Hannah pulled me away from the damp cells, and my thoughts spiraled out of control, tightening with fear. The idea of being tied to Alpha Davis made my whole body tense. That man carried something dark, and no matter what, I couldn't ignore that Caleb was the one meant for me. Giving myself to anyone else felt impossible. I would've rather faced death than accept that kind of fate.

With a sudden push of resolve, I wrenched my hand free from her grip and thought about running. The forest surrounding the territory stood within reach, like a chance I couldn't ignore. If I made it far enough, maybe I could find help... maybe even survive. But my strength had already run out. I barely took a step before my legs failed, and I hit the ground hard. Dust filled my mouth, my chest burned, and tears fell without stopping. "No..." I whispered, my voice breaking apart.

A harsh laugh came from her. "You really thought you could get away?" Hannah asked. Her hand clamped around my neck, forcing me to look up at her. Even through my blurred sight, I could see the satisfaction on her face. She shoved me aside and raised her voice. "Don't let her move!"

Two warriors stepped in, cutting off any path I could take. Fear closed in on me. "Please... just let me go. I don't want anything. I just want to live," I said, struggling to get the words out. Instead of softening her, it only made her more vicious. She lunged forward and forced me down. Pain exploded through my side when she struck me, and a sharp crack followed. A scream tore out of me before I could stop it. Something inside had broken.

Her voice came cold after that. "Keep her alive."

One of the warriors grabbed me without care and lifted me over his shoulder. Every step sent pain through my body, and my voice faded into weak cries. I couldn't see clearly anymore as they carried me into the Omega quarters and threw me into a small, dim room. The door slammed shut, cutting me off completely.

I pushed against the door with what little strength I had left, coughing as blood filled my mouth. "Please... let me go..." I pleaded, barely able to speak. No one answered. My body gave out, and I slid down onto the floor, my clothes soaked. Time stopped meaning anything after that.

A faint creak from the lock broke through the silence, and I forced my eyes upward. The healer stood there, his face hard. "Luna Natalie sent me," he said. "Drink this. It'll ease the pain."

"Can I... talk to her?" My voice came out uneven.

He didn't answer. Instead, he pushed the vial to my lips. The liquid tasted sharp and bitter as it went down. Without another glance, he stepped out and locked the door again.

I pulled myself into the corner, pressing against the wall as tears came back. "Goddess... why?" I whispered. "You're the one who tied me to Caleb. Why am I the one suffering for it?"

The door flew open without warning. Caleb walked in, his expression filled with disgust. "Out of everyone, you?" he said. "The Moon Goddess chose you? That has to be wrong. You're nothing."

Despite everything, anger rose through me. I looked straight at him. "I'm not the one who's wrong," I scoffed. "You are. You turned your back on your own mate."

A low growl filled the room. In the next second, his hand closed around my throat. Air left me as I struggled. "Elena!" he said sharply. "You think you can go against me? You ran. You ignored what I said!"

My chest tightened as I fought to breathe, close to giving in, when a voice cut through. "Caleb!" Natalie chimed in. "Stop. She still needs to..." She didn't finish, but he let go.

He stepped back, his voice cold as he spoke. "I, Alpha Caleb Reed of the Crimson Howl Pack, reject you, Elena Carter, as my mate."

A sharp pain struck through my stomach and chest, cutting deep. A cry escaped me before I could hold it back. My sight blurred, and my body gave out under the shock. For a brief second, I saw Caleb and Natalie watching, their expressions distant, almost entertained. They walked out together, fingers intertwined. "Hannah will come tomorrow to get you ready," Natalie said before the door shut behind them.

Darkness closed in again. When I came to, my body felt heavy, as if something pressed down on me. Maryse had cried out through the night before falling quiet, broken in a way I couldn't fix.

Morning light slipped into the room. I stayed where I was, too weak to move or eat. The door opened, and Hannah stepped in with a box, a servant trailing behind her.

A laugh broke from her. "Look at you," she snapped, grabbing my arm and dragging me up. "Luna Natalie wants you looking decent. But first, you need a bath. You smell awful."

She shoved me into cold water without warning. My body reacted instantly, shaking from the chill, but she didn't care. When I climbed out, she threw a dress at me. "Put it on. Alpha Davis will be here soon."

I went still. That fast? My chest tightened. The fabric brushed against my skin, carrying a scent I recognized. Natalie's.

Her smile turned sharp. "You should be grateful, Elena. You're about to marry the Alpha everyone fears in the North. If you're lucky, you'll live long enough to give him a child."

Her words settled deep, and my legs felt unsteady as I followed her out. The hall was filled with movement, Omegas rushing around under Natalie's direction. When she noticed me, she gave a small smile and signaled for Hannah to push me aside.

