Chapter 1
A cold reception
“It’s not as bad as your making it out to be, Victoria.”
“Your father and I had an arranged mating.”
“You’ll get to know him; he won’t be a stranger for long.”
These were the statements that I was being told as we drove to our destination. I was having an arranged mating that would last for a month to give us time to adjust to one another, considering that we have never met. If the mating was successful then we would be wed, if the mating was unsuccessful then he would be dishonored and I would be ruined. It was a tradition in our pack to have our mate picked by the Alpha, these arranged matings had a high success rate but there had been failed attempts. It was a common practice to bring different packs together. Finding your mate by fate had become a foreign practice, some wolves would die without ever knowing their other half. I knew that I would have a mate picked for me…I just didn’t think it would be so soon. I haven’t lived my life yet, my eighteenth birthday was in a few days. There were so many things that I wanted to do before being married and having kids.
We passed a sign for some small town in Alaska. This was where my mating was to take place. Winter was in full effect, there was already a thick blanket of snow on the ground and it was still continuing to snow. There were so many trees and they were beautifully frosted with the winter snow. The land was plentiful; a wolf’s dream, plenty of room to run freely.
“I’m sure you will like William, honey. I’ve heard he is quite handsome, plus he is a soon-to-be Alpha. He will be able to take care of you.” My mother commented.
She sat in the passenger’s seat with my father as I sat in the back with my father’s beta, Dean. His main responsibility was to make sure I didn’t jump out of the car and run away. He made sure the child lock was on the door that I sat next to.
“And what if I don’t want to be taken care of?” I questioned her.
I had been homeschooled for as long as I could remember, I craved to live outside of the pack one day. Slowly my dreams were being crushed under the notion of this arranged mating. An Alpha male would never allow me to leave his side once he claimed me.
“Nonsense. You don’t know what you want.” She answered. I could hear the growing irritation in her voice.
“And you do?” I asked.
“Enough!” My father’s voice boomed. I saw him eyeing me from the mirror.
I huffed and continued to look out the window. We were passing through an immense gate that led us to the path to the house we were headed. The weather was starting to take a turn for the worst, a storm was picking up and the snow made it almost impossible to see more than three feet in front of the car. The car stopped and our doors were opened once we made it to the front of the house, or should I say mansion. As I stepped out I caught a glance at the immense brick building before the snowflakes started to gather on my eyelashes. I clutched my fur-lined leather jacket closed as I followed my family as we were led inside by the ones that opened our doors.
The two tall men pulled open the giant entry doors, we quickly gathered inside to get out of the below-zero temperature. My father shook off the snow from his coat then helped my mother dust the flakes from hers too. I did admire their marriage even if it wasn’t what I wanted; it gave me hope that my potential mate might be as loving towards me as my dad was to my mom.
“They should be along soon enough.” One of the guards said as they took their post at the entrance.
I followed my parents as they walked down the main corridor that opened up into a living room. We sat down on the chocolate brown leather sofas. It was much warmer in here due to the lit fireplace across from us. I began twiddling my thumbs, thinking of what to say to my prospective husband. If I couldn’t find a way out of this, then I would make sure my honor would at least stay intact.
“Ahh Tom and Denise! So good to see you two. It’s been what…fifteen, twenty years?” An older man called out as he entered the room.
He had black hair with silver edges on the side, letting his age show through. He wore a suit and was quite warm despite his professional appearance. Behind him, my soon-to-be husband stood. No doubt he was handsome, but he wouldn’t even look me in the eye. He wore a plain long-sleeved black dress shirt that outlined his average muscle stature and black pants to match. He was dressed like an older man, like his father. I didn’t want an old stiff as my mate; I hoped that he would gradually lighten up. His expression was very serious which made his facial features appear harsh.
My father shook his hand and my mother gave him a light hug. Then they greeted William.
“And this must be the Victoria, the dreamer. I am William the first, this is my son William the second. It is so good to finally meet you.” He shook my hand then pushed his son forward to meet my acquaintance.
I smiled at him; after all he was pretty cute. He didn’t smile back; he still had this business-like look on his face. He was cold and I was warm, it’s true that opposites attract…but do they last?
Then he extended his hand to complete the transaction. I took it and was not surprised that there were no sparks...Was I giving up a fruitful life for this cold reception?
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