After graduation, I spent a year apprenticing under my mentor in the neutral lands, where there were no packs, no laws, and no one to protect me.

My sister, Evelina Duskbane, the Lycan Chairwoman, nearly lost her mind over it. She was terrified I would fall for some Rogue and recklessly form a mate bond.

So before I could decide anything for myself, she approved an arranged match for me.

Seris Thornhart, the only daughter of Alpha Alaric Thornhart of Frostfang, the strongest pack in Northmere. Beautiful, dangerous, and legendary.

Then Evelina ordered me home for the mating ceremony, leaving me no choice but to visit the finest ceremonial motor house in the city and select a wedding car worthy of the occasion.

The moment I stepped inside, my eyes went straight to a silver wedding car with a black crest worked into the bodywork. Just as I reached for the reservation tag beside it, a lazy male voice cut in.

"I like the one he's chosen. I'll take it. Hand it over."

Before I could react, the clerk snatched the tag from my hand, nearly scraping my skin. I straightened and forced myself to stay calm.

"Ever heard of first come, first served? I saw it first. Is this how you do business here?"

The male wolf turned to me with a mocking look.

"That car costs three hundred thousand dollars. You sure you can afford it, peasant? I grew up with Lady Seris Thornhart. Around here, I make the rules."

I stared at him, almost amused.

What a coincidence.

Seris Thornhart just happened to be the woman chosen for me.

I pulled out my phone and called her.

"Seris, your precious childhood friend just took the wedding car for our mating procession. What do you think I should do about that?"

After graduation, I spent a year apprenticing under my mentor in the neutral lands, where there were no packs, no laws, and no one to protect me.

My sister, Evelina Duskbane, the Lycan Chairwoman, nearly lost her mind over it. She was terrified I would fall for some Rogue and recklessly form a mate bond.

So before I could decide anything for myself, she approved an arranged match for me.

Seris Thornhart, the only daughter of Alpha Alaric Thornhart of Frostfang, the strongest pack in Northmere. Beautiful, dangerous, and legendary.

Then Evelina ordered me home for the mating ceremony, leaving me no choice but to visit the finest ceremonial motor house in the city and select a wedding car worthy of the occasion.

The moment I stepped inside, my eyes went straight to a silver wedding car with a black crest worked into the bodywork. Just as I reached for the reservation tag beside it, a lazy male voice cut in.

"I like the one he's chosen. I'll take it. Hand it over."

Before I could react, the clerk snatched the tag from my hand, nearly scraping my skin. I straightened and forced myself to stay calm.

"Ever heard of first come, first served? I saw it first. Is this how you do business here?"

The male wolf turned to me with a mocking look.

"That car costs three hundred thousand dollars. You sure you can afford it, peasant? I grew up with Lady Seris Thornhart. Around here, I make the rules."

I stared at him, almost amused.

What a coincidence.

Seris Thornhart just happened to be the woman chosen for me.

I pulled out my phone and called her.

"Seris, your precious childhood friend just took the wedding car for our mating procession. What do you think I should do about that?"

...

Calling someone a childhood friend might sound harmless at first, but everyone knew it usually meant more than that. If Frostfang's heiress could not explain what happened today, then this mating ceremony might as well be called off.

To my surprise, Seris's cold voice came back with a question instead.

"Who is this? And who are you to say anything about Dorian?"

Before I could remind her who I was, the man chosen for her, the marriage her father had paid dearly to secure, the call ended.

Anger rose in my chest.

Perfect.

My arranged mate did not even have my number saved.

Dorian Wraith let out a loud laugh, looking more pleased with himself by the second.

"How pitiful. I don't know how you got Seris's number, but you didn't seriously think she'd help you just because you called, did you?"

A mocking smile curved his lips as his gaze swept over me.

"Even the lowest guard in Frostfang's estate has more right to stand here than you do. What gave you the right to speak to me like that?"

I had never cared much about appearances. As long as what I wore was clean and comfortable, that was enough. I just had not expected something so trivial to be used against me one day.

"Sorry," I said coldly, "I'm not interested in proving my worth through appearances. That's usually what insecure people care about most. And considering Seris willingly kept you by her side all these years, I'd say she's no better."

After the scene he had caused, I had lost all interest in browsing. I pointed to the ceremonial wedding car I had just selected and turned to the clerk.

"I'll take that one. Prepare the papers."

The clerk froze, clearly uneasy.

"Sorry, sir, we give priority to high-ranking pack members…"

Dorian chuckled and lifted his chin, tapping the polished badge pinned to his chest. It bore the mark of Frostfang's inner circle.

"See this?" he said with a sneer. "Lady Seris stands behind me. You? No name, no standing, no one to answer for you. So stop acting like you're above me."

I was not usually someone who enjoyed arguing, but he had pushed me far enough. I crossed my arms and released my power.

The force in my bloodline surged out in silence, crushing the air inside the motor house. The temperature seemed to drop. The lights overhead flickered, and Dorian's smug smile vanished.

I asked calmly, "How's that? Is that enough to prove I'm not just some nobody?"

He recovered quickly, though the brief fear in his eyes had not escaped me.

"So what?" he snapped. "I've never heard of you. You're probably still some nobody from a small, worthless pack."

Then he turned to the clerk, his tone sharp.

"You must be new, so let me make this clear. This is Northmere, under Alpha Alaric Thornhart's rule. If you dare hand that car to him, this place won't last until dawn."

The clerk's hand trembled around the file as though it had suddenly become too heavy to hold.

He looked at me, voice shaking.

"Sir, I'm just trying to make a living. I can't afford to offend Frostfang. Please… don't make this harder for me."

The customers around us had already begun whispering.

"I've seen Mr. Wraith here before. Lady Seris really spoils him. No one gets what they want if he decides otherwise."

