Bound By Choice

Chapter 1

Luna's eyes scanned the twins skeptically, with an air of disbelief etched on her flawlessly, pale face. She cocked her blonde head to the side. "You're lying," she accused, her crystal voice ringing throughout the kitchen, silent - apart from the buzzing of the refrigerator.

Aria, one of the twins, giggled and nodded ferverently. "No, it's true. We heard the Alpha talking about it this morning in his cabin."

"Were you in his cabin?" Luna asked, with judging eyes.

"We were outside," Aria's twin, Sofia, piped in.

Luna rolled her eyes. "I thought you two, of all people, would know not to eavesdrop on the Alpha."

Aria's face went red and she narrowed her harsh green eyes into slits. "We weren't eavesdropping! Eavesdropping is not the way our mother taught us!"

"Oh please, just take a look at your mother. She's a manwhoring slut with fake boobs, no wonder you two are turning into little-"

"Watch your mouth, pup!" Sofia growled.

Aria just kept her cool and continued, "We were invited to an audience with the Alpha. He was rewarding us for our dedication and commitment to the pack. Gustav came out after they were finished speaking and he looked so excited to be asking for your hand." The twins looked a bit disappointed at something but Luna had other thoughts on her mind.

Luna bit her lip and nibbled on it. She turned away from the troublesome twins and slammed her hands onto the kitchen table with such force that it's legs wobbled dangerously. Luna breathed heavily and let out a groan of immense frustration.

Aria sensed her distress, so to be extra horrible, she stepped forward and whispered in Luna's ear, "He chose you…"

Luna whined and spun around to press her red-hot face against the cooling white of the fridge door. "Why me? I'm nothing special!"

Aria and Sofia sighed heavily and suddenly they both cried out in perfect tandem, "He should have chosen me!" They both gasped in unison and started bickering profusely over who would be a better match for Gustav. Luna rolled her eyes and slipped out the kitchen door quickly.

She trekked from the Kitchen Block back to her family's cabin and as she walked she purposely kicked up the damp leaves and watched them flutter to the ground in a messy clump. She looked up at the green, glittering rooftops of her forest home and heaved a great sigh. Gustav was going to propose to her later and she knew that if she didn't say yes she would be banished, forever, from the Kuu Pack. She hadn't ventured further than the Western Mountains, but if she was banished…she'd have to go way beyond the Packs borders.

She contemplated running away to her best friend, but she'd hardly be welcome there. None of her type ever was. Their two cults had a mutual agreement – To stay far away from one another. Not for the first time that day, she wished she was with her figurative sister, Sai. She stormed into her house in a huff and sat down on the couch. She pouted and whispered to herself, "I hate being a werewolf."

Georg paced the Alpha cabin rubbing his ill-shaven jaw line, awaiting the arrival of his son for the second time that day. His back was facing the bleached door and his eyes were scanning the scrap of paper on his work board, torn and faded with age its words were nearly illegible but thanks to a new herb, found by the Pack's Sangoma, the words could be read and repeated.

The door creaked open behind Georg, so he whipped around to face his short, burly son. Gustav readjusted the glasses sitting on the edge of his nose and said, "OK, now will you please explain to me why I have to marry Luna Nightingale?"

"Watch your mouth, boy," Georg warned, "And don't ask questions. The girl's pretty, smart and fertile. What more can you want!"

Gustav's face remained stoic. "Yes, sir."

"Good," Georg nodded his head curtly, "You will go to her this afternoon."

Gustav nodded obediently and left his father's office. Georg sighed and sat down in his swivel chair.

"Tom!" he barked. A few moments later, a tall man with dirty blonde dreadlocks came into the room. His overly baggy pants hung low around his hips and he was shirtless, revealing his toned torso. Specks of red dotted his shoulder and he was grinning mischievously. "Excuse the mess, sir. I just got back from a hunt," Tom explained, gesturing to his disheveled appearance, "How may I be of service."

