Talia's POV.

I held the weak material against my front. My face was red with humiliation.

I turned away from the crowd, trying to hide my face from them, but a gasp made me turn back.

The man with dark hair was walking towards me. His eyes were like a bottomless sea. Blue. It reminded me of mine, but mine could never be that dark.

"What's wrong?" I heard the Alpha stutter; he was talking to the man who had come forward. "Alpha Rhys, you shouldn't touch the criminal."

I said nothing; all my limbs were sore from being tied down for days. I could not remember the last time I ate something; my skin had been scorched by the sun and beaten by rain. I looked a mess, but all I heard was him refer to the other man as Alpha. I should have guessed; the man radiated so much power.

"Turn." He said to me. His voice was dark; power coursed through his accent. I was too weak to argue. I turned my back to him.

I felt his finger trail something at the middle of my back. It might be a burn or something, not like I knew what my back looked like.

"That mark?" Alpha Kael tried to explain. "It's just a tag of slavery."

I frowned; I did not know there was a tag of slavery on my back.

Now the crowd was silent; everyone wanted to hear what was being said, and no one wanted to miss a drop of this gist. That was what my life had been reduced to. Entertainment.

"You call this a tag, Kael?" Alpha Rhys growled. I gasped. He had called the Alpha by name. "I did not know you to be so stupid."

Now it was the turn of the crowd to gasp. Their Alpha had been called stupid by a young man, another Alpha nevertheless.

A guard drew a sword, and another lifted a rifle at Alpha Rhys, but Alpha Kael raised a hand to stop them. He cleared his throat. "Does the mark resemble something familiar? I can assure you that it's not it."

I wanted to see the mark, but I knew I would look like a dying worm if I tried to look at my back right now.

"Resemble?" Alpha Rhys scoffed; I saw his eyes get darker with every second that passed.

Surprising everyone, he began to remove his own shirt. I heard girls gasp and swoon. I wouldn't blame them; if I were healthy and free, I would swoon too.

All I could do now was stare at him like he was a meal. But I couldn't because he came and stood beside me, his back as bare as mine.

What was he trying to do?

"Hey." He muttered to me alone as he stood beside me. "I'm sorry for coming late."

It was when he turned back to the crowd that I saw the mark on his back.

It was a nightmare come to life. I screamed, lost my balance, and fell.

He caught me.

I must have missed something of great importance because when I opened my eyes, all of the Moonfang clan were on their knees.

"How dare you?" Alpha Rhys was close to exploding. "You invited the whole of the west pack and half of the south, and you wanted to openly slaughter the only daughter of Luna Amira Rosetta? My sister? Do you have a death wish?"

My brain must have frozen. Nothing seemed to make sense beyond the feeling of the chains leaving my legs and wrists. My body was a patch of colors and burns.

I held tightly to Alpha Rhys as he carried me into the guest house. I could tell this was the apartment they had been given; it was the grandest house in this village, and it was my first time in it.

I gave a squeal of protest when he dropped me on the bed and tried to leave me.

"Shhh. You'll be fine; they'll clean you up."

"Don't leave. Please." I was yet to make meaning of who he was to me; my brain was slow to interpret the words I had heard, but I knew this man was my savior, and with him beside me, no one would dare hurt me.

"Don't leave. Please." I pleaded.

I felt soft hands take me, but I did not feel his presence leave.

I could not be put into a tub because of the wounds and bruises on my skin, so they cleaned me with a warm, wet cloth, and then they gave me a free gown to cover my body.

"You can turn now." I whispered. He heard me. "Did you lie? Did you lie to free me?" I asked.

"Why would I do that?" He was looking at me very weirdly.

"I've lived here for over ten years; why come now?" I asked. It did not make sense. The words my brain was interpreting made no sense.

"We thought you were dead. But that's not what you're asking." He angled his head. Now I could look deeper into his eyes; I had been right, they were so much like mine, only deeper and darker. "We have our mom's eyes." He said the words like he could read my mind.

I felt my eyes close.

