PRISONER OF HIS DESIRE

My father died while I was just a pup.

From the little I remembered of him, he was an alpha who loved war so much that he rarely spent a day with his pack members. I also remembered that he detested the sight of me and wouldn't even speak to my mother. I didn't miss him when he passed away. How can I miss the father I never knew?

After my father's death, his half-brother took control of the pack and of course, my wealth. According to what I was told, my grandmother had a stillborn and then died after. It was her second pregnancy, and my father was the result of the first. So my grandfather got married to a She-wolf from a neighboring pack. She was of great affluence and well-sought by powerful he-wolves of her time. The union produced a pub. His name was Damon.

My growing up under Damon can only be described with one word. Horrible!

He locked me and my mother up in our side of the fortress, forbade us from leaving our little prison, and we only survived on the remnants from his table.

I met my mate when I was fifteen. He came along with some workers to attend to some malfunctioning gadgets on my side of the fortress.

He was a tall and good-looking he-wolf, and he spoke kindly and looked at me affectionately.

His appearance changed everything in me. A new kind of dream for freedom. At last, I will be escaping my horrible home. Not even the thought of my mother's loneliness will make me stay.

But my half-uncle rejected my mate. He was a he-wolf of lowly birth and had neither wealth nor land to his name.

I was all angry and wouldn't take no for an answer. I cried. Begged that he should change his mind, but his response was the same, no. So we started making plans. We are going to elope. It was a stupid decision made in the rush of emotions. We were caught and my mate was killed while I returned to my little cell.

A day before my eighteen-year-old birthday, my half-uncle called me into his chamber and muttered, "I have good news, my dearest Bella. I have finally found someone good enough for you."

I look at my uncle. Stunned and repelled, but not surprised. He was a man known for his selfishness and shrewdness. "Who is that lucky werewolf, my Lord?"

Damon roared with laughter as he said, "There is still some defiance in you. Well, if you must know, you are getting married to Alpha Gwen."

Alpha Gwen! My eyes almost fell out of their sockets. It would be foolhardy to expect something good from someone as horrible as Damon but this was unexpected. Alpha Gwen was as old as my grandfather and possessed the worst of all reputations.

Damon's face was filled with enthusiasm as he said, "As you are aware, Alpha Gwen is old and has no heir. I was able to convince him that you are filled with male wolves and will give birth by the next ten new moons."

"You are lying. Thousands of she-wolves from his pack will give him what he wants if the goddess deems him worthy of an heir. You must have promised him something more, didn't you?"

"Even though I dislike your impertinent tongue, I shall tell you what you want to hear, " Damon mumbled, grinned, and said after, "I promised to give him half of your wealth as dowry. The alpha is at the point of bankruptcy and only your wealth can save him. And if you must know, I planned to kill him as soon as you became pregnant. You won't have to suffer his presence for very long."

A knowing grin escaped my mouth. "And you think I will help you to achieve all this?"

"You will do exactly what I asked of you."

"And what will you get in return? You are giving away too much."

He laughed dryly now. "All his strong and able pack members. It's time I destroyed the Greenwood pack and brought that proud Baron to his knees."

War again!

Greenwood Pack was the neighbor on the right side of our territory. And we have been rivals for ages. The rivalry started when a high volume of silver was found to be deposited under the mountains of some section of land between the two packs. The land that once belonged to my father before his death.

"I don't want to get involved with your disgusting war."

"Baron had taken over your land. Do you still think it's none of your business?"

"Yes, Damon. You will never give me back the land, will you? Why should I be bothered about who owns it since it can never be mine?"

"Yet still, you will do what I want."

"I won't. I would rather die than spend a night with that disgusting old man."

"Alpha Gwen is not too old, Bella. He is just eighty-eight."

"And I'm just eighteen. He is old enough to be my grandfather."

My half-uncle shrugged and said, "You can die if you like. Your death will give me access to all your wealth. Dead or alive, I will still be making fortunes out of you, but I will make sure your mother suffered enough for thwarting my plan."

"You are an evil man. People like you will die a miserable death and they -."

My voice trailed off when his face darkened and his eyes became red. For a moment, I thought he would strike me, but he didn't. He'd never struck me. All he ever did was burn with rage whenever I annoyed him and then took the anger out on my poor mother.

"Go away, Bella," he said at last. "Your mother will prepare you for your trip to Moonshine Pack, and you will be allowed to leave with a truck filled with your clothes, jewelry, and household items. If you behave yourself, I may even allow you to go with your family maid ."

"Really! Oh, thank Damon. You are the kindest werewolf alive," I said with a voice filled with criticism and a sneering face.

He ignored me, "You are the Greenwich heiress, so I have been more than generous with you. Besides, I don't want to make a niggardly impression or leave any person in doubt of my affection for you. You will leave tonight, and I will be there tomorrow evening to attend your wedding. But your mother will remain here until I'm back. Take note, her head will leave her neck if I find out that you are up to any mischief."

