Alpha Conrad: Claiming The Wrong Bride

IRONGARD KINGDOM

***

Nadia sat stiffly on a vanity stool while Danielle worked on her face with frantic, aggressive movements.

The transformation was eerie, as Nadia did not like the makeup, but she had to sit through it anyway.

"Sit still," Danielle hissed, smearing a nude lip gloss over Nadia's mouth. "If you ruin the contour, I will have to start over, and we don't have time."

Nadia winced as the brush poked her eyelid. "This feels so wrong, Danielle. Why do I have to look exactly like you? What is the service your mother talked about?"

"Your word is your bond, remember?" Danielle sneered, checking her own reflection in the mirror to compare their faces. "You wanted your mom out of that cell. This is the price. You just have to be me for a few hours. Keep your mouth shut and do exactly what I tell you."

An authoritative knock on the door echoed through the room.

Danielle stood rigid in one spot. "He is here."

Nadia's heart raced. "Who? Danielle, who is at the door?"

"Remember the plan! Stay in the bathroom until I come get you. Do not make a sound," Danielle commanded. She grabbed Nadia by the arm and shoved her toward the bathroom, shutting the door firmly.

Nadia stood in the dark bathroom, trying to slow her breath.

Danielle took a deep breath, smoothing her dress.

She hurried to the mini-bar, pulling out a vintage redwine.

With shaking hands, she spiked it with highly concentrated stimulants.

She gave the air a heavy spritz of Nadia's floral perfume as she did not know where she had tossed hers, before going to open the door.

"Your Highness," Danielle purred as Conrad stepped into the room. She dipped into a shallow, feminine curtsy, her eyes downcast.

Conrad didn't offer a greeting. He crossed the room in three long strides, his masculine scent filling the space.

He grabbed her by the waist, his large hands nearly meeting around her middle, and crashed his lips onto hers.

The kiss was possessive and rough.

Danielle kissed him back, forcing herself to match his intensity, but then she pulled away, breathless. "Wait... please. Slow down."

Conrad growled; there was a hunger in his eyes that made her tremble. "You already agreed to this night, Danielle. I don't like waiting."

"I know," she whispered, stroking his chest. "But it is my first time. I am pretty nervous. A drink or two will help me loosen up, don't you think?"

Conrad looked down at her, his gaze raking over her body. "You are so fucking beautiful."

He did not mean it, but anything to make her feel comfortable could pass.

Or maybe it was his desire to get laid speaking.

"Slow down, big daddy," Danielle teased, her voice descending to a salacious falsetto. She cat-walked toward the table, pouring a glass of the spiked wine. She turned back to him, swaying her hips seductively. She rubbed her body against his, feeling the hard line of his arousal through his trousers. "Drink."

Conrad took the glass, his eyes never leaving hers. He finished it in one gulp. "Another."

"Of course," she smiled, quickly refilling the glass. Hoping it was enough to knock him out.

Conrad sat on the edge of the king-sized bed, motioning for her to join him. "Sit here."

Danielle obeyed, settling onto his thigh and feeding him the second glass of wine. As the minutes slipped by, the drug began to take hold. Conrad's pupils dilated, and his movements became slightly sluggish, though his arousal only seemed to increase.

"You feel... different tonight," Conrad muttered, his voice reflecting his disoriented state of mind. He pulled her closer, his hands roaming over her curves.

Danielle felt a wave of intimidation at his sheer girth, even in his drugged state.

He was endowed.

She began to kiss him, leaning further back onto the pillows. When his hands moved to the zipper of her dress, she caught his wrists.

"Hold on," she whispered. "I need to use the restroom quickly. Give me a minute, and after that, I am all yours."

Conrad groaned, his mind in a hazy, super-horny place. He tried to hold her down, his grip very firm. "No. Stay here."

"I'll be right back, Your Highness," she promised, slipping out of his grasp. "I want everything to be perfect for you."

She rushed to the bathroom and pulled Nadia out into the small hallway. "It's time. Go in there."

Nadia was trembling. "Danielle, what is happening? Who is that?"

"Shut up and go! Remember: keep the lights off. Do not speak unless you absolutely have to. He is already half-gone; he won't notice as long as you stay quiet," Danielle hissed, practically shoving Nadia into the bedroom before slipping out the main door.

Nadia saw a massive silhouette on the bed.

She prayed to the moon goddess for a way out.

Her heart felt like it was going to explode.

She walked toward the bed, unsure if the man was even awake.

She climbed onto the sheets, leaning over to see his face.

She hesitated-should she wake him?

Or just stay here?

