The Alpha's Arranged Bride

ALPHA CARAMEL'S POV.

The woman before me had aged considerably, her dark luscious hair was beginning to sprout some greyness and laugh lines in the form of wrinkles decorated her face. Except for nature taking its course, she barely changed. A look at her face made me picture the last time we met.

Mrs Flint fidgeted in her seat, she clasped her fingers over her thighs but I could still see the light tremors of it. She pursed her lips and made to speak again.

"Alpha, you see..." I raised a brow urging her to go on and speak but the words appeared to be clogged in her throat, she swallowed harshly refusing to meet my gaze.

"I still think Lavender is just a little girl." Mrs Flint was finally able to speak.

I tilted my head to the side, catching the large family portrait that hung on the wall proudly. A little girl with a goofy smile was enveloped by the warm and loving hug of Mrs Flint, she had a missing tooth and insisted on the adorable act of clinging to Mrs Flint and her doll at the same time. Her eyes shone a grey colour that reminded me of Earth in its entirety.

Beside it was another portrait of only the girl, this time fully grown and just about 18. No one needed to inform me that was Lavender, if anything her grey eyes gave her out, she was a beauty to behold, all fully grown objecting to Mrs Flint's statement.

"I see no 18 years as a child." I countered calmly eyeing the woman's restlessness.

The nature of man never ceased to amaze me. They were quick to jump on opportunities that favoured them but hesitated should the consequences be knocking.

The expression on Mrs Flint's face right now differed greatly from the one she had on eighteen years ago. Her fingers weren't clasped, she had them wide open pleading for my help and the words she had out were a glaring objection to what she was saying. Her eyes weren't downcast then, she had boldly stared directly into my eyes with the hopes of stirring mercy in me and I had succumbed.

"I'm willing to let you have my daughter once she's eighteen." Her words echoed in my air making it more difficult to believe she was blatantly trying to break the promise.

Of course, humans aged faster than werewolves, which I was aware of while Lavender was birthed, grown to be the beautiful girl of 18, I remained quite unchanged.

"Alpha, I understand it's a promise I have to keep. If anything, in appreciation for saving my daughter's life." Mrs Flint paused again, she adjusted in her position so she was directly in my line of vision.

I noticed the crease on her forehead, they weren't caused by ageing but by the worries and dilemma, she felt she was in right now. Though I could barely see it as a problem, at the same time I couldn't blame her, she was a mother to a daughter who would soon be taken away by me.

"And I know this day is the fixed day should I be requesting for more-"

"You shouldn't." I interrupted her. She looked up at me once and sighed. I loved being calm and collected, I loved hearing the opinions of others and giving them room to object which is why I said "shouldn't" and not "can't". No one needed to tell her it would be quite unwise to insist.

"I know." Mrs Flint nodded solemnly. She nodded again as if to solidify the situation in her head.

"It would be very ungrateful of me to break our promise. You've saved and protected my daughter over the years, I live with the satisfaction of knowing she's safe and I would with the knowledge she will further be with you."

I wasn't going to interrupt her so I only pulled my leg over the other and listened to her talk. Her eyes were glossed from unshed tears and her grip on her thighs tightened, I feared she would dig a hole in her skin.

"But you see, Lavender is... I mean I haven't informed her of the arrangements." She swallowed once. "It will come as a shock to have her suddenly taken away without any prior idea."

"I expected you to groom her with that thought, of a day where suddenly, I'll appear and take her," I said but Mrs Flint only frowned, she wanted so badly to break from her calm facade and yell a thousand and one reasons why I was wrong but instead she opted for the singular sentence she seemed to take a liken to.

"She's only a child!"

I smiled, almost chuckled, and nodded. I had no desire to argue with her knowing fully well it was going to go my way at the end. She wouldn't dare break the promise, she would only go around the corners hoping to secure a way to.

"I can't possibly infuse such thoughts in her thereby preventing her from leading a normal life. I would have you know she's a medical student and her lines of dreams she wants to achieve are unending." Mrs Flint spoke so fast this time, I noticed how her eyes shone as she spoke of her daughter's goals.

"And.. letting you have her might come between them." Her shoulders sagged, and I let her experience her emotional rollercoaster, I wasn't going to assure her that it wouldn't.

