s's

side the room felt unbearable. Their aged faces carried years of authority and tradition, while th

tly across my chest. My jaw locked as I waite

"The pack needed a successor. If you kept refusing marriage,

into my skin. Rage already burned through me, and I

ly. "She'll die the same way the others did. Every wife conn

orward. Time had aged her face, but the sha

arried more weight than your fear of repeating the past. You protecte

me. My family carried it through generations, and every woman who entered our bloodline paid the price for it. After

escap

y been sacrificed because

sacred promise and abandoned the mate bond she personally blessed. Wolves rejecting their destined partners wasn't unhea

ever learne

looked out the window. Storm clouds swallo

this?" I asked coldly. "The curse wouldn't en

eath escap

hope. We couldn't ig

t the chair behind me scrap

ing anyone connected to me. My strength didn't matter. None of it did. Those Northern Alphas gathered aroun

gaze withou

has still chose to follow you despite the curse. And that was also why your bloodline

Every alliance we formed and every oath sworn between packs existed because of me. Still, none of it changed

silent. "He's offering one of his Omegas as part of the arrangement. She means nothing to him be

le were handed around like bargaining tools. As for Caleb,

ir in the room felt heavier than before. "If this

we need," Ry

only made the

use of me. Yet there was no other path left for me to take. Twenty seven years had already passed without

passed without trouble, but m

ire pack looked strangely energized. Wolves fille

e honored my pack j

s all I gave h

l we reached a large hall flooded with sharp light. Then he lifte

Omega I ment

her direction, my chest

hing cornered with nowhere left to run. There was a quiet softness in her features that didn't seem real at first glance, yet the sharpness beneath her chee

pped around me, stirring the wolf inside me. My gaze c

agging me out of my thoughts. "I'm

n't any care in his voice. To him, she was business, a

leb treated her like she was nothing more than something to hand ove

reement," I ins

lmost instantly. "You won't regret this.

y when a sharp voice sl

ess littl

e voice immedia

arranging a marriage between us, but I turned it down without hesitation. She was selfish,

ply toward th

Omega struggled to pull away. Pain spread across Elena's face while

l a pack like this is even willing to take you in. Someone like you

ll before Elena could answe

Elena's arm. A second later, she force

sunderstood. I wasn't t

anations," I said flat

r expression, but spite s

red bitterly. "At the end of the

ting my presence cras

our business," I warned. "Do

e. She immediately took a step

e," she sai

e at her, I shifted m

each your peo

ie an irritated look. "Forgive the sc

yes kept drifting toward Elena didn't escape my notice,

or Brandon

oning toward Elena. "Get her belongin

Brandon gave a short nod

ain, ready to put th

thing uns

mething unseen kept dragging my attention back toward her. Part of me wanted to turn

o place in thi