My eyes searched for Caleb. He stood with a group, speaking as if nothing had happened. Not a trace of what he'd done showed on his face. Why didn't it affect him? Why did he seem untouched? Tears pressed at the back of my eyes, but I forced them down. I wouldn't let them see me break.

After a while, he stepped away. When he came back, someone walked beside him.

Alpha Davis.

He stood taller than the rest, his build solid and defined. Dark hair framed his face, giving him a look that felt distant. Markings curled along his arms, shaped like thorns and vines. Strength surrounded him, mixed with something that unsettled me.

The moment his gaze met mine, I caught my breath. Heat rose to my face before I could stop it.

Davis's POV:

Every leader of the Shadowfang pack sat around the council chamber that night, and the pressure inside the room felt unbearable. Their aged faces carried years of authority and tradition, while the cold looks directed at me already made their judgment clear before a single sentence was spoken.

I stayed where I was with my arms folded tightly across my chest. My jaw locked as I waited for the lecture I already knew was coming.

"This has gone on long enough, Davis," Adrian said sternly. "The pack needed a successor. If you kept refusing marriage, everything our bloodline built would eventually fall apart."

Pain cut through my palms as my claws pressed deeper into my skin. Rage already burned through me, and I no longer bothered hiding it when I answered them.

"And what about the woman you'll chain to me?" I asked harshly. "She'll die the same way the others did. Every wife connected to my bloodline ended up buried because of this curse."

From across the table, Ryna slowly leaned forward. Time had aged her face, but the sharpness in her gray eyes remained untouched.

"We were fully aware of the curse, Davis. But Shadowfang's survival carried more weight than your fear of repeating the past. You protected this pack now, but power alone wouldn't secure its future forever."

Their words settled heavily inside my chest. No matter how many years passed, the curse always found its way back to me. My family carried it through generations, and every woman who entered our bloodline paid the price for it. After the mating bond, the full moons slowly destroyed them one by one. Some survived a year. Others barely lasted months.

None escaped it.

How many lives had already been sacrificed because of this cursed lineage?

Stories passed down through generations claimed the Moon Goddess cursed our bloodline after the first Alpha shattered a sacred promise and abandoned the mate bond she personally blessed. Wolves rejecting their destined partners wasn't unheard of, so what made our ancestor different? Why did his actions provoke enough fury to doom every generation after him?

Nobody had ever learned the truth.

I stepped away from the council table and looked out the window. Storm clouds swallowed the moon until only shadows remained.

"You still think producing an heir would solve this?" I asked coldly. "The curse wouldn't end with my wife. It would destroy my child too."

A weary breath escaped Adrian.

"There might still be hope. We couldn't ignore that possibility."

I turned toward them so fast the chair behind me scraped harshly across the floor.

"There was never any hope. This curse destroyed every woman tied to my bloodline, and it would keep destroying anyone connected to me. My strength didn't matter. None of it did. Those Northern Alphas gathered around me because they wanted power for themselves. Not one of them cared about the curse slowly ruining my life."

Ryna held my gaze without hesitation.

"Power was the reason the North remained standing. That was exactly why the other Alphas still chose to follow you despite the curse. And that was also why your bloodline couldn't end with you, Davis. The North would collapse without its strongest Alpha."

The truth in her words wasn't lost on me. Shadowfang stood tall because of the strength I carried on my back. Every alliance we formed and every oath sworn between packs existed because of me. Still, none of it changed what I became. Behind the title and power, I was only a man ruined by a curse that poisoned everyone near me.

"Alpha Caleb wants to tie our packs together," Adrian said. His voice turned firmer when I stayed silent. "He's offering one of his Omegas as part of the arrangement. She means nothing to him because Omegas sit at the bottom of his pack anyway. But if you accept her, you'll have his loyalty."

Disgust twisted inside me at once. I hated deals where people were handed around like bargaining tools. As for Caleb, I already knew the kind of man he was. Self serving. Greedy.

A slow breath left me while I shut my eyes. The air in the room felt heavier than before. "If this happens, I'm doing it for the pack. Nothing else."

"That's all we need," Ryna replied.

Her approval only made the guilt worse.

The pressure in my chest grew worse. Somewhere out there was a woman whose life would rot beside mine because of me. Yet there was no other path left for me to take. Twenty seven years had already passed without finding a soulmate. By now, I understood what that meant. Love was never meant for someone cursed like me.

The ride toward Scarlet Howl passed without trouble, but my thoughts refused to settle.

By the time we reached Caleb's territory, the entire pack looked strangely energized. Wolves filled the grounds while laughter echoed around them.

"Alpha Davis. You've honored my pack just by coming here."

A low grunt was all I gave him in return.

