Rain Vale
"Mate."
A chilling silence ran through the arena. It seemed as though everyone forgot how to breathe. For those quick seconds, my gaze was suspended on the beautiful eyes before me.
It certainly carried contempt, hate… pity all at once, but then I could feel his wolf beckoning closer, but it was cut just too quickly. Loud gasps rippled, followed by murmuring, curses, and shattering noise.
"No," someone breathed out.
"That's impossible," one of the grey-haired elders hissed.
Heavy pheromones flooded the arena. My seven brothers stood without delay. Slowly, I straightened, creating more space between us, much to the dislike of my wolf, who wanted to remain wrapped in his scent and to continue staring into those eyes like nothing else mattered.
The king's glass shattered somewhere behind me, but I paid no attention to their reactions. Inside, my heart was pounding like a war drum, my pulse was over the roof, and the only person who could tell was the man on four wheels.
"RAIN."
My father's thundering voice echoed through the arena like a death sentence. Slowly, I turned to face the music of the chaos I had unfolded. My face was calm, a small smile on my lips, and my hands clasped before me.
"Yes, Father," I answered as though I wasn't aware I had just set the kingdom on fire.
"What…" He stopped, caught his breath, then continued. "What in the devil's name do you think you are doing, young man?" he roared. His eyes burned with rage like one who was ready to peel off my skin if given the chance.
I smiled, my head tilted to my mate, then back to my father and the waiting crowd.
"I accepted the Moon's choice," I answered flatly, and murmurs erupted.
"No… Rain, you wouldn't dare disgrace this family," Cassian hissed, and he stormed forward with the rest of my brothers.
"Disgrace." The word cut through my throat like a knife. "I went with everything. I did not choose him at will. I did not pick him out from a lineup. The Moon, as Father said, chose him, and the bond speaks for itself. So am I the disgrace, or are you referring to the moon?"
Cassian opened his mouth, but no words came out. They wanted to follow tradition, and that was exactly what I was doing. They said the Moon, and I accepted her choice. How could it be my fault?
I watched my father. His face darkened, his fist clenched so hard his knuckles turned white, but the realization in his eyes was more satisfying. It was his words against the choice of the Moon. All I did was follow instructions.
"That," Marcus growled from the other end of the arena, "is not the Moon's choice."
My six other brothers followed him to nod like minions.
"Oh really?" A soft chuckle escaped my throat. "Then whose choice is it?"
"You think you can twist everything? Your mate is his brother. It has to be the alpha, not that thing," Rhett snarled bitterly.
My eyes were on my brothers, but I felt the man behind me stiffen. I tilted my head to the side. Alpha Vegas of Moonfang stood proud and somehow pleased with the attention he was getting.
Some brother he was.
"This thing…" My lips curled. "Is an enigma," I whispered coldly as I stepped forward.
"This thing was the alpha before his brother, the one who gained every land Moonfang sits on today. The same thing finalized the trade routes… so how can you stand there, a son to a concubine, a nobody, and call him names when you are not worth the speck of dust under his feet?"
"But he is crippled, and yes, he was… was, Rain, was," Victor, the youngest of the family, roared as he finally found his voice. Unlike the others, he kept more to himself, but his jealousy ran dangerously deep.
"Listen to Father. We can work this out. Maybe choose another alpha… pick one from them," he said, pointing at the crowd of desperadoes.
"So, brothers, you're implying the Moon has poor taste?" I asked softly, and gasps followed.
"Enough."
The thundering voice of the king echoed. My brothers bowed, and so did I.
"Rain," the king called softly… for the first time in all my life. "The kingdom comes first." His voice was quiet, and somehow it made my wolf tremble, but I refused to show weakness. "Step away from him."
Everyone's eyes were on me. Everyone expected I would obey. Every vein in me screamed to bow, to walk away, and to forget it ever happened.
"Rain." The king's voice was fiercer than before. "I said… step away from the crippled Enigma."
He ordered this time, using his alpha command. My legs trembled as I fought it. My hands shook as I struggled to keep myself standing. I watched everyone smile with satisfaction; my pain brought them joy.
So I did the latter… I forced myself to step before him, shielding him with my body.
The movement was small, but the impact was massive.
"Disgrace." Words flew.
"Worthless indeed," some added.
"You dare defy me?" My father asked, and I met his gaze without flinching.
"You said fate would choose. You said in the Moon's choice we should trust. And him," I glanced over at the man behind me, "is that choice… so is Father saying we should no longer trust the Moon?"
The king's breath came in gasps. His fist folded.
"He cannot."
"The Moon has chosen." My words cut clean through the chaotic crowd. "You taught me," I whispered, "that the will of the Moon stands above alphas, lycans, enigmas… and kings."
His jaw clenched so hard I knew he could taste his own blood.
I turned to the crowd, the guests who had traveled miles to witness a family auction its own.
"The moon has given me my mate." The words sounded strange even to my own ears.
Their stares shifted from me to the man by my side. No one was laughing… they dared not.
I reached for his hands, but he pulled away slowly.
"You don't want this bond, Your Highness," his voice was cold and steady.
"That is not up for bargaining," I told him, grabbing his hand. "I present my mate, Caelan Moonfang."
"You have no idea what you have just done," my father's voice hissed from behind.
But the truth was, I did. I had just forced a cripple down their throats, unraveled tradition, and broken too many laws all in one day.
And worst of all, I had just chained my future with a man who didn't want me. But that I could live with.