“You got your facts all wrong. He is not my lover,” I said.

“No Mandaline, that is not what everyone is saying,” the Alpha said, snapping his fingers.

I did not know that the snapping of his fingers was to summon the men present outside his chambers. When they came in they bowed a little and waited for instructions like kids.

“So are you saying you sent those men and Amy after me in the town square?” I asked.

“I will never do such a  thing,” he waved his hands at the men to come closer.  

“You see this princess standing in front of me is mated to me, I never want to see any harm come near her from today and forever,” Alpha Cosmos said, ordering his men.

“I do not want your protection and did not come here for that,” I said.

Alpha Cosmos acted like he did not hear what I just said and told the men to get him the other two men who were with Amy when they attacked me.

“Get those idiots to come right here,” he shouted.

When the men were brought to him, he asked that their wages be deducted and that they be flogged for harassing his lady who was mated to him. I was shocked at the things I was seeing. Who leads a pack this way?

Seeing that I was displeased at the things I was witnessing, the Alpha asked me. “Would you have done this differently?” 

“I do not think they deserve to be treated that way,” I said.

“People are only governed by fear and intimidation,” he said.

“I think people are governed by love and respect,” I replied, wanting him to know of my disapproval of the way he treated his men in front of me.

“You will not get anyone loyal to you without fear,” the Alpha said.

“No Alpha! On the other hand, loyalty is earned, you need to earn their trust,” I said, feeling disgusted about how shallow his thoughts were. 

“Okay, that is why I want you here. So tell me what brings you here?” He asked me, noticing that I was not moved by what he had displayed a few minutes ago.

I told him about my father and the land that he wanted and I asked him why he wanted the land. I told him the land was my inheritance and that he should let the land go.

He told me how he wanted to expand his farms and create more jobs by producing more food from the crops. I liked it but I also knew it was for power, control, and money. He was such a greedy man.

“Why don’t you be patient after all you want to marry me, right? If and when you do, my inheritance will be yours to keep,” I said.

“Mandaline, I hope you will not change your mind,” Alpha Cosmos said.

“That’s an option too, and my mother, you cannot love us both,” I said, smiling at him.

Alpha Cosmos surprisingly agreed to the idea of transferring the land to my name with the understanding that he would eventually take ownership. 

The deal had been struck, and it looked like a great deal, a promise had been made, binding our fates together. It was a pact that would give Cosmos what he desired, and in return, he had agreed to step back from his advances on my mother and stop harassing my father. Yet, a lingering unease gnawed at me.

I knew what I was doing. He was not going to have it easy in the coming days. He had stolen from my father and the community for so long. 

The night was a night I would never forget in a hurry. It was the night I made a pact with Alpha Cosmos. We had made our agreement etched into my memory.

It was a night of moonlight and secrets, a night that had seen intimacy and vulnerability. 

Cosmos had moved very close to me, his lips brushing mine, his chest was literally brushing my breast for no particular reason, and I was not putting on a bra.

His hands moved towards my face, then slowly to my chest, and then my nipples. The deal had created unwanted desires, ignited by our agreement, or maybe I was just being manipulative.

But before things could go any further, I had to stop him. The words tumbled from my lips, "We're not married, we cannot be doing this." I said.

Alpha Cosmos gazed at me with a mix of confusion and frustration, and in his eyes, I saw a trace of something else, something I couldn't quite define. 

"Is it because of the boy?" he asked.

“Which boy?” I asked.

“The boy at the Town Square,” he said.

The question caught me off guard, and I didn't have a clear answer. Kent, the young Alpha, just happened to be there, his presence was a surprise to me too. 

If Kent, the young Alpha, had not been there, I would have been disgraced by Amy and Alpha Cosmos’s men. And yes! I was not going to deny that I felt something. But it wasn't just because of Alpha Kent that I had refused Alpha Cosmos; it was the principles and traditions of our pack.

“I do not even know the stranger,” I said.

“And he kissed you, yet I could not,” Alpha Cosmos replied.

“You are the cause of it all because you sent Amy, your mistress, and two of your men to harass and beat me up,” I said.

“I will never do that to you, Mandaline,” Alpha Cosmos said.

“You must also stop seeing Amy,” I said.

“I am sorry that is not part of our deal and you know it,” Alpha Cosmos replied.

The days that followed were a whirlwind of emotions, negotiations, and decisions that would alter the course of our lives forever. My father and mother had agreed to consider selling the land to Tony.

Tony and my parents were unaware of the secret pact I had forged with Alpha Cosmos. It was a heavy burden I carried, knowing that my silence held the power to change everything.

As I stood before the sprawling expanse of land that had been in our family for generations, the golden fields of wheat danced in the breeze, whispering secrets of the past. 

The factory was not much but Tony was a good blacksmith too. He learnt very well from my father. The decision I had made, weighed heavily on me, and I couldn't escape the feeling that destiny was tugging me in opposite directions.

Now, as I watched the negotiations with Tony unfold, I  felt like I was betraying Alpha Cosmos. He had trusted me, and we had an agreement, a secret kept from everyone, including my parents. 

Tony put forward a fair offer, and my parents saw it as a way to secure our future and stop the incessant harassment of Alpha Cosmos. But as they discussed the details of the sale, I felt a struggle in my heart as if it were a battlefield where duty, loyalty, and desire clashed.

I wanted Alpha Cosmos to pay for everything he had done to my Dad, yet some part of me hoped I was doing the right thing for my sake, Tony’s sake, and that of my parents too.

My father turned to me, his eyes filled with a mixture of hope and uncertainty. 

"Mandaline, what do you think? Is this the right decision for our family?"

I hesitated, knowing that I had a secret that would sway the outcome, but could I really reveal the truth about my pact with Cosmos? The weight of my decision lay heavily upon my shoulders, and I struggled to find the right words. 

"I... I think it's a good offer, Dad. It would secure our future and bring much-needed stability to our lives,"  I said.

My mother nodded in agreement, her expression weary but determined. "Yes, Mandaline is right. We've been through so much, and it's time to put the past behind us."

Their words pierced through me like a blade. They were willing to let go of the land, to sever the ties that had bound us to it for generations. I knew that the decision they were making was based on the best intentions, but it was a decision made without knowledge of my agreement with Cosmos.

As the negotiations continued, my thoughts drifted back to that night with Cosmos, the emotions that had swirled between us, and the unspoken promises that hung in the air.

I couldn't help but wonder if I was about to break a vow, even if it was made under strained circumstances. I knew this would anger the Alpha, but somehow 

I felt we would find a way around it. I just hope so.

The sale of the land was finalized, and my parents signed the papers, sealing our fate. Tony was grateful for the opportunity to expand his territory and do what he loved best, farming and Blacksmith.

He was eager to take over the land that had once belonged to us. My parents smiled, a sense of relief washing over them. But my heart ached as I watched them, knowing the truth that I was keeping from them.