Without wasting time, he guided me deeper into the territory until we reached a large hall flooded with sharp light. Then he lifted a hand and gestured toward a quiet corner away from the others.

"That's the Omega I mentioned. Elena."

The moment I looked in her direction, my chest tightened for a second.

Soft strands of blonde hair framed her like threads of gold under the harsh light. She looked painfully delicate, standing there stiff and uneasy like something 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 cheeks exposed how little she'd been given. Even while lowering her head, she didn't appear obedient. It felt more like she was trying to make herself disappear.

Then she stepped closer. Warm apples and sweetness wrapped around me, stirring the wolf inside me. My gaze caught her pale gray eyes, distant behind a veil of fog.

"Alpha Davis," Caleb called out, dragging me out of my thoughts. "I'm sure she'll serve her purpose well."

The way he spoke about her tightened my jaw. There wasn't any care in his voice. To him, she was business, and the way he looked at her only deepened my disgust.

Elena stood there quietly while fear settled across her face, but Caleb treated her like she was nothing more than something to hand over for profit. Every part of this arrangement reeked of manipulation.

"Prepare the agreement," I instructed evenly.

Satisfaction spread across Caleb's face almost instantly. "You won't regret this. I'll have everything settled right away."

I had barely turned away when a sharp voice sliced through the hall.

"You useless little thing!"

I recognized the voice immediately. Natalie.

She was the woman meant to become the future Luna of this pack. Years ago, her father tried arranging a marriage between us, but I turned it down without hesitation. She was selfish, poisonous, and impossible to trust. In the end, Caleb became the one willing to take her.

I turned sharply toward the commotion.

Natalie had Elena by the arm, her fingers digging in so hard that the Omega struggled to pull away. Pain spread across Elena's face while she fought against the hold, but Natalie refused to loosen her grip.

A mocking smile curved across Natalie's lips. "You should be grateful a pack like this is even willing to take you in. Someone like you should know your place instead of embarrassing everyone around you."

My voice cut through the hall before Elena could answer. "Mind the way you speak."

Natalie stiffened at once and let go of Elena's arm. A second later, she forced an innocent expression onto her face.

"Alpha Davis, you've misunderstood. I wasn't trying to cause trouble."

"I don't care for explanations," I said flatly. "Control yourself."

Embarrassment darkened her expression, but spite still lingered in her eyes.

"She's only an Omega," she muttered bitterly. "At the end of the day, that's all she'll ever be."

I stepped closer, letting my presence crash down over the room.

"What becomes of her isn't your business," I warned. "Don't test my patience again."

The color drained from her face. She immediately took a step back before lowering her gaze.

"I apologize," she said quietly.

Without another glance at her, I shifted my attention to Caleb.

"You should teach your people respect."

His jaw tightened while he shot Natalie an irritated look. "Forgive the scene," he said through clenched teeth.

But that wasn't the part that bothered me. The way his eyes kept drifting toward Elena didn't escape my notice, and irritation settled heavily inside me because of it.

I called for Brandon, my Beta.

"See to her," I said to Brandon, motioning toward Elena. "Get her belongings ready. We're leaving in two hours."

Without questioning me, Brandon gave a short nod and headed toward her.

I started walking again, ready to put the matter behind me.

Then something unsettled me.

A strange pull lingered in my chest, faint but impossible to ignore. It felt like something unseen kept dragging my attention back toward her. Part of me wanted to turn around. To look at Elena one more time. I forced the feeling down and kept moving.

Emotions had no place in this arrangement.

The vehicle jolted along the uneven road, the engine's vibration running through the floor beneath me. No one had bothered to see me off. No farewell, no acknowledgment. They placed me in the car without hesitation, like something they were eager to discard.

I glanced back through the rear window, and a tight feeling settled in my chest as it sank in that I wouldn't be coming back. Even if I did, there wouldn't be anyone waiting for me. Tears threatened to fall, but I forced them away. I had already given enough of them to people who never cared.

Hours passed before the surroundings began to shift. The territory of the Shadowfang pack stretched out ahead, wide and seemingly endless.

When their grounds finally appeared, my heartbeat picked up. Dark stone buildings stood tall, surrounded by strong fences that marked their domain. Everything about the place spoke of control and power. It felt nothing like where I came from.

The scale here was overwhelming, the structure rigid. The car kept moving for what felt like forever, yet we still hadn't reached the Alpha's residence.

Beside me, Davis remained silent. His attention stayed fixed outside, his expression unreadable. He hadn't spoken since we left Crimson Howl. The quiet around him pressed down on me, making it hard to breathe. I pulled myself closer to the side, careful not to make a sound. The small bag in my hands held everything I owned, and I clung to it as if it could keep me steady.

