Sold to the Enemy

PART ONE

Ariela

When the world stopped because you tried to understand what was being said, it sounded like a sick joke. That would be inappropriate and not funny.

I looked at my father to see how serious he was about this. I took my time, but the answer had long been clear to me; I knew the man too well for that.

My gaze was returned and he ran his hand through his gray hair. You could tell he was a little nervous, but otherwise, it seemed like his decision wasn't pure madness.

This sick crap was how serious he was and how calm he was sitting behind a desk as if that was normal.

I sat in one of the chairs in front of his desk, the otherwise comfortable, soft, red upholstery didn't feel like it today. With news this bad, basically everything felt wrong.

In a voice that was far too calm, I said, "Just so I understand this correctly. Do you want to sell your daughter? And to your arch-enemy. Is that correct?"

I tilted my head, and a blonde strand came loose from the braid in my hair. With a quick movement, I tucked it behind my ear and narrowed my blue eyes. However, that didn't change the result.

I had placed my arms on the backrest and was holding them tightly. It was a cheap attempt to control my temper. He continued to remain calm and replied neutrally, "Ariela, this is not a decision taken lightly. Let me explain."

I wanted to go straight to the ceiling and shout every swear word I could think of at him. But I thought better of it and pulled my lips into a thin line. I would listen to his motives, then I could always kill him.

My brother, who had commandeered the chair next to me, had become noticeably quiet. He only found out about it now and had to digest this new information.

"Ariela, as you know, things are currently bad for our pack. The war has taken a lot out of us lately, we are running out of resources. The vampires are a strong opponent." He was about to continue talking, but I interrupted him: "Sure, that's why you're selling your daughter." I nodded in understanding and remarked: "Totally logical."

I have no idea how I managed to stay so calm. Probably because my brain refused to accept it.

Beno regained his voice as he asked, "What kind of sick joke is this? If you sell Ariela, you're a pathetic alpha. You can't possibly give her to a monster. Otherwise, the guy will do something to her." You could hear the anger in his voice, but my brother was more of a relaxed kind of werewolf.

He even got up from his chair, which made me look over at him. He glared at our father and growled.

The so-called Alpha kept his composure and said reassuringly: "This is not an easy decision. I have tried everything possible to somehow make peace with the King of the Vampires. But of course, it is clear to him that he will soon win. He is stupid again not." He gestured and continued, "Looking at it that way, he would always get you, Ariela. Once we lose the war, he can do whatever he wants."

I thought about that because unfortunately, you had to agree to it. If the vampires won, we would be at their mercy.

Beno pointed to our father and said coldly: "You'll have to find another solution. I don't care what you give him, but certainly not Ariela."

In another situation, my heart would have been warmed because he stood up for me. Our father was the boss, he was the leader of the pack. He started to answer, but Beno beat him to it.

"I challenge you to a fight for the place of Alpha if you don't finally come to your senses."

That was very drastic because it would mean the death of one of the two. In a fight for the title, the fight was bitter End. The winner would be the Alpha. Of course, Beno had a good chance as a future Alpha, but that was no guarantee.

I stood up the same way and put my hand on Beno's arm. "OK, calm down first. We'll find a solution, but no one's overreacting."

Our father's current idea may be crazy, but I still don't wish him dead. That would be too much.

Undeterred, the Alpha continued: "The king is giving us money for Ariela. It's not as if we only have to hand it over to her. With the financial resources, I can rebuild the pack. As soon as we are strengthened, we will bring Ariela back." That didn't ease Beno's anger one bit. The vein in his forehead even stood out, showing his aggression. "He'll have done something else to her by then. You can't expect a vampire to be gentle with a werewolf."

I squeezed his arm because a fight would only make things worse. And my brother was just about to attack our father.

There was a loud bang as our dad slammed his fist on the desk. He did this with such force that a dent appeared in the dark wood.

Then he stood up and shouted angrily: "Do you think it's easy for me to sell my daughter?! Then to this man of all people!" We were both frozen at his loud voice. Normally he always had himself under control. This was a different kind of outbreak.

Our father rubbed the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. He could no longer hide his desperation. In a normal tone, he explained: "The king wants Ariela. Our only way to save her is to hand her over now. We will use the bounty to build up the pack, then we will go into battle and get her back."

That was the moment I realized there was no escape. Because he was right. If we lost the war, the monster would come for me without anything in return. If I left now, the pack would at least receive money.