The True Union

“I’m not marrying that man. I don’t care what promises he made you.” “Samantha, sweetheart, you have to. It’s your duty as the alpha’s daughter to help save the pack. We need to be strong allies with the Richmond pack before the war begins.” It was the same fight every day now. My father could not see reason anymore. A year ago, my life was perfect. I did what I wanted, when I wanted. As the only daughter and youngest child to the Alpha, I was a tad bit spoiled. My three older brothers and my father would practically let me get away with murder. Then one day, everything changed. The Alpha of the Dark Moon pack went missing. The Elder Council gathered strong trackers from all the surrounding packs to help search. Ten days of endless search parties resulted in finding his body. His son and heir lost his mind. He wanted answers and demanded vengeance. The alphas of all packs under the council were called in to a manhunt of a meeting. It didn’t help though. To this day, no one knows who was responsible for his death. Within two months, the attacks started. Members of the Dark Moon pack and their strong alliances began attacking rouges and members of other packs in retaliation. The council tried to mediate the packs, but it didn’t work. Now, for the first time in over two hundred years, war was coming. Alliances were being tested and created, and a sense of doom was everywhere.

Three days later, Sam sat at her desk trying to pay attention to what her professor was saying. Staring at the projector screen she tried making sense of the numbers in front of her. It was completely useless. Getting more and more restless, she finally gave up and left the class. Usually she loved her Econ class, it was one of her favorites. She just couldn’t focus on anything but the fact that her life was falling apart. She headed straight to her car. She needed to get off campus, needed to run. She and her wolf were agitated knowing Marcus was coming into her pack territory today. Her father was set on this mating. He didn’t understand her reasons for being against the match. He knew Marcus was a huge playboy. Sleeping with whoever whenever he wanted. He was seen just yesterday in another pack with his longtime “friend”. He refused to call her a girlfriend, because she wasn’t fit to be his Luna. She wasn’t of alpha or even beta blood. Her parents weren’t even warriors. She was beautiful though. Sam had met her a handful of times at social events for the elites when Marcus allowed her to attend. Sam had watched as her kind and generous demeanor faded away and she became arrogant and demanding. She told everyone she was the next Luna of Richmond. Sam had to wonder how she felt about this visit Marcus was making. It was well known that her father and his father were negotiating a mating pair. Brittany could keep him though, Sam wanted nothing to do with Marcus.

When Sam pulled up in front of the pack house, she quickly got out and ran towards the woods. She needed to shift. She needed to run off the anxiety that was making it hard to breathe. She needed to be free. Quickly stripping just inside the tree line, she began running and shifted midstride. One second she was running on two legs, and the next four powerful paws stomped the ground beneath her. Her wolf was large, bigger than most in her pack even, and she was beautiful and snow white. She ran for miles. She wasn’t worried though, even with letting her wolf be in control. She knew exactly where she would end up. It was always the same spot. This little clearing on the north side of the territory. It was a beautiful spot with a stream cutting through it and wildflowers coloring the ground. It was also just within a mile of the border, as if her wolf knew she couldn’t go any further. As expected, a little over an hour later her wolf was sitting in the clearing and letting out a mournful howl. She then laid down resting her head on her front paws and just stared ahead.

Several hours later, Sam walked into the pack house. She was immediately greeted by her father demanding her presence in the dining hall. They had apparently all been waiting for her to start eating dinner. Sam grudgingly followed her dad as he made his way through the house. The dining hall was full, she saw her whole family, the pack council, Marcus and his father, and her dad’s beta and his family. This dinner was the last thing she wanted to do, especially since the only seat left was the one by Marcus. That really didn’t surprise her though. She knew today was all about more talks of the mating of her and Marcus. She sat down and kept quiet. She didn’t feel like small talk or “getting to know” Marcus better. Looking over at him she could admit he was handsome with his bright green eyes and dirty blonde hair. He was also a little taller than her which she always liked in a man. It was just his personality that killed every good thing she could say about him. As the dinner wrapped up, she was asked to join her parents, eldest brother, and Marcus and his father in her dad’s office. It was apparently time for the real discussion about her mating to begin. This was it, at twenty years old she was being mated off without any say from her. She sat back and listened as the two alphas discussed the logistics of the treaty. How they would help defend each other’s pack for the sake of “family”. Marcus seemed just as unhappy about the mating as she was, but he wasn’t protesting it either. It wouldn’t look good to make a fuss in front of another alpha.

Two hours later, the meeting was finally over, and it was decided that the mating ceremony would be held in three months, under the full moon. It would be held in Marcus’ territory as they would be the next Alpha and Luna. She would travel to his pack two weeks prior to the ceremony to finish preparations. She had a little over two months left of her life as she knew it. She had to figure out a plan quickly. There was no way she could go through with this. She ran outside and over to her family's home and straight to her room. She didn’t want to speak to anyone. Her mother would just tell her that her father was just doing what he thought was best for her and the pack. Her father would add that it was her duty as an alpha heir to ensure the security of the pack in whatever means necessary. Even her brothers, who weren’t being forced into a mating, would say that she just needed to deal with it. The pack always came first in her family; it was their jobs to put the pack first and live a life of service.

The next day Sam set out to find her best friend Kristin. They had been friends since they were little and were as close as sisters. When Sam had told Kristin about the mating Kristin had even offered to move with Sam to Richmond pack so that she wouldn’t be alone out there. Kristin was the absolute best. When Sam met up with Kristen, they both headed out in their fur to Sam special clearing for privacy. “So, it’s official huh, you’re doomed. It’s either mate the asshole playboy or run away and become a rogue.” Sam could only nod as she fell back into the grass. “Yep, completely and utterly screwed.” “So, when are we running, because mating that jerk isn’t an option?” There it was another piece of concrete proof that Kristin would always be there to protect Sam. “I cannot let you run off to be a roque with me. It’s not safe.” Kristen scoffed at that, “It’s even more dangerous to be alone out there. You would stand a better chance of survival with me by your side.” For the next twenty minutes the girls argued about how to proceed. They each loved each other too much to let the other risk it. Sam’s stubbornness won out in the end though, this was her burden and hers alone.