She dipped into his pocket and found his wallet; she quickly opened it and found his government ID, Conrad Bradley – Alpha of the Bradley Pack.

She did not have much time to deliberate on her thoughts when he moved a bit.

He had woken up.

"What took you so long?" Conrad growled.

He pulled her down with a sudden, violent strength.

Nadia let out a small gasp, her body colliding with his hard chest.

She fidgeted, confused and terrified, but the scent of him was overwhelming.

It triggered something deep in her that she didn't understand.

"Kiss me," he ordered.

She would have resisted, but the thought of her mom in jail spending more than a night in jail terrified her, so this was it?

She had to sleep with him? If that's all it took to get her mom out, no problem.

Nadia closed her eyes and obeyed.

At first she was repulsed by him, but what faster way to put an end to all of this other than pretend to enjoy it? She thought.

However, as much as she tried to pretend, his kiss was so good it sent sparks shooting inside her. Her wolf activated, sending myriads of overwhelming emotions as his lips pressed further, exploring her mouth.

The genuine softness and the pure scent of her set his blood on fire.

He groaned, flipping her onto her back, pinning her to the mattress.

He began to kiss her neck, his stubble grazing her sensitive skin. "You smell like heaven," he groaned, his voice vibrating against her collarbone.

His kisses moved lower, trailing over her forehead and down to the swell of her breasts. When his hand slid downward, his fingers grazing the edge of her lace panties, Nadia gasped and grabbed his arm. "Slow... slow down."

Conrad stopped, lifting his head. His eyes were glazed with the drug and desire, but he looked at her with a sudden intensity. "I understand. If at any point you feel pain, or you want me to stop, you say it. Do you hear me?"

Nadia could only nod, her voice lost in her throat.

He resumed his sweet assault on her senses, his touch becoming more urgent but strangely careful. In one strong pull, her lace panties were gone. He moved between her legs, his head dipping low.

Nadia's back arched off the bed as he began to eat her out.

She bit her lip, trying to stifle the moans that were bubbling up.

It was too much.

The pleasure was an electric current that made her toes curl.

He moved back up her body, his mouth finding her nipple through the thin fabric of her chemise, sucking hard while his hand guided his massive schlong towards her.

She felt the warmth of his shaft at her entrance.

"Please, Alpha..." she whispers, her voice trembling as he claims her with so much passion. "It's my first time... please be gentle."

Conrad pauses, his eyes blazing, burning with passionate desire, his voice descended into a growl. "Again, if it hurts, and you want me to stop, let me know."

She almost didn't believe her eyes. He was gentle, contrary to the notion that he was a non-communicate and did not like to be spoken to unless he initiated. But something in her warmed her to believe she could trust him. And so, she nodded a yes, staring weakly into his eyes.

"Breathe in..." he softly commanded.

She obeyed.

With one deliberate thrust, he entered her. His mouth descending on her neck, marking her.

"Aggggghhhh!" Nadia screamed, a sharp, blinding pain shooting through her mind. She felt her walls rip apart, clenching to his big dick, the reality of her first time hitting her with agonizing force.

Conrad froze instantly. His muscles were corded and tense, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He stayed still, buried deep inside her, sensing the shift in the air. To calm her, he began to nibble on her neck, moving to her breasts and back again, his touch becoming a soothing caress.

Then, something happened.

As they stayed joined, a strange warmth began to spread from the point of their union. It felt like a golden thread pulling tight.

Nadia's body, which had been rigid with pain, began to ease open.

"Do you want me to stop?" he rasped, his sweat dripping onto her skin.

Nadia wrapped her legs around his waist, her fingers digging into his muscular shoulders. "No," she whispered, her voice a broken moan. "Please don't. Don't stop."

The word "please" seemed to shatter Conrad's remaining restraint. He lunged into her, his strokes becoming intense.

Nadia's head tossed back against the pillows, tears of pure ecstasy rolling down her eyes.

"Yes... right there," she gasped, her body responding to him in a way that shocked her.

"You're mine," Conrad growled. "Tonight, you're mine."

He fucked her with a desperation that bordered on madness, driven by the drug in his system and her intoxicating purity.

Every time Nadia thought she couldn't take any more, he would find a new way to make her scream his name, his stamina seemingly endless as he claimed every inch of her.

All Nadia felt afterwards was an overwhelming feeling of shame.

But it was all over now.

How It All Began...

Nadia hated Monday mornings. They reminded her of how terrible things had gotten since she finished college. She was constantly struggling to feed and care for her sick mother, who also took on minor jobs to help them survive. From their window, she would watch members of neighboring packs go about their day and envy them. It seemed as though life was going well for them while it threw spoiled lemons at her.

