Chapter 2

James POV.

"What the f..!" The word escaped from my lips before I could catch it.

My eyes flew wide open, for a second, it felt like someone launched a fist in my stomach .

Thick saliva gathered at my throat. I couldn't gather enough strength to push it down my dry gullet.

"Yes Evren my Lord," Elder Cedric said proudly, " he's the perfect mate and future Luna for our young Alpha James."

"Evren??? That's the last straw! Father stop them, please don't let them do this..." I murmured and prayed silently from where I was sitting, lowering my head and hiding my panicked face from the public.

Voices filled the room. A few elders' nodded. Some whispered to each other smiling, like they had just won a lottery.

Elder Cedric kept going, puffing his chest. "Everyone knows the impact of Evren from the area of education, to business, to health and and even charity organizations which has not only influenced the lives of people in crescent packs, but other packs across the world."

I watched as he raised his hand dramatically, "My Lord, if this is about me,I would have put-in my daughters for this, after all, everyone in this hall knows that I have three mature daughters ready for marriage."

He paused, smirking.

Then he declared shamelessly.

"But none of my daughters' feet could fit into this shoe."

I almost vomited.

"We can't afford to make a mistake of choosing a weak Omega as a mate for young Alpha James, If we are to build on our success and to look into the future that our tomorrow will be brighter than our today."

My heart sank. I quickly observed my father. He wasn't shouting. Neither protesting.

He was pouting. He was nodding head. Slightly. Slowly. My own father.

I started blaming myself. Who even asked me to accompany my father to this devilish meeting in this place.

I should have directed my coming here to something important. But will father allow me? My answer is as good as NO. He always wants me to get adequate knowledge on how he runs the pack.

My father finally spoke. "If you all agree with this, kindly raise up your hand."

I could see everyone, including those people who were mocking Elder Cedric a few moments ago, raising their hands in the air.

How people change fast.

At this point I knew my fate was sealed, signed and delivered. Nothing I could do to salvage the inevitable.

"To Elder Alexander..." My father pointed to a man from where he was sitting.

Evren's father.

A bald headed man with gray hair and in his late fifties. A very prominent elder in the pack too with his regalia screaming of politics.

"Do you agree with this proposition?"

Laughter plastered on his face as If It's a lifetime opportunity he had been waiting for.

"My lord," he said, his voice slick with fake respect. "Who am I to say no when the king comes for a bride?"

He stretched his arm wide in the air. "You have me, my entire household and everything I labored for."

He finished with a bow, "I am the most favored to be honored as an in-law to my king."

Intense laughter reigned throughout the room. I looked at him with intense rage.

"Big fool!" The words flew out of my lips. My saving grace was the unceasing noise and chattering from the background that covered my voice.

I had to put-up courage and ushered my legs out of this demonic place.

I knew sitting a minute in the midst of people who know nothing about me and having the gut to deliberate on my future, will not only infuriate me further but may get to the level of leaving a few dead bodies behind.

To worsen it, if my father could ask Elder Alexander for his permission? How come he couldn't ask me?

That utter selfishness and wickedness too. It means my father, the one I primed as a role model to me, prioritizes Crescent packs far above my happiness?

"Send a message to your daughter, Elder Alexander, the wedding of the union will take place tomorrow." My father commanded.

Tomorrow?

Just like that?

The room erupted with celebration. Cheers. Back-pats

It's like I was kept in an oven of hundreds of degrees Celsius, struggling for my breath. Intense hate is what I perspire. As I observe my enemies chorusing a song of victory. This is a well-plotted move and they should enjoy the victory while it lasts.

I couldn't withstand the razzmatazz taking place in front of me again. I courageously walk up to my father on my way out, while he speaks into the ear of one of the guards to pass instructions.

"Can you please spare me a few moments father? I will be in your office waiting." I asked, my voice shaking.

Was it a command? I can't even say, all I want is that few minutes, at least the last time I checked he is still my father.

He raised his index finger into the air for me to spare him, few minutes. I couldn't wait, I marched quickly into his office.

Immediately the second door closed behind me. I grabbed a bottle of vodka and a cup containing a small quantity of vodka. I tossed the content aside.

