BOUGHT BY THE ALPHA

Bell's Family

The moon was attempting to rise higher in the sky as the Sun was lowering a little. As silent as the Crescent moon pack could ever be, Alpha Adrian, the powerful and thoughtful Alpha, ruled over it.

With a deft touch, he maintained the pack's tranquility throughout its history. Despite his cunning and ruthlessness, he never abandoned his pack.

The brother of the Alpha lived with his family in a lovely home near the woods, complete with a tiny garden and porch. He had a young, nimble son and a lovely, happy daughter.

"Is Bell coming down to eat?" Bell and her younger brother Olive ran down when his wife Whitney called.

"Kind children," Isaiah, their father, remarked.

"Dad, can we play in the woods for a little while after we eat?" Olive asked his father to show him his flawlessly white teeth. The seven-year-old boy was correct when he said his father could never resist smiling.

"All right, but don't hang out too late?" Even the woods were safe, he reprimanded; they were still part of the Crescent moon pack.

Olive smiled broadly; he always enjoyed the lovely times when Bell would narrate a story to him as the moon rose higher in the sky.

After finishing his supper quickly, he took his seventeen-year-old sister by the hand and left the house.

Bell told him to slow down, but he was having none of it and hurried through the woods to their regular location.

His little head rested on her arm as they sat on the blanket Bell had spread out on the floor.

"Bell, do you think I can ever be Alpha?" he questioned his astute sister, seeking validation for what his father had said.

She carefully replied, "You can be anything you want to be; I believe in you."

"I don't want to be an Alpha; it comes with a lot of responsibilities, and Dad told me that since Uncle Adrian is a single man, I will automatically become the Alpha. Olive summarized the productive sequence of events that led to Uncle Adrian's inquiry, as he himself stated.

She questioned, "Don't you want to be the strongest, kindest, and most powerful Alpha this pack has ever seen?"

With haste, he replied, "I am strong."

He scowled as she said, "You are not strong enough because you don't want to be the Alpha."

"Will I become stronger as the Alpha?" He questioned while interlocking his fingers with his sister's, gazing up at the already-dark skies.

She touched his chest and said, "No title can make you strong; only you can do that with the will of your heart and mind." He laughed, showing that it was ticklish.

"Do you know why today is a starless day?" She turned to face her innocent younger brother, who gave her a sidelong glance and shook his head.

"It's because,"

"Ahhhh" Bell was cut off when she heard someone scream.

Knowing it was their mother's voice, "Mom" Olive didn't wait for her and instead ran as fast as he could towards the house.

"Olive, wait up." She got up to follow him, but as she did, she tripped over a stone that was falling.

When she looked up and realized Olive was gone, she started to run back home. Olive was being held by a wolf who had ripped his body apart and slashed his neck with his claws when she noticed two bodies on the ground not far from her house. She recognized them as her mother and father.

She cried out, "Noooooo," as she ran towards the wolf, but it threw her into a tree, where she passed out for a moment. When she awoke, she saw a young man dressed in royal clothing standing in front of the bodies. He had perfect build and long hair that reached his waist. He gave her a good look at the bodies before turning to leave.

Bell rose and ran in the direction of her deceased family.

"Mom, Dad, Olive," she sobbed as she knelt beside them. Her entire family had been killed, and she was not happy about it.

Her only family had been taken from her, and all she could remember was the man's face who had killed them. She screamed loudly in the air, expressing her anguish and sorrow, and she vowed to get revenge.

Bell was brought to the pack house, where Luna Diana and her cousin Hava consoled her. On her way to the castle, Bell had seen other families' homes in ruins and had been informed that the pack was under attack.

Bell's tears wet her cloth, and Hava felt her pain. "Don't cry Bell, I am here for you," she said, giving her a tight hug. Bell's family was her family, and Isaiah was her uncle. Although she was unaware of Bell's level of pain, she couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

Diana stood by Hava's room door and said, "Bell, your uncle Adrian needs to see you." Diana had been watching Bell cry for some time and felt bad for her.

Hava was about to follow her when her mother stopped her, but she said, "I will go with you."

