Chapter 1
Alora’s POV
“Mother!” I screamed out in disbelief as soon as I opened the door to her chambers. I feared for the worst when I arrived home to see bloodstains all over our living room, but I could never imagine the unforgiving sight in front of me when I had rushed upstairs to find her.
My mother had been murdered and was lying in the pool of her own blood. Beside her, were the dead bodies of her maids that had been brutally murdered in the cruelest way possible. My heart sank at the horrid sight in front of me.
The flowers that I had picked for her, slipped from my hands and scattered across the room, as my knees buckled in shock.
My entire body shook massively as I shakily knelt down in front of her. I reached out to her dead body with trembling hands as tears burned my vision, threatening to fall.
“Mother…Why…What happened?” I choked out in a shaky whisper, my voice broken with grief.
Just then, I heard faint groaning sounds coming from behind me and turned to see Lara, our chief maid who had just stumbled in, trembling at a corner. Her entire body was soaked with blood stains.
“My L-Lady.” She stuttered in a shaky voice and seeing how scared she was, I pulled her into an embrace until she calmed down a bit.
“W-What happened here? Who attacked us? Who did this? Where is my father and why is there blood everywhere?” I cringed hard when the metallic smell hit my nostrils. My stomach churned at the revolting smell that i almost puked at the sight in front of me.
“I was at the barn storing up grains when they stormed into the mansion My Lady, so I hid myself.” She said in a shaky voice as tears spilled from her eyes.
“When it was finally over, I saw the Royal guards drag your father away from where I was hiding but I was too scared to say or do anything. I overheard them say that they came here under the Alpha King’s command to murder everyone and your mother—” She paused, giving me a pitiful look which was followed by a muffled cry that told me she didn’t want to explain any further.
“Who killed my mother?” I urged, taking note of the change in her voice when she uttered her name.
“I’m so sorry, My Lady. I am so deeply sorry.” She apologized continuously and that’s when it slowly started to hit me.
“Mother, please wake up!” I yelled at the top of my voice, throwing myself on her bloodied frame. Pain, anger, resentment and hurt coursed through my veins just by staring at her lifeless body.
The tears fell freely from my eyes and I let them as I wept bitterly, wailing in deep sorrow. Not knowing what else to do, I took to my heels and rushed out of the mansion.
I heard Lara calling after me but I didn’t listen neither did I stop. I kept on running till I got to the palace gates. The guards let me in and just as I made my way towards the courthouse, I spotted my father from a distance being whipped by one of the guards.
Just before the last whip would hit him, I interfered by hugging him and it landed on my back. I yelped in pain at the painful intrusion but it wasn’t as painful as watching my father being humiliated in that manner.
“What do you think you’re doing? How dare you touch my father? Who gave you that right!?” I challenged him fiercely the minute I got on my feet to face him.
“I did.” A voice boomed and just then, Ryan and his sister, Keira arrived at the scene. I immediately rushed towards him.
“Ryan, my home was attacked” The words rushed out my mouth before I could stop them. “My mother was murdered and now this guard is whipping my father p>
“Exactly as I had instructed them to do.” He answered, cutting me short. I stumbled backwards, not believing what I had just heard.
“Y-You instructed them to kill my family?” I repeated. “Why? What could my father have done to deserve such punishment from you Ryan p>
“It’s Alpha Ryan to you Alora and yes, your father is guilty of whatever he’s being punished for.” He growled out to my face without mincing words.
“And my mother? What could’ve been my poor mother’s crime to deserve such a merciless death from you?” I asked in a shaky whisper, the air vanishing from my lungs all of a sudden.
“She’s the wife of a traitor.” He stated firmly. “And anyone related to this traitor He said pointing at my father who was struggling to breathe or even move.
“Is also a traitor in my books and that includes you too, Alora. He betrayed me and now, he will pay for it.” He deadpanned.
“No Alpha King, I beg of you, please spare my father’s life. He would never betray you!” I knelt down on the ground and wrapped my hands firmly around his ankle as I pleaded desperately for him to spare my father’s life.
He looked at me as though I had grown another pair of heads and his eyes bubbled in anger and disappointment. I could see the hate in them as those orbs glared at me wordlessly but I didn’t stop begging. My father’s life was more important than any look he would give me at this point.
“Did you know that your dear father ordered the execution of my parents?” He asked through gritted teeth and everyone present at the scene gasped in utter shock while I shook my head in disbelief as the bitter tears kept rolling down my cheeks.
“My family has been nothing but good to your wretched family.” He started. His voice dipped further to take a deeper note that reflected the anger that he felt within.
“My father appointed your father to be the Beta of this pack because he trusted him and this is how he repaid his kindness? By killing him?” He growled at me. His eyes had turned fiery red and the veins on his neck had popped out visibly as he glared daggers at my father who was being held up at the side by his soldiers.
