Prophecy: The Alpha Kings and Luna story

ANNA

I left the room in a hurry.

I opened the door to a room that I hadn’t opened in ten years—my mother’s study. My mother was the healer of our pack until she died.

I sifted through the drawer of her old wooden desk until a gold object came into view. About a week before her death, she gave it to me—a beautiful solid-gold ring. I had never seen anything like it before.

It depicted a moon with two wolves facing it.

I vividly remember the day she gave it to me. It was painfully rooted in the depths of my mind and wouldn’t fade with time. Although I was glad that it didn’t, I still tried to forget it. That’s why I had discarded the ring inside the drawer.

But there was something significant about the ring. My father’s words replayed inside my mind, and in that moment so did my mother’s. The words rang in a loop over and over again—mate, ring, prophecy—until I was dizzy.

Then a soft voice sounded through the room, as if it was there in the room with me and yet still somehow so far away. It was a female’s voice. But I couldn’t quite place the woman it belonged to.

Steadying my gaze outside the windows, I forced my mind to quiet and focus on the voice. But there was only silence.

Huh, weird. Maybe it’s a female pack member in the hallway or in another room?

I was thirteen years of age when my mother died, and Anthony was only sixteen years of age. My mother used to have visions occasionally.

In fact, the reason Anthony even went to a mating ceremony in Europe was because my mother had told him his mate was German.

She used to tell me stories all the time. She would tell me that I would have eight children and live inside a castle. She also told me I would find happiness and difficulty by joining two together—that I would fulfill an old, long foretold, and forgotten prophecy.

She made it sound like it was a fairytale and I would become a princess. But none of it sounded like it would become a reality—especially now, considering the potential of a life with Alpha Victor instead.

There was a soft knock at the door, and Anthony peeked his head in. “Thought I might find you here. Before all my toughest decisions, I come to talk to Mom too.” He offered me a soft smile and moved his hand through his sandy-blond hair.

“I’m thinking about everything she used to tell us—if she was right or if she just liked to tell us stories.” I smiled up at him as tears welled in my eyes.

“Oh, Anna.” He wiped a small tear from my cheek. “Mom was right about Charlotte. She said my mate would be German.”

“She used to tell me I would be an important part of a prophecy, but that can’t be with Victor, right?” I laughed as another tear streamed down my face.

“I wouldn’t doubt what you could do, Anna. I never have. I wish there was another way besides—you know,” he huffed out.

“But why—why is Victor the only way? You know what kind of life he’ll give me.” I covered my eyes with my hands.

“Alpha Victor is cocky. He seems to believe that you won’t find your mate at the ceremony. I, on the other hand, along with Charlotte, believe that you will. That’s why we made this agreement,” he explained.

“You’re taking a gamble. I could remain unmated and then be stuck with Victor as his sex slave.” I scowled.

“If he ever mistreated or disrespected you, I would destroy him!” Anthony pounded his fist against the glass table.

“You and what army?” I scoffed.

Anthony was strong in all the ways that mattered. He would be a great alpha. He could win against Victor if it came down to it, but if there was a way to avoid any bloodshed… I shook the thought from my mind.

“I forgot to mention—we are consolidating in a month.” Anthony leaned against the doorframe. “About thirty wolves from the Woods Pack will be a part of our pack soon. They’re small but fierce. Besides, if you become mated, Victor will not break his word. He is still an alpha and has a law to uphold. The alpha kings will not stand for a broken agreement. Punishment would be enacted from two kingdoms if he refused to cooperate.”

“I hope you’re right.” Hope fluttered faint and fragile in my heart. “Until then, I have to play princess. Can you ask Charlotte if she can help me, you know, girl stuff for the ceremony?” I looked up at him quizzically.

“Of course, she’d be happy to help.” He gave me a small hug and exited the room to leave me in silence.

***

After sulking in the shower for a good twenty minutes, I eventually made my way back downstairs. The alpha council, along with Alpha Victor, were socializing and enjoying libations in the main dining room.