I poured myself a fresh quantity, full this time, gulped it down my throat, my Adam's apple bulged in and out as it flowed ceaselessly with hate down through my throat. The hair on my skin tingles, and brace up for the challenges ahead.

I stood there, the glass cup brazenly held in my hand when the door creaked open.

He walked slowly as if nothing happened.

"Father! Can you please explain to me what just happened there." I uttered with intense fury pointing to the doorway, will I stand in front of him?

My father walked past me to locate a seat , while he poured a handful of brandy into an empty cup to take a sip.

"You were deliberating my life with some group of dipsomaniacs and not even consulting me, your son? Not considering my compatibility with this so-called person. And who told you I'm not in love...

"Enough!" My father voiced out . It thundered through the room like a tremor determined to uproot the building from its roots. Everyone knows him with such a voice, he only uses it when he means business.

I almost peed in my pants. His thundered voice almost threw me off balance.

"Define love?" He said flatly.

"What?" I blinked.

"Define love?" He repeated, "Go ahead."

I opened my mouth. Then shut it.

I waited for a few seconds.

When he asks these trivial but simple questions, you should clearly know what he is driving at.

"Huh..." I tried to find an exact answer to this simple but trivial question.

"You see, you can't even help yourself out with this simple question." He countered.

"Love is fantasy, son. you know love truly is? It is the possession of power, status, influence and materialism."

My eyes widened. Who is this man? Is this truly my father? What has he turned to? Or who has turned him to this?

"Your mother wouldn't have loved me if I didn't have something substantial to put on the table. She wasn't my fated mate."

"What are you trying to say father? You mean, I should marry a stranger, someone I don't know a jack about? Someone I'm oblivious of her taste, philosophy and even love language?"

"Leave that one son, I married your mother without knowing any of these you listed and we have been happy ever since?"

"Father, I will never be part of this!"

"You will, son!" He uttered solemnly.

He stood from where he sat, re-arranged his regalia and approached the door.

"Let me tell you that your wedding is taking place tonight, exactly nine pm. The elders assumed that it would be memorable to combine the ceremony with our annual meeting, since all our guests come from far places. This wasn't my decision, it was the decision from one of the elders immediately after you took your leave."

Chapter 3

James POV.

"Father!" I cried out, " have I offended you in anyways?"

"Not at all, son, everything is about your future and the future of this great pack. So prep-up, the maids will be on their way."

He slammed the door. The fading away of his footsteps drove me mad.

I took the martini bottle and smashed it against the wall in anger. So intense that it attracted a concerned maid.

"I hope all is well, Alpha James?"

"Did I call you? Or did i tell you that all is not well with me, so get the fuck out of here!" I melted out my frustrations on the innocent lady.

"I am sorry my alpha." She replied by quickly shutting the door.

I scratched my head in frustration, wondering what to do next.

'Elope. James you need to elope. You need to elope with the love of your life. You need to elope now!' A tender voice instructed me.

These people think they can control your life like a video game console? Then you need to show them the stuff you are made up of.

I checked the time. I still have roughly five hours left for their ill-fated wedding. Not in this life will I be part of this shame.

To get to Sophia's place wouldn't take me more than an hour. Thankfully I have the keys to her apartment. An hour later we should be on the road out of this prison. We wouldn't take any luggage to prevent any suspicion.

I picked up my black card, the most important item in this life of sin to me now . I had to tip one of the drivers to help me with a car, parked a few kilometers away from the palace.

A few hours later, I was at Sophia's place. I do not have to move the car into her garage. I picked up her apartment keys from my car safe box. I knew she would still be at work by now.

My mind had been occupied by the event that had taken place at the palace and what lies ahead after we leave this pack. I thrust the key into the keyhole and I pressed the knob. I opened the door absentmindedly.

"What?" the word barely came out of my mouth.

Sophia gasped. Her hand flew around chest, trying to cover herself with the bedsheets.

She looked pale, shaking. Her voice was messy and crashing into each other.

"My alpha James!" She uttered.

She and a rogue wolf stood up from the bed to get the bed sheet to cover their nakedness.