Mrs Flint wasn't waiting for me to, she sniffed and resumed talking. "I don't want this to be shocking to her-"

"It can't be helped," I murmured, but she ignored me.

"So I plead alpha..." She spread her palms once again and gazed into my eyes assuming the demeanor she had 18 years ago while being heavily pregnant with Lavender. "...that you give me some time to break this news to her. I promise to find a way around it, perhaps a month will do..."

My chuckle interrupted her, she remained frozen with that same humble expression as I let amusement rake me.

"A month you say? Better off we wait for her to return and I tell her myself."

"No, no, no." Mrs Flint frantically objected as she waved her arms about gesticulating wildly on how that would traumatize Lavender, she would be shocked and go through a series of emotions, it would be done her way. I zoned out briefly only regaining my attention when she resumed pleading.

"A week then."

"Two days." I stood to my feet, an indication that I gave no room for argument. "I'll be back to make her mine in two days."

I cast another look at the portrait of her before walking off with the expectation of having her soon.

Lavender's POV.

I skipped into the apartment, banging the door loudly. It was a habit of mine to do so at my arrival home, mom hated it and you'd most times catch her scolding me. This time though, I heard no warning call or a displeased response. The house was eerily quiet, the unusual atmosphere made me pause cautiously before venturing farther into the sitting room.

"Mom," I called the instant I saw her. She sat on the settee, very still and apparently, she wasn't aware of my presence. Something was wrong, Mom was the type who was always bubbling with stored-up energy, she always needed to dispel it, and sitting still was no way to. At least, no way she does.

I took a long stride and sat beside her pulling her shoulders to me. "Mom."

She seemed startled, as she stared at me with bright eyes that were wide with surprise, her face broke into a smile and she further pulled me into a hug concealing her face in my neck.

"You are back.." Mom breathed pulling back to cradle my face in her soft motherly palm. "You're as beautiful as the sun." She murmured her eyes displaying so much emotion.

A flash of what I couldn't pinpoint zapped through my mom's eyes and disappeared the second it came. It was almost like worry and resignation.

"I took after you," I responded by kissing the top of her head and hoping that it would dissipate whatever she was feeling. Knowing Mom, there was no use questioning her for she was always willing to go to any length to hide problems from me, in her words, she didn't want me to worry alongside her.

Countless efforts had made me realize that mom was more stubborn than I could ever be and the least I could do was please her and hope she came to the bottom of whatever the problem was faster.

"I know." Mom forced a chuckle that was obviously fake from the lack of crinkles at the corner of her eyes. When she either smiled or laughed, her eyes took a smaller shape and the corners wrinkled up. I love watching them appear but right now, there is none.

"Didn't you say you were going somewhere today?" Mom suddenly jerked up as if recalling.

Another unusualness. She always faced difficulty letting me go anywhere. If I needed to go out and my destination wasn't school, I had to involve whining and pleadings to get her approval. Strange how today, she recalled where, as I had completely forgotten.

I squinted my eyes to assess her and she returned it with an innocent look.

"What? You kept going on and on about this outing you were supposed to have. Let's not forget how you pleaded with me all yesterday that I don't refuse your permission. You said you were going with one Carmen."

"I don't recall going on and on also, Mom, it's Caleb, not Carmen."

She waved her palm in dismissal. "Whatever you call him, just don't stay out late."

I might not have 'gone on and on' like Mom had put it, but I did remember telling her about it and she must have seen my desire to attend the get-together with Caleb. But all of a sudden, I lost the interest to go. Was it the fact that I thought Mom wasn't okay? Or the gut feeling nagging constantly in my head.

I opened my mouth to protest but caught Mom's genuine smile, for the first time since I arrived. "I want you to have fun."

I half expected her to say something again, it sounded as if the sentence hadn't ended, almost as if I could hear her saying "I want you to have fun because you won't get to again."

I shook my head to dispel the feeling, mom didn't mean any of that, from her smile I could tell so I nodded and pulled her into another hug.

"Alright, Mom. I'll go dress up."

******

Caleb's apartment was nicely furnished, this wasn't the first time I was visiting but he had decorated the sitting room in preparation for our little get-together. The settees were pulled closer so that the center table provided just the right amount of separation.

Caleb, Tiffany and two others I wasn't exactly familiar with were already occupying a seat. I'm guessing Caleb or Tiffany must have brought them along. Trusting my two friends and school colleagues, I smiled warmly at the new acquaintance before hugging both Tiffany and Caleb.

