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
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