"You're tired. Sleep, sister."

I slept.

Talia's POV.

"We can't take her along. She'll slow us down. We have a lot to do. She's weak. I cannot feel her wolf." I heard a voice bite out with disapproval.

"I cannot leave my sister here. Mother would kill me." I heard my brother argue. "I do not trust these people either. Look at what they did to her. I do not for a second believe that these people do not know who she is. Something is off about this village."

"Something is off about every village you have been to, and that's because they're nothing like the city you're used to." The other man snorted. I could guess it was his friend, the other man my brother had come with. "Look, they know who she is now; they would not dare hurt her. No one wants to be your enemy. We have a mission; let's not get carried away."

"It's easy for you to say, Ryker." My brother said quietly.

"Very, considering the fact that I do not know what family means because I have never had one." The other man snorted.

"You know that wasn't what I meant." My brother tried to pacify his friend, but I heard the door slam, signifying the exit of Ryker.

The door opened again, and I thought he had returned, but when the smell of fresh soup hit my nose, I knew it was food that had come.

I faked that I was just waking up and gave an unnecessary yawn.

"How do you feel?" Alpha Rhys asked me.

I stretched my hands and legs, then moved my neck before I answered, "Better." I wanted to say starving, but there was no need since food was already here.

My brother watched me eat; the moment was weird. "Is my mother alive?" I was curious.

"Yes." One-word answer.

Luna Amira. "Wait. Luna Amira?!" The word just made meaning in my head. Oh my fucking goodness. She was old now, but tales of Amira travelled from the north even to the south and beyond. She was a queen. Powerful. A warrior. My mother? "How did she lose me?" How could someone so powerful lose her child?

"She doesn't talk about it." Was all he said. His voice gave no room for questions.

"Will you take me to her?" I asked.

"We can't, not yet."

"You want to leave me here?" I cried. "If you could not save me, you should have let them kill me yesterday. If I remain here, death would be a better option for me." Tears were beginning to well up in my eyes.

"Please. Please, I beg you, don't cry. I have very little experience with crying women." He pleaded.

I should have guessed; the women in my family were strong and brave. I was a wolfless, crying girl. I cleaned my tears. Fast. "Please don't leave me here."

"We have a mission, a dangerous one. Taking you along could mean your death too." My brother sighed. He was obviously in a pickle.

"You might think keeping me here is what's best for me, but it's not." I pleaded. I had stopped eating; the food had lost its savor. I was full too.

A knock on the door kept him from answering me.

Alpha Kael and Jared came in.

I found myself trying to sink deeper into the bed.

"Your Beta told me you would be leaving with Talia soon." Alpha Kael went straight to the point.

I found myself nodding.

"Ryker is my friend, not my beta." Rhys corrected. I wondered what kind of relationship the two men had. Lovers? Well, they were both extremely attractive. "Yes, I'll be leaving with my sister."

"I don't think you should, considering that she's now my woman." It was Jared.

"What?" I said in shock. These people had come up with a plan.

My brother looked at me, and I shook my head.

"You were going to watch them hang your woman." Rhys asked him.

"She had committed treason. I could not be biased." Jared said the words with pseudo-honor.

"Well, from this moment, she's no longer your woman." Rhys replied simply.

"Not when she could be carrying his baby." Alpha Kael spoke up.

For the first time, my brother was at a loss for words. I saw disappointment in his eyes as he stared at me. "Is this true?"

I wanted to die. Maybe we could go back in time and I'd be hung on that tree. "Yes." But I could not tell him the details of it. Shame would not let me.

"Instead of leaving as enemies, we could be family. My son has finally expressed his affection for Talia, and I must say that I had no knowledge of this; else, I might have been a bit forgiving on the subject of her act of treason." Alpha Kael explained.

I shook my head. No. "What if I don't want that?" I asked, but no one seemed to hear me.

Alpha Kael had left when my brother finally turned to me. "You no longer have a say. You made a decision when you let him put a baby in you." He could not hide the irritation in his voice.