I forced a smile and stared at his emotionless face.

"Well, why don't you say something? No shout or abuse!"

I inhaled heavily. Why should I abuse or shout at you?"

"Oh! That impertinent tone again. Go away then. We will meet at Moonshine Chapel for your wedding."

Back in my section of the villa, my mother held and petted me while I cried, and then she told me that any marriage- even to any man was better than remaining here. She advised me to face it and behave as a lady ought to. With dignity and acceptance. With a smooth, serene countenance.

We arrived at Moonshine Pack just as the sun was setting. The gates of the town were still open and our truck and car drove directly to the Alpha's Villa.

I would have done anything to escape my present situation. Even if it means killing Damon. But I could not escape, for I had no doubt whatsoever that my mother would suffer horribly for it, and my mother had suffered enough at the hands of Damon D'Angelo.

I was almost numb with despair as I mounted the stairs to the great hall. Damon had not lied when he talked about the number of moonshine pack werewolves. They look strong and muscular, armed, and in great multitude.

The inside of the great hall was filled with tables and chairs set for the evening meal, the wall displaying Alpha Gwen's wealth in useless weapons of polished silver and gold, most encrusted with fine jewels.

Omegas were in abundance. One or more to serve each guest, but Alpha Gwen did not waste his money. Their clothes were nearly rags, their bodies none too clean, their demeanor cowed to the point of trembling hands and haunted eyes, and little wonder. In the space of crossing the hall to the raised dais where Gwen sat like a king in state, I saw three Omegas cuffed for no apparent reason, one struck so hard that he fell to the floor, only to be kicked twice where he lay unmoving.

I was so appalled by what I saw that I stopped walking, but the crowd at my back pushed me lightly.

I had avoided looking towards Gwen's table. Maybe he will vanish if I keep ignoring him. And I nearly cried out in horror when I at last did.

He was worse than I had imagined.

Alpha Gwen wasn't just old. He looks like a corpse.

His skin was a pasty white, and so deeply wrinkled there was not an inch anywhere to be seen that could be called smooth. What was left of his hair was white, except for one narrow streak of blond to attest to what the color had been. His body was so bent that I stood taller than him, and I was only a few inches above five feet. His eyes were round and too big for his small face, and the whites of his eyes were dark yellow. I also noticed a white film covering the iridescence of one of his irises. He was almost blind. His bright silk robe, trimmed at the neck and sleeves with costly fur; merely made him look more ridiculous.

A hard, loud voice soon boomed in the large hall as our pack Beta shouted introductions. "My name is Beta Cohen, and I have been delegated to supervise the marriage preparation until my Alpha arrives. I want you to meet your wife-to-be, Princess Bella."

"Enough," Alpha Gwen said with a cackle, revealing the only two teeth remaining in his mouth. "Take her to my side of the fortress. I will see her at the chapel for the wedding."

I turned and then summoned an Omega to take me to whatever room he had prepared for me. And it was in my room that my blinding tears were finally released until I finally fell asleep.

I woke with some kind of disorientation that lasted only for a moment. And at that instant, my blood turned cold as dread seeped into my bones, keeping me immobile on the bed.

"Do you want to lie in bed until the priest arrives?"

"Moana?" My eyes gasped in surprise as I recognized that dear voice.

"Yes, my sweet one."

I sat up and saw my maid sitting on a chest that had not been there when I first entered the room. It was my chest, and my maid was sitting on it.

Moana has been my maid since I can remember. And before that, she had served my mother. Moana was a tall woman with a round girth. Her weight was expected since Moana loved eating.

"What are you doing here?"

"Your uncle allowed me to come after receiving feedback on your cooperation...I saw that old man when I arrived this morning. How could you agree to wed that?"

I fought back the tears gathering in my eyes, but my lips still trembled as I said, "Damon was hitting my mother. I doubt he would have stopped if I didn't agree."

"Oh, my goodness," Moana cried and then came swiftly forward to gather me in her arms. "I knew Damon was a monster but I never expected him to be worse. He dared strike his half-brother's wife."

"God forgive me, but I hate him now. He only thinks of his gain and has no thought of my well-being."

"I heard he planned to take back your land from that Monstrous Alpha Baron.

"Not for me. Damon will never give back my land. I'm just trying to get pregnant to secure Moonshine's wealth and warriors. And when Gwen dies, Damon will have me back as well, to marry off again the next time he finds himself in similar situations."

"Oh! Is that his plan?" Moana asked indignantly. "But Gwen is so old. Do you think he can still have an erection?"

I snorted. "Exactly my thought. But I guess no man will like to be told that."

"I learned that Alpha Gwen had tried to get another son to replace the ones who died during the war. He has taken four wives in just recent years."

"What happened to them?"

"They all died one way or the other. But I suspect foul play. I learned he had repudiated them because they couldn't give him the so-needed son as quickly as expected."