How could a first-class graduate be scrubbing floors and doing dishes for peanuts? This was not the life she envisioned for herself, Nadia thought as she went about her chores that morning. Worst of all was their growing dependence on her boyfriend, Nelson, a Beta of the Stonewall Pack. He was always there, and as much as she tried to appreciate him for showing up, she disliked the feeling of being a freeloader benefiting from his graciousness.

Perhaps that dependence was what gave him the boldness to make such a lewd request.

Have a child for him to boost his rank at Stonewall?

That could not be the reason.

It made no sense why we couldn't do that as a mated couple.

No way. A part of her was tempted to call him in her normal fashion, but since their last quarrel, he had not bothered to call her. She decided she would return the favor in equal measure.

Just then, while she was wiping a cushion, her mother, Estelle, emerged from her room. She stood for a minute looking a bit confused, as though she was trying to remember something. Then, she grabbed her purse from the counter and made a move toward the door.

"Mom, wait!" Nadia called out, stepping into her mother's path. "You are not leaving without taking your medicine. Your wolf is too weak to heal you on its own anymore."

Estelle checked her wristwatch and groaned. "Nadia, please. I am already ten minutes behind schedule. I am late for my shift at the pack warehouse."

To think they used to own that warehouse until her wicked Uncle, Edward, snatched it. Nadia concluded her mother's humility needed to be studied, and that grit had rubbed off on her too.

Nadia crossed her arms over her chest, planted her feet, and did not budge. "At least you will be healthy when you get there. You know how my Uncle Edward looks at us. Since he became the Alpha and took over the head of the pack, he has been looking for any reason to kick us out."

"I have not had breakfast yet," Estelle argued, trying to sidestep her daughter. "You know the doctor said I cannot take those pills on an empty stomach. Since our status dropped to Omegas and we lost our connection to the pack clinic, these overly expensive meds are all that keep me going. I will take them at my lunch break."

Nadia gestured toward the small wooden dining table with a triumphant smile. "Food is already on the table and ready to go. So, what is your next excuse?"

Nadia's expression softened, but her resolve stayed firm. She stepped closer and looked her mother in the eyes. "I'm not saying you shouldn't go to work, but what happens when you die from stress? Have you thought about that?"

Estelle scoffed. "Nadia, do not be dramatic."

"I am not being dramatic, Mom. I am being real. If you collapse while you are working, or if you pass away because you are neglecting your heart, what happens then? Uncle Edward would find a replacement for you within minutes among desperate, job-seeking pack members. He would just put another nameless Omega in that warehouse and forget you. He has never cared about us in the slightest anyway. But what about me? I will be left all alone in this world. Is that what you want?"

Silence erupted in the room. Estelle looked at her daughter's face, seeing the genuine fear hidden behind the stubbornness. The fight left her all at once.

"Okay," Estelle whispered. "Okay, you win."

"Thank you," Nadia said.

They walked over to the dining table together. The steam was still rising from a covered plate. Estelle sat down and took a deep breath.

"It smells delicious, honey," she said.

"Thank you, Mom." Nadia reached down and unveiled the plate. It was a simple but hearty breakfast of fluffy scrambled eggs and a few slices of toast. These simple meals were all she could scrape together.

Estelle's eyes suddenly welled with tears. She looked up at Nadia, her voice trembling. "You work so hard to take care of me. You are so young, and you spend all your time worrying about my health and scavenging for meals while the rest of the pack lives in luxury."

Nadia pulled out a chair and sat across from her. She reached out and squeezed her mother's hand. "It is nothing, Mom. You have been selfless your whole life. You protected me when you could have left after Uncle seized the pack. Taking care of you is the least I can do."

Estelle picked up her fork, but before she took her first bite, she looked at Nadia with a curious expression.

"I saw Nelson come by the other day." Estelle paused and observed Nadia before she continued. "He looked a bit upset when he left. Did you two finally resolve your differences?"

Nadia's smile faded instantly. She picked at a loose thread on the tablecloth. "No. We did not."

"Then why was he here?"

"He only came by to see if I had changed my mind about his request," Nadia said shortly.

Estelle paused with a piece of egg halfway to her mouth. "And?"

"I told him the same thing I told him last week," Nadia replied. "I cannot give in to what he wants. To be honest, Mom, I am surprised you are even asking me to consider it."

Estelle let out a long, frustrated sigh. She put her fork down. "Why, Nadia? Why are you being so difficult about this? We are at the bottom of the hierarchy now. Nelson is a high-ranking Beta with the wealth and status that could change our lives."

"Because I cannot do it. It is non-negotiable for me."

