Rosalie sobbed silently in her bedroom. After her father dragged her inside, she was unable to leave. Until this point, her mother had not talked to her. The pack was aware of her disgraceful behaviour because the news had passed round. Rosalie curled her finger uncomfortably, but she wasn't concerned about Chris or the council's approval of their mating. Alex would ultimately coax it out of them. Or he would simply carry her off. No one can stop a mated pair from being together.
Her problem was something else. Alex was not a typical wolf because he held the position of alpha. That meant that she would become the Greystone pack's Lune. How was she going to handle such a large pack? She was only 18 years old! She was barely an adult and had no prior experience taking care of Alpha duties; how could she possibly take care of a pack? She recoiled in horror at the prospect of messing something up. Her train of thought was broken when she heard a knock on the door. It was Amelia, who was carrying a tray of food.
"Oh! Rosie, my most precious, "Amelia," responded before sitting down next to her child.
Rosalie could not exert any more control, and she sobbed while clinging to her mother.
"I am sorry, mum; I didn't mean to bring shame upon you." She cried.
Amelia spoke to her daughter as she tenderly touched her head of hair. "It is not your fault, Rosalie, so there is no need for you to feel sorry for yourself. Nothing can stop our wolves from mating with their true loves when they set their minds to it. I am happy that you found your mate."
"Well, he is not exactly my true mate, but my wolf didn't listen to me. She took over, and... "Rosalie sobbed.
"That's alright; he is your chosen mate. Once mated, you are bound for life. Any previous bond gets broken once you have mated with someone. Your wolf knows what is best for you, Rosalie. Trust in her instincts and embrace this new chapter in your life with your chosen mate."
Rosalie pulled away from the embrace and sniffed.
"But Dad, the council, they're going to be very angry," she retorted.
"Yes, but there is nothing that can be done about it. You and Alex are a couple now. It violates the divine rule to keep mates apart." Her mother broke into a smile, betraying her inner joy at the news that her daughter was mated to Alpha Alex. The most desirable bachelor among all the packs. When everything becomes normal, their status will be enhanced.
"Chris... Chris is against our mating. What if he refuses to give permission?" Rosalie said it hesitantly.
"That's peculiar! It came as a surprise to me; normally, situations like this only arise when the alpha males wish to keep the female for themselves, either as a mate... or..." Amelia paused abruptly in the middle of her sentence and looked over at Rosalie.
"Rosalie, are you hiding something from me?"
Rosalie bit her lip; it was her deepest secret. However, it would be in her best interest to disclose everything to her mother.
She said to her mother, "Mum, Chris is my mate."
"WHAT? Isn't Alex your mate?" Her mother asked in a bewildered tone.
"I imprinted on Chris the day I turned 18. We had been dating secretly since his coronation. He told me I was his mate. But he would wait until I turned 18 and then claim me. But the council asked him to mate with Grace instead, and he couldn't refuse because that would have led to a pack war. I... oh! Mum, it hurt so much when he rejected me."
Why didn't you tell me, Rose?" Amelia hugged her sobbing daughter. "Chris is already mated, so I don't know why he still wants you... unless..." Amelia gasped.
Rosalie looked at her mum curiously.
"Unless he wants to keep you as his mistress," Amelia added with disgust.
****************
Chris paced angrily in his chamber. He had planned to claim Rosalie and make her his mistress. He figured that since he couldn't back out of the betrothal, he would find his way by having Rosalie as his mistress. He had not shared his plans with her because Rosalie would never have agreed to them. But they were mates, and over some time, she would have submitted to him. She still loved him. He could smell it on her until that wretched mating ceremony. He had planned to stop sleeping with Grace after the ceremonies, etc., were done and focus on impregnating Rosalie instead. Once she carried his pups, he would declare Rosalie his Luna. Grace would, of course, leave him after that, or he would just kill her.
But that bitch had to run off and mate with the first available wolf, dashing all his plans!
"Oh, sweetheart, how are you? I heard about the fight. What happened?" Grace arrived and fussed around him in her irritating, sugary voice.
"I am fine, Grace; just leave me alone," Chris grumbled. Now that Roselie's actions had derailed his plans, Chris was even more irritated by Grace's presence. He couldn't wait for the day when he could finally be rid of her for good.
"No, you are not fine, " she sniffed, looking at his almost healed gash.
"Should I lick them?" Grace asked suggestively.