"So if I did not give him a son, he is likely to hate me within a year. "

"No. Alpha Gwen will not last that long. He should have been dead since. Why he is still alive can only be from a pact he made with the devil."

"Shush," I hissed and then made a sign of a cross over my chest. Yet, I was forced to agree, had I not thought he already looked like a corpse.

"Do you truly mean you are going to marry Alpha Gwen?"

"Yes. Do I have a choice?"

"You do. We can kill him instead."

The day progressed, despite all hopes and prayers that it wouldn't. And just before the sunset, I was married to Alpha Gwen of the Moonlight pack.

My new husband was a feeble-minded man who slept through the entire service and half through the feast that took place after.

I sat beside him, watching him as he gummed the cheese he was forced to eat because of his lack of teeth. I was certain that I would throw up if I tried to eat anything, but graciously, or perversely, since he saw that I wasn't eating, he drew my plate closer to him and began to pick the grain.

My half-uncle was in the highest spirits. He had achieved his aim, so nothing could sour his mood. Not even my silence anytime he spoke to me.

I could see him from the corner of my eyes, eating and drinking with gusto, and then bragging about how he would run Baron and the rest of his pack members out of their home.

I was not the least interested in his talk of war. I hate him enough and hope he fails and gets killed on the battlefield.

Darkness soon arrived against my desire, and I was grave with dread as I was at last ushered to my chamber. I know I'm going to fall sick. My skin was as pasty white as my husband's skin, and my eyes hurt from fighting back tears all day.

I was sobbing as I ran to the bed, and had just covered myself with a blanket when the groom arrived, carried in by some of his Betas who are yet to return to their various home. But as soon as they see me in bed, their crude laughter and jest end immediately, and they all ogle at me before stepping out of the room.

Alpha Gwen was prepared. He wore a black nightgown that made his skin look even whiter.

Even as I closed my eyes, that image of his body could not leave my head. Legs whittled down to mere bones, ribs protruding, sunken belly, and that tiny thing between his legs.

I would have laughed if I weren't too close to tears. Out of despair, I began to pray silently, that I could bear this, that it would be over quickly, and that I would not become mad when he was done with me.

"Well, where are you, my love?" He asked peevishly. "Come over here, I'm too old to be chasing you all over the bed. "

"Here, my Lord."

Apart from being partly blind, Alpha Gwen was also partly deaf. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been looking for me on the left side of the bed while I just spoke to him from the right side.

"What the hell are you still searching for while I'm here?"

My statement was a near shout, and this made him start crawling on the bed towards me.

"Well...well. What are you waiting for? He asked in the same peevish tone. "Can't you see my warrior here requires your service? Come over here to play with it."

Is that tiny thing supposed to be a warrior? Quite doubtful!

I made an awful sound but he didn't hear. He was busy chuckling to himself.

"My warrior asked for a kiss, Bella. You aren't going to fail in your responsibility, will you?"

My mouth flew to my mouth as the mere thought made me gag. If he could have seen my expression, he would not have been laughing. But he was nearly blind as well as deaf. And I must kill Damon for this.

"Where are you?" He was demanding again. His eyes roamed all over the bed in search of me.

I was just a few steps away from him, but I just didn't want to talk.

"Silly girl. Do I need to call my right-hand man, John, to find you? You will meet him soon enough if you do not give me an heir in nine months. I'm too old to go through this again. You are the last. I will have a son from you one way or the other. So, what do you say?"

"You sound like a desperate man, my Lord. Do I understand you correctly, you would give me to this man called John if I failed to become pregnant in a few months?"

"Yes. I would. I have a fondness for John and would not mind calling his son mine."

"And why don't you claim John's son as your heir then?"

"Don't be stupid, girl. No one would believe he is mine. But it won't be doubted if he gets you pregnant in place of me."

I sighed. This man was worse than I had imagined. I was his wife, yet he meant to give me to another man. Breed me the way he breeds his cows and pigs.

God in heaven, do I have to go through this again? He was so feeble and I knew I could fight him off without shedding a sweat. But what would happen to my mother if I did? And, he was my husband. A husband was all-powerful, right? He owes my life and nobody will ask him if he chooses to end it.

"Have I married the wrong woman here?" Alpha Gwen's voice rose in anger. "Come here and lie beside me."

His orders were direct and I had no choice but to obey. But how can I? I would faint if he dared touch me. "I cannot," I said. "If you want to make love to me, then do. But I won't help you."

My face was furiously red. The worst he could do is to beat me or call the right-hand man. Maybe he won't even be as horrible as him.

"You-you-."

Alpha Gwen paused his speech, his eyes got bigger, and he looked like it's about to pop out of his head. One of his hands pressed so hard to his chest and he swayed backward and then landed with a soft thud without making a sound.

I scrambled towards him and gawked at his face. His hand still clutched his chest but he wasn't breathing.

Is he dead? Could I be that lucky?