Georg grunted and stood up to face the dreadlocked boy, "Tom…you've been in my service for quite some time now-"

"Seven years, sir."

"Seven years, yes, and you've proven your loyalty to me countless times."

Tom nodded and waited for Georg to continue.

"I have another job for you," Georg stated, "And this is important. My son is to be married to Luna Nightingale and I know she will not appease to the idea. So I want you to keep Luna here. Make sure she doesn't escape and make sure no one gets to her, understand?"

Tom raised an eyebrow. "So you want me to keep her prisoner?"

Georg smirked. "Precisely…"

Luna stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel securely around her skinny body before wringing the excess water from her silky, damp hair. She was about to open the bathroom door but she rested her hand on the cool handle and listened. She could sense something behind the door and she cursed under her breath. She glimpsed at the counter and eyed the glimmering blade of a small dagger she kept on her at all times. She reached over and clutched it in her hand.

She opened the door slowly and peeked into her bedroom, there sitting on the edge of her bed brought all the tension she had managed to get out of shoulders come slamming back. Gustav.

When he saw the dagger in her hand he smirked. Before she knew it, he was up and grabbing her wrists causing her to drop the dagger to the floor with a thump.

"You don't really intend to fight me do you?" Gustav asked with a mocking undertone in his voice. Luna glared into his cold brown eyes but said nothing.

"You probably know why I'm here." Something about those words gave her the impression that he knew the twins had overheard him and his father speaking. "You hopefully also understand that you have no choice. If you refuse you will be banished and you will become an outcast."

Luna bared her teeth at the short blonde man before her. Gustav merely continued, unfazed by Luna's hostility, "It's just too bad that if you're banished you won't be able to see your family persecuted and humiliated. Who knows? Maybe they'll even be murdered."

"Go to hell," Luna spat back.

Gustav gestured to a box in the center of her bed. "Put that on and come to the Alpha cabin," he ordered, walking over to the exit.

"I won't marry you," Luna stated as Gustav reached the door.

He paused in the doorway. "As I said, you have no choice."

Luna crouched down and grasped the dagger she had dropped and flung it with all her might. It flew through the air and lodged itself into the doorframe, centimeters from Gustav's head. He gave her a wicked smile before disappearing and closing the door behind him.

Luna walked over to the bed and picked up the nondescript black box. Inside was a very expensive looking silver dress. It was floor length and had an extremely low back. It was beautiful and was held together by nothing more than fine silver thread. Although flattering and eye-catching, the dress was easy to move in and was long enough to carry a dagger in a thigh sheath.

Gustav and Georg turned to see Luna walk into the room.

"Luna," Georg said, "It's about time you arrived!"

Luna lowered her head to show respect for the Alpha, she turned to Gustav. "I won't accept," she told him, firmly.

"Well, yes. We thought this might come up," Gustav replied as he took a step towards her. Luna drew her dagger from the concealed sheath.

"Don't. Touch. Me," she said dangerously as she leveled the dagger to his throat. Gustav stopped. He gestured to Tom who had been watching silently. The PA left the room and he returned a few moments later with Aria. Aria had a knife pressed to her throat and she looked absolutely terrified.

"You were saying?" Gustav said infuriatingly. Luna knew Tom wouldn't hesitate to kill Aria so it was either Luna's freedom or Aria's life. Although Luna was not particularly fond of the twin she wasn't about to let Aria die on her behalf. Luna threw the dagger at Tom; the blade buried itself in his shoulder. He howled in pain, allowing Aria enough of a distraction to slip out of through door and out the cabin. After the dagger had left her hand Gustav had grabbed Luna's arms and was now holding them painfully behind her back. Georg walked over to Luna and hit her on the head with the grip of his knife, hard enough to make her pass out. Luna crumpled and Gustav carried her out the cabin in his arms. He spread her motionless body across the back seat of his father's Bentley and rested her head on his lap.