The Alpha's Prize

It was time to get ready for the ceremony, and I had to wear this stupid dress. At least I can get away with wearing flats because I would seriously break my neck in high heels. So I put on my dress, the gold-coloured flat shoes I chose, a little bit of makeup and had my hair half up, half down, nothing too fancy or too lazy. Then, a knock resonated within the room, grabbing my attention. "Freja, hurry up; it's time to go.” Calyx said through the wooden door.

“I'm coming.” I quickly replied.

I glanced in the mirror again, and my eyes roamed all over my body. Finally, I made sure I looked presentable and left the room.

Calyx stood there for a moment, examining me. “Oh my, you look gorgeous, Freja.” He said sweetly. My cheeks heated in embarrassment. “Thank you. I feel weird and uncomfortable.” I laughed.

Calyx chuckled. “Well, luckily, it's only for a few hours.”

"Yea, where's Cain? I figured he would pick me up.” But, honestly, I was hoping he would be. I wanted to see him and to arrive at the ceremony with him.

“He had some last-minute stuff to deal with, so you're stuck with me.” He grinned.

“I'm not going to complain.” I shrugged.

Calyx extended his elbow. “Shall we?”

I smiled and wrapped my arm around his, linking us together as we strolled through the halls and headed towards the ceremony.

I didn't even know this place was here. We roamed through a series of tunnels connecting to various other areas within the packhouse. We had finally reached the hall; it was beautifully decorated, blue and white lights lit up the room. White linens were draped from the ceiling, along with star and moon-shaped decorations. Candles sat within the center of the tables, creating a warming glow. Everything looked breathtaking. The hall was crowded with people, many of which I didn’t know or had even met yet. My nerves were going haywire, and it was becoming very hot in here, or was that just me?

My heart began to race, and I wanted to sprint out of there. My eyes darted around, and my head began to spin as my anxiety wrapped around me like a blanket. Just as I was about to say “Fuck this.” and leave, a large hand touched the small of my back.

I jumped at the contact as it brought me out of my frantic state.

“Relax, my love; I'm here now.” He whispered sweetly in my ear.

Cain's voice and smell relaxed every part of my being, as I felt safe with him. I turned around to face him and almost melted at the sight of him. He wore a tight-fitting, dark blue suit; the material hugged his muscles and curves. His hair was slicked back, face free of stubble, showing off his jawline, and his eyes glistened in the twinkling lights. He looked so fucking handsome; I wanted to fuck him, right here on the floor.

His eyes wandered up and down my attire, taking me in. A smile then spread across his beautiful face.

“You look stunning, Freja,” Cain said as he kissed my cheek, igniting a fire in my core.

“You don’t look so bad yourself.” I grinned.

He chuckled. “Come, I want to introduce you to some people.”

I took his hand in mine, allowing him to lead me through the crowd, and introduce me to numerous people. All of whom, I would probably forget before the end of the night, as the only one I was focused on was Cain.

The ceremony had been going great; Cain had introduced me to some great people, who seemed to take an interest in who I was, some didn’t, which was expected. Then, Cain initiated the ceremony, bonding the couple together for life. I had to be honest with myself; it was a beautiful moment to witness; it had me thinking about Cain and me, about our future together. After the ceremony, we all partook in food and drink. Shortly after, everyone headed to the dance floor for some fun.

A slow song came on, and Cain stood from his chair. “Freja, may I have this dance?” He reached his hand out.

My stomach churned at the thought of dancing in front of all these people. However, I sucked in a deep breath and plastered on a smile before taking his hand in mine. Cain led us out to the dance floor, and he entwined his one hand with mine as he placed the other hand on my back. We started dancing together, our bodies moving to the rhythm of the music. He looked so good in the spotlight, and feeling his body against mine was almost torture. The way he guided me and swayed to the beat was making me horny again.

Cain bent down, his lips grazing against my heated skin. “You need to calm yourself, my love or else I'm going to take you right here.” He whispered in my ear.

“Sorry,” I said shyly.

“Don't be sorry, just wait till we are alone.”

I nodded and leaned my head against his chest, inhaling his scent.

"Have you enjoyed yourself tonight?” He asked.

“Yes, I have. The ceremony was beautiful.” I said honestly.

Cain stilled for a moment, then glanced down at me. “I apologize, but I have to cut this short, as I am needed for something. I won't be long, and then we can finish our dance.” He seemed uneasy all of a sudden.

"Oh, ok. Is everything alright?” I asked, concerned.

“Yes, no need to worry.” Cain kissed me passionately before releasing me from his hold, leaving me to mourn the loss of his touch. Fuck! I think I'm falling for him.

I stepped off the dance floor and went to the restroom before taking a seat at one of the tables. It had been a while since Cain left, and it had me wondering if he was ever coming back. So I decided to go and look for him

I got up from my seat and looked around for Cain, but I couldn't find him. So finally, I was ready to leave, needing to get out of this dress yesterday. Walking around, I continued looking everywhere for him, but he was nowhere in sight, and now I was becoming frustrated.

I spotted Calyx sitting at a table with a few others, and I quickly strode over to him. Finally, I reached the table, and everyone's attention was now on me.