There was only one available space and it was beside Caleb. Something told me Tiffany was responsible for the sitting arrangements, she had taken it upon herself to play matchmaking when I had already made it obvious that Caleb would be nothing but a friend. His feelings towards me were quite glaring, he made a show of hiding it that it became blatant enough even for someone like Tiffany who had difficulty picking up hints to know.

I sat beside Caleb, hugging him sideways and putting every effort I could to make the hug platonic. I really didn't want to lead him on in any way since I couldn't reciprocate his feelings, the least I could do was subtly convey my lack thereof of it.

The two female friends turns out Tiffany was the one who invited them, and took turns introducing themselves. I got to know that Blondie was Eva and the second one whose red hair competed with mine was Samantha.

While the introduction was going on, Caleb excused himself for the drinks, Tiffany offered to help but he drew her attention to the cake in the fridge, which sent her successfully scampering off towards it. She was one for having a sweet tooth.

"God, it's so obvious he likes you." Samantha leaned over and whispered with exaggerated secrecy while a smile lingered on her face. I frowned knowing exactly what they meant but refusing to believe his demeanor gave him off that fast.

"I see how his eyes lit up when you walked in and how his offer to get some drinks was an open invitation for you to join." Eva joined in. She brushed her hair to the side but I could see the excitement dancing in his eyes.

Funny how it didn't click to me to go along with him to the cabinet. I was all rigid contemplating how to respond to their curious gaze when thankfully, Tiffany reappeared with the slices of cake and her mouth full to the brim.

"What are you girls discussing?"

I made a face at her disgusting act of talking while eating.

Caleb dashed in too, setting the glasses first then the bottle of beer, he filled up everyone's glasses and left mine halfway. "Mommy's girl, she wouldn't appreciate you getting drunk now, would she?" Caleb teased with a lopsided smile.

In all honesty, Caleb was a handsome guy, with his brown locks seated on his head and the fringes falling across his face. He had a boyish look to those blue eyes of his but exceptionally thin lips that always offed me. But when he smiled, it was a beautiful sight that made up for his thin lips.

"Don't be such a tease now." I chided receiving the glass and gulping it down in a swift move. I didn't reach out for me, instead I held the empty glass and savored the taste.

A few conversations later, I was a drunk mess. I blinked in surprise, I didn't drink much, that I was sure so why were my eyes weary? I could barely make out figures at this point and.. I seemed to be slumping against the settee.

Hazily, I saw Caleb seeing Tiffany and her friends out. Why wasn't I also leaving? And they all had more drinks than I did so why couldn't I move a limb

"Don't worry, she will be okay. She can't handle her liquor well, trust me to keep her comfortable until she's sober enough to leave." That was Caleb. I wanted to yell at him and remind him that I didn't drink.

"I'm afraid... Alright,.. contact us if she needs anything.. leaving" The words Tiffany spoke were broken, and my ears found it difficult to pick them all up.

Why couldn't I tell them what I felt? I couldn't talk, or make any movement. I was numb and limp, I barely had any drink so why?

Unless... unless.. I might be feeling drunk but this numbness wasn't from the drink. Caleb shut the door behind him and I blurrily watched his figure come closer.

Unless.. My drink was spiked!

LAVENDER'S POV

My drink was spiked, and panic surged through my veins as I struggled to get to my feet but every part of my body felt heavy, the world was rotating and cold sweats began to break out of my skin. I blinked furiously, My vision was clouded, all I could see was a blurry vision of Caleb advancing to where I lay, limp.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine, I got you." Caleb began to talk, I wasn't comprehending anything else he was saying, it sounded far off and distant to my ear but I could stay making out some words.

I wanted to ask him what happened, why he would spike my drink, anything at all to dwindle the confusion I was feeling not to forget the state my body was thrown into.

"Ca..l.." I tried to speak, to plead, to say anything at all. I was far from comfortable. Even in my disoriented state, I could tell.

"Ssh, sweetie. Let's not act ignorant now, okay?" My eyes followed his movement as he towered over me before gently lying himself above my figure. I shivered and made another feeble attempt at resisting but not even a muscle could be moved.

"I have loved you desperately and heaven knows I still do, but what do I get in return? Side hugs and constant friend zoning." Caleb spoke above me, his exceptionally thin lips set into a straight line.

