The sound of a drum's bass melody echoed on the windows of the room I was kept prisoner in. The sound of synchronized grunts in time with the rhythm of the drums, sent my heart beating a ragged tune that any drummer would be jealous of. It was the familiar sound of my impending doom, the same tempo of when Lennox had entered our territory. It was the signal of an Alpha entering the territory. It was the signal that he was entering the territory.

I struggled to breathe as anxiety and utter fear clogged my throat. I gripped the windowsill to steady my trembling figure and reinforce my knees. The outline of muscular men and mighty wolves tracking out of the coverage of trees in the same formation as I had seen Lennox enter our territory, consumed my vision. I sucked in a harsh breath, I could see the brawny figure of the man in the center, immediately assuming he was alpha as he stood where Lennox had stood in the march Turning away, I walked into the bathroom and splashed some water on my face in hopes of washing away the truth that he was here. The tears that rolled down my face camouflaged itself amongst the water that had wet my face.

My breath was ragged as I tried to calm myself down, but the heaviness that had settled itself on my chest, made it difficult to achieve that. My short, ebony hair stuck to my wet face, soaking up some of the heinous mixture of sweat, water and tears and contrasting with my olive skin. Pink, sorrowful eyes stared back at the shell of a person I felt like, a pool of sorrowful hazel. There was knocking on the door. I scrambled to wash my face, waiting for the tap to fill my bucketed hands, in attempt to clear up my eyes. I sapped my face hurriedly with the towel, pushing my hair behind my ears, I made my way to the door. The effort that individual put into their angry knocking had increased by a tenfold, as if it was some warning .

I pulled open the door, the person poised to knock once more, almost falling into the room. I stood there silently, words gutted too deep for me to regurgitate the ability to speak. He looked at me, waiting, and then eyeing me like a predator, attempting to assert dominance. I peered back up at him, my face set slightly in a frown that I had no control over. When he realized I didn't know the Knight's obeisance to pay respects. He then proceeded to make his scorn the most prevalent thing, to ensure I knew that I was not welcome here.

With furrowed brows and a deep scowl, he bellowed condescendingly, "You will see what our obeisance is when a guard pays it to me. Pretend you have manners today and ensure you pay it to the alpha, else the alpha and the pack will be outraged. I'm sure you're aware he's coming."

I nodded. His nostril led flared and the scowled ebbed bone deep in his face, deepened impossibly more.

"And do something about the smell of salt on your face. It will anger the alpha," he gutted out, disgust wrapping itself around his words. He knew what I had been doing.

Turning around to retreat to wash my face again, with some soap, I heard him whisper, "pathetic" under his breath. My steps faltered as I convinced myself in the millisecond not to respond. I hurriedly washed my face with the soapy water and returned to the door. He looked at me, still scowling and nostrils flaring wider. He grunted out his obvious disapproval before turning around and making his way down the stairs, with me following hazily behind.

As he opened the door, the two guards turn
inward to face us. When we're outside, they
drop on one knee and put an arm behind their back and one to their chest. The man walked around the guard, glaring at
me to follow. I complied.

"Look at him. Clasp both hands into fists. One behind the back and the other pledged to the chest. Head bowed and eyes cast down. I'm sure you can do that."

I looked at him, at the slight smirk on his face and eyebrows that were raised. Too proud that the guards were bowing at him. They got up. He walked away again and I did as expected. Followed. He stopped shortly before he turned to me.

"Actually, let me see you bow. Our obeisance is sacred and dates back to the 15th century when," he droned on about where their obeisance came in an unwanted history lesson.

I rolled my eyes slightly, but remained silent. When he realized that I wasn't listening and I was actually annoyed, he glared harder at me.
I didn't want to bow to him. He didn't deserve my respect neither did he earn it. I was still.

"Let me see it," he says again.

I stayed rigid and rooted to the grassy ground. The beating of drums had halted and the grunt were silenced. He was waiting, I assumed. The man in front of me was waiting too.

"Get down and show it to me," he gritted out.

I didn't want to keep the alpha waiting. It was dangerous defying an enemy clan in their territory when I was practically their prisoner, their property. I stilled my body, tensing, stretching my bones in anger as I flex all of my muscles. My knees burned from the angry pulling. I slowly got down, my hands fisting angrily. Nails digging harshly into my palms, but the pain was numbed by my anger. I got into position but I looked up at him. My head was poised upward.

"Head down," he commanded.

I looked back up at him, I barely raised my lip about to snarl. But I clamped my mouth shut. I was about to comply when he took ahold the back of my head and shoved me into the ground. My palms reached out as I reached the grassy terrain. I released a slight whine in surprise at what he did. Alas, my hands were too late and my forehead hit the ground on impact. My eyes closed as the grass rubbed against my cheeks. I could hear the laughing of the man. I wanted to kill him. I was flat on the ground.

