Perhaps, the young Alpha had come to that exact conclusion himself. “Why me?” I asked bluntly. “Surely I had nothing more to offer him than the last two Luna’s he’s previously scared away.” “It’s true, the Alpha King has tried arranging marriages for Alexander before—1 or 2 times, I believe,” Isabella went on with a dismissive wave of her hand. I clenched my jaw at her impassive behavior toward the situation. “Yes, but they were always called off before the wedding due to his frightening appearance, confirming the rumors.” My fear of the matter was evident, but my Stepmother merely went on to explain with a smile. “The King is willing to offer us a large sum of wealth for this marriage. It’s an opportunity we should accept. I thought it over, and since Alexander is twenty-eight, he’s not a good match for your younger sister. You’re older, so it has to be you. It’s just that your sister likes Liam, so we’ve adjusted the marriage arrangements.” Oh, for Christ’s sake. I knew that age was never the real issue here. Hell, I was only twenty-two, just four years older than my sister. I didn’t bother to hide my sneer. Yes, you’ve adjusted the marriage arrangements at the cost of everything I’d been building and held dear to me. My relationship with Liam really held no hope. But from the clear look of things, he didn’t seem to mind the switch. Samantha remained happily wrapped around his arm while occasionally shooting me with a knowing grin. My heart hammered within my ribcage so fiercely, that I was afraid it was going to break. The anger that was simmering beneath my surface was gnawing at my very bones. I knew that was just some bullshit excuse for them to use rather than admit the real truth. Money. This all came down to the money the Alpha King was offering my family. The man had raised the stakes on this specific proposal and my parents were all too happy to jump at the opportunity. I had always been an outsider in this pack, never receiving any privileges that the rightful daughter to the Elder Alpha should have. Now, they were trying to profit from my marriage? “You can’t force me to do anything,” I said, intending to leave. My father’s voice came out strong and unnerving. “Perhaps you ought to think about your twin brother, Edward.” My heart tightened, and I turned back in disbelief to look at my father. Alexander wasn’t the only one who suffered a traumatic incident. My twin brother, Edward, had also been injured in that car accident three months ago. He now needed various machines to survive. Is my father seriously using my brother’s life as a threat? “Edward is your only male heir. Do you want to stop saving him?” “He’s been bedridden for three months, and Isabella is pregnant with a boy, the doctor says.” My jaw dropped in shock. The tears I managed to blink back had come rushing forth. Unlike Isabella, my father wasn’t hiding Alexander’s terrifying nature. He was blackmailing me with collective interests and my brother’s life. If I married Alexander and accepted the King’s reward, they would take care of Edward. Simple as that. “Fine,” I could feel my voice shivered. It pained me to no end. But I had no choice. [Third-Person POV] Alexander Kingston, stood tall and handsome, his face utterly flawless, in front of the large window in his private home office. Oliver, his loyal Beta, stood idly next to his desk. “How come there's another woman agreeing to marry me?” he asked darkly. Oliver spoke plainly. “Perhaps it's because of the king’s reward,” he answered. “I heard it was rather substantial.” The Alpha blew out an impatient breath and bit back a sneer of disdain. “No matter. She’ll run like all the others.” He turned to glance over his shoulder. “Everything else should proceed as usual, and we must respect the king's arrangements. But just like before, prepare those things for me. I want to teach this young girl a lesson about her recklessness.” Alexander was out to disprove the famous phrase, ‘third times the charm’. He was willing to ensure that this marriage did not take place.