The Alpha's Contract Luna (Alexia)

~Alexia-

'This is... Alpha Kieran Stone?' Alexia asked herself quietly as their eyes met.

As if time had stopped completely. Nothing else mattered but the man before her. Silence engulfed her, and only the beating of her heart became deafening. At that very moment, she could not fathom why her emotions were off the roof at the sight of him. For a fleeting moment, she swore she felt his eyes were soft on her. However, as soon as she acknowledged this, Alpha Kieran averted her gaze. When he returned his attention to her, his eyes were unfeeling toward her.

"Leave us," Alpha Kieran instructed his Beta in his glacial tone.

Alexia heard the doors shut behind her while she stood rooted to the floor, her eyes still glued to the man they said was hideous-looking.

Sure, he carried around him an authoritative air. His cut was imposing and towered over her little frame. In her view, he was probably around six feet, while she was five feet and five inches tall.

He had a long scar from his forehead, going through his right brow and extending out to the side of his cheek. Other than that, Alexia thought, if he had other scars on his face, they were not so evident.

Was she supposed to be scared of him? If anything, Alexia thought, his scar was a unique mark on him that made him appealing; dangerously handsome, to be exact.

Alpha Kieran was moderately bearded around his chiseled jawlines, down to his chin. He had intense dark brown eyes, and he had jet-black hair. He had a long roman nose and tanned skin.

Alexia speculated where the rumors about his ugly features came from, but this man was far from it. In fact, up until that very moment, she could feel her ears burning at how attractive he was.

Just when she was in a daze, appreciating the man before her, Alpha Kieran ordered, "Sit."

Alexia sat in front of his table while he took the opposite chair across from her. Kieran growled, "I don't know what your father or anyone from your pack said to the king, but I loath this marriage! And I am supposed to fulfill my duty to the king and the nation this way?" In her defense, Alexia tried to explain, "I never wanted this -"

"Did I say that you could speak?" Kieran interrupted, his eyes burning through her body. "The king may have asked me to marry you, but there will be no real marriage between us!"

He grabbed the document from his table and threw them at Alexia, demanding, "Read!"

With her hands trembling, she flipped through the papers. As she went over the terms of the contract, Alpha Kieran pointed out, "We will display our so-called tranquil marriage in front of the King and in public. You shall be addressed as the Luna of the Stone Blood Pack. However, within the packhouse and without any guests present, I am under no obligation to treat you as my wife!"

"I will never mark you, and you are not allowed to mark me as well!" He spitefully described. "You will not sit with me, eat with me, nor share the air I breathe."

"You will not share my wealth. You will work for your own income, however, and whatever you can contribute to this pack!" He narrowed his eyes as he resumed, "I reserve the right to cancel and amend this contract- reject the marriage at any time I please!"

The list continued, all indicating that Alexia had no say in the marriage. Each time she proceeded to the next part of the contract, she merely nodded in agreement. So far, she had seen nothing that would cause her harm. All she needed to do was stay away from him, which was precisely what she wanted.

"Lastly, I will never love you. I will never take you to bed. You will have your own room - two floors down, across my wing, farthest away from me," the Alpha added as his voice intensified.

'I will never love you.' Alexia could not understand why, but that stung her a little. Hearing how he would never take advantage of her, however, she sighed in relief, her hand resting on her chest as she closed her eyes.

She could still save herself for her true mate if she ever gets away from this contract marriage. With this in mind, she unwittingly muttered, "Thank you, Moon Goddess."

When she opened her eyes, she saw the angry glare from Alpha Kieran. It made her wonder what upset him, but then again, she realized the marriage had long angered him.

His lips twitched before he remarked, "You sure are happy to be married to me. You had to thank the Goddess in front of me!"

"No. No, it wasn't -"

He got up and commanded, "Sign it! Remember, no one except for my Beta and my trusted people can know about this agreement!"

Alexia nodded repeatedly and hastily signed the contract.

"Get out," Kieran instructed. "Someone will take you to your room. The marriage ceremony will be held next week. Be ready, for the king and queen will be here to make sure the nuptials happen."

***

"This way," the red-haired lady urged as she walked ahead of Alexia.

When Alexia entered the room, she instantly appreciated the vastness of the chamber and the wood furniture Her eyes gleamed at the sight of the bed. When she counted four pillows she could use for her sleep, Alexia could not help but smile, saying, "Thank you.

"For what?" The lady said curtly. "You must be pleased, getting married to our Alpha."

A frown formed on her face before Alexia rebutted, "I never wanted this. I wanted my true mate. I am a year away from feeling my mate bond. Why would I want this?"

"Please don't hate me. I had no say in this. If Alpha Kieran could not defy the king, how much more for a person like me? I am below the Alpha."

Knowing her place, Alexia bowed her frame in front of the lady, continuing, "Please. I have been given away by my father. I have nothing with me - no money, no friends or family. All I have is my heart, believing I can survive this." "Please don't hate me."

While she had her head down, Alexia

heard the woman huffed. The lady

with red hair replied, "Rae. Are

is Rae. I am Beta Jaxon's mate.

know what it feels like to wait for

one's true mate. Hearing you, twill give you a chance. I hope you are worthy of it."

Alexia lifted her face. She forced a smile, and in her soft voice, she replied, "Rae. Thank you for hearing me out. Alpha Kieran did not listen to my side. I am happy that you at least heard me."

"You have to understand. Our alpha's troubles are also ours to bear," Rae added. "Alpha Kieran never wanted a mate. He never wanted to marry. Now, all this was forced on him."

"I understand. It's the same with me. Maybe... someday, the King will change his mind -"

"We are working on making the King change his decision. After he wins the war, he will ask for a divorce, but for now, he is adamant about having Alpha Kieran marry you." After gathering air into her lungs, Rae

feli

added, "I guess we will all bear this

for now."

"Breakfast is at six in the morning. Tomorrow, we can talk about the wedding preparations," Rae said.

"Understood," Alexia nodded.

Rae was about to leave, but she halted her steps. She remarked, "I'm sorry about the room. It's not our finest, but Alpha is still upset -"

"The room is lovely," Alexia complimented. "Back home. My room is the attic."

Rae frowned. She gulped and asked, "But aren't you Alpha Roland's daughter?"

"I am, but my father lost his love for me a long time ago," Alexia said, her head bowing, ashamed to admit it.

Immediately, there was an awkward silence in the room. Rae appeared to be struggling to answer. Soon, she reacted, "I'm - I'm sorry to hear that. I thought since you were the Alpha's daughter -"

"Not everything is what it seems to be," Alexia replied. She smiled and added, "To tell you the truth, between you and my family, you have treated me better than any of them."

Alexia noticed how Rae was stunned by her revelation. She could tell how Rae was weighing things. Eventually, Rae spoke in a soft tone. "It's - it's the same with Alpha Kieran. Not everything is what it seems to be." "Be patient."