"Can someone explain to me what is going on here?" I uttered with confusion my eyes darting to and fro around them like a pendulum.

Sophia's lover faced the wall like a scared little pup.

I yelled, "Turn around now!"

He did.

I felt like the floor disappeared beneath me. It was David, my formed chauffeur. Chewing my woman.

I could see her undies and that of her lover's boxer, scattered on the floor.

"So is this what you have been up to Sophia?"

"No, I can explain?"

"What explanation?" I fired back.

The room became tense like never before. Intense Sweat had been palpitating on my forehead.

Sophia was about to move closer to me.

"If you move an inch closer, it would be the greatest mistake you have ever thought of." I uttered with fury, my blood began to boil.

The other guy was jiltering at the corner close to the bed.

"It was not my fault, I have called you severally about the issue of your performance in bed, but you have refused to do something about it. I crave for sex a lot and you are not just available..."

"Shut your trap Sophia, you bloody harlot! Is that the reason you have been sleeping with this trash? My former-chauffeur?"

Pointing to him aggressively he still shakes at the corner of the room.

"And you, when have you been fucking her?" I asked point-blankly.

"I am so sorry sir..." He stuttered with words.

"You have not answered my question." I fired back in rage.

I said, "since when have you guys been seeing each other?

"Around that last year sir."

Sarah quickly interrupted, "it's a lie. He is lying, get the hell out of my room."

"Shhh... how many times do I need to tell you that you should stop interrupting me, I won't repeat myself anymore."

"Which means, you are the owner of this too." Pointing to Sarah's belly from where I stood.

He nodded yes and faced the ground.

My gaze returned to Sophia, "never in your life do I want to have anything to do with you again."

"Pls I can explain my Alpha."

I stomped out of the room in anger while she followed me, she had looked for ways to put on her crop-top and bum-shot to cover her shamelessness.

I promise this won't repeat itself again, Alpha James." Sophia uttered while pleading with me until I got into my car.

At this moment people have been gathering and this is what I detest most. Can you imagine breaking up with a woman now and seeing your face on the front page of the morning tabloid the following day as a newly wedded couple to an entirely different woman? That is too ironic.

I yanked off her hand, I slammed the door and I sped off. Sophia doesn't deserve me. I had to leave the lies, betrayal and fake love we have behind. I have to love myself. I have to stick with the elders' and my father's plan for me.

My father has always been right when he takes this kind of stance. I have to love my Luna with everything in me and everything I have and everything it takes for my marriage to work.

Afterall I don't even know Evren closely. Everything I have heard about her attitude were just rumors.

Elder Alexander POV.

"Brilliant, I never knew that you were such a good actor, look at the way you perfectly play your role. The idiot took it hook, line and sinker, likewise everyone." I slapped Elder Cedric shoulder and hugged him for a job well done.

"I have been acting since I was little, just never took it as a passion, when the stakes are very high like this I have to recall my passion." Elder Cedric smirked. While they both busted into laughter.

"But, how do you manage to convince your daughter, Evren?" He questioned with curiosity.

"Do you think Evren is ready for this? I do not think She is ready to condescend to this level, not to talk of any pack politics?" I uttered.

Elder Cedric's eyes opened in bewilderment, "so what are we doing now, because we only have a few hours to the wedding? I wouldn't be part of this if this is how you are going to mess me up. I thought Evren had agreed to the union, I never knew that this is the story you will be coming up with. And you know the repercussions if..."

"Enough Cedric!" I bellowed while my laughter suddenly transformed into intense anger.

"I have it under control. Just concentrate. Just focus." I commanded.

I reached for my phone in my pocket, and commanded, "bring in the package with you."

A fraction of seconds later, she was brought in. She was enveloped in blue clothing and black veil.

"Get this out of her?" I bellowed with anger, don't you guys know that she is an important asset to this mission?"

Immediately, the veil was uncovered? The lady was partially naked only with a bra and pants.

She quickly uttered,"father" and was about closing the distance for a hug. I quickly raised my hands to stop her on her track, "Don't father me!"