"What if I am not pregnant?" I asked.

"That'll be your only saving grace. Let's hope you're not." Rhys hoped. I prayed.

Ryker could not hide his anger any time he saw me. I knew he hated me. Now they could not leave until it was confirmed whether I was pregnant or not.

The physician said ten days; they would wait for ten days to confirm it.

I prayed to every deity that existed.

Talia's POV.

I was pregnant.

Jared put his arms around me. "I'm going to be a father!"

Alpha Kael's smile seemed real. He turned to my brother. "We're going to be family."

Jade watched me with angry eyes; it was hard to see what she was thinking. "Well, you did not just escape death; now you'll be bringing life."

Luna Selene mirrored her husband's happiness. "You're a lucky charm."

"I'd like to be alone with my brother."

Jared pulled me close and placed a kiss on my temple; the act was gentle. I did not know what to think of it.

"Please, please, I do not want to stay here; please take me with you," I pleaded.

"You're carrying the grandchild of a ruling Alpha; I cannot do that." My brother's voice was stoic.

"Please," I pleaded.

It was then Rhys frowned. "Did he force himself on you?" he asked, horror evident on his face. I saw it there and then that if I said yes to that question, he would tear the pack apart if that was what it took to take me along with him.

"No." I could not lie, not when so much depended on it. I had given my consent.

"Then there is nothing I can do. Mother will come visit you after I tell her of you, and you will know your family. I will do my best to make sure you're treated nicely, but I cannot take you with me." My brother sighed. "I'm glad that I found you. But this is your new home. I'll be leaving first thing tomorrow."

The Alpha and his family came back to take me with them; my brother's friend Ryker said nothing to me, but it was evident he was glad with the way things turned out to be. Now, he could go with his friend on whatever mission they were on.

"It's good to have you back." Luna Selene welcomed me into the house. No one was going to talk about how I almost died, how they had almost taken my life for an offense I did not commit.

"As soon as everyone has settled down from the hustle of the festival, we will begin to prepare for your wedding with Jared. Everything will be settled before you start showing," Luna Selene explained as we moved deeper into the house.

"Where will I sleep?" I asked them. I wanted to curl up in my room and shut everyone out. I wanted to be alone. I needed to think.

"You will share my room with me, since we are to be married." Jared beamed happily.

For a moment, I dared to think he was really happy about the baby.

"Everyone can go freshen up; we will be having dinner with our soon-to-be in-law," Alpha Kael announced.

It would be the last night I would eat with my brother.

"All right," everyone chorused.

"Do you really want the baby?" I asked Jared. I hated him, but I had loved my baby even before I was told I was pregnant. Maybe our baby could bring a semblance of peace between us.

"Well, Father says a grandchild of Luna Amira would be of economic importance to us," Jared shrugged.

Economic importance-that would be my value for the rest of my life.

"Thank you."

My fate had been changed; my value for eternity would be economic importance. But why did my baby have to share the same fate? Why?

Jared sat beside me for dinner; my brother was opposite me, while Ryker was opposite Jared. Ryker did nothing to hide that he was forced to be here and totally ignored everyone when they greeted him. The man was rude and arrogant but insanely attractive. Jade sat beside him, doing everything to get his attention. She had gone to change into a small dress that covered merely her stomach; more than half of her breasts were on display, but that was still a lot because Jade was quite busty. It was annoying that her parents did not say a thing. I guess Ryker was of economic importance too, except that he got to choose his own fate.

"I'll be gone before dawn," my brother told me. "Before you wake up." He handed me a pouch. "Keep it well." It was heavy, and it jingled-gold. "Take care of yourself, Talia."

I wanted to beg him, to plead with him to take me along, but my fate had been handed to me; my fate had always been handed to me. Never had I gotten to choose it.

I wrapped my arms around him. "Thank you for finding me," I whispered.

"Take care of yourself. Promise me." I could see he was also hesitant to leave me, but we both did not have a choice.

"I promise." I lied. It was never my choice. Never.