"Just Bell," she uttered.

Bell moved slowly and in silence, opening the Alpha's office when she arrived.

Bell took a seat when Alpha Adrian motioned for her to do so.

He asked, "How are you holding up? You have been grieving for your family for a week now." She raised her puffy eyes to him.

He went to her and dried her tears, telling her not to cry again. He was as saddened by Bell's death as he was by his brother's and his family's deaths.

"They were all I had," Bell sobbed even harder as she thought back to her final moments with them, the quiet moments, and her regular evening conversations with her brother.

"I understand and I apologize," he apologised, feeling guilty about what he was going to say.

He abruptly dropped to his knees, shocking her.

"What are you doing, uncle?" Perplexed by his actions, she asked.

He begged, "Please save us, Bell."

What he meant when he said that she should save them confused Bell even more. "What is going on?" she asked.

He blurted, standing up and taking her hand, "If we don't give him a bride, our pack would be under attack again."

Although my daughter is much younger than you and you would turn eighteen in two months, Bell, you know that I would never do this to you. He said, "Please be the bride and save the pack."

"What kind of foolishness are you discussing?" He had the audacity to advise her to get married to someone else, but Bell was still in mourning for her parents and he stood up angrily.

"Please Bell, look on the bright side you can start a new life there. I got a letter three days ago saying our pack would be under another attack if we don't present a bride to the Alpha." He tried to talk her out of it, but his eyes were filled with fear. The Alpha he was referring to was the strongest in all of lands, and others called him the Alpha King.

The Crescent moon pack was nothing in comparison to him.

Bell declined, saying, "No, I can't do it."

"Bell" I want you to know that even though you lost your family, you still have the power to prevent other families from suffering the same fate. He tried to reason with Bell once more, saying, "Think about your cousin Hava who looks up to you," but she was having none of it and shoved open the door.

She discovered Hava standing there with swollen eyes; it was obvious that she had heard everything they had said and was terrified of the truth even now.

Bell inhaled deeply before acting in a way she had never anticipated.

She said, "Okay, I'll be the bride," and turned to leave.

***

Bell was picked up by the Red moon pack's Gamma two days later. The pack was larger and livelier than the Crescent moon pack, which was very different from what Bell had anticipated.

Not only was the castle a fortress, but it also had enough land to house hundreds of people.

She was greeted by Red Moon Pack member Gamma Lucian as they entered the enormous Hall and waited for the Alpha to arrive.

Bell observed a tall, man with short brown hair, a massive build, a chiseled face, and a bright smile come down the stairs.

She whispered to herself, "He isn't all that bad," as he approached her and took her hand.

He said, "Hello, you must be Bell. My name is Beta Alex."

The idea that he might be the Alpha she was assigned to evaporated from her mind.

Slowly and steadily, Bell heard another set of footsteps descend the stairs. She saw a man with brown eyes, a stern face, long black hair pulled back into a half bun, and black jeans walk down the stairs.

He did not approach her and remained silent as he stood by the stairs.

Bell knew at once that he was the man who had murdered her parents.

Bell had never once imagined that the man who killed her family would take her in marriage. She had assumed she would be sent off to an Alpha, who was undoubtedly strong and cruel, but not to him.

She yelled, "You murderer," as she ran to get to him, but Beta Alex saw her coming and stopped her right away. He had to stop her from getting past him or else the Alpha would chastise him.

She cried out, "You killed my family, you deserve to die," as she lost control of her desire for vengeance after seeing the man who had killed her parents. It enraged her even more to see how composed and composed he was in the face of her yelling and screaming; after killing her parents, he now had her as a bride-what kind of cruel fate was that?

She cried out to be freed, kicking and screaming, "You killed them, you killed my family, you deserve to die." She wanted to kill him there to exact revenge on him for her family's deaths.

She tried to let go of Alex, but he held on to her tightly, preventing her from moving away from him. It was his responsibility to keep the Alpha safe.

"Leave her in my vision," Alpha Conte commanded.

