The Alpha's Bride Chapter 1 - The New Bride Candidate

Author's notes:

Kindly review the "Introduction" in the Aux chapter before diving into the narrative.

Character illustrations are available in the comments section; for additional content, join my discord (link provided in the Aux chapter)!

I appreciate your readership!

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~ the Dark Howlers pack ~

Damon stepped into his private study, his mood souring as he eyed the towering piles of paperwork requiring his signature.

Why was the Alpha of North America’s most powerful pack relegated to such mundane administrative tasks?

During his youth, Damon’s visions of the future involved him as a legendary combatant, standing atop a mountain of fallen foes while his pack and allies offered their worship. This wood-trimmed room and its leather chairs felt like a cage compared to those dreams. The atmosphere was stifling.

Falling heavily into his seat, Damon glared at the files, wishing he could simply wish them out of existence—ideally fully processed. Naturally, nothing changed.

Shoving the documents aside, he opted to check his digital correspondence first.

Damon’s face twisted into a scowl when he spotted a message from Elder Parker titled: "Consider Marcy Redmayne as your Luna".

Yet another Elder was relentlessly pushing a woman onto him, masking their agenda with claims that an Alpha requires a Luna for the pack's success. Damon knew better; he and his people were thriving without one.

He deleted the message immediately without opening it, treating it exactly like the twenty previous emails sharing that same subject line.

Damon massaged the bridge of his nose, feeling a familiar surge of fury. The constant attempts to manipulate him were infuriating. Why wouldn't they cease? He refused to be anyone's puppet!

The previous evening, Elder Parker had called to lobby for this woman, describing her as the "ideal Luna." Damon felt proud of his restraint for not losing his temper during the call, though the interaction had clearly grated on his nerves.

Following that conversation, Damon had driven forty minutes to a distant bar, finding two attractive she-wolves to help him vent his frustration and blow off steam.

That diversion was the reason for the backlog on his desk; he was meant to have finished these tasks last night.

'Fine. The paperwork...' Damon muttered to himself, accepting his grim reality as he reached for the topmost folder.

Meanwhile, in a second-floor bedroom of the packhouse...

"Must you really go?" Maya questioned Caden, her voice laced with a playful whine. She shifted the blanket to reveal her leg, trying to entice him to stay.

Maya was well aware that Caden was running late for his duties. Despite having lived together for three years, the morning separation remained a daily struggle.

Gazing at Maya’s alluring expression, Caden could feel her longing as clearly as she felt his own.

Mates.

Caden’s inner wolf was practically begging him to tackle the woman they both loved and lose themselves in her, but Caden reminded himself of his obligations.

With a frustrated grunt, Caden began fastening his denim jeans.

Walking away from Maya was always a challenge, but the sight of her bare skin made it feel like an impossible feat.

"I have no choice, babe. Your man is a Beta. The pack needs me," Caden murmured in a deep tone that left her grinning like a fool.

Caden leaned down to give Maya a slow, deep kiss.

His breath was heavy as he pulled back. Maya bit her lip in one last attempt to lure him back for more, but Caden simply grabbed his shirt and yanked it on.

He gave her a playful wink as he headed for the door, saying, "Save those ideas for tonight, sweetheart. I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"I'm going to hold you to that!" Maya called out after him.

Caden didn't mention to Maya that the 'duty' calling him was yet another marriage proposal for their Alpha.

This time, the candidate was Marcy Redmayne, daughter of the Red Moon pack's Alpha.

While delivering news of a marriage prospect might seem trivial, for Caden, it was more nerve-wracking than being outnumbered in a rogue ambush.

To understand why, one needs some context.

Werewolves usually identify their mates after turning eighteen, and most are paired off within a few years.

Alpha Damon was an outlier. At twenty-seven, he was a physical specimen with dark hair and piercing blue eyes that shifted like his unpredictable temperament.

His looks were undeniable, even to other men.

Damon’s status: unmated, unmarried, unattached, and entirely uninterested in anything beyond physical flings.

One might assume such a description would make him a social pariah, yet she-wolves were obsessed. Every one of them believed they could be the one to melt his frozen heart and secure the title of Luna for the Dark Howlers, the continent's most powerful pack.

