We arrived at Moonshine Pack just as the sun was setting. The gates of the town were still open and our truck and car drove directly to the Alpha's Villa. 

I would have done anything to escape my present situation. Even if it means killing Damon. But I could not escape, for I had no doubt whatsoever that my mother would suffer horribly for it, and my mother had suffered enough at the hands of Damon D'Angelo. 

I was almost numb with despair as I mounted the stairs to the great hall. Damon had not lied when he talked about the number of moonshine pack werewolves. They look strong and muscular,  armed,  and in great multitude.

 The inside of the great hall was filled with tables and chairs set for the evening meal, the wall displaying  Alpha Gwen's wealth in useless weapons of polished silver and gold, most encrusted with fine jewels. 

Omegas were in abundance. One or more to serve each guest, but Alpha Gwen did not waste his money. Their clothes were nearly rags, their bodies none too clean, their demeanor cowed to the point of trembling hands and haunted eyes, and little wonder. In the space of crossing the hall to the raised dais where Gwen sat like a king in state, I saw three Omegas cuffed for no apparent reason, one struck so hard that he fell to the floor, only to be kicked twice where he lay unmoving. 

I was so appalled by what I saw that I stopped walking, but the crowd at my back pushed me lightly. 

I had avoided looking towards Gwen's table. Maybe he will vanish if I keep ignoring him. And I nearly cried out in horror when I at last did. 

He was worse than I had imagined.

Alpha Gwen wasn't just old. He looks like a corpse. 

His skin was a pasty white, and so deeply wrinkled there was not an inch anywhere to be seen that could be called smooth. What was left of his hair was white, except for one narrow streak of blond to attest to what the color had been. His body was so bent that I stood taller than him, and I was only a few inches above five feet. His eyes were round and too big for his small face, and the whites of his eyes were dark yellow. I also noticed a white film covering the iridescence of one of his irises. He was almost blind. His bright silk robe, trimmed at the neck and sleeves with costly fur; merely made him look more ridiculous. 

A hard, loud voice soon boomed in the large hall as our pack Beta shouted introductions. "My name is Beta Cohen, and I have been delegated to supervise the marriage preparation until my Alpha arrives. I want you to meet your wife-to-be, Princess Bella."

"Enough," Alpha Gwen said with a cackle, revealing the only two teeth remaining in his mouth. "Take her to my side of the fortress. I will see her at the chapel for the wedding."

I turned and then summoned an Omega to take me to whatever room he had prepared for me. And it was in my room that my blinding tears were finally released until I finally fell asleep. 

I woke with some kind of disorientation that lasted only for a moment. And at that instant, my blood turned cold as dread seeped into my bones, keeping me immobile on the bed.

"Do you want to lie in bed until the priest arrives?"

"Moana?" My eyes gasped in surprise as I recognized that dear voice.

"Yes, my sweet one."

I sat up and saw my maid sitting on a chest that had not been there when I first entered the room. It was my chest, and my maid was sitting on it. 

Moana has been my maid since I can remember. And before that, she had served my mother. Moana was a tall woman with a round girth. Her weight was expected since Moana loved eating. 

"What are you doing here?"

"Your uncle allowed me to come after receiving feedback on your cooperation...I saw that old man when I arrived this morning. How could you agree to wed that?"

I fought back the tears gathering in my eyes, but my lips still trembled as I said, "Damon was hitting my mother. I doubt he would have stopped if I didn't agree."

"Oh, my goodness," Moana cried and then came swiftly forward to gather me in her arms. "I knew Damon was a monster but I never expected him to be worse. He dared strike his half-brother's wife."

"God forgive me, but I hate him now. He only thinks of his gain and has no thought of my well-being."

"I heard he planned to take back your land from that Monstrous Alpha Baron.

"Not for me. Damon will never give back my land. I'm just trying to get pregnant to secure Moonshine's wealth and warriors. And when Gwen dies, Damon will have me back as well, to marry off again the next time he finds himself in similar situations."

"Oh! Is that his plan?" Moana asked indignantly. "But Gwen is so old. Do you think he can still have an erection?"

I snorted. "Exactly my thought. But I guess no man will like to be told that."

"I learned that Alpha Gwen had tried to get another son to replace the ones who died during the war. He has taken four wives in just recent years."

"What happened to them?"

"They all died one way or the other. But I suspect foul play. I learned he had repudiated them because they couldn't give him the so-needed son as quickly as expected."

"So if I did not give him a son, he is likely to hate me within a year. "

"No. Alpha Gwen will not last that long. He should have been dead since. Why he is still alive can only be from a pact he made with the devil."

"Shush," I hissed and then made a sign of a cross over my chest. Yet, I was forced to agree, had I not thought he already looked like a corpse.

