Chapter 11
“Who is he?” Marissa’s voice trembled as she asked, the curiosity now woven with
unease.
Her mother’s smile grew, her eyes gleaming with an excitement that Marissa, couldn’t quite understand. “Alpha King Idris,” she answered softly. “You are going to mate with the Alpha King.”
The words struck Marissa like a thunderclap. She felt the ground tilt beneath her, her thoughts scattering in all directions. The Alpha King? She opened her mouth to speak, to protest, but nothing came out. Instead, she sat there, dumbfounded, the weight of her mother’s revelation sinking in like stones in a pond, rippling through her, shaking the foundation of everything she thought she
knew.
The Alpha King. Idris. She’d heard the stories, the rumors that drifted through
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every pack like a whispered legend. He was ruthless, a conqueror. It was said he ruled with an iron fist, a killer who left nothing but fear and blood in his wake. And her parents wanted to bind her to him? She had pictured her mate as someone strong, but she had never imagined this.
Her mouth went dry, and she finally managed to stammer, “I… the Alpha King?”
“Yes,” her mother replied, almost dreamily, as if she had just given Marissa news of an honor she’d only ever dreamed of. “The King himself, Marissa. He’s the only one who can match your bloodline. The only one powerful enough to stabilize it.”
Before Marissa could ask any of the thousand questions running through her mind, her mother’ s expression shifted, her face tightening slightly as if she had just received a message only she could hear. “Your father just mind-linked me,”
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she murmured, her tone distracted. “I need to go.”
Marissa reached out, her hand just missing
her mother’s arm as she stood. “Wait! Mom, I-”
Her mother only gave her a reassuring smile, her hand resting briefly on Marissa s shoulder. “Everything will be fine, darling. You’ ll see. Trust me.” And before Marissa could even gather her thoughts, her mother was gone, leaving her alone in the room, her words hanging in the air like a storm cloud.
The Alpha King. The rumors about him. flooded her mind, each one worse than the last. They said he was merciless, that he had waged war against packs who opposed him without a second thought, that he had killed countless enemies with his own claws. She had grown up hearing tales of his cruelty, stories whispered by those who dared not even speak his name. And this was the man her parents wanted her to
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marry?
A sudden, chilling thought struck her, and she almost laughed at the absurdity of it. Is this how they keep my bloodline stable? By handing me over to a killer? She could
barely believe it. Her parents had spoken of strength and safety, of stability and protection, yet they had chosen a mate for her who was feared by all.
Marissa paced the room, her mind racing. The stories she had heard felt more real than ever, now that they were woven into her own fate. It was said that the Alpha King wore a mask at gatherings, that his face was something he hid from the world. A murmur had always surrounded him, that he was cursed or hideously disfigured. She had heard it said that his looks were so frightful that even his closest allies avoided meeting his eyes. The thought of it sent a shiver down her spine. Was she truly to be bound to a man who hid behind a mask, whose very face was shrouded in darkness?
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Her mind churned, caught between
disbelief and fear. She tried to imagine her future, tied to a man who was little more than a stranger, a shadow cloaked in rumors and mystery. The tales of his ferocity, his cold-blooded nature, painted a picture of someone she could never
connect with. And if even half the stories were true, what could she expect from him? Ruthlessness? Dominance? An iron. grip she couldn’t escape?
How could my parents think this was right? she wondered, her thoughts spiraling into darker corners. Her father’ s words. echoed in her mind-the only one powerful enough. But she couldn’t shake the images the rumors had conjured: of an ugly, scarred man hidden beneath a mask, of a leader who ruled by fear alone. She felt like prey about to be thrown to a predator, one who might find her inadequate and cast her aside… or worse.
But there was something more, something that lingered in the back of her mind,
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pricking at her like a thorn. What if he s not what he seems? The question was absurd, and yet it nagged at her. She knew her parents, knew the sacrifices they had made for her. They had promised her strength and stability, yet here they were, placing her life in the hands of a man known as a monster. Why would they do this if they didn’t believe in him?
Her wolf stirred uneasily within her, pacing just as she was, the restless, frustrated energy coiling through her. She didn’t want this. She didn’t want to be bound to a man she didn’t know,
especially one with a reputation as black as Idris’ s. But another part of her, smaller, quieter, asked, What choice do I have?
Marissa sank into the chair, her fingers curling into fists as her mind circled back to one thought: the weight of her family’s bloodline. It had been her burden since
she was born, and now it had led her to this. Her parents had been willing to sacrifice everything for her, to conceal
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their heritage, even to give up their own dreams. Now they were asking her to trust them, to accept a mate they believed could finally bring her the stability she’d never known.
But could she trust them? Could she trust him?
Curiosity. Despite herself, she found her mind returning to the question, repeating like a heartbeat. Who is this Alpha King? If he was as powerful as they said, perhaps he was more than the stories claimed. Perhaps he was more than a ruthless killer.
But even as the thought took root, another voice in her mind whispered a darker possibility. What if the stories were true? What if he was exactly the monster she feared? Her wolf shivered at the thought, a low growl rumbling within her, uncertain. and wary.
She closed her eyes, trying to steady her racing heart. Soon, she would meet him,
this man who held her fate in his hands.
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And when that moment came, she would face him with the strength she had fought so hard to build, even if that strength was only a facade. She would not let him see her fear, her uncertainty. She would meet him on her own terms, Alpha King or not.
Her hands clenched tighter, her resolve hardening. If this Alpha King was willing to have a mate bond with her, then she would face him with all the courage her parents had instilled in her. No matter what lay behind the mask, no matter the truth of his face or his past, she would not shrink away. She would show him that she was no weak
mate to be cast aside.
As the moon climbed higher in the sky, Marissa sat alone in her room, the stillness of the night thickening around her. She could feel the weight of the future pressing down on her, a heavy, unbreakable chain. And yet, in the darkness, a glimmer of defiance flickered within her, a spark that refused to be extinguished.
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She might be bound to the Alpha King, but she would not be cowed by him.
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