Chapter 2 A Lamb For Slaughter

• It was my turn to choke on my grilled salmon, almost as if this entire conversation is a joke worth laughing.
• I felt like I’m no longer Rhiannon, the free-spirited Alpha’s daughter who’d been loved by many and hated by a few. I felt I’m now Rhiannon, the broken-hearted Alpha’s daughter who’d been thrown by her father in a sudden arranged marriage.
• Also, hand me over? What am I? Some sort of a property that can be easily sold to other’s hands?
• I swallowed my food and shook my head vehemently. “No.”
• “It’s not negotiable, Rhiannon,” my father’s face was grim. “You will be marrying Alpha Azriel of the Moonborn Pack whether you like it or not.”
• I opened my mouth to say something, anything. But I just stared incredulously at my Alpha, his face the mixture of firmness and solemness.
• I leaned in my chair. “But father—”
• “I am your Alpha, Rhiannon.” My father, Alpha Dorian, always knows how to strike me subtly even with the softness of his voice. “You will not only obey me as how a daughter should obey her father, but also how a packmember should respect her Alpha.”
• My father returned his attention to his dinner. But my plate of grilled salmon and roasted potatoes have already gone cold. I stared at the horizon, at the forest past the windows. At nothing.
• I can never disobey him when he already demands to be obeyed. He still radiates authority even when half of his hair is already turning white.
• “But why me, father? If you want someone high-ranking to throw in Alpha Azriel’s feet, why not Lazel?” I pointed at her, who froze but still held that amused expression on her face. “She’s a slut anyway.”
• Homer cursed beneath his breath, “You’re going too far, Rhiannon.”
• “Why shouldn’t I? It’s true anyway. She fucked every Beta in this pack. She also has eyes on my brother too just now.” My brother’s face went pale. Even if he’s the Alpha’s heir, he’s soft when it comes to women and females.
• “No, I’m not!” Lazel countered.
• “Of course, anyone here but me wouldn’t notice because my father and Beta Homer pinned their focus on me. Who knows? Perhaps you already knew that, Lazel, hence you joined our dinner just so you can take advantage of my brother.”
• “Rhiannon.” My father called out to me once with that soft dangerous voice he always uses that sounded like a death bell in my ears. “Enough, please.”
• As a free-spirited daughter of the Alpha of the Moonbeam Pack, I can’t deny that there are many who love me and a few who hate me. I don’t know which side my father stands now though: whether he’s one of those who adored me or among the few that secretly despised me.
• “Can we at least delay the wedding until I found my mate?” I pleaded, resuming the topic ten minutes later when dessert was now beginning to be served. “Just so I can really decide whether I will stay with Alpha Azriel or not...”
• “Stay?” My father gulped, shooting me a glare that can cut Rogues in half. “You will stay with him, Rhiannon. Besides, your mother also arranged for me back in our youth.” His eyes darted to my abdomen. “Our mating bond snapped as soon as she’s pregnant with you.”
• “So are you saying that Alpha Azriel is my mate?” I narrowed my eyes. Crossing my fingers won’t bring me luck alone now that my father is willing to fight me at this table.
• He cleared his throat. “I’m saying that...he could be your mate. That’s why you should marry him. Besides, my will will be done. Alpha Azriel not only holds the current title of the strongest and fiercest Alpha, he’s also the one that most of the females are talking about.” He jerked his chin towards me. “You know what I mean, child.”
• “I know. You mean to say that I am the luckiest girl in all of the packs.” I sighed and frowned. “You’re choosing my husband-to-be based on the gossip circulating around packs?”
• My father only shrugged, barely paying attention to what I just said.
• “Has he even agreed yet?”
• “He agreed since a year ago,” my father replied without looking up from his plate.
• A...year ago? So my fate was decided a year ago?
• I eyed Homer, who just seductively grinned at me. Looking at Lazel, I’m now beginning to wonder if Homer has truly loved me even when he already knew about my father’s plan.
• I was silent for a few more minutes. Then, “So my fate is entirely not negotiable then. It rests on your hands solely.”
• My father slammed his hands on the table, shaking the utensils and glasses. He’s now pissed off at me. “Rhiannon,” he warned.
• But I shook my head. “I’m no weak lamb for slaughter, Father.”
• “You are no lamb,” my father’s voice was still low but vicious nonetheless. “You are my daughter.”
• Right. I’m an Alpha’s daughter. Yet I feel no different from an Omega who can be auctioned to other rich males in another pack anytime and anywhere.
• “Please understand, Rhiannon, that you are the only asset I have. The only treasure I can give to another for the benefit of our pack,” my father reached for my hand. This time, I let him. “Besides, you’re a late bloomer, you had your wolf two years after you turned eighteen. You cannot find a decent mate—”
• Growling, I snatched my hand away and stood. “You have no conscience, Father.”
• “Rhiannon,” my father sighed. My Alpha. “You are weak. Hence, it is only right to marry a stronger Alpha. Even stronger than me. I’m getting old, child. I can no longer protect you than I used to do. I only want the best for you. Alpha Azriel is the right choice.”
• “No,” I hissed, “I am not weak.” I pushed my plate away and shoved my chair back to the table. “Excuse me, I need some fresh air to breathe.”
• I can’t believe my father has thrown me into an arranged marriage fiasco on the day I found out my boyfriend-turned-ex had been cheating on me.
• I turned away, leaving my family and the Betas alone in the dining room and strode outside the open door. The cold wind brushed past me, caressing my cheeks.
• “Alpha Azriel is the right choice, Rhiannon!” Alpha Dorian bellowed behind me.
• But I no longer heard my father’s words as my feet were already sprinting away from the packhouse—
• And into the forest.