The Alpha’s Arranged Bride

Joanna’s POV

My entire body felt feverish. Blood streamed down my legs and I began crying. “My baby,” I held my stomach as I sat on the ground.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

I didn’t want to lose my child. I loved her even though I haven’t even met her. She did not deserve to die this way. The pain was unbearable, but I knew I had to leave where I was. They must not find me. I must save myself and my daughter.

With the little strength I could gather, I got to the secret place. I remained there for days, hoping and praying that my parents were okay. They might not have been my biological parents, but they were the ones that took care of me when everyone turned their back on me.

I fed myself with the little catches I got and some fruits. I could feel my baby kick, so I thanked the moon goddess for not letting her go. When I thought things had died down, I decided to head back to the house. However, I made sure not to walk on the streets.

I was not sure who was looking for me, so I had to be careful. When I eventually got home, I found our house scattered. From the look of things, my parents had not been home for days. The entire place was messed up; couches broken in half, other items displaced in various places shattered.

I did not know where they could possibly be. Did they run away? Were they captured? So many questions that I had no answer to. I left the house, walking close to the streets but in the bushes so that I don’t get caught. I went back to the woods, distraught at what happened to them? I knew I could not ask anyone. What if he has told everyone to alert him of my presence?

During the evening, I decided to walk off my negative thoughts, plus, my baby was growing bigger within me. Carrying a wolf child was not an easy task. I heard some sounds, and my heart began to pound in my chest before taking cover behind a tree.

After hiding for a good five minutes and not spotting anyone, I followed the noise. A few steps in and I froze to the ground. “Kill them quickly,” I heard one of the guards whisper to his colleague before darting his eyes around.

There were two people covered in sacks. They were struggling to get free. The guard raised his sword and, in one strike, the head of the first person rolled on the ground. My eyes widened when I saw who it was. “Mum,” I muttered in a cracked voice.

The next minute, my father’s head rolled on the ground too. Tears rolled down my eyes as I covered my lips to stop myself from screaming out my lungs. They killed them. My entire body shook, staring at my parent’s heads.

The guards left, and I took a step closer to them, my hands outstretched, but I could not reach them. I brought this upon them. I was a bad daughter. Heartbroken, I left barely able to summon the courage to look at them. Days went by and all I did was walk around, aimlessly avoiding the very spot my parents were killed. I didn’t deserve to touch them. I wanted to confront Toot, ask him what role my parents played and why he killed them in such a brutal way. I ended up at the back of the mansion, where Alpha Toot was hosting a gathering with the pack.

“I know it is a surprise to everyone here that I called this emergency meeting. As an Alpha, I have a responsibility to care for my people, so I have to do what I’m about to do,” he began.

“A traitor was brought into the pack years back. We all must know her because she is the only human in the pack. My father’s death a few months ago left me momentarily lost because I loved him. We all did,” he continued.

“I went out on a stroll to clear my head and think of how to move the pack forward. Unfortunately, for me, I met with Joanna. I never discriminate, so I was friendly with her, and she acted as though she cared about how I was feeling. When I prepared to leave, a sudden blow to the head left me reeling. Everything went dark. When I woke up, I was disoriented and groggy, with no memory of what had happened. She was beside me, and she claimed I slept with her. She wanted to be the Luna, but I strictly told her that I had someone in mind already, who I love.” He turned to his wife with an affectionate gaze.

“She refused on the count that she wanted to rule as she wanted power. Such a person can never be Luna, and so she threatened me with pregnancy. When I rejected every claim to the pregnancy, she went to my sweet wife, threatening to expose the secret, but we could not allow that. I know I should never have underestimated her in the first place, but I will no longer make such a mistake.” He paused, then took his wife’s hand.

“My wife, being so kind, wanted her to be banished with her parents who dared to bring her into the first place, but her parents hid her. So today, I decree that her family and she are banished from this pack, and anyone who sees them in this pack should report to the palace for her to serve her punishment accordingly. The only reason she is being banished and not killed if spotted, is because of my wife who has compassion for her,” he said, “I care for my pack and for that reason I cannot permit a mole in the pack or any other pack for that matter. Messages would be sent to other pack to prevent them from making a mistake of taking her in,” he added.

I saw the guards who had killed my parents behind him. When he moved back, one of them whispered something into his ears. I could already tell he sent them. This speech was all a farce. I made a mistake loving Alpha Toot. I ran back the same way I got here, my tears doubling.

When I got back to my hiding space, I held my chest, feeling a heavy pain there. The memories of my parents kept replaying in my mind. Why would he be so cruel? They never deserved that from him. I should have never run away. Maybe they would have been alive by now.

“I’m sorry,” I said to no one in particular.

My parents died for me. They sacrificed their lives to keep me alive. I knew I needed to leave this pack before I get caught. I was sure Alpha Toot would soon figure out that I was here. I needed to leave before he does.

I remembered Shadow Pack was not far from here, but I pondered if they were going to accept me. There was a new Alpha in the pack. I had heard of how compassionate he was, but I wasn’t sure if he would extend that to me.

Unfortunately, I kept thinking about this for three days. When I finally decided to leave, I turned around only to meet Alpha Toot in his wolf form, glaring at me with a grin on his face.