Chapter 4. Alpha Steven

~GABRIELLA'S POV~

The party lasted the whole day, and by the evening, my entire being was now nothing but an empty shell.

Although the fact that I had met my mate today was something that kept a smile on my face throughout, I was sure my mother noticed it—my first genuine smile in years.

I sat quietly on one of the chairs in the hall after a long evening of cleaning up the mess the guests had made. Her footsteps sounded behind me.

I quickly got up from the seat and turned around to face her.

"Mothe, I mean, Luna,” I said, slightly inclining my torso in a bow. She walked toward me, saying without a moment to spare, “You should start preparing to depart; the warrior wolves from the Darkmoon pack will be coming to pick you up in two days,” she said.

“Yes, Luna,” I replied as the joy I had in my heart completely drained out. What exactly was the point of finding my mate now that I was going to get married to someone else? The glow in my eyes faded away again, and I could see my mother's lip curving up into a smirk.

“Finish with whatever you're doing here and go pack your bags. I'll get you a proper dress and a new pair of shoes so you will look presentable to the alpha king."My mother said, then happily walked out, her every step echoing loudly in the hall.

I stared at her blankly, watching as she went through the exit. My fist tightened in anger, but my face remained expressionless. I let out a sigh, then turned to the ground, saying, “I'm going to escape.”

After my day's chores, I retired to my quarters. I fell on my bed weightlessly and stared at the ceiling, thinking of ways I would leave the house without being seen.

Then it hit me.

The passage I used to help Steven escape was perfect. I was going to finally run away with the man of my dreams and never come back, even if it meant becoming a rogue.

Firstly, I had to write to him. I didn't want to go through the hassle of looking all over for him; I needed to somehow reach him and tell him to meet me at the end of the tunnel.

I got off my bed quickly, picked up a pen and a piece of paper, and started writing.

Writing the letter took only 5 minutes. There was no way of getting the letter to him, so I just had to leave the letter at the end of the tunnel, hoping that the moon goddess would come back before my departure.

That same night, I left my room and quietly rushed to the tunnel's entrance. Everyone except the night wolves were sound asleep, so I had to move around as stealthily as possible until I got to the entrance.

As I got to the entrance, I took off all the clothes I wore and shifted into my wolf so I could see clearly in the dark. I ran through the tunnel as fast as I could and in no time, got to the other side. I gently placed the letter on the ground, and my mission was complete. Now I just had to wait and see if he would come back here again.

The next morning, I woke up to the sound of my alarm, this time feeling a little more energized than before, and to my own surprise, I had a smile on my face.

I had a feeling today was going to be a good day.

I walked out of my room after dressing up and met all the maidens waiting for me at my door, each with a basket filled with clothes.

“What is all this?” I asked, a perplexed look crawling onto my face.

“We've been sent by Luna to help you pick a dress for your departure the day after tomorrow,” they said in unison.

A smile grew on my face; at least Steven would see me in a beautiful dress and not the rags I usually wore. I let out a sigh and said, “Come in, let's get started.”

Dressing me up took a few more hours than I expected. They sewed, stitched, and mended until the dress was as beautiful as a rose. In fact, the dress was made to look like one. It had petals that reached up to my upper chest and petals that fell down to my feet. The red color felt so natural and free, although I would have preferred black.

The dress also came with transparent silk gloves that reached all the way to my upper arms.

“You're so beautiful,” one of the maidens said as she placed a rose above my left ear.

I smiled. “I hope he likes it too,” I thought to myself.

After all the dressing up, we all returned to our daily chores. Me and my two trusted friends stuck together the whole day, cleaning and serving the family with whatever they needed. For some reason, my mother was a lot nicer to me today, probably because she didn't want me to think about running away.

As night came, I told Marian and Lily about my escape and about my mate. They both decided to help me get ready for the night I would leave my pack for good.

That night, I went to the tunnels again and ran to their exit. There I met the envelope I dropped, and my heart sank in disappointment.

I picked the envelope up as a sad expression grew on my face and turned it over.

To my surprise, there was a new seal at the front. I broke open the seal and took out the letter inside the envelope, and to my utmost relief, it was a different letter.

“He replied,” I thought to myself, holding the envelope tightly to my chest.

*****

The next night, I got ready for my departure. Marian and Lily stayed in my room to get me ready. They helped me put on my dress and helped with my make-up. They also escorted me to the entrance of the tunnel, and I bid them goodbye.

This time, I couldn't transform into my wolf because I didn't want to ruin my makeup and dress. I walked carefully through the dark tunnel with a flame torch, braving through with thoughts of a happy future with my mate.

I could feel my freedom waiting for me at the end of the tunnel, and every dream I ever had was coming true.

“You really think you're smart, aren't you?" Her demonic voice sounded, shattering my hopes into a million pieces.

I slowly turned around with a shocked expression on my face. “L.. Luna?” I said it with shaking in my voice.

“Hmm. So, you found your mate, and we're planning to run away with him. I thought there was something wrong when I saw your happy face after the ceremony," my mother said as she walked toward me.

"How did you know?” I asked as I stepped back.

"I found this,” she replied, pulling out my letter and throwing it to the ground. “You're going to marry the alpha king of the Darkmoon pack, and that's final,” she continued.

“No, no… I'm never going back!” I yelled angrily as I turned around to run away. I suddenly bumped into my younger brother's chest; he held me tightly by my arms, and a smile grew on his face.

“Why are you being such a selfish big sister? Do you want the Darkmoon pack to go to war with us?” he said, throwing me to the ground.

“Please, I just wanted a good life. I'm tired of this place,” I said as tears filled my eyes.

“Oh dear, this is your home. Well, not anymore since you'll be going to the Darkmoon pack soon,” my mother said, leaning forward to mock me.

“Take her away,” she ordered. Four warrior wolves marched out of the darkness and dragged me by my arms back to where I came from, and in just a flash, the flicker of hope I had was gone and my life was over.

****

The next morning, I was out in a carrier with all my luggage. My face was blank again, and my eyes were filled to the brim with nothing but sorrow.

The carrier, which was being controlled by a Darkmoon warrior wolf, began our journey to the pack I would spend the rest of my life with.

Two warrior wolves sat on both my sides, and none of them said a word to me through the entire journey.

After a long ride, we finally arrived at Darkmoon territory. The entire place was covered in gray fog, and I could sense multiple wolves lurking in the shadows, possibly for security reasons.

We drove through the pack and finally arrived at the gates of the alphas home. I got down from the carrier with the other warrior wolves, and they helped me carry my bags. Into the mansion.

The ambiance of the place gave me a bad feeling in my stomach. I could sense multiple ominous auras lurking around the mansion. The darkness that dwelled here was unimaginable.

I walked through the gardens, staring blankly at the ground. A voice sounded.

“Welcome,”

I slowly raised my head, and my eyes widened as I heard his voice.

Our eyes met, and my heart skipped a beat. Tears filled my eyes as I said softly,

“Steven.”