After my parents informed me that I was soon to be Loch Luna’s omega groom, I excused myself to go outside. In a daze, I walked through the apple orchard that was behind the house towards the private area I used as a training ground. The call of crickets filled the night air, and the moon shone brightly in the sky, casting shadows against the apple trees.

Pa and Dad reassured me that I would not have to withdraw from the Dawn Academy—a relief, because that I would’ve fought against—but still, to be training at the FAS while married to one of the other alphas? It would be… horrendous. I couldn’t imagine the shit we would both get from everyone in the school.

Loch was a stranger. How could I marry someone I hardly even knew? I didn’t hate him, but Loch was… ugh.

I saw a memory of him in the hallway at the Fighting Arts School, propping himself up with one hand while he sat midair in a lotus position. He was shirtless, and had shifted to let his tail bush out behind him. I remembered how a pair of alpha females getting out of a lesson walked by him, and how he gave them the dumbest smile.

The guy was a playboy and a joke. He was a strong fighter but he never seemed to take things completely seriously. It pissed me off that he was just sailing by on his natural talents, while some people like me were working their asses off to be the best.

The trees opened up into a circular dirt clearing that was my training area. I walked to the center and dropped onto my back. Even though the moon glowed brightly, the sky still shimmered with stars. I breathed in the comforting smell of the apple trees and closed my eyes. Suddenly, it felt like a great pit had bottomed out inside me, emptying out everything good and happy that I felt.

This was going to be the rest of my life.

With my focus on training, I’d hardly given it thought before, but I did want a partner eventually. In a few years, it would’ve been nice to find someone to fall in love with. Someone I really wanted to marry. Yeah, I would’ve liked that. I would’ve wanted to start a family.

That pit inside me widened, and I felt a deep ache that I’d never felt before. All sorts of thoughts and ideas rushed through my mind. A child from a love I would now never meet. That man’s unknown face, and all the experiences of love that would never happen. A happy family.

A thought of Loch flashed through my mind again. I saw his body, hardened and strong, and his red alpha eyes gazing directly into mine. I felt an electric surge of excitement pulse down to between my legs. My heart jumped.

Shocked, I sat up and punched the dirt. What the hell was that?

The thoughts of mating, of having a child… I’d never felt this way before. And even remotely considering Loch as being attractive? My heart pounded. Was it because of the mark? Because I was in heat?

It didn’t matter, because there was no way I would fall in love with someone like Loch Luna.

* * *

“I’m not joking,” I said, and the laughter that had been ringing through my cellphone was swallowed into a beat of stunned silence. Unable to fall asleep, I’d called Velvy to break the news to her.

“Your parents can’t expect you to actually go through with it,” she said.

“Velvy, come on. You’re the history student.”

“I know. I mean, I’ve read about arranged marriages between the high-born families, but just… it seemed so far away. Even after coming to Dawn Academy, and having you as a friend. It’s still unreal to someone like me.”

“I know.”

“And it’s tradition that they made all the arrangements without you even knowing?”

“Yeah.”

“I can’t even imagine how you must be feeling right now, Tresten. I’m sorry.”

Sighing, I laid back onto my bed and stared at the ceiling. Above my bed, there was a series of grooves and bumps in the stucco that seemed to form either a wolf, an airplane, or a face, depending on how you looked at it. Such a simple thing had been a part of nearly my entire life, there every single night I went to bed.

“It’s strange,” I said, “to think that I’m going to be moving out of my house in a couple days. Being uprooted on such short notice… so strange. Moving in with… him. Getting married to him. This was not how I thought my life was going to be like, not at all.”

“What is he like?”

“A fool,” I said instantly.

“Why is he a fool?”

I brushed my hair out of my face. “He’s the type of alpha who loves to put on a show just to try to get attention. He’s more muscle and brawn than anything else. I mean, he’s two years older than I am, and even after an extra two years of training he still relies on his muscles to fight, not realizing the brain is just as important. How can you win a fight if you’re not thinking and paying attention? He goes completely by his intuition, which is often just plain wrong. I also hate the way he always bugs me whenever he sees me in the hallways, like he hasn’t gotten the hint that I don’t care to be friendly with him. Not to mention, how he loves to shift his ears and tail out to look like some ridiculous puppy-boy, just so he can thrive on the reaction the girls get when they see him. It’s not cute, it’s not adorable, it’s just stupid.”

“Wow. It sure sounds like you pay a lot of attention to him.”

Velvy sounded amused, and I flushed. “No, fuck, no. He’s just been around in my life for a very long time. I pay as little attention to him as possible.”

“Mm. I dunno, Tresten. It sounds like you’re being a little harsh, don’t you think? You’ve always seemed to dislike perfectly nice guys. It’s why you’ve never dated.”

“I’ve never dated because I have no time for it,” I said. “Studying and training all the time. No time, no energy. Plus, it would dull my skills.”

“Go into it with an open mind,” she said. “Maybe you’ll find you two are actually good for each other? You mentioned he’s always tried to be friendly? Come on, Tresten! Don’t be a jerk. I know you told me that you wanted to try and be nicer to people, right?”

