My fingers tightened around the strap of my bag. I took one sharp breath, another, and then my body moved before my mind caught up. My legs surged forward, pounding against the earth. I ran. Branches tore at my arms, roots clawed at my feet, but I didn't stop. My lungs burned, my heart hammered, and still I pushed harder. The forest closed in around me, wild and merciless, but it was better than what I left behind. Better than Caius. Better than Liana. Better than being their pet. The night air whipped against my face, sharp and cold. My robe snagged on thorns, ripping, but I hardly felt it. All I could hear was the drum of my pulse and the frantic thud of my footsteps. Then came another sound. Heavy. Thudding. Behind me. I froze mid-stride, stumbling as the ground shifted under my feet. At first, I thought it was just my imagination, the sound of my heartbeat filling my ears. But then it came again......louder. Closer. A growl. Not a wolf's. Deeper. Rougher. My blood turned to ice. I risked a glance back. Through the trees, a massive shadow moved, its hulking form crashing through brush and snapping branches like twigs. The stench of musk and rot filled the air, and my chest seized with terror. A bear. Not just any bear, a black eastern bear usually caught and used for wars. It was huge, towering, its eyes glinting with wild hunger. Panic shot through me. My legs moved before my mind caught up, pumping as fast as they could. I tore through the undergrowth, branches slapping my face, scratches burning across my skin. The roar shook the ground beneath me, rattling through my bones. It was chasing me. My wolf whimpered inside me, small and useless. Shift. Please, shift, I begged her, but nothing came. No strength, no claws, no fangs-just me, weak and broken, prey to the monster at my back. The forest blurred. My vision swam with tears, my throat raw from gasping. I didn't know where I was going, only that I had to keep moving. Then the ground vanished beneath me. One second I was running, the next I was airborne. I screamed as my body pitched forward over the edge of a small cliff, my arms flailing, nothing to grab. The world spun, trees and sky and rock tumbling together, until I hit the ground with bone-jarring force. Pain exploded in my skull, white-hot and blinding. My breath ripped from my lungs. The last thing I saw was the night sky spinning above me, the moon a cold, pitiless eye staring down. Then everything went black. I don't know how long I was out for, or if the bear had finally gotten me and is now keeping me as his midnight snack but my head felt like it was about to explode. My consciousness was gradually coming back and when I finally woke up, it was to pain all over. A searing ache in my head, the taste of copper in my mouth, every limb heavy and trembling. My eyes fluttered open, but the world was a blur of shadows and movement. I tried to lift my hand to my head, but something stopped me. Something cold and hard biting into my skin. Bars. Iron. I was in a cage. Fear surged through me, sharp and dizzying. I shifted weakly, trying to sit up, but the movement sent waves of agony through my skull. My vision doubled, then cleared just enough for me to see the clearly. The cage was small, barely large enough for me to curl into. My knees were drawn to my chest, my robe torn and filthy, my hair damp and matted with blood. My breathing was shallow, ragged. And the cage was moving. No, being dragged. The earth trembled with each thud my head colliding with the floor of the cage with each movement, I could swear it was about to split open and maybe my miserable life will once again end. Lifting myself up as much as I could, I turned my head and froze. Two massive animals that looked like wolves, but were much larger than any wolf I had ever seen. They pulled the cage by thick iron chains clenched in their jaws. Their coats gleamed in the moonlight, one dark as midnight, the other silver-shot, their muscles rippling beneath fur. Their eyes glowed faintly, feral but intelligent, like they knew exactly what they were doing. They weren't ordinary wolves. And They weren't from my pack either. I tried to speak, to demand they stop, but all that came out was a broken rasp. My throat burned, my lips cracked. I gripped the bars, fingers shaking. "Where... where are you taking me?" My voice sounded weak, pitiful, lost beneath the steady drag of chains. The wolves didn't answer. They only moved faster, their paws thudding like drums against the forest floor. Fear and