Torn Between the Alpha and his Betas

"Hold me tighter, Win," my grandfather, Alpha Vlad, urges. "Your hand is slipping away."

Nodding, I tighten my shaky hand around his, my other hand clutching a bouquet of winter lilies, crushing their stems in my grip.

I was only six months old when I was promised to Alpha Triton, so this wedding shouldn't come as a shock. But maybe some part of me still prayed - hoped - that it was just a bad dream that I would wake up from.

Turning to look up at my grandfather, horror fills me at how determined he looks. His face is expressionless, his demeanor composed, and he doesn't seem unsettled in the slightest.

How can he be so calm while leading his only granddaughter straight to the man whose family killed his own son?

Sighing, I look away, too angry to speak.

"He's a fine man," he says, drawing my attention again.

"Huh?"

"Triton Ganymede," he says, clarifying his earlier statement. "He's a fine man, a strong Alpha, and a well-respected Wolf. He is the leader of Alphas, and you will be his Luna. You will put Frost blood on that damn Obsidian Throne."

"Hm." I nod, blinking to keep my tears locked in.

Apparently, the best way to get payback for the death of your son is to wed his only child to those behind his demise. I mean, what happened to strangling? Whatever happened to flaying? Whatever happened to waging wars? My blood boils at the thought.

Our steps reduce to a halt as we arrive at the large, blue, ornamented doors - the only thing separating us from the wedding guests.

Suddenly, my heart rate quickens, and I have a terrible urge to run. This man is renowned to be the 'Beast of the Form'. He earned the name due to his ridiculous strength and abnormal characteristics. Some say he looks just like a beast, while others swear he's Aster reincarnated. I choose to believe the former.

"Are you ready?" Grandpa asks.

Shaking my head, I whisper, "No! We can stop this now. We still have time! I do not want to-"

"Winter!" he roars my name, making the guards bow their heads while I shudder in fear, his Alpha energy oozing out. "You will do this, and there is no debating it! I just need you to catch your breath and compose yourself as befits a Frost of Great Frore."

Forcing down the clog in my throat, I nod. "I understand."

He pulls up a tight smile, reducing his lips to a tiny slit and wrinkling his old face. "Good."

Nodding at the Epsilons at the door, they move in unison, each grabbing a handle of the giant doors and forcing them open.

For a moment, I'm blinded by the light that greets me - just before my sight returns. Grandpa takes the first step, and I follow. Our steps are much slower now, much more deliberate.

At the other end of the white carpet, the Beast stands tall, his back to me as he chatters with the magickster - our officiator.

Tall and broad-shouldered, with thick, long black hair tied in a half-knot in the middle of his head, he looks every bit like a massive monster from behind. I should transform and ruin this wedding - Grandpa can kill me for all I care. After all, he already did that when he insisted on this accursed wedding.

When we are just a step away from the altar, a deep, husky voice emanates from the Beast. "Alpha Vlad," he acknowledges before turning to face us, a huge beam on his striking face.

I'm frozen in place, staring up at the unholy beauty before me, towering over both Grandpa and me.

His emerald gaze shifts from my grandpa to me, making goosebumps spread across my skin. Damn it!

"Winter," his pronunciation of my name sounds like music to my ears. Still maintaining the beam, he adds. "You look beautiful."

He presents his hand to me.

"Win," Grandpa jerks me out of my daze. "Go on, take Triton's hand."

His bright smile is replaced by a dark smirks, definitely noticing the lack of honorifics before his name, but he doesn't react.

Slowly, I place my tiny hand in his, the difference in size making my belly tingle.

"Ahem." Jessa, the magickster, clears her throat, calling both our attention. "Shall we?"

I nod, blinking repeatedly as I try to keep my tears from falling.

"Your right palms..."

* * *

Sitting next to my 'husband', I watch as my grandpa hands over the 'Ice Staff' to my uncle, officially passing his position as Alpha to his eldest son.

"May the Triad illuminate his path and guide his steps," the crowd says in unison right after my grandfather proclaims his son as the new Alpha - Alpha Lev Frost.

My eyes twinkle with joy as I watch them celebrate around Uncle Lev, congratulating him on his new position.

"Aw, how wholesome," my husband's husky voice comes from beside me, making me turn to him.

His attention is fully on the dancing crowd.

"Vlad overstayed his welcome as Alpha," he says, leaning over to pluck a single grape from a bunch.

My brows draw together. "No," I counter his earlier statement.

"Ow." He looks over at me. "She speaks."

That's nonsense - I spoke when we said our vows - but I do not defend myself.

"The position was his until he deemed it fit to let it go. He didn't overstay," I argue further.

Without uttering a word, or acknowledging my argument, he keeps his gaze trained on me, making me melt under its intensity.

"Cute," he smirks. "It's cute when you talk. You should do that more often."

Did he seriously just make that statement just to get me to talk?

Heaving, I look away, returning my attention to my uncle Le- Alpha Lev now. The crowd around him has diminished, with only high-profile Pack members approaching him to either congratulate him or present him with a special gift.

"400 AC," he says, drawing my attention once again.

Turning back to look at him, I find his gaze now fixed on the dark sky. It is moonless - not a new moon, just moonless.

"It's a new year," he says, clarifying his earlier statement.

"Ow." I look away from the dark sky, turning back to him.

His green eyes are fixed on me as a smirk plays on his face.

"I remember the day you were born," he says out of the blue.

"What?"

"You were so little and fat-cheeked. You burned red when you cried," he continues obliviously. "You were the cutest baby I had ever set my eyes on."

Rising and falling gently, my chest moves in sync with my breath, but my eyes remain locked on his unwavering gaze as I continue to melt under its heat.

"I looked at my mother and pointed," he continues. "'Mama! I want one!'" He chuckles dryly, though there is absolutely no amusement in the sound.

I was born in his Pack. My father used to serve as the Beta to his uncle before Alpha Johan decided to kill him.

"My mother knelt beside me, cupping my face in her warm hands and smiling. 'You will get one,' she said. 'When you are older and ready.'"

His smirk widens, showing off one side of his white, perfect dentition. "Who would have thought that the same cute little pup would be giving me one of mine?"

I force down the lump in my throat, dreading whatever he might mean by that.