The Covenant

Hello people! This is my first submission. This chapter is an opener and there is not any sex, but rest assured that every other chapter in this series will have enough to make up for it. Thank you for your time! Constructive critisism is welcome.

-Glory

Chapter 1: Duty

Desperate times called for desperate measures, so the saying goes. And those measures, currently, were to be brought by Alexi Ryder, future Alpha of his pack.

He sat heavily on the crimson couch in his parent's living room, waiting to be called by them to do his duty. The couch was too low for him. He was over six feet tall, six four when he was last measured, but his father was a mere five seven and the choices in furniture reflected that.

"Alexi?" a sweet voice asked from the doorway. He turned and there she was. Arlimas Carter. His future mate. The sunlight streaming in behind her seemed to linger and caress her long white-blonde hair and her alabaster skin that simply wouldn't tan. Her face had an innocent sort of loveliness; slender pink lips, huge ice-blue eyes, a delicate, bladed nose. The sight of her made him ache with want.

"Arli! Hey, come in... why are you here?" he asked, lighting up. He stood and moved to take her in his arms, but she stepped back.

"I heard..." she hesitated, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth for a moment. "You're to be bonded. To a demon."

His easy smile faded as he realized her hurt, and he rushed to explain. "It's only temporary. Look,the demons broke the Covenant, Arli. This is the only way we have left. We can't risk an all-out war. There's only seventeen of us and over sixty of them."

"Sixty?" Arli's eyes widened. "I didn't know their population had grown quite so much."

"Yeah. So... we got the king's daughter. And if I'm bonded to her, in her head, well. She can't run. And maybe I can figure out a way to stop them. I'm sorry, Arli. We'll reverse the bond once it's over and you and I will be just fine." he said reassuringly, attempting once more to take her into his arms. She pressed her cheek against his chest and looked up at him, so beautiful and fragile that he couldn't believe she'd be his someday soon.

Assuming they survived this.

The Covenant had been created between the Ryder pack and the Succubi hoard over two hundred years ago, when Richfield Florida was newly settled. It stated that neither the pack or the hoard would grow beyond fifty members, because the local population couldn't sustain it. Alexi knew that even though they were demons, a rather... detestable bunch, they had upheld it respectably. Until now. A human had died the week prior because the Succubi were overfeeding. Meetings and talk over the last months had proven useless, and with war being a pack suicide, this was all they had left unless they were willing to move and let more people die.

Which meant he, as the future Alpha, would have to betray his future mate by creating an unholy union with the captured demoness. Luckily, innocent Arli didn't understand the 'details' required to make the bond work, and hopefully would remain unaware until their wedding night.

"I love you, Alexi." she whispered. He thought his heart would burst with the guilt of what he was about to do.

"I love you too, Arlimas Belle Carter."

She stood on tiptoe, offering her lips to him. She was a foot shorter than he, so he had to bend. It was worth it. Her lips were warm and pliant. One of his aristocratic hands smoothed her silvery hair, and then felt over the glass ridges of her spine. She sighed.

"Hey Alexis!" Nikolai called. Alexi lifted his head to look at his brother, not even trying to mask his annoyance.

"Hey, Niko." he greeted stiffly. Arli looked up and offered the newcomer a timid wave.

Alexi and Nikolai were spitting images of one another. Though they were three years apart, people often mistook them for twins. Both had bronze skin, blonde-streaked brown hair, and surprisingly pretty hazel eyes. Niko was a couple of inches shorter than Alexi, but that was the biggest difference.

Of course, they were nothing alike otherwise. Alexi resented his brother for not taking pack duties seriously. Niko thought he'd be a better Alpha than Alexi. It was a long rivalry.

"Ready for the big day brother?" Niko asked jovially, spreading his arms out wide. "Your bonding! I'm just so glad I'm here to share this wonderful time with-"

"Enough, Nikolai." Alexi growled. Arli glanced between the two with evident concern.

"Touchy for such a happy occasion." Niko commented, drawing his arms in and crossing them as he observed his brother. His cocky smirk made Alexi want to punch him, but good Alphas were not unnecessarily violent.

"Oh, stop bothering Alexi, Niko." Katrina said, coming through the doorway now with her mate in tow. "Hello, Alexi. Are mom and dad in the guest room?"

Alexi nodded to his older sister, who stalked off to the guest room without another word to either of her brothers. Her mate, Gregory, followed behind. That was Katrina for you. Brisk. Often unpleasant. And every bit in charge, even of Gregory.

"Sis is still a bitch, I see." Niko said lowly.

"Don't you dare call Katrina a bitch." Alexi growled back, glaring at his brother. "You're not to disrespect your family with slander."

"Like you weren't thinking it!" Niko shot back.

Arli broke away from Alexi's embrace suddenly, glancing between the brothers. Her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment.

"I should go." she murmured, stepping towards the door with one more tender look back at Alexi. "Be well, Ryders."

"Arli..." Alexi called, but she was gone.

"Does she know?" Niko asked once Arli was a distance from the house.

"No."

"She's going to find out someday. Can't imagine her being too happy there, Lexis."

"I know. It's what I have to do though, for the pack. She'll understand."

"You don't sound entirely convinced."

Alexi bristled. "She loves me. It won't matter what I had to do for my Alpha duties, because I love her all the same."

"Alexi, Nikolai. Come here." Their father called from the guest room. It was time. Alexi felt his frustration at his brother fade and a thick anticipation take its place.