Chained By The Alpha Jessica Hall

"Boyd will bring stability, resources..." He trails off, studying me as 1f seeing me for the first time. "And perhaps, in time, you may be happy with him."

"Happy?" The laugh that escapes me is hollow, mocking. "And what of my mate when I find them? Can't you see how wrong this is?"

"Right or wrong, it's necessary." He turns away, his shoulders sagging. "It's the price of peace, the cost of safeguarding our people and ensuring we don't lose our pack and way of life."

"Even if it means sacrificing your daughter's happiness?" I whisper the enormity of the situation pressing down on me like a physical

force

"Especially then." His voice 1s barely audible, and when he looks back at me, there's a sheen of unshed tears in his eyes. "Because that's what leaders and alphas do. We bear the burdens so others don't have to."

I want to rage against him, to fight and claw for my chance at happiness. But as I stand there, watching the man who raised me, who's battling demons I'm only just beginning to comprehend, my spirit falters

"Tf it's money, there are other ways. What else has he got over you?"

"Besides that, something that will send me to prison for the rest of my life. Is that what you want, Cleo?" he asks, and I swallow

"What?" I ask, and he looks away

"There is a reason Zayn was forced to kill his father. Misguided, but I am that reason. I had no choice; this is why I wanted you away from Zayn. If he knew, he would kill you as revenge

I thought he figured it out when he started showing interest in you; I thought maybe Dane let it slip."

"Let what slip?"

"Tt doesn't matter right now. I just need you to do this until I find another way or find something to blackmail Dane back with."This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.

Images of Alpha Zayn, with his silver eyes and tattooed arms, flash before my eyes, igniting a

painful yearning deep within my chest. Was it

all a lie?

"Listen to me, Cleo." My father's voice cracks with urgency. "Dane is offering a way out a chance to stop a war between packs. He's giving us a lifeline, one we can't refuse right now."

"Lifeline?" I scoff, anger flaring. "Or a leash for him to control us both?"

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"Control is better than destruction and the dismantling of our pack. If we refuse, Dane will expose everything." His gaze hardens. "Our pack will be torn apart. We'll lose everything."

The weight of his words crushes me, but defiance sparks hotly in my veins. "So we bow to him? Let him dictate who I share my bed with? Who marks me?"

"It's not just about us!" Father's voice thunders through the room. "Think of the pack-our people's lives and homes at stake."

"Is there no other way?" I plead with him; this can't be the only option, surely

"None that doesn't lead to war or worse." He steps closer, his presence commanding even now

"Sometimes duty must come before desire." He reaches out to cup my face, a gesture so tender it unravels me. "You have to do what's necessary."

"I..." My protest dies on my lips, the reality of our situation settling in like a winter's chill

"This is the only thing you have left of your mother, Cleo. You're not just any wolf-you're an Alpha's daughter. You were born to lead and make difficult decisions." Tears blur my vision as the weight of my impending fate anchors me to the spot

"True love 1s selfless. It puts the needs of others above 1ts own."

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"Don't fucking guilt-trip me, Dad. You're not the one being forced into a marriage," I spit at him

"Promise me you'll consider this, Cleo. For the pack."His voice is agonized, but the resolve in his eyes doesn't waver. My heart splinters under the weight of the impossible choice before me:

"T don't know if I can love him," I finally whisper. The admission is painful on my lips, seeing the disappointment tn his eyes

"Love is... overrated." He sighs. "Respect, loyalty, and a partnership built on shared purpose that's what lasts." I want to argue that he's wrong, that love should be all-consuming

Yet, I understand the magnitude of the sacrifice

he's asking of me. Vaguely, I nod, as 1f agreeing to even consider this atrocity isn't an affront to everything I believe in

"T promise," I whisper, sealing my fate with the word, the very essence of my freedom slipping through my fingers like grains of sand. Relief washes over his features, yet the sorrow in his eyes reflects my own

As I leave the room, each step feels heavier than the last, my mind reeling from the enormity of the decision before me. I am to be bartered away; my happiness is a currency for peace and to ensure I don't lose my mother's pack or see my father behind bars

Yet, 1t has me curious about what my father did that he believes Zayn would kill me for revenge, but that revelation now has me questioning whether Zayn knows and whether this was his

plan all along to divide us and watch our pack crumble to expose the truth

And yet, despite the turmoil within me, I know my duty-to protect my pack, to honor my family, to be the leader I was raised to be, even if it means standing beside Boyd instead of Zayn