“Yeah, but not him. Look, it’s not exactly easy for an omega in the Fighting Arts School. Most of the alphas there dislike me. It’s easier to just ignore them all and focus on my own training. I’ve become strong by doing that. I’m not distracted by—”

“—How sexy they are?”

“…No.”

Velvy broke into a fit of laughter. “I’m just saying to go in with an open mind. He’s been friendly, so maybe he’ll be open to the whole thing too. That’s all I’m saying. It’s better than fighting against it and making it hard for yourself.”

I sighed. “I’m getting married to this guy, Velvy. This isn’t just a temporary thing. I can’t back out if things don’t work. How can I be expected to be married to someone I feel nothing for?”

I remembered that excited rush I’d gotten when I was in my training area, and pushed the feeling away. I’m not attracted to this guy. Not one bit.

* * *

The next day was a Saturday, and my parents and I were chauffeured to the Grand Circle, the big hall downtown where the leaders of the most powerful clans came to meet, and where legal proceedings were held. We drove between the gigantic stone wolf statues of the city’s ancient founders that stood astride the entrance to the hall grounds, and the road veered right in a giant half circle around the front courtyard. In the courtyard was another massive statue, this one of a man standing side by side with a wolf. The man held an open book in his hand, and the wolf a sword between his jaws. In the distance, the structure that was the Grand Circle lay like an enormous stone ring turned on its side. It’d always made me think of a prison collar.

Pa was talking into his cell phone. “Fantastic. Make the arrangements to purchase all the essentials they’ll need. I want only the best for them. You know I do. Good. Okay. Thank you. I will. Goodbye.” He slipped the phone into his breast pocket. “Well, that’s that,” he announced. “The home is ours—yours, I mean. You will move in together after the ceremony.”

I stared out the window at the Grand Circle growing closer and larger. It was four stories high and had been built around the time of the Dawn Academy. I adjusted the big bow collar of the traditional omega dress robe my parents had insisted I wear to the ceremony. I felt ridiculous, like I was a present to be unwrapped. It was all froofy and ornamental and completely the opposite of the usual easy athletic fight gear I liked to wear. “It’s all so fast,” I said. “Is it really necessary that he and I live together?”

“Of course,” said Pa. “We have an image to uphold as the leaders of our clan. You two will need to have a child to solidify our pact, and that can’t happen if you both are in different houses, isn’t that right?”

I shuddered. “Please don’t talk about children, Pa. I might throw up.”

“I know it’s difficult,” Dad said gently. “This is a situation we would never have put you in if it were not of such importance.”

I wasn’t angry with my fathers. I knew my duty. I was just still having a hard time coming to terms with the reality of the whole situation.

“This is a trial, Tresten,” Pa said, his voice firm and commanding. I turned away from the window to look at him and saw a shimmering of fire in the back of his red alpha eyes. Everything left my mind; my attention was completely his. “This is a trial more difficult than any matchup, or exercise, or test the alphas at the Fighting Arts School could put you through. This is your trial. It is a life trial. It has no end, and will continue to test you and push you every day. Do not let yourself become disheartened, and do not allow yourself to be broken. I don’t know what kind of man Loch Luna is. Men may change their face once behind the doors of their own home. If he turns out to be a dishonorable alpha, you cannot let him defeat you. Fulfill your duty, but do not let him defeat you. Do you understand me, Tresten?”

I felt a well of energy inside me. This is my trial. I hadn’t thought about it that way before. “Yes, Pa,” I said. “I understand.”

He nodded. “Good. You’re a capable wolf, Tresten. I know just how strong you are. You are my son, after all. You’re our son.”

My heart filled with pride hearing those words from him. I would not fail my clan.

The Grand Circle was bustling with a mix of workers, clan officials, and ordinary people there to settle legal matters, disputes, and unions. When the limousine pulled around to the front, two large alpha males in black suits arrived to chaperone us into the building. Along the way, we had to stop several times to greet people—allies of our clan, businessmen, and well-wishers.

“You must be Master Tresten Croc,” an older alpha with a storm of grey hair said to me after greeting my fathers. “My name is Marten Uriel. Your father had just graduated the Fighting Arts School when I started my first year. There were still whispers of his name around the hallways, even when he was gone. He’s a legend.”

“Hardly,” Pa said.

Dad stood next to him, his arm through his. “He was a legend in the Healing Arts School, as well. Legendary for injuring himself in the most ridiculous ways.”

“Himself, and others,” Marten said, and both he and Pa laughed heartily.

My fathers and I continued on, still flanked by the two alpha bodyguards, until we reached an elevator with golden doors carved with an intricate relief of the shifter historical mythology. This was the elevator which lead up to the official chambers and to my fate. He was waiting up there for me—my fiancé. I felt a sudden urge to turn around and run, to shift into my wolf form and escape. I quickly suppressed it. There would be no running. Not today, not ever. I would fight this battle head on.