Elder Cedric quickly cut-in when he sighted the person in front of us.

"What have you done to Evren? Why did you have to go this far to subdue your daughter to this level? Your only daughter, Alexander. This clearly shows your desperation. But..."

"You talk too much, Elder Cedric!" I quickly cut-in and fired back in rage, sending a note of warning to his unguided tongue.

"This is Evelyn and not Evren." I uttered.

Elder Cedric's eyes felt like bulging out of his eye socket in shock.

"So, Evren had a twin sister?" Elder Cedric uttered in confusion.

"Tend her up, we are running late for the wedding!" I instructed the guards.

Chapter 4

Evelyn POV.

I stood in front of this man oblivious to me. Just a few minutes ago we met. It was indeed a cold reception. I knew he never liked me. He doesn't need to like me anyway. No one loves an arranged marriage.

It is always a bottomless pit, full of life surprises. You don't know what is waiting for you until you get in.

I had to play my script, and play it excellently smart. Otherwise I would regret the day I came to this earth. I have been well briefed and there is no sloppiness.

I need to use this to gain the trust of my father. Maybe my affection can find a way in his heart. I don't really want much. I just want him to love me half as much as Evren, my twin sister. Now everyone knows me as Evren. Not Evelyn, a poor forgotten child of elder Alexander.

"Will you Evren Blackwood take alpha James Radcliffe as your fated mate and the one and only love of your life?" the priest in front of us solemnly declared.

Alpha James had tapped me into reality, because the world was watching.

"Yes I do." my voice steady despite the storm inside, trying to fake the needed smile.

"You are proclaimed as husband and wife." The priest declared, his voice echoed through the grand hall.

The whole congregation was bemused with joy including my father and the other man who was with my father earlier. The duo sat in line with the king and other dignitaries, fake smiles plastered on their faces.

Everything here looks strange, the people, food, the extravagant dress and even the air carried a sharp, unfamiliar scent of luxury.

A short while later, I was ushered into an enormous room at the center,presumably the best I have seen. At its center, stood a grand bed draped with silk. The room shimmered with wealth every corner spotless, every glow surface reflecting the glow of chandeliers.

A rich heady fragrance lingered in the air, my fingers trailing over the smooth fabric unable to check the sense of ease growing through me.

I checked my burner, the one given to me by my father. Two unread messages blinked on the screen.

The first message reads: "Your first assignment is to implant chips on Alpha james before twelve a.m. You must make sure you have sex with him tonight for this mission to be successful. Everything you need is in the envelope, in the drawer, at the right hand corner of the room close to the bed." I turned around and I could see a mini-drawer, positioned beside the bed.

"Your failure to carry out this simple task shows that you are not fit for this mission. Hence, you will be withdrawn as soon as possible and other options will be considered."

'Options?'

Sweat broke out of my face, as I find it difficult to swallow saliva. My eyes traced its footsteps back to the second message sent a few minutes after the first one.

The Second message reads: "never forget the three rules.

Rule one: Focus is the name of the game, the end result is more important than anything else.

Rule two: Your cover is more important than your life.

Rule three: Obey the first and second rule."

I had to quickly locate the spot. I was lucky to come across a brown envelope, so I dipped my hand into it, luckily I could lay my hand on a silvery colored pen-like object.

Should I pick the object and hide it in my Bra or wrap it between my long hair.

Or I should leave it there, and when time comes, I will still come and pick it later? Does this place look like Alpha James' bedroom? I had to quickly scan the room to check if I could see any man's belongings, a sure sign that this may be his room. But I found none. Barrages of confusion enveloped me.

I read the second message twice, my father's echoed in my mind. The rules were more than instructions; they were a mantra he'd succeeded in drilling into me as long as I could remember.

I had to double check if there were any security cameras around.

Uneasiness filled me but I had to be man enough. I have never found myself in this kind of situation before.

Suddenly, I could hear the growing and resounding footsteps approaching the door. I quickly inserted the burner phone in my tight silky panty and wrapped the silvery colored pen in my hair. Thankfully it looks like a hair clip . The rule: Never blow your cover, it sunk into me.