As soon as I entered, I felt Victor’s eyes burning a hole through my core. He wasn’t shy, or polite, or even close to a gentleman.

I rolled my eyes and kept walking toward my father’s beta, Charlie.

“Hello, Anna!” He handed me a drink.

Finally, I thought. I needed something to make this night better.

I had a few glorious moments to myself until I sensed a figure headed toward me. With a quick sniff, I was sure it was Alpha Victor based on his sting of musk mixed with arousal. His scent was a touch alluring, and I couldn’t quite place why.

Even if my entire body cringed from his proximity, my wolf had second thoughts. That little whore. In the space of a heartbeat, we were aligned in our disgust of him even as the strange feeling lingered.

The way he walked told it all. He was cocky and sure of himself. My feelings and wants be damned.

“Anna, my dear.” The words rolled off his confident lips.

He reached out for my hand, and I refused to provide it.

He brushed it off as inattention and continued his advances. He ran his fingers along my arm, but I yanked my arm away.

“I don’t appreciate that.” I scowled at him, trying to keep my tone even.

He leaned in too close and whispered in my ear, “What fight do you have in you?”

“Oh, you have no idea,” I snapped back. “Why don’t you go to that mating ceremony too? Maybe you’ll find your mate instead of harassing me.”

If he had seemed a decent man, I could have considered a life with him to be a decent one.

But he wasn’t. There was something about him that screamed conniving and duplicitous.

“I am thirty-five years old, Anna.” He swirled his drink. “I have settled on not finding my mate. I do have this strange connection—a pull toward you. I can’t decide if it’s your defiance or your beauty.” He went to sweep a finger across my cheek.

I leaned away from his touch and stepped back. “Well, you will mourn that connection once I find my true mate at the ceremony. Make a new list of women to fuck and ensure I’m off it!” I scoffed at him and walked away.

Anger flared in his hazel eyes as I walked toward the exit. But the odd thing was, I felt a small connection too. It wasn’t the mating bond—that was for sure. It had to be something else. Maybe familial? I’d never felt anything nearly comparable.

***

The next week flew by.

Charlotte took me shopping, ran a few makeup trials on me, and gave me loads of confidence boosts. She helped me pack most of my belongings just in case I was graced with finding my mate at the ball.

“You’ll be okay,” Charlotte told me, her soft eyes full of hope.

I wished I shared that same hope. “I don’t know—it’s all just a lot, Charlotte.”

“I found my mate at a mating ball, and so can you, Anna. Crazier things have happened.” She smiled softly.

“You’re right. I should at least believe there could be a chance.”

Charlotte embraced me with a warm hug.

I had to keep hope. Charlotte was right. That was the only thing left to depend on: hope.

Alpha Victor didn’t ease up on his courting either. He sent flowers at least three times—flowers of all different types, just to make sure one type finally stuck. I didn’t have a favorite.

I didn’t care for flowers.

I was always enticed by the smell of mahogany and pine, for some reason. I loved running through the woods and having those scents surround me. They brought me comfort.

Victor would visit every couple of days and try to meet with me—“to get to know” me, as he said. Every time, he would mention a connection. Every time, I was sure it wasn’t the mating bond.

I endured his presence now in the sitting room. I rolled my eyes as he prattled on about how suited we were for each other. He ogled me and didn’t even try to disguise it.

“Being with me is the natural thing to do,” Victor said.

I glared at him and shifted in my seat. “The natural thing is to find my true mate, and the mating bond will reveal him at the ceremony.”

A wicked grin spread across his face. His smugness was suffocating.

“With this connection between us, I think you’ll be coming home with me after the ceremony.” He leaned over and trailed his fingers down my arm. “It’ll be a very good night. I’ll even let you be a little feisty.”

I pulled my arm back, seething at him. “I don’t want to spend any nights with you. And I look forward to the disappointment on your face when I find my mate.”

I swallowed hard. I wished I believed my own words…