BOUGHT BY THE ALPHA

Bell's Family

The moon was attempting to rise higher in the sky as the Sun was lowering a little. As silent as the Crescent moon pack could ever be, Alpha Adrian, the powerful and thoughtful Alpha, ruled over it.

With a deft touch, he maintained the pack's tranquility throughout its history. Despite his cunning and ruthlessness, he never abandoned his pack.

The brother of the Alpha lived with his family in a lovely home near the woods, complete with a tiny garden and porch. He had a young, nimble son and a lovely, happy daughter.

"Is Bell coming down to eat?" Bell and her younger brother Olive ran down when his wife Whitney called.

"Kind children," Isaiah, their father, remarked.

"Dad, can we play in the woods for a little while after we eat?" Olive asked his father to show him his flawlessly white teeth. The seven-year-old boy was correct when he said his father could never resist smiling.

"All right, but don't hang out too late?" Even the woods were safe, he reprimanded; they were still part of the Crescent moon pack.

Olive smiled broadly; he always enjoyed the lovely times when Bell would narrate a story to him as the moon rose higher in the sky.

After finishing his supper quickly, he took his seventeen-year-old sister by the hand and left the house.

Bell told him to slow down, but he was having none of it and hurried through the woods to their regular location.

His little head rested on her arm as they sat on the blanket Bell had spread out on the floor.

"Bell, do you think I can ever be Alpha?" he questioned his astute sister, seeking validation for what his father had said.

She carefully replied, "You can be anything you want to be; I believe in you."

"I don't want to be an Alpha; it comes with a lot of responsibilities, and Dad told me that since Uncle Adrian is a single man, I will automatically become the Alpha. Olive summarized the productive sequence of events that led to Uncle Adrian's inquiry, as he himself stated.

She questioned, "Don't you want to be the strongest, kindest, and most powerful Alpha this pack has ever seen?"

With haste, he replied, "I am strong."

He scowled as she said, "You are not strong enough because you don't want to be the Alpha."

"Will I become stronger as the Alpha?" He questioned while interlocking his fingers with his sister's, gazing up at the already-dark skies.

She touched his chest and said, "No title can make you strong; only you can do that with the will of your heart and mind." He laughed, showing that it was ticklish.

"Do you know why today is a starless day?" She turned to face her innocent younger brother, who gave her a sidelong glance and shook his head.

"It's because,"

"Ahhhh" Bell was cut off when she heard someone scream.

Knowing it was their mother's voice, "Mom" Olive didn't wait for her and instead ran as fast as he could towards the house.

"Olive, wait up." She got up to follow him, but as she did, she tripped over a stone that was falling.

When she looked up and realized Olive was gone, she started to run back home. Olive was being held by a wolf who had ripped his body apart and slashed his neck with his claws when she noticed two bodies on the ground not far from her house. She recognized them as her mother and father.

She cried out, "Noooooo," as she ran towards the wolf, but it threw her into a tree, where she passed out for a moment. When she awoke, she saw a young man dressed in royal clothing standing in front of the bodies. He had perfect build and long hair that reached his waist. He gave her a good look at the bodies before turning to leave.

Bell rose and ran in the direction of her deceased family.

"Mom, Dad, Olive," she sobbed as she knelt beside them. Her entire family had been killed, and she was not happy about it.

Her only family had been taken from her, and all she could remember was the man's face who had killed them. She screamed loudly in the air, expressing her anguish and sorrow, and she vowed to get revenge.

Bell was brought to the pack house, where Luna Diana and her cousin Hava consoled her. On her way to the castle, Bell had seen other families' homes in ruins and had been informed that the pack was under attack.

Bell's tears wet her cloth, and Hava felt her pain. "Don't cry Bell, I am here for you," she said, giving her a tight hug. Bell's family was her family, and Isaiah was her uncle. Although she was unaware of Bell's level of pain, she couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

Diana stood by Hava's room door and said, "Bell, your uncle Adrian needs to see you." Diana had been watching Bell cry for some time and felt bad for her.

Hava was about to follow her when her mother stopped her, but she said, "I will go with you."

"Just Bell," she uttered.

Bell moved slowly and in silence, opening the Alpha's office when she arrived.

Bell took a seat when Alpha Adrian motioned for her to do so.

He asked, "How are you holding up? You have been grieving for your family for a week now." She raised her puffy eyes to him.

He went to her and dried her tears, telling her not to cry again. He was as saddened by Bell's death as he was by his brother's and his family's deaths.

"They were all I had," Bell sobbed even harder as she thought back to her final moments with them, the quiet moments, and her regular evening conversations with her brother.

"I understand and I apologize," he apologised, feeling guilty about what he was going to say.

He abruptly dropped to his knees, shocking her.

"What are you doing, uncle?" Perplexed by his actions, she asked.

He begged, "Please save us, Bell."

What he meant when he said that she should save them confused Bell even more. "What is going on?" she asked.

He blurted, standing up and taking her hand, "If we don't give him a bride, our pack would be under attack again."

Although my daughter is much younger than you and you would turn eighteen in two months, Bell, you know that I would never do this to you. He said, "Please be the bride and save the pack."

"What kind of foolishness are you discussing?" He had the audacity to advise her to get married to someone else, but Bell was still in mourning for her parents and he stood up angrily.

"Please Bell, look on the bright side you can start a new life there. I got a letter three days ago saying our pack would be under another attack if we don't present a bride to the Alpha." He tried to talk her out of it, but his eyes were filled with fear. The Alpha he was referring to was the strongest in all of lands, and others called him the Alpha King.

The Crescent moon pack was nothing in comparison to him.

Bell declined, saying, "No, I can't do it."

"Bell" I want you to know that even though you lost your family, you still have the power to prevent other families from suffering the same fate. He tried to reason with Bell once more, saying, "Think about your cousin Hava who looks up to you," but she was having none of it and shoved open the door.

She discovered Hava standing there with swollen eyes; it was obvious that she had heard everything they had said and was terrified of the truth even now.

Bell inhaled deeply before acting in a way she had never anticipated.

She said, "Okay, I'll be the bride," and turned to leave.

***

Bell was picked up by the Red moon pack's Gamma two days later. The pack was larger and livelier than the Crescent moon pack, which was very different from what Bell had anticipated.

Not only was the castle a fortress, but it also had enough land to house hundreds of people.

She was greeted by Red Moon Pack member Gamma Lucian as they entered the enormous Hall and waited for the Alpha to arrive.

Bell observed a tall, man with short brown hair, a massive build, a chiseled face, and a bright smile come down the stairs.

She whispered to herself, "He isn't all that bad," as he approached her and took her hand.

He said, "Hello, you must be Bell. My name is Beta Alex."

The idea that he might be the Alpha she was assigned to evaporated from her mind.

Slowly and steadily, Bell heard another set of footsteps descend the stairs. She saw a man with brown eyes, a stern face, long black hair pulled back into a half bun, and black jeans walk down the stairs.

He did not approach her and remained silent as he stood by the stairs.

Bell knew at once that he was the man who had murdered her parents.