Re-adjusted myself to the edge of the bed this time facing the door to prevent any suspicion.

Two maids stepped into the room, their faces looking accommodating and friendly. "I'm Antonia my Luna," she uttered. I could see her inviting white set of teeth and her impeccable skin.

I believe their work is more than house chores and domestic needs in the palace. They may also be available to attend to some tired guests of the king in the other room.

"The person right here is..."

"Leticia," the second lady quickly cut-in.

"We are here to tend to your hair and do other necessary things to get you prepared for the evening party." Antonia added with smiles.

Leticia had come in with a handy make-up bag. She was unpacking the content on the table attached to the mirror stand. On her way to the

"Tend my hair?" My eyes widely opened in astonishment.

Have I been caught? Definitely there are security cameras in secret places in the room which I have been unaware of? Or are these ladies mole? They are too friendly to be real. No one comes into a big palace with beautiful ladies like this and receives such a calm and welcoming reception whereas some of them would have a soft spot for alpha James.

She gravitated towards me , launching forth her slender hand to remove my veil. I quickly caught it in the air.

"Please don't!" I quickly countered and put on a fake smile to hide my insecurity, "I usually have a severe headache when people retouch my hair." A lie from the pit of hell trying to feign a smile.

"The only thing I need now is a warm bath to get me prep-up for the after-wedding party."

Alpha James barged into the room without knocking, "Everybody get out of here, I need to have some quiet time with my woman!" He speaks with a high level of intoxication as the stench of alcohol oozes from him and envelopes me.

The maids quickly dropped whatever they were doing,

"We are sorry, alpha james!" They uttered and hit the door as their legs could carry them.

I stared at him, and he stared back still hugging his bottle of champagne like the perching of a baby to her mother's back. I knew this was the time for me to strike.

I had to follow the script. I had to lure him into sleeping with me.

Then, he devoured me with his gaze, his greenish eyes pierced through me. I was calm. Trying to study his next move. He dropped the alcoholic drinks with him and gravitated close to me.

He tossed the veil on my head at one side of the bed and placed his index finger on my voluptuous lip. I jerked up my nerve a little but tried to put it under control. Then he placed soft lips on my lips. This time I couldn't control the shrill it sent through my spine.

My lower lip was glued to his for minutes as if there was a special honey to extract from it. This time he had stripped me of my gown, leaving me only with a bra and pant, the upper part of my breast bulging out into the air.

He flung me to the bed, I gave him time to unfasten my bra and gently placed a series of tender kisses from my nape to my waistline. I grabbed the bedsheet to support my emotional surge. This time James had gotten hold of my soft buttock and strip of my g-string.

I could not explain the spell he had casted on me that made so overt to his lustfulness. A part of me really yearned for him while another part of me told me this is what needed to be done to be on the good page of my father.

Maybe it was due to his drunkenness. By morning, he would have come back to his senses. My flower had been dripping and I had completely soaked the bedsheet with my wetness.

To carry out my assignment and for him to draw more into me, I whisper into his ears, " Please, eat me, my alpha."

He suddenly picked me up from the bed into his arms. I clung to his broad muscular chest, he took me straight into the bathroom. He calmly placed my right leg at the edge of the bathtub, and carefully tilting my buttock backward, he parted my legs and went underneath and dipped his index finger into my flower. I moaned as fluid rushed out. He placed his mouth on my flower devouring me like no one has ever done, until the door of the room suddenly opened.

Two men dressed in black suits stepped in.

"Ransack everywhere!" One of them ordered.

We tiptoed ourselves to the corner of the bathroom peeping through the space in between the door. We breathe in each other's breath, looking at each other as we perch to the back of the door.

"Check the wardrobe and the bathroom, we only need the girl."

My eyes open in astonishment. Why me?

We could hear an increase in the sound of footsteps coming into the bathroom.

"Clear!" The voice affirmed as he looked everywhere in the bathroom.

"Let's get out of this place as soon as possible." The first voice ordered. They hurriedly left the room.

While we still glue ourselves at the end of the door.

"I know that voice, it belongs to David." Alpha whispered.

"Who is David?" I asked.