CHAPTER 1
~GABRIELA'S POV~1
I let out a soft groan as the sound of my alarm pierced through my ear.
By the sound of the alarm, I knew my day was about to get really bumpy from the moment I opened my eyes.
The rays from the early morning sun scattered through my room through my window, and just like that, another horrible day had begun.
I slowly forced my eyes open. The dark sacs underneath each eyeball showed how frustrated I was with the life I was living.
Even though I was a daughter to the alpha of the pack, I had to go through the pain of doing chores below a servant's level. I slowly got up from my bed and walked out of my room with a bucket, heading toward a well to get some water I would use to take my bath. As I walked through the pack, my eyes darted from side to side, watching every wolf who walked by in my attempts to avoid her.
“Gabriela,” Her cold voice sounded behind me, and a shiver went through my spine. My eyes moved to the side. I let out a sigh, then turned around to face her.
“Good morning, Luna,” I replied with a blank stare. At this point in my life, all the emotions I had left in my heart had been drained out of me. All that was left was darkness. I so wished my mate would come to my rescue soon.
“I need you to take over the daily maintenance of my hot spring starting today. I've told all the maids working there to leave, so you have to start immediately,” she said.
I stared at her for a moment and turned to the maidens that stood beside her. They all dressed so nicely, like they were going to a large party of some sort. No, all the maids normally dressed like this; I was the only one who was left to wear rags beneath those of beggars. Sometimes I wondered if I was truly the alpha's daughter.
I bowed lightly and said, “I understand Luna. But you have to permit me to hurriedly take my bath. I can't begin grooming your hot springs, looking the way I do, can I?”
She stared at me through her dark, cold pupils, her silence piercing through my heart like a long, thin needle. I expected nothing but insults, raining from her mouth like a dragon spitting fire in rage.
“Yes, you're right. Please take your bath before going anywhere close to the springs. I don't want your stench getting all over the place,” she said, turning around and walking away with her maidens.
Just as I expected. Nothing more, nothing less.
She was always like that every time I was with her. Talking to her was always like trying to deactivate a ticking time bomb; one wrong move would mean the death of me. I clenched my right fist and tightened my grip around my bucket handle. I felt like pulling her foul tongue out and cutting it off.
After a long time of going through this verbal torture on a daily basis, I actually lost the ability to feel pain or anger towards her and the alpha.
But today, I felt like strangling her.
****
As I poured the cold water over my head, thoughts of my death crossed my mind.
Would I die in the arms of someone who loved me, or would I die a lowly servant in this pack?
When was I finally going to find my mate? Running away from the pack was an option, but then I would become a rogue, waiting to be chased down and killed by any wolf who caught my scent.
I was far too weak and small to be able to run from the warrior wolves.
After my bath, I exited the room and put on my darkly colored clothes. They matched perfectly with my black hair and pitch-black marble eyes, making me look like an empress of darkness or a witch that came from the shadows.
I wasn't one of the most beautiful wolves in the pack, but I guess the life I lived contributed greatly to that.
I moved to the hot springs and began my work there, removing every speck of dirt and dust that lay around the area. My eyes moved like machines, spotting every bit of rubbish that lay about.
After a few hours of cleaning, I stood above a polished rock to behold the work I had done. A smile grew on my face, and my eyes brightened up a little.
As I stood there, experiencing the one good thing that came out of being who I was, another maid came from behind.
“Gabriela,” Her voice sounded strong, and I immediately turned around.
“The alpha requires your presence,” she said.
A surprised look crawled onto my once emotionless face. “The alpha?” I asked, and she nodded gently.
****
"Gabriella." His bold voice broke the silence in the room as I walked in. My heart beat rapidly, and drops of sweat rolled down my face as I worriedly wondered what the alpha wanted from me.
“My lord, how may I be of help to you today?” I asked, my voice shaking anxiously.
“Help me? Gabriela, today you will be helping the entire pack." He said it with a smile, turning to the beta wolves that sat beside him.
"I do not understand my lord,” I said, playing roughly with my fingers in anticipation.
“The Alpha Darkmoon Pack has decided to sign a peace treaty with us; they want to give us something valuable to them, and as a token of gratitude, in return we have to give them something valuable to us,” he explained.
“My lord, I still don't understand what you're saying,” I said, gaining a little confidence as he was starting to get on my nerves.
“Gabriela, what I mean is that you're going to be given to the alpha of the Darkmoon pack as a bride." The words finally left his mouth, and my heart sank.