"It is not fair to him," Estelle said, her voice rising slightly. "Sometimes in our world, we need to bend our rules a little bit. We have to look at the bigger picture. I would not be disappointed in you if you agreed. You are old enough to know how pack alliances and bloodlines work."

"It is not about being old enough," Nadia countered.

"Nelson has been our only protector since your dad passed," Estelle continued. "He is the only reason your uncle has not completely exiled us. Think about it, Nadia. Who pays for my medications when our meager wages run out?"

Nadia looked away, her jaw tight. "Nelson."

"And who gave the recommendation for your last gig? The very one that afforded us this meal?"

Nadia shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "Nelson did. I know that."

"He has been our rock," Estelle said. "He supports us. He just wants this one thing to ensure his legacy. We should be grateful he found you worthy to demand such from you."

Nadia instantly felt repulsed. She stood up abruptly. "I cannot give into his demand, Mom! Why cannot anyone understand that?"

Estelle leaned forward, her eyes searching her daughter's face. "What are you so afraid of, Nadia? Are you worried that he will abandon you after the child is born? That he will find a fated mate and leave you as a mistress? Or are you afraid he will not marry you?"

Nadia felt a lump form in her throat. She looked at her mother, feeling a sense of frustration and deep embarrassment gnaw at her.

"I cannot have a child for Nelson outside of marriage," Nadia said, her voice shaking. "I cannot do it because I have never been with a man before. I have never shared my bed with anybody."

The kitchen went deathly silent. Estelle's hand stopped midair. Her mouth dropped open. The shock on her face was profound.

"Oh, Nadia," Estelle whispered. "I am so sorry. I had no idea. I just assumed that since you and Nelson have been dating for over three years, I thought you both may have."

"No," Nadia said, wiping a stray tear. "We never had sex. I made a promise to keep myself for my mate. If Nelson wants a child with me, he will have to marry me and claim me as his mate before the entire pack in a dignified way. I want to be his mate and not his one-night knockoff baby mama. I want to have kids with the person I marry only. I will not be a surrogate just to pay our bills."

Estelle was speechless. "Please Mum, eat up and take your meds, you're running late remember?"

Alpha Conrad sat across from Danielle, his appearance stoic and unmoving, his very commanding aura intimidating her. He was the pinnacle of sophistication whose family bloodline ruled the kingdom of Irongard the longest; this was because they survived on ancient traditions that valued purity in a mate to ensure the absolute legitimacy of the bloodline.

Danielle sat stiffly, her hands folded in her lap. She was tense, her eyes darting toward the folder in his hands while she tried to maintain a calm demeanor.

"This should do," Conrad said, his voice deep and devoid of emotion. He closed the folder with a definitive snap.

"Right," Danielle responded. She leaned in just an inch, trying to snoop into the documents, but she caught the cold glint in his eyes and restrained herself. She forced a polite, shallow smile.

"I apologize for the little inconvenience," Conrad said, though he didn't look sorry at all. "It is just protocol. In a family like mine, certain standards must be verified before any formal arrangements are made."

Danielle nodded quickly, her voice a bit too eager. "I completely understand. I mean, you are royalty. It is only natural that your family would want to be certain of who is entering the bloodline."

She picked her words slowly.

Conrad looked at her sternly, his imposing gaze made her skin crawl.

She cleared her throat.

"So," Danielle began, "since your pack doctors have confirmed that I am a virgin, just as your family demands, when can we proceed with the engagement and the royal wedding?"

Conrad leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable. "Not yet."

Danielle's smile faltered. "Why?."

"I will have to spend a night with you first," Conrad stated. It wasn't a request. It was a condition.

Danielle blinked, her voice rising in a pitch of controlled panic. "A night with you?"

"Yes."

"Your Highness," she said softly. "I am keeping myself for my mate. I have maintained my purity for years. What if we spend the night together and then you change your mind about marrying me? I would have lost everything."

Conrad didn't blink. He reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a checkbook. He scribbled a figure with a fountain pen and tore the slip of paper off, sliding it across the table toward her.

"Fifty million dollars," he said.

Danielle looked down at the check.

Her breath hitched.

It was more money than she had seen in her entire life. Her shock was visible, her mouth hanging open just a fraction.

"If you agree," Conrad continued, "my lawyers will have a formal contract ready by the close of business today. The money will be yours."

Danielle stared at the check, then back at the man who looked at her like she was a business transaction. "I... I will have to think about it."

Conrad stood up, adjusting the cuffs of his bespoke suit. He didn't wait for her to finish. "You have until five o'clock."

And then he proceeded to walk away.

