The Forsaken Mate

Chapter One.

 Pride.

Honour.

Duty.

The three things that my father held above all else, above even his only child, his heir.

Today was my eighteenth birthday, the day I would finally be able to shift, the day I was able to take over the alpha position if my father saw it fit to step down; not that he would, he never would.

My father was the feared Alexandros Knight, Alpha of the Alcaeus Aatu Clan; a clan that I was the sole heir to, a fact my father so desperately tried to ignore. I spent my teenage years hiding in the room next to his office where a vent connected to his study and listened to the pack’s problems and how he dealt with them; he refused to teach me how to run a pack so I learnt despite it, just to spite him I guess. I was determined to prove that I could lead a pack, to prove that I was worthy to be a Knight, a shifter, an alpha; I wasn’t weak and I wasn’t a pawn that he could use to gain favour.

I sat up in bed, the blankets wrapped around me as I stared blankly at a thin crack running down the side of the wall- I felt too full of energy to sit still, let alone sleep.

I looked to my bedside table and the bright red numbers of my alarm blinked back at me; 2:03 a.m. The full moon shone down upon the lake beautifully and the cold night air gently moved my curtains, in the distance a wolf howled, making me shiver.

My head began pounding, throbbing painfully, as I pressed a hand to my forehead. I felt too hot, constricted. Throwing my covers off, I stood and slid on a shirt. My feet hit the cold wooden floor as I walked over to the glass wall that overlooked the valley below. The pack house was built on top of one of the peaks in the Austrian Alp’s, away from civilisation. It over looked a beautiful lake and was surrounded by forest and mountains on all sides. When the sun rose in the morning it was beautiful but at night, it was captivating.

It was nearing winter but the frigid breeze did nothing to cool the heated sensations running through me, nor the pain shooting through my head.

I tried everything; taking a cold shower and turning on the air-conditioning in my room, but either worked. The ache in my body grew until it was almost unbearable. In the back of my mind I knew what was happening but I refused to accept it.

I knew that there were copious amounts of ice in the kitchen so I walked slowly down the stairs, avoiding any boards that squeaked. The pack house was four stories tall with the first only holding the kitchen, living room, game room and offices, while the rest of the house was merely bedrooms and bathrooms.

I walked as soundlessly as possible towards the kitchen and frowned when I noticed the light to my father’s office spilling from under the door. Silently I moved towards the light, like a moth driven towards a flame and nearly cried out in shock when I heard Hunter’s voice; the offices were meant to be sound proof.

“You shouldn’t have kept this from her!” Hunter said angrily. “How do you think she’ll react? Are you really willing to force your daughter into a loveless bond all for the sake of the pack?” He asked.

My eyes widened in anger as I realised who they were talking about- me. A thousand possibilities ran through my mind as I leant forward, mentally flicking through every book I’ve ever read about our traditions, everything I was ever told by the pack elders.

“She is my daughter, the only female shifter; I’m finding a male worthy of her, strong enough to give her pups, to protect her.” He responded. “It is her duty to keep the bloodline going and I will not let her bond with any old mutt; she is my daughter and it is in both her and my best interests to find a suitable mate for her! I have kept her comfortable all her life, never forced anything onto her, giving her anything she would ever want; this is the only thing I ask of her.”