confusion tangled inside me. Who were they? Why me? Where was I going? I would have actually loved being eaten by the bear than being in this situation right now. My head throbbed harder, the world tipping sideways again. The iron rattled, the chains groaned, and my body sagged against the bars. I felt like nothing more than cargo, an object. A successful hunt. The bear had chased me, but something else had found me. Something worse. And deep inside, my wolf whispered one word, low and trembling, as if she already knew what awaited us. My eyes grew larger in realization. Lycans. I think I may have fainted again because now I woke to the jolt of movement. And when I tried to move, I realized I couldn't. My arms were bound in front of me, the rough scrape of rope biting my wrists. Cold iron pressed against my back. My breath hitched, foggy and shallow, as the reality sank in. I was still inside the iron cage, my body slumped awkwardly against its bars, and the whole thing was being dragged across the forest floor. The growl of chains rattling echoed through the night. Two massive wolves flanked me, their fur dark as shadows, muscles flexing with every pull. Soldiers. Their eyes glowed faintly in the moonlight, gleaming with cruel satisfaction. Panic clawed up my throat. I tried to push myself upright, but my limbs were too weak, trembling from the fall and blood loss. My head spun. My tongue was heavy and dry. Where were they taking me? The forest smelled of damp pine and smoke, and faintly, fire. The scent of a camp. As the cage jolted to a stop, the wolves shifted into men, voices rough. "She's light," one of them muttered. "Half-dead already. Won't last long." "Doesn't matter. The Alpha will want to see her before anything." Alpha. The word sent a chill down my spine, deeper than the cold of the cage. A shadow stirred ahead of us. A tent, set apart from the firelight. And from it, a scent rolled out, sharp, wild, powerful. It struck me like a punch to the chest, burning in my lungs. My wolf, buried and half-silent all my life, stirred weakly against my ribs as if waking for the first time. The flap of the tent pulled back, and he stepped out. Tall. Broad-shouldered. His hair was tousled like he'd been sleeping, his chest bare under a dark cloak. But his eyes, amber fire locked on me, sharp enough to flay me alive. The soldiers bowed their heads instantly. "Alpha Darius. We found her laying beyond the boundaries of the woods half dead. Thought you'd want her brought in." His gaze never left mine. It was like being pinned in place by a predator, stripped bare under his stare. Darius moved closer, each step silent, deliberate. He stopped right before the bars of the cage. For a long moment, he just breathed me in, nostrils flaring. His jaw tightened, his hands curling into fists at his sides. Then, low and dangerous, his voice came out in a growl that made my heart stop. "Mate."

"She's a wolf, Darius. She can't possibly be your mate." One of the soldier's voice cut through the night air, harsh and defiant, but it barely registered to me. My pulse was roaring in my ears, louder than the crackle of the campfire, louder than the rattle of my cage. Mate. That was what he'd said. The word still hung in the air like a brand, burning through me. My heart lurched painfully inside my chest, and my wolf, the weak, broken thing that she was-stirred restlessly against my ribs, as though answering some silent call. Darius didn't flinch. His eyes, molten gold under the firelight, stayed locked on me. He didn't even look at the soldier who had dared to question him. He just inhaled again, sharp, deliberate, and the air around us shifted. "She is mine," he growled, each syllable vibrating with a dangerous certainty. The two soldiers exchanged looks. One of them, the taller one with scars running down his jaw, probably his Beta from the looks of the fort name calling,stepped forward, his tone cautious but insistent. "Alpha, think. She's weak. A half-breed. Probably cast out from whatever pack didn't want her. She's not worthy of you. Not worthy of your bloodline." A low sound rolled from Darius's chest, something primal and terrifying. The kind of sound that made the hair on my arms rise and my stomach twist with dread. "Are you questioning me?" he asked softly, too softly. The scarred soldier stiffened, bowing his head at once. "Never, Alpha. I just-" "Enough." Darius's voice cracked like a whip. "Do you think I do not know my own mate when I scent her?" Silence fell over the