* *

Danielle stormed into the living room. Her mother, Katerina, was sitting on a velvet sofa, sipping a glass of white wine. She looked up with an expectant gaze.

"Well?" Katerina asked. "How did your day go with Alpha Conrad? Is the date set?"

Danielle threw her designer purse onto the rug and paced the floor. "He is impossible, Mom. He is so arrogant"

Katerina waved a hand dismissively. "He is the Alpha of the most powerful pack in the country. He is allowed to be arrogant. Thousands of girls from packs across the country would kill to be in your shoes, so be thankful you even earned his grace's attention. Did Dr. Benson deliver the results as promised?"

Danielle stopped pacing and looked at her mother. "Yes. On paper, I am a pure and fit to carry his heir. The medical records he sent to Conrad's family were flawless."

Katerina let out a satisfied chuckle. "Dr. Benson had better have done his job. I was going to teach him a lesson he would never forget if he messed this up for us. We paid him enough to buy his silence for a lifetime." She lifted her glass. "We should cheers to that, Danielle. You are halfway to becoming the most powerful Luna in the world."

"But there is a problem," Danielle mentioned, her voice tight with worry.

Katerina froze, her glass halfway to her lips. "What problem?"

"Alpha Conrad wants to sleep with me before the engagement," Danielle said, dropping into an armchair. "He said he needs a night with me before he commits to the wedding."

Katerina set her glass down on the glass coffee table. "That is a complication. He is more traditional and more suspicious than I thought."

"What am I supposed to do?" Danielle hissed. "We just faked a purity test. If I go to his bed, he will know that I am not what the papers say I am."

Katerina narrowed her eyes, her mind working through the problem with cold mental calculation. "It can be arranged, Danielle. We just need a substitute."

Danielle frowned. "A substitute? How?"

Katerina thinks for a bit, and says, "Ahah!"

"Your cousin, Nadia," Katerina started, a cruel smile spreading across her face. "She is almost your spitting lookalike, same body size, skin tone and shape. In the dark, under the right conditions, he wouldn't know the difference."

Danielle's face twisted in disgust. "May the moon goddess forbid! Nadia is nothing like me. I am classy, high value. Nadia is a wretched scum of the earth. She could never be like me or even pretend to be me. Conrad would even notice her scent of poverty from a mile away."

Katerina stood up and walked over to her daughter, placing a firm hand on her shoulder. "Desperate times call for desperate measures, Danielle. Right now, only your cousin can bail us out. We need a girl who is actually a virgin to take that first night for you."

"And what makes you think Nadia is a 'good girl'?" Danielle asked mockingly. "What makes you think she is a virgin? For all we know, she could be tangling with half the Omegas in the pack."

"Nadia is a first-class graduate of business administration," Katerina said, her voice tinged with a bitterness she couldn't hide. "She spent all her time studying and working while I had to pay for your degree just so you could pass. A girl with that much academic focus doesn't have time to entertain advances from potential mates."

Danielle's eyes flashed with jealousy. "Don't rub it in my face, Mom. So she's smart. Big deal. She's still a pauper. What makes you think she will even accept? My father took everything from them. He stripped her father's company away and made her mother a cleaner. They hate us."

Katerina laughed, a cold, hollow sound. "I have my ways, Danielle. Trust me, lowlives like Nadia and her mother will jump at this offer if we present it with a good reason to make her accept. People like that don't have the luxury of holding onto a grudge when a life-changing sum of money is involved."

"Mom is there no other way? Maybe some random girl from another pack, but not her?" Danielle argued.

"Non. You must trust me, Danielle," Katerina replied.

"But what if she stabs us in the back and tells Conrad?"

"She won't," Katerina said firmly. "What is a Non disclosure for? We may not even need that. She is an Omega, Danielle. She has no power to fight us."

Danielle looked at her reflection in the mirror.

She thought about the fifty million dollars.

She thought about the crown and the title of Luna. "It's risky, Mom. If he finds out later, he will kill us. According to what I heard about him, he is very hot tempered and stoic, I would not want to upset him with a lie."

"He won't find out," Katerina promised. "Once the wedding is over and the marriage is sealed, It would not matter. We just need to get through that one night."

Danielle bit her lip. "Fine. But I don't want to be the one to talk to her. I can't stand the sight of her."

"You won't have to," Katerina said, heading toward the door to find her phone. "I will handle the dirty work."

Danielle sat back in the chair, her mind racing.

She hated Nadia.

She hated that her cousin was the smart one.

But if Nadia's purity was the key to her beautiful future, she would swallow her pride. She would let the scum of the earth save her, just this once.