He had been beaten, bruised and is almost on the verge of death. Blood oozed out from the cuts all over his body and the more I stared at him, the more my eyes welled up in tears. If only I had gotten to him sooner then I would’ve stopped them from hurting him this much but there was so little I could’ve done and I hated myself for it.
Everyone present here might believe that my father was guilty but I knew deep down that he wasn’t. He has always been loyal to the deceased Alpha King. He was a kind and just man that took care of the royal family as well as the other members of the pack and their children without sentiments so I knew that there was a mistake somewhere.
My father would never kill anyone without a proper reason and going after the royal family was something that he would never attempt for the rest of his life.
He had always preached to me about how much he respected them and would serve them for the rest of his life. He always sang praises about the late Alpha King and even on his dying bed, he had promised to look after his children and guide them till they were old enough to take over the pack so how could he kill him? And why did he do it now when he has had enough time to execute his plans when they were much younger?
Nothing made sense to me and that’s why I believed that my father had been falsely accused of treason.
“Please listen to me Ryan.” I pleaded profusely. My hands clasped together briefly before taking back my previous position. “Don’t do this. You’re making a big mistake. You of all people should know that this was a setup. You know that my father would never do that to your father p>
“That’s what I thought Alora.” He whispered to me. “I had thought that the father of the woman whom I loved and intended to marry would never do something to hurt me in this manner but I guess that I don’t know people as well as I thought I did p>
“I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that you are also in on this plan as well. Maybe that’s why you were so desperate to get married to me.” He accused me with a disappointed smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
“Your father must have made you fall in love with me so that when we get married, he would use that opportunity to seize the throne for himself. You’re just like him p>
I shook my head negatively. “I love you so much Ryan and I would never do something like that to you. I will never hurt you intentionally. You are my mate remember? How can I hurt you when we share a bond between us p>
“That’s even the more reason why you could have done it.” He persisted and commanded the guards to resume whipping my father. I tried to go after him but they grabbed me forcefully, preventing me from helping him.
I cried painfully. His eyes stared at me briefly and I could see the sadness registered in them. My eighteenth birthday was just around the corner and he had made massive preparations for it but now, he was going to die here and I am going to watch it happen because I am helpless.
“Pl-ease Ryan. Don’t do this please.” I hiccuped with a hurtful voice but he only looked down at me with an emotionless face. His eyes stared at me coldly showing no mercy. I have never known him to be so cruel and ruthless to this extent.
With a cold stare, he kicked me on my stomach which sent me flying away as I crawled into a fatal position. He stared at me expressionlessly, a mocking smile playing on his lips before walking up to my father. He grabbed the sword offered to him by one of the guards as he ordered my father to be brought up to his knees.
“No!” I screamed at him when it dawned on me on what he was about to do. With the little strength left in me, I crawled slowly towards my father but before i cover a reasonable distance, I heard a slash of sword followed by the sound of something being chopped off to the ground.
Right in front of my eyes, my father’s body landed on the ground with a loud thud causing me to freeze in my position.
My whole body went numb at the horrifying sight in front of me. Pain, indescribable pain shot up my bloodstream at that moment but I could barely move or process it.
“Anyone who dares to plot against the Royal Family will die just like this traitor.” He declared, pointing his finger at my father’s lifeless body as he coldly surveyed his surroundings, radiating the authority of his Alpha position. Everyone present at the scene lowered their heads as no one dared to meet his gaze or challenge him.
Walking up to me, he grabbed my chin forcefully and brought it to meet his eyes. I was still traumatized by what I had just seen and I didn’t know how to react to it. My whole body was still in shock and my eyes were very much still fixated on my father’s lifeless body.
“You are going to pay dearly for what your father had done to my family Alora. You will atone for his sins. You will serve as a slave to this palace and I will make every second of your life miserable.” He swore vehemently but I was far too disoriented to make sense of anything he was saying.
My whole world and everything that I held dear had crashed before my eyes in just one day.
“But she’s your mate and soon to be Luna, Ryan.” My ears picked up the familiar voice of Keira, his sister from behind.
“You can’t possibly do something like that to your own mate. You are mated by bond and by the moon goddess.” She reminded him. He pushed my chin away roughly and rose up to his feet. I resumed crawling to my father with tear filled eyes but was whipped which stopped my movements abruptly.
“Father I called out to him desperately in a small voice hoping that he wasn’t dead and that he could hear me. I desperately wanted him to hear me.
“Please wake up father. Please!” I begged desperately as I fumbled with my own pain.
Just then, Ryan ordered them to lift me up which they did. Unable to fight with tears streaming down my face, I asked him, “You have taken everything away from me Ryan. What more c-could you possibly t-take now, Alpha King p>
He snickered at me, his expression as stoic as ever. “The right to be called my mate.” He answered almost immediately. “On this day, I, Alpha Ryan of the Moon Stone Pack, hereby reject you, Alora, daughter of the late traitor and Beta Alfonso, as my mate!” He deadpanned.