Shadow Water Pack/City Pomera.

[THE PAST]

Castle Bavaria/7:15 PM

Merida Pov.

"You look very beautiful, Princess. "

"Thank you, Elsa, "I beam gleefully, weaving my wavy orange colour hair with my fingers. Taking in my full self in the mirror, eyeing excitedly as she places the tiara on my head. My sky-blue dress glimmered under the light and the pricey pearl sat grandiosely on my neck. Protruding the square neck designs of the dress with puffy sleeves.

The day I have been waiting for is finally here.

My eighteenth birthday.

Growing up in the castle right from when I was born with little or no knowledge of what is happening in the outside world has always left me curious, at least in a good way that when I turn eighteenth I would be allowed to leave the high walls when my betrothed arrives.

Well, so I thought.

Until thirteen years ago when I bloomed into an Omega instead of an Alpha Princess like my mother the queen who died giving birth to me was, the dream of that sank down to the drench and washed out.

I stopped dreaming of ever leaving the castles or even having the opportunity to move away from this Pack as no Alpha King would love to be mated to an Omega.

Omegas are weak! Not strong enough to rule an entire city alongside the Alpha.

Sub-genders are meant to work on a softer field like cleaning and arranging books on the Alpha's table.

And unfortunately, my mother wasn't able to birth a child before me and my father, Duke Alpha Luke, has long refused to take in another mate to bear him another female child. One to bloom into an Alpha and take after him, especially since my mother died, as Shadow Water Pack are strictly led by Alpha women under the moon for generations now.

It is my turn to lead.

And due to the overwhelming love of my father or that - that he had for my mother has made him pilant for me to become a successful successor even as an Omega. As long as I keep it a secret and keep it to myself.

With my intelligence, skills and hard work, I can lead the pack and of course, with the help of my betrothed Alpha king.

So today is the union.

My father has made sure that the news of me being an Omega has never left these walls, everyone that had been present at the primal shift had died for knowing this secret.

No one except my father and I knows now. Reasons the Alpha King and his Pack elders are on their way to the castle right now in a quest to marry the Alpha Princess as the union demands and they don't also know I'm pretending to be one.

I hate to pretend, especially to be who I am not but I have to do this for the safety of my Pack.

"The Alpha King has arrived at the hall."

My breath hitched at the announcement, and my heart shuddered erratically within my chest with hurried steps to the hall.

"Merida."

I bow slightly, "Father?"

"He is here, don't forget your training."

"Yes, Father."

"Don't be nervous so you don't break into your heat, I will be beside you so don't worry. All you have to do is sign the agreement and everything will be settled."

I bow politely, " Yes, Father."

"Come, come with me." He beams with pride, stretching out his arms to occupy mine as we walk slowly down the hall. Where the visitors were waiting in black cloaks and capotes.

I could already feel the shift in the air, the strong spectral scents and the intense auras steaming in the atmosphere. I kept my eyes on my ground as we came to a halt, I could already hear my wolf Selene whimpering and squirming in my head at the particular onslaught of scent striking and tugging my nose sweetly.

"It is an honour to have you in our territory, Alpha King Reagan."My father greeted, proclaiming sincerely as we all went on one side of our knees.

My ears perk at the name, Alpha Reagan? I have heard rumours about him and I also read about him on the political covers. He is the newly proclaimed Alpha King of the Midlands, the youngest King of the Night Midlands Pack has ever had.

And he is here for my hand in marriage? I heard he is brutal, bloodthirsty and dishonest.

In the beginning, The Shadow Water Pack was the strongest Pack under the moon, leading all the lands, hybrids, shapeshifters, pure breeds witches and priestesses and even faes accordingly. Well, until the Midlands started growing powerful each passing winter, hunting more than every other Pack, importing guns and every life-threatening military equipment. Silvers and mercury at their clemency.

They became blindly powerful enough to go after the smallest packs and claim their lands, making them grow even stronger until the land gradually began swimming in the river of blood. And of course, since the Shadow Water Pack are overly spiritual and religious - my ancestors trudge for a different plan by building a castle to accommodate every single soul of the Pack, avoiding a front-out war with the Midlands.

We locked ourselves out of the world and mind our business. With this, in the passing years, we became nothing but prawns in their hands. Especially in a kingdom ruled by women, the only solution we had was to marry a powerful Alpha King to become a Duke - since we are ruled by the Midlands but I didn't expect the Alpha King himself to be the one to want a mate.

"I have nothing but gratitude to be here, a mysterious secluded Pack like yours to open up the door is for me a pleasure, Phillips." His baritone voice signals the heavens, making my heart jump. My stomach twisted and churn as his voice flared something in me.

Mate! My mate!

"He is our Mate, Merida, Our mate." Selene echoed in my mind.

He can't be!

There is no way the Alpha King is my mate!

"You don't have to be too humble, Alpha Reagan. Since the day I got your letter, I have been expecting you, "My father retorted amicably.

My eyes ache to look at him so I lifted my head, peering through the red veil that masks my face to gaze at him which ended up almost making me gasp loudly but I held my composure and pretended that nothing had occurred.