camp. Even the night seemed to hold its breath. "Forgive me Alpha," the man muttered bowing his head. I wanted to speak, to deny it, to tell him he was wrong. That I couldn't be his mate. That he must have made a mistake. But the words lodged in my throat, strangled by the weight of his stare. Darius crouched low before my cage, bringing himself eye-level with me. Up close, the sheer force of him was suffocating. His scent, earth and sweat, smoke and something darker wrapped around me, filling every breath. My fingers tightened against the iron bars, more for balance than defiance. "Your name?" he demanded. As much as I didn't want to respond I found myself opening up upon one his commanding tone. My lips trembled, my voice hoarse. "Rain." Something flickered in his eyes. Not softness no, never that, but something fierce, something dominant. "Rain," he repeated, tasting the sound of it on his tongue. And by the gods my insides turned, I felt hot all over. The second soldier shifted uncomfortably. "Alpha, what do you want us to do with her?" Darius still on his knees inspecting like I was some animal that his trap caught. "She comes with me." "But-" The growl that ripped from his chest was so violent, so sharp, the wolves around the camp instantly lowered their heads, baring their throats in submission. Even the scarred soldier dropped to one knee. "I said," Darius snarled, "she comes with me." The finality in his tone left no room for argument. My stomach dropped. My breath hitched in terror. He didn't even know me, and yet he now owned me just like that. Claimed me in a way Caius never had, not with this kind of unshakable certainty. I curled into myself, pressing back against the cold bars, wishing they could swallow me whole. I'd already been betrayed, humiliated, cast aside. Now I was caged and caught in the grip of another Alpha, a stranger, a danger, a wolf or worse a Lycan Alpha whose very presence rattled the deepest part of me. And he called me mate. He rose to his full height, cloak shifting around him like a shadow come alive. His gaze swept the soldiers before landing back on me. "We leave at dawn for my brothers' territory. The royal summit waits for no one." His tone brooked no hesitation. "Clean her. Dress her. She will be brought to my tent before we ride." Shock rippled through the soldiers. One dared to mutter, "Alpha-" "Do you intend to defy me twice in one night?" Darius's voice cut like a blade, and the man dropped to his knees, throat bared in instant submission. Darius turned away, dismissing them as though they were insects, his focus already moving elsewhere. "See to it now," he ordered. The cage jolted, chains rattling as they dragged me again, this time not deeper into the woods but toward the campfire where crude tents circled like teeth around prey. My heart thudded erratically, every step making my stomach twist tighter. I squeezed my eyes shut, teeth gritted against the wave of helplessness rising inside me. I'd been cast out once already, stripped of my place and dignity. Now, it seemed, I had fallen straight into another snare. But this one... this one was far more dangerous. Because Darius didn't just want me near him. I could instantly feeling him almost rejecting the pull between us. Not that I minded, because I never expected to be mates to anyone let alone an alpha. The tent smelled of fire-roasted meat, leather, and Him. His scent was intoxicating and draining, like being high from wine on a full moon. It was addictive Across from me, he reclined in his chair, broad shoulders stretched beneath the dark leather of his cloak. A small table separated us, set with plates of roasted meat, bread, and fruit. He ate in silence at first, the scrape of his knife and the occasional crackle from the fire filling the tent. Every now and then, I felt his gaze flick to me, sharp and assessing, before he returned to his food. Finally, he set his knife down. "Eat." The command startled me. My lips parted, but no words came out. I shook my head. Golden eyes pinned me in place. "You will need strength for the road. Tomorrow is not a short journey." Still, my throat refused to work. My stomach twisted too tightly to even think of food. "I said-eat." This time, his voice dropped lower, carrying that same unyielding Alpha tone that made his soldiers drop to their knees earlier. My trembling hand reached out. I tore a small piece of bread and forced it into my mouth. It tasted like ash on my tongue, but it was enough to make him look away again, satisfied