Those remarks struck Bell like a knife to the heart; he had the audacity to act tough and show no remorse or guilt after murdering her family. She knew he could identify her as the girl he knocked out to a tree, but there was no trace of regret on his face.

"Do you hear me, you bastard? I'm going to kill you!" Her final words reverberated throughout the hallway prior to Beta Alex removing her and confining her in a small apartment distant from the castle.

Bell cried out, "Open the door," knowing that her meagre strength would not be enough to break through it, so she leaped for it with all of her might.

She wasn't supposed to be betrothed to the same man who brutally killed her family; it didn't have to be this way.

Her troubled soul was filled with disgust and anger upon seeing his face. She fell to the ground, clutching her hair, and heard her mother yelling, her father giving advice, and her younger brother laughing. Even though many people would have died as a result, she would have turned down the offer if she had known that her uncle Adrian was speaking of him. It was still ingrained in her mind.

Bell was utterly devastated; the mere thought of her family caused her heart to ache and bleed. How could he have done that to her? Being the Luna of the man who took away her only family, made her feel alone in the world, and caused her agony was an abomination. She was forbidden from interacting with him in any way other than to subject him to the same suffering that he had inflicted upon her.

She made those words really stick when she vowed to herself, "I will make sure to kill you if that is the last thing I have to do."

She reconsidered her chances; perhaps she had been sent there to exact revenge on the man who had murdered her family; this might be her opportunity to finally destroy him.

She started to see a different way to repay him tenfold for everything he had done to her. By exacting revenge, she could grant her family the vacation they so richly deserved.

She muttered, "I'll make sure I kill you before I leave this pack."

***

Alpha Conte went back to his quarters, gazing out the open window while allowing his thoughts to wander.

He wished he hadn't made the choice to ask the Crescent Moon Pack for a bride in exchange for peace because it was backfiring on him.

He could sense her presence as soon as he descended the stairs; her scent was the only thing luring him in. He had no idea that the girl who was supposed to kill him would end up being his partner.

Her vanilla scent drove him insane as he stood there taking in her beauty and perfection. He tried to suppress his urge to act as though she had no effect on him at all.

Though he didn't blame her, he didn't give a damn about the obvious hatred in her eyes for him.

He said, "It changes nothing," not because he would grow fond of her because she was his mate. Conte had asked for a bride because he believed Alpha Adrian's daughter, for whom he had no attraction or feelings, would be given to him. He had no relationship or bond with his intended Luna; he just wanted her for the name and the pleasure.

He detested the mate bond because it rendered wolves weaker invariably, allowing them to exploit their partners' vulnerability to dismantle packs.

His reputation as a vicious Alpha who didn't give a damn about getting involved made him a prominent figure in the pack. Many women assumed he was gay, but none of them ever came out with it; instead, they kept it to themselves.

On the plus side, it was better for him-aside from the fact that she could kill him if he ever let his guard down. He hated the fact that it had to be her, that he had to be blessed with a mate who wanted nothing to do with him.

He promised to have no involvement with her, so no one could use her as a weakness against him. He vowed to turn her hatred into fierceness, making her the most feared Luna in the country.

Alex mind-linked him as "Alpha."

He told Conte, "She won't be able to escape; she has been taken to the flat and there are several guards watching her." Conte listened intently.

"All right, tomorrow you can open the doors, but keep the guards on duty," he gave the order. Since Bell was there, there was no way for her to leave; Conte had kept guards to keep her from fleeing.

In a few months, the banquet would take place, and he needed her by his side to keep the daughters of Alpha from spying on him and revealing to them that he was already in a relationship with Luna.

"Yes, Alpha," Alex replied, heading back to his room for a nap. Bell's scratches and struggles had ripped his shirt.

He laughed at the situation Alpha Conte had put himself in by having such a bride, saying, "What a feisty bride."

***

Bell slept on the floor until dawn, when she tried to leave the house again after stretching her body a little.

She saw two guards observing her as she emerged from behind the once-locked doors.

Her instincts to get out of there got the better of her, and she tried to walk slowly to avoid giving the impression that she wanted to flee. She had completely forgotten that she had chosen to stay and exact her revenge on Conte.