I placed my hand on the ground to push myself off, I didn't injure that easily but I did bruise substantially. It was an odd trait that the Soren's had retained from humanity. It would disappear soon enough. The man looked at the bruise with slight surprise before he laughed again.

"We'll say you fell," he laughed harder.

I got up from the floor, dusting the dirt and grass from my face and the dress that they had given me. Another Knight had thrown me down. I frowned, my face twisting to accommodate my scorn too.

"Don't look so foolish, I couldn't take the smell of salt that was coming off of you. I just did you a favour Soren," he said proudly.

I glared at him, this newfound strength to be silent was making me proud but it was only so much falls a vase could take before it shattered.

He scoffed before he began his march down the hill to the exit of the trees towards the clearing where the alpha had come. I trailed behind him indignantly. On the long, light cerulean dress I wore, bore a dirty grass stain below the breast. A stain on their nation's colour. Like me, an unwanted guest in their territory.

We were descending the hill, almost at the bottom of the clearing. We came to a halt and the man stepped out of my line of sight. The wind was blowing, sending the dress bellowing and my hair, into a frenzy on my face. The raven locks of hair, flying in front of my eyes and distorting the my sight. I pushed it out of my eyes.

I saw the alpha and that's when I noticed the children that surrounded him. They couldn't be older than five. Their giggling filled the clearing and most of the warriors were hugging women and children, who looked to be their mates and their pups. The alpha wore only grey joggers which contrasted against his tan skin and muscular body. His upper muscles body was on display.

The attention he commanded made it obvious who was in charge and who exactly the alpha was, amidst the army. In his arms was a small girl, with curly locks. She had her arms around his neck hugging him and her face on his shoulder with a smile plastered on. The children clung to his leg, wrapping theirselves around his leg and making him stationary. They laughed as he pretended to try to move and couldn't. He smiled when the little girl give him a kiss on his cheek and laughed when he looked down to see a small boy tugging on his joggers.

The alpha turned around to look at me, his curly raven hair swaying slightly in the wind and his face was adorned by slight scruff. He looked at me for a second more before his smile dropped. The children quieted down. He bent down, shoulder muscles ripping and coiling as he put the child down, before a woman came and smiled at him before ushering the children away. The alpha's eyes shifted to the brutish man that led me here. The man walked closer to his intimidating figure with me behind.

The man that forced me here, got down in his knee and did his respects. He got up and then shook the alpha's hand, whose face was still neutral. The man looked at me before shoving me, and I lurched forward. I got down and payed my respects. My indignant behaviour
was unapt in the situation and it was stifling. The man tapped my shoulder harshly, signaling I could get up. As I rose, I made eye contact with the alpha, and I could see. I could see the hatred tangible in his eyes.

He held his hand out, I didn't know what to do. I looked at the brutish man that hated me too for instruction. He was looking at the alpha and then he walked away. I looked back at the alpha, before I took his hand firmly. I squeezed it slightly, I should've smile but I couldn't find it in me to turn my mouth upwards from the frown that seemed to be edged permanently into my face.

"I am Alpha Nicolai Knight Of Knight's territory; son of Alpha Lennox," he said to me proudly. I silently gulped, clearing my throat.

"My name is Amelia Soren; ineffectual Beta of the Soren community." I said strongly. Unfortunately, it was not as confident as the way I had practiced in the bathroom earlier.

He looked at me, his eyes shifted over my body, then up my face. He growled lowly in annoyance. The clearing had lived up to its name, it had became clear and void of people. But I could spot a figure on the hill; his Delta bodyguard. The alpha gripped my hand harder, feeling it with his palms. He glared at out joined hands and then at me, before releasing my hand. Just then, the alpha snarled loudly and shouted, "Get my father!"

He didn't recognize me as his mate, and I knew then that was what he was hoping for, an easy way out of this. The reality had set in that he would be denied of his true mate. He looked at me angrily, that my stomach hurt from the diffusion of his heated rage.

The contract had already been made, this was done. He snarled again. What he didn't know was that I hadn't matured yet. Twenty one was maturity and wolf peak. I would be able to recognize my mate. My mate that I would never have. But his anger relented and he phased into a handsome grey wolf. I would've been attracted to him, if I didn't know who he was and what my fate was. I'd like to think I was allowed to be attracted to him. But my stomach gurgled at the thought, a thought that felt wrong to even think.

His wolf went into a frenzy, coming close to me, before bolting to the trees. I stood there alone in the clearing, the wind bellowing my dress and my hair flying wildly. My hand were clasped together in attempt to give a put together look but they clenched in anger as I looked around and at the guard that glared at me.