“Your father had a strong believe,” Mother added, shooting him a look filled with years of unspoken tension. “Said if you were meant to come home, you’d walk back on your own.”
“And here you are.” Father lifted his glass slightly. “Just as I expected.”
Their words settled over me like a heavy cloak. They’d stood by and watched our territory crumble—piece by piece—yet still chose to shield me from the truth.
“I didn’t leave because I didn’t want to part of the Rustpire anymore,” I whispered. “I ran away because I thought… I ran into the better life I wanted.”
“We know,” Mother said, squeezing my hand. “We understand.”
“How do I help?” The offer left my lips before my mind could catch up. Five years running from this world… and here I was stepping straight back into its jaws.
Mother and Father traded another quiet look. One that made my stomach knot.
“What?” I straightened. “Just say it to me.”
Mother drummed her fingers against her knee. “There is… one possibility.” Her voice barely carried. “But after everything with—after everything you’ve endured… we didn’t want to ask.”
“What is it?” My chest tightened. “Stop treating me like I’m fragile. I’m not.”
Father stood, pacing to the tall window overlooking our moonlit lands. “A mating alliance.”
The words hit like a blow. “What?”
“An arranged bond,” he clarified, turning back. “There are still powerful clans not aligned with the Rageclaw-Wintermoon union. Clans who might stand with us—if given the right… incentive.”
“You want me to bond with one of them?” My throat felt dry. “After what I had just been through?”
“That’s why we hesitated,” Mother said, her voice trembling. “You deserve more than being bartered.”
“But with the right alliance,” Father said firmly, “we could counter their strength. Maybe surpass it.”
I stood, legs unsteady. Years ago, I’d sworn I’d never let the pack decide my life again. But this wasn’t about romance or freedom. This was about survival and the whole pack.
“Who?” I managed.
“Marcellus Ashenfell,” Father said quietly.
My knees nearly buckled. I gripped the couch to steady myself. “The Lion-wolf of the Northern Territories? You can’t be serious.”
The same Alpha they’d once planned to bond me with. The reason I ran. The reason I found Axton. The reason I thought I could break free. I used to think being handed over like a bargaining chip made me shiver.