The guard on the right obstructed Luna's path, saying, "Luna, you can't leave this house."

Bell became enraged with him for referring to her as the Luna.

"Your Luna, who the hell is she?" She retaliated violently, accusing him of calling her Luna in front of the Alpha that she deeply detested.

She turned around and took a few steps back, saying, "Listen here, I am not your Luna and I will never be," but he blocked her once more.

The guard repeated, "I'm sorry, but you can't leave," threatening to take extreme action if she made a foolish move.

"Did he put you through this? What the devil is he trying to accomplish by locking me up and preventing me from moving freely?" she exclaimed.

The other guard gave an order to "please return back to the house."

"No," she sneered boldly, knowing that she had to get away from the pack as soon as possible. She wasn't going to sit there and take everything that was happening.

She screamed at a guard who reached out to block her.

"Don't you dare." Fortunately for her, he took her advice and moved aside. However, she was unaware that Conte was observing her and had mentally connected them to allow her to leave.

Bell started running right away. She ran for an hour without being able to find her way out because she was unfamiliar with the area and had no idea where to go. It seemed as though she was going in the wrong direction. The land was just too large for her to escape on foot, and before she knew it, she heard a wolf howling in the distance. Thinking that Alpha Conte had just learned of her escape, she turned to run away from the noise, thinking it must have come from the castle, so she ran far away from it only to find herself standing in front of it.

"What?" She said in a desperate tone that she was so confused about how she got back there that she fled once more and made it back to the castle in about an hour.

A little changed from her first appearance: the person she detested the most was waiting for her on the balcony, and since the castle's entrance was closed, she was unable to approach him.

"Bell, no matter how far you run, you will always return to this place. "Give up your illusions that you can get away from me because you can't," he sternly told her as he observed her panting due to the intense race.

As the Castle was situated in what appeared to be a maze, Bell and other visitors would become lost and spend hours walking in circles. The only exit was behind a wall, but from a distance, anyone would assume that the wall marked the end of the path.

That was a dark Druid's farewell gift to keep the castle safe from harm.

Bell said, "There is no way out," before exiting the building. Bell was taken back to the house by the two guards from earlier, who were now her personal guards. They grabbed her hand.

"Leave me go," she moaned, turning to face Alpha Conte and offering him a piece of her mind, but he never returned. Bell was too stubborn and ran outside again after they brutally dropped her to the ground right at the porch.

"Please stop, Luna. We don't mean to hurt you." She hissed at Landon after he said that.

She yelled angrily, "I told you I am not your Luna," because he was irritating her by calling her by that cursed name, which she detested.

He brought her inside the house on his back and secured her there.

Bell could hear her stomach growl because she hadn't eaten since yesterday and she felt so hungry. She had nothing better to do than sit on the chair and wait for someone to respond, so she didn't even try to kick or bang the door.

She made herself some breakfast in the kitchen, but even though she was hungry, she had to force herself to eat because she had lost her appetite. She took a big bite and thought the food was bland.

A tear fell from her eye as she ate, remembering the times when her family sat around the table, eating and chatting. It was the last meal she had with her family, who always made her feel comfortable, and now she was on her own, eating by herself. It was an agonizing and depressing experience for her, so she threw the plate away, and it broke into a thousand pieces.

"Are you okay, Luna?" She lost all self-control when Landon reappeared and jumped on him, dragging his hair while he screamed.

She wished to rip the hair off of his head and warned him, "I told you I am not your Luna."

"What in the world is happening here?" Beta Alex's voice resounded through the space, shocked to see Bell fighting a guard in that particular scene.

Landon said, "I'm sorry, Beta. She just jumped on me."

He gave her the command, "Bell, will you get down this instant," and she could easily get off his neck because Landon was already on his knees.

"You can stay here and reflect on the mess you've made. You're lucky the Alpha didn't catch you because you would have been beaten and chained for this behavior." After giving her some advice, Beta Alex locked her back inside.