for now. For a while, the silence stretched. Too heavy. Too unbearable. Then his voice came again, low and even. "What is your name?" I hesitated confused, he had just asked me my name minutes ago. But instead of remaining silent I answered with my voice barely audible. "Rain." "Rain," he repeated, And yet again I was a pool of heat and moist. If he could smell me from there he definitely hid it too well "Strange name for someone who smells like-" He paused, looking up at me with undeniable heat in his eyes. I shifted in my seat feeling hot under his gaze. His knife tapped lightly against the rim of his plate. "Where were you headed when my soldiers found you?" The truth clawed at my throat, but I kept my eyes on the table. "Nowhere." He tilted his head, studying me in a way that made my skin prickle. "No wolf runs for nothing." I said nothing. My tongue was a stone in my mouth. Darius leaned back in his chair, still watching me. "Do you always refuse questions?" My jaw clenched. "Do you always expect answers?" Already regretting my response as my wolf whimpered. The corner of his mouth curved, not quite a smile, more a flicker of interest. He drank from his cup slowly, eyes never leaving me. "Sharp tongue for someone in your position," he murmured. Heat flared in my cheeks, but I bit down on my lip to stop a reply. He set the cup aside, his tone shifting, firmer now. "At dawn, we ride to my brothers' territory. The royal summit begins by midday. You will not leave my side." My stomach churned, but I nodded, because I didn't have a choice. "Good," he said, his voice like closing steel. Then he gestured to the food again. "Eat more. You'll need it."

The first light of dawn painted the camp in gray and gold. Mist clung low to the ground, curling around the hooves of restless horses and the paws of massive wolves shifting impatiently. "Mount up," Darius commanded, his voice cutting through the haze. Soldiers obeyed without question, saddling their beasts, loading provisions. Two of them came for me, guiding me toward a horse. My stomach knotted. I didn't belong here. I didn't belong anywhere. "Careful," one of them muttered under his breath, lifting me onto the saddle as if I were made of brittle glass. Not kindness, just caution. The caravan moved out in silence at first. I still didn't understand why wolf used horses to travel. If I could change, I would run free tin the forest to any place I wanted to be in. The forest swallowed us whole, the trees felt a bit cold. I clutched the reins until my knuckles whitened, the rhythmic thud of hooves and paws pounding the earth a steady drumbeat in my ears. Hours passed. The sun climbed higher. The mist burned away. My body ached from the unfamiliar ride, but it was nothing compared to the gnawing unease twisting in my gut. Two soldiers riding just ahead of me began to whisper, their voices carrying on the wind. "Do you think the others will scent her too?" one asked. "They'll scent her the moment we cross the border," the other replied. "No one hides from them." My pulse quickened. Them? Darius's voice cut sharp across the line. "Silence! You speak too much." The men stiffened, spines snapping straight, silence falling like a hammer. But I had heard enough. The road narrowed as we began to climb. The air grew heavier, thicker, charged with something I couldn't name. They weren't ordinary wolves. They couldn't be. I looked up at Darius's back. It was huge, his shoulders broad. I have my suspicions about who he really was. Every pup in my pack had grown up hearing the stories, whispers traded under blankets, meant to scare us into obedience. Tales of the lycan brothers. Three sons of darkness, cursed by their blood, each more dangerous than the last. Wolves bigger than nightmares. Stronger than armies. Crueler than kings. I had always thought they were just stories. But as the gate loomed into view, carved from black stone and iron, towering high enough to scrape the sky, I knew. The scent rolling off the land ahead was no myth. It was real. It was them. "Steady," one soldier muttered, his hand tightening on the reins of his horse as the gates began to creak open. The other spat into the dirt. "Every damn year we come here, and every year I swear the air itself tries to choke me." "Show respect Nathan. This is my Brother's land," Darius snapped, his voice flat but dangerous. The men bowed their heads, chastised, but I saw their knuckles white, their shoulders rigid. We passed beneath the gates, shadows swallowing us