He is so breathtaking, his chocolate dragon orbs, his thick dark hair tied in a bun with grey stripes and highlights. The stray strands prem his face and hood his eyes, making his nose a work of art and an eye luring plump upper lips thick like a fog. His speakable height! Making the tiger fur on his shoulder stand out on his handmade-tailored black suits spectacularly.

He is so dead gorgeous!

My mate!

I squirmed, biting my lips shyly for a moment. Forgetting what this is about or what this entire meeting is for, does he feel what I'm feeling too? Is he staring at me too? Does he feel our bond too?

Am I lucky to be betrothed to my own mate instead of a total stranger to start my life with? Which I would come to love them gradually as I had planned? But… He is my mate! My mate!

"Indeed, that's why I'm here, Philips. For my price."

My breath hitches eerily at that sentence, his price?

I'm your fucking mate not your price!

"Of course, of course, Alpha Reagan… Merida, please, "My father prodded me to get up. I bow slightly, holding the trim of my dress as I move forward. My heart somersaulted drastically and Selene jumped fiercely in my mind as he stepped forward as well, slowly closing the space between us.

"Can I?" He says lowly, his eyes meeting mine through the vile. I could feel my pheromones threatening to leak out with the overwhelming image before me, he is so close to me.

I could feel his breath.

"Please, go ahead Alpha, "My father announced, making my breath skip as he uncovers the vile with haste. Our eyes locked together tightly on the ice, I could feel his gaze burning and piercing into me violently.

The way he gulped greedily and how his eyes shifted but returned to a cold one instantly.

"Mate…"He murmurs, barely audible but I heard it loud and clear. I let my lips curve heartily at the comment.

He knows!

I chuckle, shying away, looking else way except his face as my heart lit on fire. My neck charred with sweat and excitement.

I bite my lips as his hands lower to my shoulders, squeezing them firmly. I look again to meet his eyes.

"Tch, "He scoffs rudely, tugging out a silver blade from his jacket and slicing my neck in a flash, pushing me to the side as it felt like my entire body was floating on air.

What?

"Alpha…?" I choked out blood, immediately bringing my hand to touch my neck. Realising slowly what has just happened to me.

I could hear the indistinct feral gasp in the air. Everyone mumbled foggy words, my eyes hazily peered at my mate cleaning my blood off his jacket… "Selene, you need to shift, I might die."

"I can't Merida, I'm sorry. I felt the cut too, it's a special blade… it's for killing our kind…he meant to kill us."

No!

No!

I could feel myself slowly sinking into a dark void, still unable to comprehend what has happened.

Did I just get killed by my mate? Did…He…?

I choked out a wad of blood, my feet growing cold with a shock striking from my feet to my spine turning my whole body into a shaking mess.

Is this what death feels like? I blinked back the haziness as my father shakes hands with the Alpha King, grinning dutifully before the same blade swosh through his neck as well.

That's all I ever saw or ever recalled.

~Third Person's Pov.

They say there is no love greater than that of a father's love but this was just pure fallacy in Merida's case. The truth has always been hidden from her, she thought her father was training her and having better plans for her but it has always been the opposite and she never realised it.

After her mother's death, The Midlands had begun threatening to claim the Castle, City Pomera and the whole of Shadow Water Pack and her father kept this a secret from her in a quest of protecting her, even with the knowledge of the newly proclaimed Alpha King wanting the Princess as the peace treaty. As a compact between the two lands and a way to let them continue to live in peace which Duke Philips, Merida's father greedily accepts.

It is known knowledge that the Shadow Water Pack are powerless, in terms of manpower, agility and pure animalistic power and war defence so this makes the enemy prey on them.

They are spiritual so they do their best to avoid wars and win through the heart.

Alpha Reagan is only prying on their weakness and Merida's father greedily falls for it in the name of protecting the Pack, even when he knew that the Alpha had no intentions of marrying his daughter from the beginning.

He just wanted to protect the Castle and rule forever.

But fate had other plans, no one knew there was a possibility of the Princess being a fated mate to the Alpha King and of course, Alpha Reagan couldn't care less.

Merida is just a distraction from his thirst for power, to rule and to conquer.

An Alpha with a mate is a weak one. Real Alphas don't rely on their mate bond to live.

And thankfully, he has finally succeeded in his dreams of owning the Castle and leading the forty-eight Packs in it. Now coupled with ruling the entire world, Alphas of Alphas, The leader and the one true King.

And yes, Life went on.

Merida's dead body was thrown into the desert, alongside her father and extended families and anyone who tried to go against Alpha Reagan.

As the day slowly fades into the night and turns back into day consecutively so did a vicious life cycle began.

They say souls have perfect memory than the mind could.

So did something out of the ordinary happen, the questionable?

A heart that cried mercifully for revenge was heard.

The desert sinks into the deepest river.

And a rebirth suddenly happened, one nobody has ever seen or heard of.

Hi, I'm Lame Ruler. Thank you for giving this book a chance.