They all did that flawlessly, behaving as though she were a slave who should have been put in a cage rather than a human. Her freedom, happiness, and rights were all taken away from her; this was worse treatment than she had anticipated, but at least she wasn't cuffed and beaten for her foolish actions by an unpaid bodyguard, as the Beta had claimed.

Beta After giving Landon a severe talking to, Alex chastised him. Although Bell may have started the incident, he was also at fault for making any kind of physical contact with the future Luna without the Alpha's consent.

He was allowed to touch her because they had permission to carry her back to the house a while ago, but after that he lost that privilege and crossed the line.

"You're lucky that such behavior hasn't led to your beheading." According to Beta Alex,

In the short time since her arrival, Bell had become a real pain in the neck. He understood that she was grieving and wanted retribution against the Alpha for killing her family, but he thought it was excessive to pick a fight with anyone.

Knowing that the punishment he received from the Beta was not as severe as it could have been from the Alpha, Landon instantly fell to his knees in apology.

He said, "I'm very sorry, Beta," and Alex became more composed.

"Return to your duty post and make sure that no such act occurs again, or else you will meet an untimely end." Beta Before he left, Alex gave him stern warnings that he had to keep quiet about what had happened or else Bell and the guard would suffer harsh consequences. He didn't want Bell to have a traumatic first week at the Luna because she was already going through a lot just by being there.

My Mate

Bell had been imprisoned for two months with little to no freedom; she was confined to her home's perimeter and was never outside of it.

She attempted to use it as a chance to plan her attack on Alpha Conte, but every day she discovered that the plans she had made, particularly if they had been written down or made by the guards who came to inspect, had been destroyed or taken. She was left with no choice but to use the piles of books in her room because everything that could be used to commit suicide had also been taken.

When the door opened, Landon entered wearing a stunning white dress. Three omegas with shoes, jewelry, and makeup were waiting for him behind him.

"The Alpha desires that you prepare for the feast," he uttered.

Bell laughed as she listened to him.

She replied, "Tell him to come to me if he wants me to wear this." She had a lot to say to him and things she wished she could do to him, but she could only accomplish all of that if he was close to her.

In the hopes that Conte would arrive on his own as per her request, she shoved Landon and the omegas outside.

She had no idea that he was following her.

"Do you want to test my patience?" She was surprised by his question and wondered how he arrived so quickly, but she quickly brushed it from her mind.

With a look of death in his eyes, he closed the door behind them.

Her stance was small in comparison to the tall man she had to look up to, but she challenged him anyway, saying, "Do you think I am going to dress up and pretend to be your Luna, let me just burst your bubble, I am not doing any of that."

"Are you willing to die?" He asked, approaching her more closely as she recoiled in horror. She had not anticipated this; she had assumed that once she saw him, she would find the strength to hurt him, but he was too terrifying to even touch.

Fear gripping her hands, she backed away until she struck a desk with a flower vase on it. She slowly picked it up, preparing to slam it into his head, but something grabbed her hand tightly.

Conte knew exactly what she intended to do, and he stopped her in his tracks. The vase dropped to the ground, but he remained holding her hand, and he used his right hand to circle her neck so that his claws were visible. Bell realized right away that Conte was capable of killing her, as he had already killed her family, so he could kill her as well.

I have been supporting all of your pointless actions for a very long time; don't put me to the test, Bell, since you won't like the results.

He gave her the order to "get ready for the banquet" before handing her off to the Omega to get ready for the celebration.

It was late at night, and the Red Moon pack was crowded with visitors from other packs, all ranked members and their families. They had all gathered to rejoice over Alpha Conte's news of her Luna.

Gamma Lucian stood by the door greeting each and every person who entered, so Conte didn't bother to greet the visitor.

"The side door, which had been sealed shut, finally opened, revealing a stunning young girl wearing a white dress, a tidy ponytail with bangs, and black shoes. Despite her appearance, the girl had a frown on her face as she observed everyone."

Bell wasn't used to such a large crowd, so she was a little reserved at first, but that didn't stop her from wanting to avoid being there by acting different.

After a brief moment of staring at her, Alpha Conte looked away.