"Do you truly mean you are going to marry Alpha Gwen?"

"Yes. Do I have a choice?"

"You do. We can kill him instead."

The day progressed, despite all hopes and prayers that it wouldn't. And just before the sunset, I was married to Alpha Gwen of the Moonlight pack. 

My new husband was a feeble-minded man who slept through the entire service and half through the feast that took place after. 

I sat beside him, watching him as he gummed the cheese he was forced to eat because of his lack of teeth. I was certain that I would throw up if I tried to eat anything, but graciously, or perversely, since he saw that I wasn't eating, he drew my plate closer to him and began to pick the grain. 

My half-uncle was in the highest spirits. He had achieved his aim, so nothing could sour his mood. Not even my silence anytime he spoke to me. 

I could see him from the corner of my eyes, eating and drinking with gusto, and then bragging about how he would run Baron and the rest of his pack members out of their home. 

I was not the least interested in his talk of war. I hate him enough and hope he fails and gets killed on the battlefield. 

Darkness soon arrived against my desire, and I was grave with dread as I was at last ushered to my chamber. I know I'm going to fall sick. My skin was as pasty white as my husband's skin, and my eyes hurt from fighting back tears all day. 

I was sobbing as I ran to the bed, and had just covered myself with a blanket when the groom arrived, carried in by some of his Betas who are yet to return to their various home. But as soon as they see me in bed, their crude laughter and jest end immediately, and they all ogle at me before stepping out of the room. 

Alpha Gwen was prepared. He wore a black nightgown that made his skin look even whiter.

Even as I closed my eyes, that image of his body could not leave my head. Legs whittled down to mere bones, ribs protruding, sunken belly, and that tiny thing between his legs. 

I would have laughed if I weren't too close to tears. Out of despair, I began to pray silently, that I could bear this, that it would be over quickly, and that I would not become mad when he was done with me. 

"Well, where are you, my love?" He asked peevishly. "Come over here, I'm too old to be chasing you all over the bed. "

"Here, my Lord."

Apart from being partly blind, Alpha Gwen was also partly deaf. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been looking for me on the left side of the bed while I just spoke to him from the right side. 

"What the hell are you still searching for while I'm here?"

My statement was a near shout, and this made him start crawling on the bed towards me. 

"Well...well. What are you waiting for? He asked in the same peevish tone. "Can't you see my warrior here requires your service? Come over here to play with it."

Is that tiny thing supposed to be a warrior? Quite doubtful! 

I made an awful sound but he didn't hear. He was busy chuckling to himself. 

"My warrior asked for a kiss, Bella. You aren't going to fail in your responsibility, will you?"

My mouth flew to my mouth as the mere thought made me gag. If he could have seen my expression, he would not have been laughing. But he was nearly blind as well as deaf. And I must kill Damon for this. 

"Where are you?" He was demanding again. His eyes roamed all over the bed in search of me. 

I was just a few steps away from him, but I just didn't want to talk. 

"Silly girl. Do I need to call my right-hand man, John, to find you? You will meet him soon enough if you do not give me an heir in nine months. I'm too old to go through this again. You are the last. I will have a son from you one way or the other. So, what do you say?"

"You sound like a desperate man, my Lord. Do I understand you correctly, you would give me to this man called John if I failed to become pregnant in a few months?"

"Yes. I would. I have a fondness for John and would not mind calling his son mine."

"And why don't you claim John's son as your heir then?"

"Don't be stupid, girl. No one would believe he is mine. But it won't be doubted if he gets you pregnant in place of me."

I sighed. This man was worse than I had imagined. I was his wife, yet he meant to give me to another man. Breed me the way he breeds his cows and pigs. 

God in heaven, do I have to go through this again? He was so feeble and I knew I could fight him off without shedding a sweat. But what would happen to my mother if I did? And, he was my husband. A husband was all-powerful, right? He owes my life and nobody will ask him if he chooses to end it. 

"Have I married the wrong woman here?" Alpha Gwen's voice rose in anger. "Come here and lie beside me."

His orders were direct and I had no choice but to obey. But how can I? I would faint if he dared touch me. "I cannot," I said. "If you want to make love to me, then do. But I won't help you."

My face was furiously red. The worst he could do is to beat me or call the right-hand man. Maybe he won't even be as horrible as him. 

"You-you-."

Alpha Gwen paused his speech, his eyes got bigger, and he looked like it's about to pop out of his head. One of his hands pressed so hard to his chest and he swayed backward and then landed with a soft thud without making a sound.

I scrambled towards him and gawked at his face. His hand still clutched his chest but he wasn't breathing. 

Is he dead? Could I be that lucky?

