Chapter 2

Rose’s POV

I took two paces back and felt like I was in the middle of people I didn’t know. I watched the faces around me and they all looked away. I looked back to my mother and she looked away. She agreed on this foolish idea to give me away to a man as scary as Alpha Kanen. Has it come to this?

“What?” my voice finally let out.

First I was in shock, then anger and I’d had enough time to get that anger out when I couldn’t find my voice and just watched the faces around me, the faces who’d come together to make this absurd plan behind my back. And now? All I felt was hurt. In my heart. Breathing had suddenly become so hard. I was a few seconds away from letting the tears down my face. But I held up.

“I am sorry Rose but we have no other choice,” my father said, while I held my lips together so I wouldn’t give in to the cry. “It is time for you to do your duty to this pack as my daughter.”

I tried to speak but couldn’t. I needed some time to process all of this.

“Honey please…” I heard my mother’s voice behind me.

“I didn’t choose to be your daughter, father…” I said, holding my tears in. “I didn’t choose any of this. And…” my voice broke.

What about finding my one true mate? What about feeling that electric pull? Was Joe right all along? Was this how it works for all those people who get married? Was this what actually happened while they come out and paint rainbows to us?

I didn’t know when my father closed the distance between us and held my arms. “Listen, Rose, our gates will be breached soon and he will come storming in. It’s left for you to choose to save all of us.”

“Save us?!” I cut free of his hands around me. “I cannot save us, can’t you see that?! He is a ruthless man who slaughters and burns children like they were nothing! And you want to marry me off to him?!”

“Rose…”

“Mom! How can you even stand there and call my name?! And let this happen to your only daughter?!”

“That is enough Rose!” my father screamed. “This is my pack and you will not tell me how to run it! You are marrying Alpha Kanen and that is it! And you will not jeopardize this plan or God so help…”

He was interrupted by the sound of the tour drum beating loudly. That sound never beats except in the time of need. Which barely happens. And this meant one thing: our gates has been breached.

I looked back from the ceiling to my father, my heart beat accelerating without stop.

“Go with your mother, now!” my father exclaimed, tossing me towards my mother who caught me by the arm and steadied me. “Come on!” my father said to his men and they rushed out.

My mother pulls me and forces me around to face her, her tender green eyes glassy, tears streaming down her face.

“Listen to me, Rose, I am not forcing you to marry Alpha Kanen and God knows if given a different situation, I would have wanted you to choose your own mate and feel what it’s like to connect with someone. To feel what I felt when I met your father. I am so sorry it came to this Rose…”

More tears cascaded my eyes and I moved into her chest, embracing her. Our city is under attack and the last thing I wanted was to stay mad at her. This could be the last time I saw her.

By the time we made our ways out of the building and into the main hall, the whole city was in chaos. I couldn’t see my father anywhere. I saw our guards running around, hurrying to the front to fight. I didn’t see the enemies yet so I assumed they were fighting off the men at the front.

There was no doubt they were going to defeat them and come for us.

I saw smokes and fire in the sky. It was seemingly coming from the houses up front, set on fire.

By the time we reached the end of our long hall, my mother came to a stop and pulled me into the room.

“What are you doing?!” I asked, shocked.

“We’re supposed to be escaping! We can take as much children as we can and head towards the back before they defeat our men!” my mother cried as she shook her head, her body wrapped against the door to shield me from it.

“Mother!”

“We have a duty to this pack, Rose, and mine is making sure Alpha Kanen meets you here and claims you.”

“Wha…” I trailed off unbelievably. I couldn’t believe my own mother would do this to me. Taking in deep breaths, I spoke gently, “Step away from the door, mother.”

The screams and sounds of legs running around the city intensified. We have been defeated. My mother shook her head in disapproval again.

“Step away, mother!” I screamed now, reaching towards her and trying to pull her away. We struggled for a while before she willingly stepped away and slid to the floor crying.

I stopped halfway out, intending to ask her to come with me but I knew better. So I took off.

As soon as I ran out, the screams deafening, I came colliding with a body. I dropped to the floor with full force and hitting my hip bone hard on the rocky floor.

I heard a sharp sound from the impact of hitting my head on the floor. I tried to look up to see my obstructor but I couldn’t get the sound out of my ear and the pain out of my head and hip.

But when I was able to look up, I saw a pair of fiercely burning golden eyes glaring down at me. His gaze was hard and cruel and they tore through me. Like I was a sinner and they were my prosecutor.

My chest tightened and I whimpered in pain.

He stood tall over me, his wide build shielding me from the sun, aiding me to get a better view of him.

All I saw at that moment was the heat traveling down his intense eyes and boring through my face.

“Alpha Kanen!” I heard a familiar voice call from behind. He turns around to the call of bis name and my heart stopped right that moment.

Alpha Kanen? My chest pulled and clutched painfully.

I feel any form of excitement locking eyes with him. I felt pain, more pain than I’d ever felt before.