Bound by blood and fire

of my servant's dress. I bit my lip until I tasted blood, refusing to give them the satisfaction of my screams.

voice rang out, his ton

uggled to keep me upright against the wooden post. My golden hair,

ice boomed from somewhere behind me. Alpha Alaric, my once-loving

worse than death at the hands of a drunken w

torment. The world around me blurred at the edges, yet I still refused to break.

ged against the post. A rough grip seized my ar

e enforcer cou

oug

h yet commanding. It held no trace of

s stood at the front of the gathering. One was my father, his jaw tight as he turned to face the intru

med to bore into me. He looked amused, as if the spe

ference. The name sent a ripple of unease through the pack. The K

lips. "Is this how you treat your woman, Alpha?" he mused, stepping closer.

" She is a stain

hrough the crowd. "Is this how you greet your king,

g figure of Alpha King Maximilian. His presence was suffocating, his aura one of absolute dominance. His dark c

bmission. "Your Majesty, we

ckle. "Oh, you poor thin

something-surprise, intrigue? His brows drew together a

twitch betraying his unease. Then, his exp

in my mind, relentless, seeping into the cracks of my soul lik

es into something cold, something cruel? How did the warmth of his embra

But that time is long gone. Now, all that remains is the weight of his expectations pressing

ed to be. Or if, in his eyes, I am not

ed blonde hair clinging to my face, dirt and dried blood streaking my skin, my back marred by fresh wounds. My dress, tatte

he lines of my face, lingering on my eyes-eyes that betrayed my bloodline. Unlike the rest of me, they still b

head as if assessing prey. "Such a fragile l

learned my lessons well. Pain was the price

eadable before he waved a dismissive hand. "We will d

his head. "Of cou

At the edge of the dispersing crowd, Theon, my stepbrother, hesitated. Our eyes met for

Dorian to the Alpha mansion. The grand doors were pulled open, the

" Alaric muttered as he led them inside. "

urther inside. Dorian lingered for a moment, his smirk never fading. "I do enjoy a

I kept my silence. Any defianc

y father ordered the servants.

o the mansion, I felt the weight of the

the beginning