The car finally stopped. Davis stepped out first, his movement sudden enough to make me flinch. I stayed where I was until Brandon, his Beta, opened the door and gave a brief nod.

"Move," he instructed, his eyes lingering on me as if weighing something.

I stepped inside the main building, and the atmosphere hit me immediately. The ceilings rose high above, the floors gleamed, and the air felt cold in a way that settled deep. Davis walked ahead without slowing, leading me into a large room centered around a grand fireplace.

He came to a stop near it and spoke without looking back. "Leave us, Brandon. I need to talk to her."

Without saying anything, the Beta gave a small bow and stepped out, leaving me alone with him. A chill ran through me.

"Sit," Davis said, his voice flat as his eyes finally settled on me.

I moved toward a leather chair and lowered myself onto the edge, my fingers tightening together in my lap. The quiet dragged on, pressing down until he turned fully in my direction, his face giving nothing away.

"I never wanted this," he said, his tone rough and steady. "Whatever Caleb is planning, I don't care. Just understand this. I have no intention of having a Luna. And I don't want you."

The words struck hard, but I stayed silent.

He folded his arms and went on. "The Elders want an heir. That's the only reason this is happening. Here's how it works. We'll marry for show, and I'll place my mark on you. To everyone else, we'll act like an Alpha and his Luna. But when it's just us, you keep your distance."

A quiet response left me. "I understand."

His gaze sharpened. "That's all you have to say?"

I gave a slight nod. "Yes." There was nothing else to add.

Something in my answer seemed to irritate him, but he continued anyway.

"You won't be involved in anything related to the pack. You'll stay in the west wing, away from my quarters. You won't sit with me or share my table. And most importantly, you won't expect anything from me. Do you get it?"

My throat felt tight, but I gave a small nod. "I understand."

His eyes stayed on me, a hint of surprise showing. "You're fine with all of that?"

I lifted my head, confused by the question. "Yes... isn't that what you want?" I replied quietly. At least here, I wouldn't be punished over something small like ruining breakfast.

His brow lifted slightly. "Ruining breakfast?"

Warmth crept up my face. I hadn't meant to say that aloud. "Yes," I admitted, lowering my gaze. "Or... for something like not fixing a pillow the right way."

His jaw tightened, and for a brief second, something unreadable crossed his eyes before it disappeared.

"This isn't something to take lightly," he said, his tone firm.

"I know," I answered right away. "I mean it. Your conditions are acceptable. Following rules is simpler than dealing with people."

He studied me closely, his expression hard to read. "Do you even realize what this arrangement means?"

I sat up a little straighter. "Yes. You said the ceremony is tomorrow. I'll stay out of your way unless... unless you need an heir." My face heated again, and I looked down as soon as the words left me.

A frustrated breath left him as he pressed his fingers against his brow. "Fine. We'll leave it at that. Brandon will take you to your room. Tomorrow, someone will get you ready."

I paused before speaking again, my voice soft. "Alpha Davis... thank you."

His body tensed, surprise showing. "Thank you?"

I gave a small nod. "Yes... but I need to ask something. If I feel hungry, can I go to the kitchen myself, or do I wait for someone to bring food?"

His eyes widened slightly. "That's what's on your mind right now?"

Embarrassment crept in, and I looked down. "You didn't say anything about food. I don't want to break a rule without knowing." Back in my old pack, meals weren't guaranteed. Sometimes I only got two in a day. Maybe things were different here.

He stared at me as if he couldn't believe it. "You're actually serious?"

"Yes," I said, meeting his gaze briefly. "You're strict about rules, so I thought it was better to ask."

For a moment, he looked caught between reacting harshly or letting it go. In the end, he spoke. "No, you don't have to wait. Eat whenever you want. Just don't get in my way."

Relief settled in me. "That makes things easier. It's not like I could miss you anyway," I said, a faint smile forming.

He went still. "What does that mean?"

I pressed my lips together, realizing I had gone too far. "You're like... something you can't ignore. Strong. Intense."

His eyes narrowed slightly. "Is that supposed to be praise?"

Heat rushed to my face. "Yes. It is. It means you stand out." I wished I could take it back.

He let out a short breath, irritation clear. "You're impossible," he said, his hands tightening before he let them fall. "Forget it. Just remember what I told you. Don't expect anything beyond that."

I nodded right away. "I won't."

Without another word, he turned and walked out.

I stayed where I was, watching the door after he left, my heart still racing. He was harsh, and being near him felt overwhelming, but he hadn't treated me the way I was used to. That alone set this place apart.

When the door shut, I finally let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. My face still felt warm. I had gotten through this first meeting, but it was clear things wouldn't be simple here.

Right on cue, my stomach made a low sound.