I shook my head from side to side realizing that was the only part of my body I could move. Why will Caleb hurt me because I was passively rejecting his unsent advances? I trusted him, he was the closest male friend I ever had.

Caleb brought his face closer, over my own hyperventilating one and I shut my eyes sharply, tears were beginning to pool at the side of my eyes.

"We would be a perfect match, Lavender, you're intelligent and so am I. We would both be great chemists and achieve enormous heights together.. so don't ruin this okay?" His large palms cupped my face, he rubbed his thumb from my cheeks to the curves of my jaw and finally my neck. I was disgusted.

I was no longer following up with what he was saying, I could hear him, but nothing in me was comprehending what he was saying.

"We are going to have fun," Caleb lustfully declared, pulling my dress and exposing the black bra beneath it. The cool air of his apartment blew on my skin. It was a relief but my brain went into another haywire of panic.

I lay limp, tears gathered in the corner of my eyes. I breathed heavily, unable to do anything but think of my mom, her beautiful smile and worried face before I left. And my instincts, the one I had so stubbornly ignored. I should have known my gut feeling was almost always right.

Caleb was going to have his way with me.

He was going to defile me!

"Don't... Please..." A weak pleading was all I could muster. That was the most I could get out.

My lungs hurt, and I wanted to scream for help but whatever he did to my drink had rendered me still. A single tear trickled down my face consequently making Caleb's figure even more blurry.

"This is all mine" The round globe of my perky breasts was now in Caleb's large rough palms. Greedily, he ripped what was left of my dress off my body. I whimpered helplessly, I looked down at my almost naked body and moved a finger- that was all the energy I could muster-

A single line of tears continued to make its way down my eyes, I could feel it. The disgusting feeling of Caleb's palm running through my body lustfully made me close my eyes. If this was my fate then I didn't want to watch it happen. My eyes were shut painfully, I tried to ignore my sense of touch so I wouldn't have to feel my predator's touch, and for a moment it worked. I couldn't feel Caleb's hands, nor the heavy weight of his body on me.

I was extremely grateful for the gentle cloud of peace that came over me until painful screams and punching sounds filled the room.

"What the hell man!"

My eyes flew open swiftly but the action caused a bout of dizziness to cloud me, I shut it back immediately and then proceeded to reopen it, slowly this time.

It was darkness at first, the feel of Caleb on me was gone but it took another second to regain my hazy sight of earlier. I could now make up figures. And this time, there were too. I shuddered and re-curled into the settee I was still lying on when my eyes found what could be mistaken for a giant towering over Caleb.

"What the-" Caleb tried to repeat his sentence from earlier as he remained against the wall, groaning from being thrown harshly. He looked up and like me to, I noticed the fear that passed over his face.

I couldn't see the stranger's face for he had his back against me and oh goodness, it was wide and large. I blinked and watched, things were taking faster turns and my brain was finding it difficult to keep up. All I could do was watch, watch and slip... into a slumber...

I jerked up sharply when the sound of a fist connecting to Caleb's skin resounded, his groans echoed but this tall man with hair held up in a bun wasn't stopping. He appeared to be my knight in glistening anchor.. no, it wasn't called that, a knight in shining anchor.... no, I shook my head, whatever, my saviour. This stranger consistently ramming his fist into Caleb was my saviour.

Caleb was battered, his bloody face made me want to gag, he couldn't make out any coherent words but he seemed to be saying something along the lines of, "Who are you, man?"

"You will never touch that girl or anyone else for that matter. Who I am has nothing to do with this discipline."

His deep voice resonated and tickled my ear so that I missed the sound of the last punch that sent Caleb into a state of oblivion.

Satisfied with his job, my saviour turned to face me. I couldn't quite make out his features because my sight was not sharp coupled with the dark atmosphere of the room but I could feel the concern in his voice as he said, "Are you hurt?"

I shook my head from side to side just like earlier. He tapped his thumb across my cheeks where my tears had stuck and swore under his breath. He then cast his jacket across my exposed body before scooping me up into his arms in one move.

The heat from his body wafted into mine as I clung to the warmth, I felt so small but safe.

"Let's get you home." My saviour declared and once again his voice soothed me into slumbering... No! How would he know my house?

But the moment he began to rub gentle circles over my arm, I let go again.