"No!" he shouted, "please leave me alone!"
Grace recoiled in fear. She had never seen him be so aggressive. She did not know why Alex and Chris had fought, but she was now determined to dig out the reason.
"Why are you angry? I just asked, What happened between you and Alex?" Grace pouted.
Chris flipped around and glared at her. " You want to know the reason? It's all because of your dad and that stupid council! If they had not forced me, I wouldn't be stuck with you."
"Take that back, Chris! You can't talk to me like that!" No one disrespected her in her pack. She was the Alpha princess.
"I don't have time for your shenghenians; I have to stop Rosalie from leaving." He muttered and left the room.
"Rosalie?" Grace whispered. What did he mean? Grace's mind raced with questions about Rosalie's and Chris's connection.
The news of Rosalie's unsanctioned mating with Alex had spread so quickly that she could barely think when her dad arrived to escort her to the council. He yanked her from her bedroom and practically dragged her to the grand hall, which was converted into a makeshift courtroom. She didn't dare to look around at her and kept her gaze lowered. The council members sat at the long top table. The Alphas were seated on the chairs surrounding the trial area. Her dad unceremoniously dumped her down on her knees in front of them. She could feel her kneecaps burning in pain, but she ignored it.
The grand hall was packed with wolves. Most of the pack members had arrived to see the trial. Many growled in disapproval, but several others cheered her on. They thought that this was just a minor thing. Unsanctioned mating was a normal thing in the pre-war days. It wasn't considered a scandal or a crime. Love was all that mattered. The council had no right to interfere in such personal matters. The crowd grumbled their opinions but gradually fell into silence as the two quarrelling alphas arrived. Chris glared at Alex, who settled down comfortably in his assigned place. The other packs gathered around to act as witnesses.
'It will soon be over, love,' Alex projected to her in her mind, trying to comfort her. Rosalie closed her eyes; she didn't want to worry about the possibilities. Her mum's speculation had scared her. Chris might win his trial, and she would be severely punished for her indiscretion. Her fate would rest entirely in his hands. She turned to the right, and her eyes met Chris's blazing blue. He looked angry, yet there was a glint in his eyes. A sudden realisation dawned on her. Her mum was right; he would make her his mistress. Grace would still be the Luna, the queen besides the Alpha, to keep her dad happy. She would be the one who would get all the respect of the pack members. A mistress was just too warm for his bed. She would be like an outcast, and, God forbid, if she had any pups, they would be illegitimate. She shook her head.
'No! I can't let that happen. That would be worse than death.'
She thanked the goddess Luna; Alex had bitten and marked her, making Chris' plans redundant. Rosalie touched the scar on her neck gingerly; at least, even if she was to be punished, she would be spared the fate of becoming his mistress since she was technically an alpha mate.
"Rosalie, dear child," Councilman Ruben said, looking at her. She looked up at him. "When did you mate with Alex Greyson?"
"After the Grand Feast," she replied, blushing.
"I see," he murmured. "Alex," he called to his alpha.
"Yes, Great Uncle Ruben," Alex answered as he walked over and stood besides Rosalie. Chris growled in protest but knew that he couldn't do anything other than wait for the council's verdict.
"I believe you expressed a desire to mate with Rosalie Murdoch, Alpha Chris, and Councilman Rupert on the first day of your arrival here. Is that so?" He stared at him.
"Yes," Alex nodded. "But I didn't have time to make a formal request because the mating ceremony took all of our time. I was hasty and didn't follow the protocol, but how could I refuse my wolf from claiming her? Surely the Council and the other packs' members would understand," he paused for effect. "My wolf yearned for her, and so did I."
Councilman Marcus interjected. "You should have better control over your wolf. I believe you have caused Scott Murdoch heartache by not asking for his blessings. He has only one daughter. He would have wanted a sanctioned and respected mating ceremony for her," councilman Ruben said.
Scott nodded in agreement as Amelia touched his hand gingerly to support and calm his burning nerves.
"I agree. I made a mistake, but I have no regrets," Alex noted. "As you all may have noticed, the Silver Moon Alpha has refused to let me claim my mate. Had I not made this mistake, I would never have been able to mate with Rosalie."
Chris glared at Alex. "I will never agree to this marriage. You can't take away Rosalie. She is mine!" he shouted.
Several gasps and howls of outrage rang through the grand hall.