“I did those things because it was my duty. I’m a warrior of the pack. Nothing more.”
His eyes met mine. Sharp, distant, and almost cruel.
“Don’t make this into romance. I never saw you as anything except a responsibility. A task I was paid to protect.”
My breath caught.
“And the way you dress, the way you act … ”
His voice grew even colder.
“Don’t pretend last night was pure. You flirt all the time, Freya. It’s not like you were innocent.”
I froze. The air left my lungs.
Then he grabbed my wrist suddenly, his grip hard, and dragged me to the door like I meant nothing.
“Don’t confuse attention with affection, my lady,” he said, sounding almost bored.
“That’s where women like you always fail.”
The door slammed behind me.
I was left on the floor, broken and crying, completely used and thrown away. Everyone had chosen to abandon me. So this time, I would choose my own path.
I would leave the father who adored his ‘illegitimate pup’, the man who broke me, and the pack that never saw me as theirs.
This time, I would be the one walking away.
My grandmother, Luna Moira Silverfang, always gave Gwyneth everything. The fortune worth billions. The perfect debut ball. The carefully planned rise of “The Silverfang Pack’s Beloved Future She-Alpha” among the packs.
That was when I knew she would give me only one thing, a mating ceremony covered in thorns.
As expected, an envelope arrived the next morning. It was sealed with dark red wax stamped with the Blackwing crest, a coiled serpent wrapped around a crown. I stared at it for a long time before my shaking fingers finally broke the seal.
[Intention of Mating Ceremony
Lady Freya Silverfang of the Silverfang Pack and Alpha Auron Blackwing of the Blackwing Pack
The Moon Priestess has agreed to bless the mating ceremony.]
Another letter was attached for me.
[Lady Freya, I will come to collect you in three days.
A private castle has already been prepared. Your bridal fittings are scheduled.
Our mating ceremony is in two weeks.
Auron Blackwing]
Our mating ceremony? In two weeks.
I set the letter on the desk, my hand numb. This was it. I had been sold again. Only this time, I had spoken the words that sealed the deal. And now I finally saw that this pack had never accepted me at all.
Walking down the hallway, thinking of the life I was about to throw away, I passed by Gareth’s room. And the sounds coming from inside made me freeze.