The Substitute Luna

"Huff! Huff!" Her feet stomped on the ground as she ran her way through that dark alley, trying to escape from the barbaric noises that were coming from a distance. There was evident horror in her trembling doe eyes; her breathing was rough and body almost drained of stamina but the fear of death wasn't letting her stop. Her throat was soaring dry and the girl was at the verge of collapsing when she saw a pale ray of light illuminating the darkness through a small gap. She reached out and pushed open the door, finally hitting the light and coming back to her senses.

"Hahh…" Licia's eyes tore open, her breathing was restless and sweat beads covered her beautiful face. She calmed herself down once she realised that she was safe and it was merely a nightmare. Her beautiful blue eyes wandered around the carriage and then at herself, she was dressed in a beautiful white wedding gown paired with a veil which covered her face. Her long blonde hair was tied up in a bun, decorated with flowers and vines. In this attire she looked no less than an angel.

Licia was surprised at herself that she managed to doze off under such circumstances. The past one week did take a toll on her, draining away all her strength and prompting her to fall weak. She remembered looking at herself in the mirror before she left for the journey; all she could see was an exquisitely decorated woman with no soul in her eyes.

Licia asked herself, what was the point of thinking about this as she was incapable of changing anything about her fate. She looked out of the window to see a magnificent castle approach, this made her heart sink.

This was the place where she might die today…

She closed her eyes as memories from a week ago started to resurface in her head. The Gray household was flipping upside down as antiques were sent crashing on the expensive floor carpet. The person causing the commotion was Miss Malory, the daughter of the Alpha of the West Wing pack.

"Father, how can you do this to me? How can you sell me off to marry some ridiculous Alpha who once used to be a filthy Omega?" Malory screamed at her father with tears in her eyes, "Haven't you heard the rumours circulating about him? Don't you know what kind of beast he is?"

The Alpha of the West Wing, John Gray, looked at his daughter helplessly, "Malory, I know this is absurd but this is a direct order from the king himself. Who knows what he will do to us if we disobey his orders."

Everyone present in the room trembled with the mention of the king.

Their country, Alcazar, was once a rich and prosperous land with many big packs like West Wing and Ravenwoods flourishing in it for centuries. But it met its downfall when Ambrose took the throne of the land.

He was a maniac who used his power for his own carnal pleasures. He neglected his duties as a king along with the country, and recklessly assaulted women, either be it someone's wife or relative. As a result of improper management, the land became barren and the royal treasure too started to deplete, pushing the masses towards drought and starvation.

This stirred resentment amongst the people towards their monarch and they sought freedom from their spineless ruler.

Revolution erupted when the new Alpha of Ravenwood pack, Conall, managed to adjoin the packs and bring the people together for a communal riot.

A fierce war broke out, there was blood and slaughter everywhere. Many wolves were killed and some even flew to other countries to save their lives. But ultimately, King Ambrose lost the battle. He was forced to step down from the crown and was killed along with his wife, Queen Marisa, and their 16-year-old son, Prince Liam, within the palace walls.

As the leader of the rebellion, Conall crowned and announced himself as the new king of Alcazar. He attempted to adjoin the 16 different packs who constituted the kingdom; while nine of them agreed to adjoin and form a common pack, the other seven wished to be independent despite being told that they would be given lesser money for management. West Wing too was one of the seven packs which disagreed to adjoin.

But to everyone's utter surprise, King Conall bestowed the title of Alpha of this new Ravenwood pack on an Omega.

He was the hero of the war- Enrique Collins.

Despite being a low ranked Omega of the Ravenwood, King Conall appointed him as his Beta once he took over as the Alpha. The two were best of friends and Enrique was his right hand man. This man was said to be ruthless and possess a black heart which knows no mercy. He charged through the battlefield, fighting fearlessly alongside the king and protecting him with his blood. He slayed every enemy in his way, whether it be a man, a woman, or just a child, there was none who could evade the brutal blade of his sword.

Legends of his cruelty and overwhelming power were engraved within the people of this land, making both enemy and ally tremble in fear alike.

Now, the king had ordered the Gray family to marry their daughter, Malory, to Enrique much to her displeasure. She was the daughter of the Alpha of an prestigious pack and marrying a former Omega with such a bad reputation was something she couldn't agree to.

She protested, "What will happen if we don't obey his ludicrous order? Will he take away all our fortune? Then we can just give it away. Why should I be the one sacrificing amongst all my sisters?"

Alpha Gray shook his head, "It is not as easy as you think, Malory. We sided with King Ambrose until the end of the war. As his supporter, we would have been killed off after Conall rose to the throne. But he has shown mercy by letting us live. If we disobey such an important order from him, he might burn us all to death. Moreover, none of your younger sisters has even attained the age of 10 yet!"

He paused there and looked at his daughter, "As your father, I have no heart is sending you but… we have no other way out of this misfortune. Think about the pack and what kind of destruction the King's wrath may bring to our people. So please don't refuse and do this for the sake of your pack and family. You are my eldest daughter!"

"No! I am not marrying that lowly Omega. You can't do this to me." Malory sobbed her heart out, "This land and the castle aren't even worth that much, we can live without them. You should be choosing me over your stupid assets, father. I am your daughter!"

"Enough, Malory." Alpha Gray was at the end of his wits trying to pursue his daughter. That was when his eyes fell on a frail figure cleaning up around the fireplace. He had been so consumed in the argument that he failed to notice her and ended up shouting at his daughter in front of her. He had to make sure to silence her later, lest words about their family issues leak out and tarnish their name in public.

On the other hand, Malory didn't seem to mind her presence as she continued pleading, "I might die than be his wife and live that shameful life."

Alpha Gray couldn't see his daughter cry anymore, nor could he push her into the arms of an Omega.

Suddenly an idea flashed in his mind followed by a cunning smile on his face. He said, "Fine, if you don't want to marry then you don't have to force yourself."

Malory's tears stopped as she looked up at her father, "I- Are you for real, father?"

"Yes!" The man nodded, "I don't want to give my daughter's hand in marriage to an Omega either."

"Instead…" He grabbed the maid who was cleaning up without a warning and showed her to them, "We will send this one in your place."