Rosalie
When I was a child, I read a lot of books about cursed princesses locked in high towers and the handsome young princes who came to their rescue.
I am no princess, but I do feel like I was once cursed, for ever since I can remember, I've known no kindness, no freedom, and no love.
Therefore, night after night, I've been praying to the Moon Goddess to have mercy and send me a savior––someone who would take me away from here and crown me as his wife.
All I've ever wanted was love.
And it was on my wedding day that I came to realize that I do have to be careful of what I wish for.
***
"Will you raise your eyes and look at me when I'm talking to you, you ungrateful wench?!"
My father, Alpha Ruden of the Crescent Pack, slams his fists on the table, sending a bone-shuddering shiver down my spine.
He is not a gentle man. Or rather, he is never gentle with me. And I don't really blame him. I am already twenty-three, yet I am wolfless, possessing absolutely no power whatsoever.
I am a disgrace to my family, and yet today, for the first time in what seems like forever, Father called for me, because he had something important to tell me.
"You are going to get married tomorrow."
I stare at him blankly, not sure if I have heard him correctly. The words keep replaying in my head like a broken record, but they sound so strange to me, as if they were uttered in a foreign language.
Marriage. Being the useless daughter of the alpha, I stopped dreaming about getting married a long time ago, so now that I hear such a decision, I can't help but feel like it's not happening to me.
"Are you deaf now, too?" Father scowls, the crease between his eyebrows deepening as he frowns at me. "You are getting married, damn it!"
"I––" I start carefully, but I still feel like I can't say anything at all. "I––I understand."
"Ugh," he groans, disappointed. "Quit stammering, will you? What a fucking disgrace! You can't even speak properly!"
I feel my whole body shrinking, my shoulders curling forward as if I'm trying to hide within an invisible shell.
It's not my choice to stammer. I don't speak a lot––I have no one to talk to. Even the maids barely throw a couple of words in my direction, so, naturally, when I do have to speak, I can't help but stammer uncontrollably.
"I'm sorry," I muster everything I have in me to sound confident, and luckily, I manage.
Father sighs and runs his hand over his dark, wavy hair. "Now listen carefully, Rosalie. Your betrothed is Alpha Caden Holt from the newly created Moon Shadow Pack. The Alpha King has recently gifted him a huge piece of land and an officially recognized pack with a rank slapped on top of it."
He sucks in a long breath as if steadying himself for whatever he is about to say next. "The King needs him to marry a daughter of an alpha to strengthen his new position, and for some damned reason, Alpha Caden chose our pack to take his pick from!"
I wince as he raises his voice again, slamming his fist on top of the table, nearly crushing it.
But I think the news about my impending marriage mortifies me even more.
Alpha Caden Holt of Moon Shadow Pack.
I've heard whispers about him. An orphaned rogue mercenary in the past, he led his men into the battlefield to protect the kingdom from the Wasteland monsters, protecting us from the invasion and granting us a chance to take over more land.
Rumor has it that he is ruthless and strong, and being a rogue, unfamiliar with the high stakes of the alpha politics, I guess it makes sense that he needs to have a Luna from a strong pack.
But who would have thought that this pack would be Crescent?
And who would have thought that the Luna... would be me?
As if having read my mind, Father twists his lips into a bitter grin, his dark eyes narrowing at me with unconcealed resentment.
"The bastard sent an official request through the King to marry one of my daughters. I can't go against the King's decree, however..."
The pause makes me shiver as the cold realization begins to settle in. Alpha Caden did not ask for me. He asked for my younger sister.
"Marianna is meant for greater things," my father explains, his voice dropping even lower. "She has to graduate from the academy and get married to someone of a higher status to keep our pack on the political frontlines. You, on the other hand..."
I bite my lip, the nails of my right hand peeling nervously at the fingers of my left. I know what he thinks. I don't need him to voice it all.
I am useless. No one would ever marry me. Marianna can even marry the Prince, but I... I should be grateful for this opportunity. I should get on my knees and kiss my father's feet for this cunning little scheme.
"Stop with this disgusting habit!"
The world freezes over before everything tips to the side as my father's cold palm lands on my cheek. The slap is so hard, I nearly bite my tongue, feeling a little dizzy as I struggle to overcome the sudden impact.
"Do you have any idea how important this whole thing is?" He presses on, his face getting red as he fumes. "You'd better behave, Rosalie! If that rogue bastard complains to the king about you and Goddess forbid demands a divorce later on––the Moon is my witness, I will end you!"
I recoil in my seat, dropping my hand down from my stinging, red cheek as I straighten my posture, my bones aching from the usual stiffness.
These are not empty threats. If my father wants to kill me––he will do that.
And I... I want to live.
"Go see the healer," Father scowls as he dismisses me with a careless wave of his hand. "The man is coming here tomorrow, so make sure you look at least half decent in front of him."
"Yes, Father."
I bow down to him, trying my best to walk as elegantly as I can while I exit his office.
I am going to get married. I am getting married to a man who will hate my guts.