A laugh bubbled up in my throat but came out as a soft wail. What would Damon do now? This is not my fault, is it? If I had not refused...but how could I know a little defiance would kill him?

Was he truly dead? I would not touch him to find out. Even now, the thought of touching him seemed repugnant to me. Yet, someone had to find out. 

Out of fear, I leaped out of the bed, ran for the door, then out into the hall, and right into Damon's chest.

"You are fleeing your marital bed just as I thought," he said with marked displeasure. "I know you planned to run away. This won't happen. You will go back in there and -.'

"He is dead, Damon!" I blurted out. 

Damon's hand squeezed my hand painfully for a while. He then released one and dragged me back into the chamber with the other hand. He went straight to Alpha Gwen's side and put his head on his chest, and his expression was dark when he finally looked up at me. 

"Why do you kill him?"

"Me! No. I didn't do anything," I yelled back and took a step backward. "He climbed the bed, clutched his chest, fell, and remained immobile."

Damon glares at me, then back at the dead man, and I can see his confused state. A moment later, he stood up, pulled the black clothes over Alpha Gwen's head, and then stood up to face me. "Don't leave this room and don't allow anyone in."

"Where are you going? You aren't leaving me here with his corpse, are you?"

"Shut up, and listen Bella. I'm going to find you a suitable man as a substitute."

My eyes flared when the meaning of his words hit me, "No. I will never do-."

"You will," he snarled. "If you ever want to see your mother again. Alive."

I know he means every word. But the horror of what he intended to do. A substitute!

Desperately, I asked, "How do you plan to deceive his pack members?"

"You don't have to worry about my plan. Just do as you are told and you will be with a baby soon."

"But I can't stay here alone with the corpse!" I gasped and then took another step backward."

"I will get rid of the body," Damon said impatiently. "And then, I will find another body to pass as his own when it's time to bury him. 

Damon sounds so confident about his new plan, but why not? Again, he had nothing to do except sit back and wait while my body was sacrificed on this altar of deception. 

And this time around, my mother's life depends on my compliance. 

Baron's Pov

They suddenly materialize out of the thin air. They were six in number, dressed in military camouflage, and glared at me. Robbers!

There is little or no law in most of the packs around here. But then, it was because their Alphas were either weak, corrupt, or absent. 

I didn't know much about the moonshine pack because I had never passed through it before. 

This may be another pocket of high villainy where innocent travelers and strangers are robbed or tortured if they fail to deliver a fat ransom. 

Truly, this was an act of stupidity on my side. I shouldn't have ventured here without my Gammas. But then, I want to appear good before meeting Cinderella tomorrow. 

A bit of vanity, now look what has befallen me. Buy then, who dare attack me?

I have a reputation for paying back any evil done to me, and this has made the packs around me afraid of me. But I wasn't known around here, and this may be the reason why they dare stand in my way. 

I, Baron Mackenzie, was an unforgiving man and will not forgive myself for this oversight. But then, the town looked peaceful and I had a lot on my mind. 

I will soon be marrying for the third time, and I don't want my new wife to be scared of me the way the other two were. I have great hope for Cinderella. Haven't I courted her for half a year? Even when this wasn't my way. 

Lady Cinderella was a great beauty, soft-spoken, sweetly tempered, and had a charming sense of humor. What else will a man ask for? 

I wanted humor in my life. I wanted love and laughter, which had been absent since my family was destroyed some years ago. My life had been filled with hate and bitterness but not anymore. I have a daughter. The result of my previous relationship with my first wife. Even though I love my daughter, I hate to admit that she is frivolous and a self-centered creature. And I can no longer bear her bickering. I want a home like the one I knew as a child. A home I will long to go to after a long day. And I wanted a son. 

Am I asking for too much? Is this more than any man could expect?

I believe my next wife will make my dream come to pass. A wife like Cinderella is all I need. 

I was fond of her already. And I hope the feeling will keep increasing. Maybe I can even fall in love with her. If only I were capable of that emotion after so many years of hate. 

But was it necessary that I love my wife? Is it not only compulsory for her to love me?

Anyway, none of this matters if I have to die here tonight. 

I was not even properly armed. I had left my gun in the room I rented and only came out with a dagger tucked in my belt. Since my clothes were with the dry cleaner, I only wore a shirt, pants, and a pair of slippers. 

Even though I was defenseless, the men surrounding me were reluctant to step closer, but who could blame them? At six feet and two inches, I stood a head taller than the largest among my assailants. But it wasn't my height that frightened them, it was my mean look. The hard ruthlessness in my face. I look like a man who enjoyed killing for the fun of it. 

Without waiting for them to speak or attack, I let out a war cry, clasped my hand around my silver dagger, and charged forward, slashing the nearest man across his face and then sneering as he screamed out in pain.