whole. The air inside was different, thicker, heavier, alive. Every breath seared my lungs. My wolf whimpered deep in my chest, and for the first time in my life, I felt her press against me, desperate to run, to flee, to hide. I swallowed hard, gripping the saddle tighter. We rode for another thirty minutes or more until a huge house, no castle came into view. It was dark and no sign of color, even the sun didn't dare to extends its grace towards it. We came to a halt, and one of the soldiers came up to my side and lifted off the horse and saído the ground. "Rain" Darius voice drifted to me, I looked up. "Come." Unwillingly my feet moved towards him. "Do not leave my side." He commanded. I nodded, somehow feeling grateful that he was with me. The doors opened with a deep groan, as though even the wood resisted granting entry. A man stepped forward. Not a wolf, not like the others, but something else or close enough to wear the shape convincingly. His black tunic was simple yet fine, trimmed with silver thread. His eyes, however, betrayed him. They gleamed faintly, like coals banked beneath ash. He bowed low, voice smooth and measured. "Alpha Darius. Welcome home." Darius's jaw ticked. "This is not home Luca," he said flatly. "It is my brother's hall. Do not mistake the difference." The servant dipped his head again. "As you say, my lord. Still, you and your company are expected. Quarters have been prepared for your men in the west wing. For you..." His gaze flicked to me, a single sharp glance that made my stomach clench. "...... your private chambers have been readied in the eastern halls. I didn't know you were coming with I guest but I can get them to prepare a room for her immediately" My throat went dry. Darius's arm brushed against mine as he shifted closer, deliberate. "She does not leave my side," he said, his voice carrying that same command he used with his soldiers. "Of course." The servant straightened, his hands folded neatly before him. "The Summit begins at moonrise tomorrow as your other brother is yet to arrive tonight. Until then, you are free to rest, refresh yourselves, and... recover from your journey." Darius studied him for a long moment, as if weighing every word, every twitch of muscle. Finally, he gave a curt nod. "Lead the way." The servant turned, motioning us inside. The air was colder past the threshold. My boots echoed against the stone floors as we walked, the sound swallowed quickly by the sheer size of the place. The corridors stretched wide and high, although the house looked very modern they still preferred to adorn the hallway with torches that burned in iron sconces, casting wavering shadows across the walls. Darius's men followed behind us. The servant's voice cut into my thoughts. "The High Lord will arrive shortly with your other brother. He bade me extend his welcome, Alpha. He has prepared a feast in your honor tonight." Darius gave a grunt that might have been acknowledgment-annoyance. "My brother loves his feasts. He always did." "Yes," the servant said carefully. "And he is eager to see you again. It has been too long since the blood of your house has gathered under one roof." We turned down another hall. The servant gestured toward a set of carved doors. "These are your quarters. Your men will be shown to theirs." He looked at me again then, openly this time, his expression unreadable. For a moment, I thought he might speak directly to me. But then Darius's hand brushed against my arm, a subtle warning, and the servant lowered his gaze. "If there is anything you require, call for me," he said smoothly. Darius's eyes narrowed. "Do not presume to speak to her again without my leave." The servant bowed deeply, retreating a step. "As you command, Alpha." And with that, he turned and slipped away down the hall, his footsteps vanishing into the silence of the keep. Darius pushed open the heavy doors, his palm pressed firm against my back as he guided me inside. The chamber was vast, the ceiling lost in shadow. A fire crackled low in a black stone hearth, its warmth barely touching the chill that seeped from the walls. A long table stood to one side, laden with fruit, bread, and meats that filled the air with rich, heady scents. I hovered just inside the doorway, torn between awe and dread. Darius's hand lingered against me as the door shut behind us with a resonant thud. "You'll stay here with," he said. His voice was quieter now, but no less commanding. "Where I can see you. My brothers can be very........unpredictable."This