The Alpha next to him said, "She is beautiful," but Bell remained silent. He was forced to approach Bell because she hadn't moved from her position.

He stood by her side and motioned for her to hold him, which she did because she was well aware that things wouldn't work out well for her if she didn't follow his instructions.

"That's quite a beautiful Luna you have," a woman approached them.

"Who claimed that I was Luna's?" Bell retaliated, refusing to accept those remarks from anybody.

Conte became enraged with her after she claimed to have heard a low growl by her side.

"What, is that not the reality?" He turned to face her, bowed slightly, and left the banquet hall as soon as she whispered to him, making the aura around him instantly cold.

Bell, on the other hand, looked foolish with all eyes on her, so she quickly bowed to them and followed him out. The guests were shocked by his abrupt act and questioned why he would leave his own party and his Luna.

"Shit" Beta With a curse, Alex took up the microphone to clarify what had transpired.

"The Alpha has to attend to an emergency, please continue enjoying the party," he said, to which everyone else followed.

Gamma and only him Lucian was aware of Conte's anger and his need to let it out.

Through the mind-link, Gamma Lucian said, "She must have said something to irritate him," and Beta Alex agreed.

Alpha Conte did not appear at all that evening.

***

Bell woke up to the bright sun shining on her skin. It was her eighteenth birthday, and she couldn't wait to meet her wolf. However, when she left the house, she couldn't find the guards anywhere. She wasn't sure if Conte had heard her words or if they had decided to give her some freedom because they knew she would turn eighteen.

She strolled around and into the woods directly behind the house, enjoying her newfound freedom.

"Hello," a voice in her brain said.

She said, "Hello," fully aware that it was her wolf.

Her wolf cheerfully introduced herself as Diamond; she must have been as thrilled to meet Bell as Bell was.

It's nice to meet you, Bell. My name is Diamond." she said.

She could sense that they belonged together, and it felt good to talk to her.

"Are you prepared to do this?" Diamond questioned directly, eager to show her who she was and what color she was.

Bell answered, "As ready as I will ever be." Having waited her entire life to meet her counterpart, Bell wished her wolf would be just as strong as she was, giving her encouragement through the difficult times she was currently going through.

The sound of bone breaking filled the air, only to be replaced by Diamond's tiny roar. The silvery white wolf towered over everyone with its immense size.

Bell remarked, "We are big." She hadn't anticipated her wolf to be as large as the others when they first appeared.

Diamond said, "And unique," leaving open the possibility that they were superhuman.

Bell said, "Wanna sprint around?" Diamond didn't need to be reminded twice; she ran as quickly as her paws would allow and relished the feeling of slow motion, the grass beneath her feet, and the soft air brushing against her fur.

She ran all the way to the castle, where the mere sight of a man observing her caused her to trip and fall.

She couldn't help but notice him because of his enticing scent.

She said, "Mate," and Bell was astounded to hear it.

She objected, saying that he couldn't be their mate because she didn't want that to be the case and she couldn't mate with the man who killed her family.

The man who deprived her of her freedom and kept her as his slave, claiming she was his Luna, caused her immense suffering and misery.

Because of Bell's memories, Diamond was aware of everything that had occurred. She also realized that the man she had recently accepted as her mate was the cause of Bell's extreme loneliness and sadness, even though she tried to hide it by acting happy about having a wolf.

Alpha Conte, who was standing by the balcony, recognized Bell as the silvery white wolf that was running around. He kept a close eye on her until she turned to face him.

He was positive that she knew he was her partner at that precise moment, but he was even more positive that it wouldn't make her hatred of him go away. He turned to leave the Castle.

Diamond whimpered softly in pain; they were both so upset that they were unable to move or speak; learning the truth was upsetting and consumed the few minutes that they had earlier spent together, enjoying their quiet time.

As Diamond sat there in the rain, broken and hurt, the cloud seemed to sense their grief and let its contents fall upon her.

The goddess of the moon was asked, "Why did it have to be him?"

How cruel a fate was it for her to be married to the man who killed her family?

They were broken into a thousand fragments.