I looked at Calyx. “Hey, have you seen Cain?” I quietly asked him.

His eyes were shifty, looking everywhere but at me. “Uhm, yeah, I saw him go that way earlier.” He nodded towards a hallway on my left. “Why not just wait here with me till he gets back.” Calyx was acting weird and suspicious. What is he hiding?

I scowled at him. “Where is he, Calyx?” I asked sternly, my wolf on edge.

Calyx sighed heavily. “He went that way.....with Eve.” He said, defeated.

My breathing hitched for a beat. “What?” I shouted.

I turned around and stomped in the direction Calyx had pointed out. I could hear him behind me, calling for me to come back, but I needed to know why Cain had left me alone to run off with his ex. I looked around the hallway, and there were a few doors. However, the door near the end of the hall was slightly open, and I could hear voices. I slowly approached the room and peeked inside. Only to see Cain and Eve standing way too fucking close to each other.

“Cain, please just one last time? That's all I ask.” Eve whined as she clung to his shirt.

He shoved her hands off him. “No, Eve, I won't do it.” He glared down at her.

“You haven't even marked her yet. So, there wouldn't be any consequences, and from what I've heard, she won't let you mark her.” She said arrogantly.

Cain gripped her wrists. “Who told you that?” He asked, snarling.

Eve shook her head slowly. “It doesn't matter, please just once more?” She pleaded again. What does she want him to do?

His shoulders sunk, and Cain stared down at her with sympathy and......love? Then she stood on her tippy toes and kissed him, wrapping a leg around his waist. He gripped her leg to steady her, and his other hand rested on her back as they deepened the kiss. It felt like the air had been sucked from my lungs, and I couldn't breathe; everything felt like it was collapsing around me.

I gasped, and that caught the attention of Cain and Eve. They both turned to me, Cain horrified to see me, as his eyes widened. Eve grinned at me from ear to ear, proud of what she had done. Tears began to well in my eyes as my wolf snarled within me. I refused to let him see how he affected me, so I ran.

I could hear Cain yell my name, but I just kept running and ran out the first door I saw. I burst through the doors and into the cool summer night. I needed to get away, from here and from him. I honestly thought things were taking a turn for the better, that I was getting to know a different man and that he really was my mate, but I was a fucking fool.

I dashed towards the woods and ran through the trees. The branches ripped my dress, tussled my hair and beat my body, but I didn't care; I just focused on running as far as I could. In the distance, I could hear voices shouting my name, but I tuned them out and focused on my path as I shifted into my wolf. Her beautiful fur shined from the moonlight as her paws thudded against the forest floor. We whizzed through the trees, dodging and ducking the low-hanging branches, feeling free in this moment. After running for a bit, I shifted back to my human form and leaned against a tree as tears threatened to spill.

I began punching the tree, needing an outlet, even though this poor tree hadn't done anything wrong to me. I screamed at the top of my lungs in rage, but during my temper tantrum, I heard branches breaking around me. I stilled, shit! Did he find me already?

A shadow stepped into the light. “Hello again, beautiful. What brings you out here?”

Demetrius? “It doesn't concern you, and what the hell are you doing out here?” I snapped. How did he get onto Cain's territory again?

He smirked. “Why, I'm looking for you, of course,” Demetrius said as if it was apparent.

“And what the fuck do you want with me?” I snarled, my wolf still so close to the surface and my patience wearing out.

Demetrius chuckled. “Snappy, snappy, are we in a mood this evening?” He smiled deviously.

I growled at him, “Watch it! I'm not in the mood. What do you want? And how did you get onto Cain's territory again? He increased border patrols.”

He shrugged. “I'm a vampire darling; I have my ways. And I thought you wanted to get away from here? From him?”

I stood there silently, unsure of how to answer him. I did want to get away from Cain at first, but then things started to change, and so did my decision. Now, I wasn't sure what I wanted, especially after witnessing him and Eve together.

He raised a brow. “Oh, have we changed our mind now? Have your feelings changed for him?” Demetrius pursed his lips.

I straightened myself. “No, I haven't changed my mind.” I lied, “I still want away from here and especially from him, but I don't want your help!”

I didn't know what he wanted from me, and I wasn't willing to do whatever it was. Particularly after discovering what he was and how much of a threat he was to me.

"Why not? I can very easily help you?” He mused.

My brows pulled together as I narrowed my eyes. “Why do you want to help me? And even if I agreed, what do you want from me?” I was growing tired of his games.

“I told you before; I want to help because I simply want too and I only need you to do one simple favour for me.” Demetrius grinned

"And? What would that be?” I asked hesitantly.

He grinned menacingly. “Don’t scream.”

I wrinkled my nose in confusion. “What?”

Then, the reality of the situation hit me, he didn’t want to help me, and there was nothing he wanted me to help him with; Demetrius was just tricking me and gaining my trust, this was about something else, and now, I was in danger. Demetrius began taking long strides towards me, and I carefully backed up. Then, I knew what was about to happen, and my wolf began to stir, hackles rising, ready to fight.

"Come any closer, and you are dead, I promise you that.” I glared at him, and Demetrius just smiled. I was about to shift when suddenly, Demetrius was beside me, and everything went black.