Rogue Promises His Forbidden Mate

Emmalee

"Look!" Trudy, our maid, exclaims. "The Cimmerians have arrived! Come, Emmalee. Don't you want to take a first look at your husband-to-be?"

I put my pencil down, and sigh before rolling out of bed. Trudy and Nadine are standing by the window of my bedroom, peering out at it with a bright look in their eyes. I squeeze between them and do the same.

The huge SUVs are parked right beneath my window. A uniformed Gamma opens the door for Alpha Denver, who's Soren's father. Soren is my fiancé. We've never met before-this will be the first time we'll be seeing each other. I'm nervous, yes, but not excited.

I don't want to marry Soren.

I don't want to be a Cimmerian.

"He'll be out at any moment," Trudy comments. Alpha Denver steps out of the car, and he's followed by a young man with dark hair and pale skin. Nadine and Trudy squeal with excitement and even high-five each other.

This has to be Soren.

He's looking around as if everything displeases him, but he's handsome enough, I guess. Trudy and Nadine shove me back and forth while telling me how handsome my fiancé is and how happy they are for me, and when I don't show the same enthusiasm, Trudy asks me, "Now, what's the long face for?"

I shrug, and she slaps the back of my head. I exclaim, "Ow! What was that for?"

"You better show your parents that you're happy about your fiancé! Arranged marriages have always been a part of werewolf tradition, and you're the daughter of an Alpha, so you're no different. What's the matter with you? Why aren't you happy!?"

Before I can come up with an excuse, there's a knock on the door. All three of us turn away from the window the second the door opens, and standing by the door is the reason why I'm not excited about marrying Soren.

Romain.

His gaze flickers between the three of us, and he then clears his throat and says, "Emmalee, your father wants you downstairs."

"Our father!" Trudy corrects. "The Alpha is your father, too, Romain. Don't you forget that! And why would you open the door without waiting for permission? What if Emmalee was naked? What is wrong with you kids!?"

She heads toward the door while dragging me with her, and Nadine laughs at her grumpiness. Romain and I make eye contact, and his cheeks color while he stiffens. I'm pretty sure he's uncomfortable because Trudy had to go ahead and mention me being naked. He follows us while I'm dragged downstairs, to where Soren and his family are waiting.

My father hears us approaching and turns around to look at me. He pastes a smile on his face and beckons me forward with a quick wave of his hand. My heart is galloping behind my ribcage, and my parents put some space between them to allow me to squeeze between them. My father's hand rests on my shoulder while he says, "Alpha Denver, Soren, this is my daughter Emmalee."