Caden knew Damon wasn't actually a bad person; they had been raised side-by-side.

They had studied, trained, and vied against each other in everything. When Damon rose to Alpha, Caden offered his total loyalty, making them the youngest Alpha-Beta duo in the recorded history of werewolves. They were formidable.

Damon had inherited the Dark Howlers at seventeen after a rogue ambush claimed his parents. Back then, the pack wasn't the largest in North America, though it was still quite influential.

The seventeen-year-old Damon was a premier warrior and a brilliant student, yet he was thrust into leadership before he was ready. To make matters worse, other Alphas and various Elders began circling like vultures, trying to force him to surrender his lands and authority.

Caden stood firmly by him. To the shock of their enemies, instead of breaking under the strain, Damon displayed a level of tactical genius and grit that didn't just preserve the pack—it caused it to flourish and grow.

Over the past decade, Damon had survived countless plots. People had approached him under the guise of friendship or alliance, all seeking to exploit him. Some nearly succeeded.

These trials sculpted the man he had become: honorable but stubborn, unbending, controlling, and entirely devoted to the Dark Howlers' success.

Calling Damon a "eligible bachelor" didn't do it justice. Women practically threw themselves at his feet, desperate to bear his heirs.

Damon never permitted any woman to be called his girlfriend, and the concept of a wife—a Luna—was strictly forbidden. This didn't stop ambitious wolves from trying to arrange matches with their female relatives.

One Alpha from a Southern Canadian pack had even tried to plant his own wife in Damon's bed.

None of it worked. Damon remained unmoved by the parade of potential brides. In fact, every new attempt only caused him to build higher emotional walls.

Damon was fine with sleeping with a woman, but granting a title based on that relationship was out of the question.

He felt nothing but contempt for those seeking to gain power through him—and that was exactly how he viewed these "brides."

Now, Caden had to force Damon to deal with another one of these social climbers. Caden hated the task, but as Beta, he had to intervene because Damon was ghosting Elder Parker, and tensions were rising.

Caden arrived at the study, giving two sharp knocks before entering.

"Why did you cut off the mind link?" Caden asked, looking at Damon behind the massive desk covered in paperwork.

No one could claim the Alpha wasn't a hard worker.

"Good morning to you as well..." Damon replied flatly. "I didn't cut the link. I only blocked YOU."

Caden gave an annoyed click of his tongue.

While no one else would dare be so casual with Damon, their lifelong friendship allowed for it.

Caden always maintained a respectful front in public—Damon earned that respect—even if he occasionally wanted to punch the man in private.

Damon’s mouth twisted into a taunting smirk. "Did your Beta responsibilities interrupt your morning with Maya?"

"You already know the answer," Caden snapped, annoyed that Damon wouldn't look up. "I take my Beta duties seriously and don't slack off, but we could avoid some of this if you didn't dump your avoided burdens on me. Every moment of my life belongs to Maya. You'll get it once you find your mate."

Damon finally looked up, a scowl forming. "I don't need a woman cluttering my life. A girlfriend is a distraction, a wife is a headache, and a mate would be a total catastrophe."

Caden rolled his eyes. 'Damon is being dramatic again.'

He knew many she-wolves only wanted the Luna position and didn't care who the Alpha was as long as they got the status. Caden understood why Damon was so guarded.

But a werewolf doesn't get to choose their mate.

Ancient Shamans spoke of how the Moon Goddess weaves the threads of fate, ensuring every life experience prepares a wolf for their perfect partner. When they meet, the recognition is instant, as they are two parts of a single soul.

However, trying to explain the beauty of the bond to a man as stubborn as Damon was a waste of breath.

Caden gestured for Damon to drop the subject. "Forget the small talk. I'm here for something serious."

"If this 'serious business' involves those emails from Elder Parker, that's exactly why I blocked you," Damon stated casually, as if he were mentioning the weather.

Caden felt a mix of anger and defeat. Damon had done it on purpose. He really shouldn't have been surprised.

"We might be the strongest pack, and you might be an unbeatable fighter, but their political weight is real. If the Elders team up against us, it’ll be a mess. You can't just ignore them, Damon."

"Just watch me," Damon growled.