Bitter Fate

CHAPTER 1 

            "Aunt Veronica why do you have to this to me? Why do I have to pay for your mistake? It's too unfair." Trina whined at her stepmother. The tears that she was holding back suddenly shed on her pink cheeks.

            "We are already done discussing this. Don't you care about me anymore? What about your father's life that's hanging on by the thread now? Do you really want to turn your back to our family and insist on being with that useless jerk rather than taking the chance to be closed to the strongest alpha of the west?" Veronica replied angrily. She's getting more and more impatient with Trina's show of defiance over the matter.

            "But aunt, we all know that alpha Erdy is cold and ruthless. He might kill me instantly in one wrong move," Trina said while sobbing in fear. Everyone knows alpha Erdy. He inherited his father's throne at a very young age because of his immeasurable strength and unbeatable abilities as a werewolf. He also has the largest wolf ever existed in four regions. Although there was a truce from the four strongest packs in the world, the alphas from the three regions feared alpha Erdy because of his power. Alpha Erdy's ancestry were the last remaining pack of werewolves that has royal blood. They came from the bloodline of the first strongest and most powerful werewolves' breeds ever existed. And only the pureblooded like them has claws that are able to paralyze any creature that may be wounded or even got a slight scratch from them. 

            "That's why I kept on telling you to be a good girl and behave properly. What if he'll like you not only as a slave? It will be very beneficial not only to you but to our family as well." Her stepmom said.

            "Enough for this endless complaining! We will send you to the kingdom now because we can no longer make the alpha wait for long or else, we'll all die." Jared – Trina's father and the Beta of the Blood Moon Pack shouted angrily. This made Trina gulped in fright. She's also very scared of his cruel father. Since her mother died, her father became crueler to her. Her life became so miserable that she's wishing every day that her mom would just take her to the place she's in now.

            While they're on their way to the Red Kingdom, Trina couldn't help but to go back to the real reason of why she's being given like a toy to the coldest and most ruthless alpha in the world. The memory was so vivid in her head.

            "How can you make such a mistake? Are you that stupid?" Trina heard her father said fuming to Veronica – her stepmother.

            "I never expected that Lory would betray us in the end," Veronica retaliated while gritting her teeth.

            "What did minister Albert said?" Jared asked anxiously.

            "According to him, the news of what I did had already been linked to alpha Erdy. And a decision was already made." Veronica replied nervously.

            "And? What's the decision?" He asked.

            "You know our alpha. A life to a life. So, it means I should pay for it with my life. That's why I planned to offer Trina to him in exchange." She said despicably.

            "Well, for the sake of our future we don't have any choice but to do that. We cannot offer just anyone to him. Our only card will definitely be Trina." Jared agreed to his wife. Trina trembled in fear and started crying in anguish as she heard the conversation of her father and stepmother just now. How could they use her as a compensation for her stepmother's crime? She killed one of the alpha's trusted assistants that enraged him beyond imagination. And now to sooth his anger Trina will be used in exchange to save Veronica. That fact pained Trina's heart more. Her stepmother is even more important to her father than her – his own flesh and blood.

            Trina has always been admiring this palace since her younger days because of its magnificence and magical aura. Every corner of this fortress screams power and dominance over all living creatures in the whole kingdom and outside the region as well. But now, all she could feel were pain and frustrations.

            "Fix your face. You looked like grieving. Remember that you are here to save us all from doom," my father snapped at me irritably.

            "Dad, do you love Veronica more than me? I am your own flesh and blood but why do you have to sacrifice me for her? You can remarry again, but why throw me out?" Trina could not help but ask his father with a heavy heart. it is supposed to be her father who was protecting her and not the other way around.

            "Don't you dare talk back to me. This discussion had been over already. Now go and walk with your head high and put a smile. I don't care how you're going to fake it, but make sure you will be able to please the alpha, or else we're all done here." Jared warned her sternly.

            Trina's heart was constricting with great pain as they enter the palace. His father is the Beta of this pack so even if he's in the brink of death, everyone was still greeting him politely. Trina's heart is beating faster and faster as they approach the court.

            "Alpha Erdy is expecting us," Jared authoritatively informed the guards. There were four centaurs guarding the door of the hall. They looked so scary especially with their red eyes.

            "Greetings alpha Erdy, my whole family is here to seek for your forgiveness for my wife's grave mistake. We hope that you accept our humble offerings and find it in your benevolent heart to give us the chance to redeem ourselves." Beta Jared begged after his whole family went down their knees and lowered their heads as a sign of respect to the alpha.

            "Offerings? What kind of offerings, aside from your heads, are more suitable punishment for your crime?" The alpha said in a loud and heartless tone. Everyone gasped with the coldest voice they've ever heard from their alpha. His tone was evidently showing boundless ferocity that is impossible to appease.

            "I know that what my wife did was unforgivable, but aside from the precious gems that we brought, I want to offer you my only daughter. You can do whatever you want with her, and she will be more than willing to obey you with all her heart." Jared replied while shuddering in fear and lowered his hands and head to the floor – almost kissing it.

            Even the ministers and high-ranking officials in the court did not dare to raise their heads because they could see and feel that Jared's case was hopeless, and nothing could sooth the anger of their alpha now.

            "You're a heartless man Jared, you're willing to give away your daughter to save you and your wife's worthless life? I can kill you all in an instant now, so why should I listen to your rubbish?" Alpha Erdy growled to Jared and made Veronica cried in so much terror because she doesn't want to die yet. In Trina's mind, even if she disliked the thought of her father giving her away to avoid punishment, she still doesn't want her father to die. So, she decided to speak up.

            "Great alpha, if you may let me speak p-please?" Trina said in almost a whisper. Her head is still low, and her hands are fidgeting because she is so nervous. This is the first time that she'll be talking to him.

            Everyone, including Erdy was surprised with the bravery of this girl to suddenly butt in while two powerful werewolves were talking.

            "Raise you head and look at me. But I warn you, if you say something that will irritate me more, your head will immediately roll down to the floor." Erdy commanded dominantly. Trina's heart is racing abnormally fast but she followed him and raised her head then met his eyes. Her fear was slightly replaced by awe as she looked at alpha Erdy. He is the most handsome man she'd ever seen in her entire life. Those aquatic blue eyes complimented with thick eyebrows and lashes, jet black hair with a well-define squared face that exudes unimaginable dominance and power. Even if he's wearing the royal clothing, the prominence of his hard and muscled chest, shoulders and arms were visible.

            Erdy was furrowing his brows because instead of talking, this pretty lady was just staring at him with excessive admiration. He used to see those kinds of stares from other female wolves, humans and other creatures that they even annoyed him so much. But why does he feel different with this one? He was with different beautiful and sexy women before, but no one made him feel different. He fucked them, used them and discard them after and this one will be the same but unfortunately, his wolf inside him is disagreeing greatly.

            "Are you going to speak or will just waste our time here?" Erdy said trying to make his tone colder and angrier. But he's literary getting mad because his wolf is urging him to go take her with him.

            "I am Trina Holloway, Beta Jared's only daughter. I never agreed with what they did to you sir, but as a daughter who already lost her mother, I don't want to lose my father too. So, I am begging you to just take me and just let me pay for their crime." Trina pleaded in a soft voice that even the hearts of the creatures around them melted for her. When Jared saw the reactions from the crowd, he secretly sneered the same way as Veronica.