Chapter 2

XAVIER

Silence enveloped the office as I stood there frozen. It was taking a lot more time than usual for my brain to process the information I'd just received and it left me dumbfounded as I stared at my father.

He looked up at me. "What? Why do you have such a dumb look on your face?"

"Sorry, come again," I replied. "What did you say?"

"You're getting married," he stated. "I'm pretty sure I was clear the first time."

"I don't understand this," I retorted. "Why? To who? What on Earth is going on? Why do you even get to decide that?"

I was careful not to raise my voice since it is tradition to never bare your fangs at the Alpha. Even though he is my father, he is still the pack's Alpha and I am his subordinate.

"Too many questions at the same time," he sighed. "But I'll answer one of them."

"I'm waiting."

"I get to decide your marriage because I'm your father and your Alpha," his eyes glowed red as he said that, exerting his Alpha authority on me and forcing me to bow my head in submission. The pressure lasted for about a minute before it was lifted and he sighed. "Have a seat."

I obeyed, more out of compulsion than my own will. Even though I lifted my head slightly, I was careful not to look directly into his eyes.

"As you know, the North and South kingdoms have been at loggerheads for a long time now," he explained. "There has been a lot of bloodshed in those times and the enmity between us has left us open to attacks from other foreign packs or kingdoms. It's a miracle that we were able to defend against these. Looking throughout history, this conflict has brought more harm than good and is even corrupting our young ones. You were thought to hate the Southerners, your siblings are being taught the same thing and the next generation would also be taught the same thing. The same goes for the Southerners since they'll teach their offspring to hate Northerners like us."

He paused for a few seconds as if trying to gauge my reaction, but I was emotionless, expressionless and unresponsive to his story. Even though I don't understand what a historical feud had to do with me, I wouldn't dare say such a thing in front of my Alpha. Not after the display just now.

"Do you want to know what I think?" he asked.

I looked up at him this time but still said nothing.

"I think in the next few years, we would destroy each other because of our hatred and leave no future for you and the other young ones in the pack," he answered his question. "The king of the South kingdom seems to think the same too, and we've been in talks on possible ways to end this age-long feud and secure the future of the younger generation. We've lived through too much war and bloodshed and we don't want that for our kids. It took a lot to convince his people, but it seems like they've reached a favourable conclusion. We've decided to end this feud that we don't even remember the reason it happened in the first place."

Again, he paused for a reaction from me but got none as I listened quietly. I can imagine why it was easy for him to convince the elders of the pack to accept the alliance. He simply told them what he wanted to do and no one dared to question it.

The silence stretched longer as he waited for a reaction, staring intently into my eyes as if asking me to say something.

"What does the alliance have to do with me?" I asked, only because it had become uncomfortable to have him staring at me like that.

He sighed as he explained it. "Even after convincing his people, they are still wary and they believe this is a trap set by me to stab them in the back. That's why they proposed the only condition with which they would accept the proposal. Both the North and the South are to be joined by marriage. You are my eldest son and the future Alpha. You will be marrying the daughter of the king of the South. That's the only way to ensure peace and harmony. A privilege."

"In simple terms, I am the sacrificial lamb in the pursuit of your ideal peace, right?" I asked.

"Don't say that," my father replied as he stood up and walked around the table to place his hands on my shoulder. "You make it sound like I'm selling you off."

"Isn't that what you're doing?" I retorted.

"You are doing your pack a favour and securing its future," he hissed. "You should be eager to do this. I heard Klaus' daughter is a beauty to be desired. I won't be making you marry some old, fat, ugly bitch."

"Instead, you will be making me marry a beautiful bitch," I retorted, throwing caution to the wind as his words agitated me.

"Watch your tongue, Xavier," he growled, and again I could feel the pressure of his authority and his grip on my shoulders tightened. "Do not say such vile words to her face or I will punish you myself, and I promise it won't be a slap on the wrist."

"Why do I have to do this?" I asked, frustrated and annoyed. "If they can't accept an alliance and trust your sincerity then we should just let it be. There's been no war for the past 20-plus years. It's obvious that the war has become boring."

"That's easy for you to say when you don't know a thing outside of your circle," he replied. "Only within the last six months, we've lost about twenty warrior wolves in the small skirmishes that occurred here and there. There might not be a war, but our werewolves fight whenever they say a Southerner and the same goes for the Southerners. It's a blood fest that threatens changes and disrupts the lives of the families of these people."

"Then a simple announcement is fine," I suggested. "Tell the pack that they shouldn't attack Southerners anymore and the disobedience would be punishable by death!"

"And you are gonna follow every single werewolf out there and watch them?" he asked, also getting agitated by my continued refusal.

"But-"

"But what, Xavier?!" he yelled, but this time, he didn't exert his authority on me and it was just a regular outburst. "People are dying out there and all you can do is make excuses and give stupid suggestions just because you don't want to do something inconvenient for you?! People are dying out there! We want complete harmony and the first step to that is acceptance. Acceptance that can only be enforced by your marriage to Darrell's' daughter!"

"But I don't love her!" I yelled back, standing up and turning around to oppose him. I was throwing caution to the wind and probably making the worst mistake of my life as I glared at my father who looked up at me. I was a decent three inches taller than him so I was naturally looking down at him. "I don't even know that bitch!"

"I told you not to call her names!" he hissed as his eyes glowed again. The next course of events went by quickly as my heart felt constricted and my airway felt like it was blocked. I was on the floor before I knew it, gasping for air and coughing viciously. He looked down at me expressionlessly with red eyes that glowed a lot brighter than normal.

"Never look down at your Alpha."

The glow dimmed and his eyes turned their regular brown colour He simply walked over me, around the desk, and then sat down.

"Stand up and take a seat," he ordered ad I immediately obeyed. I was just reminded how much stronger an Alpha is compared to his pack's members. He could very easily kill a weak werewolf with his authority alone.

I was still huffing and panting like I had just run a marathon race but I felt a lot better than I did a few earlier.

"I'm impressed by your growth, son," he said softly as he tried persuading me. "That's why I'm entrusting this responsibility to you. If there's anyone who understands the present situation right now, it should be you. You are already twenty-four years old. You are a man so behave like one."

"I don't have a choice, do I?" I asked also. My breathing had become normal by now as I finally got myself together. "I know by now that you won't take no for an answer. You never have. This is just your way of getting out of mom's accusations of you forcing me to do this against my will."

I'm grateful that you are a smart kid, also," he said, his voice changed from a soft tone to a much more firm one as he got back to the work on his desk.

"Get prepared," he said. "You'll be leaving for the South in a few days."