"One time, some werewolf made him uncomfortable just by looking at him too long. Lady Seris had the man thrown out of the pack the very next day."

"Sir, you may have a strong bloodline, but compared to Frostfang's heiress, you're nothing. If you know what's good for you, lower your head and apologize to Mr. Wraith."

Dorian's smile only grew brighter as the fear and submission around him fed his arrogance. He took a few slow steps closer, the heels of his boots striking the floor with crisp, deliberate clicks.

"That's right," he said. "Kneel, lower your head, and admit you had no right to touch what I wanted."

He looked me up and down, eyes full of contempt.

"If you do that, I might consider letting you walk out of here with a little dignity left."

In all my years, this was the first time I had met someone arrogant enough to posture in front of me like that. Amused, I tilted my head and asked evenly, "What was it you wanted me to do? I didn't catch it the first time."

Dorian sneered.

"Deaf too? Fine. I said kneel, lower your head, and admit you overstepped."

I laughed.

"Good. I heard you clearly this time."

I looked him over and smiled.

"Since you're so eager to demonstrate how a beaten cur should behave, why not do it yourself first? Kneel. Lower your head. Maybe then I'll decide whether you're worth answering."

The moment he realized he had been played, his face twisted. With a furious shout, he lunged at me, claws bared.

How pathetic.

I had been trained like a warrior since I was young. Dorian actually thought he could lay a hand on me in a place like this. I did not even need to strike back. The instant he came at me, I merely stepped aside.

He missed completely. His own momentum sent him crashing face-first onto the floor.

The crowd gasped.

"Oh my God! He actually did that to Mr. Wraith?"

"If Lady Seris finds out, she'll tear him apart!"

"He's finished. No one can save him now."

I listened to the whispers without the slightest fear. Fear had never meant much to me. My sister, Evelina Duskbane, the Lycan Chairwoman, stood above every pack in this country. No one alive had the right to make me afraid.

I pulled out the black card she had given me and dropped it onto the counter.

"Prepare the papers."

The clerk's hands shook as he reached for the file, his terrified eyes darting between Dorian and me.

He had barely picked it up when Dorian staggered back to his feet and blocked my path.

"You're not going anywhere," he snapped.

I glanced at the dust on his sleeve and gave a faint smile.

"What is it? Want to taste the floor again?"

He flinched at once, and I let out a short laugh.

I had just stepped past him when the front doors burst open.

A tall figure strode in.

The entire jewelry house fell silent the moment she appeared. A powerful pressure rolled through the room, pressing down on everyone like a sudden storm.

My gaze followed a pair of polished heels upward.

So that was Seris Thornhart in the flesh.

She was tall and striking, dressed in a dark silk dress that skimmed her figure without a single crease. Her makeup was flawless, every detail precise, from the sharp sweep of her eyeliner to the deep color on her lips. Diamonds gleamed at her throat and ears, cold and expensive under the lights.

I had to admit it. My sister knew my taste far too well.

The moment Dorian saw her, all his arrogance changed into grievance. He rushed straight to her side, grabbed her arm, and said with reddened eyes, "Lady Seris, he took the car I wanted and even attacked me!"

So this was the woman I was supposed to mate with.

I looked her over from head to toe, then let a slow smile rise to my lips.

"Nice to meet you," I said. "I'm Caelan Ashford, the man chosen for you."

The werewolves around us broke into shocked whispers at once.

"What? He's Lady Seris's arranged match?"

"No wonder he dared offend Dorian. Seris has to defend the man chosen for her this time, right?"

"You're too naive. That depends on who Lady Seris actually cares about."

Seris's gaze finally settled on me, but there was no warmth in it, only cold dismissal.

"Don't flatter yourself," she said. "That absurd mating contract was my father's decision, not mine. I never agreed to it."

At once, Dorian tightened his grip on her arm and looked at me with open triumph.

"You heard her," he said. "Someone like you will never have the standing to bind yourself to Frostfang's heiress."

A few others immediately joined in.

"That's right. Any wolf tied to Lady Seris should be someone with status and strength, not some nobody from a backwater pack."

"He's not fit to speak in the same room as Mr. Wraith."

I looked at Seris one last time, then shook my head and walked past her.

"Do me a favor," I said. "Tell your father to cancel the arrangement."

I did not bother looking back.

"You're not worthy of me."

I had heard from Evelina that Alpha Alaric Thornhart had paid a steep price just to secure this arrangement. If he ever learned his daughter had ruined it with her own hands, the fallout ought to be worth watching.

That thought steadied me enough that I stopped wasting energy on the fools around me. I turned to leave, but Dorian refused to let it end there.

Emboldened by Seris's open protection, he grabbed my arm.

"Don't think about walking away, thief. You took the ceremonial wedding car I wanted and shoved me. I'm not done with you."

I turned back. "Then what exactly do you want?"

He mistook calm for weakness and lunged for my throat.

"I'll break the hand you used to touch that car," he snarled. "Then let's see how you still stand in Frostfang's procession."

I caught his wrist and drove a punch into his ribs, forcing him back.

His face twisted. "You—"

I shoved him away. "Satisfied?"

He staggered back and immediately hid behind Seris, outrage replacing arrogance.

"Lady Seris, you have to defend me."

Seris drew him behind her and looked at me with chilling indifference.

"Anyone who lays a hand on my people," she said, "won't live to see tomorrow."

At her signal, the Gamma warriors moved.

I kicked one of them down before the rest closed in, but I was outnumbered. They forced my arms behind my back and drove me to my knees. One pinned my shoulders while another locked my wrists in place.

Then Seris looked at Dorian and said, without hesitation, "Do whatever you want. I'm on your side."

That was all he needed.

Dorian strode over and drove his fist into my jaw. Before I could recover, another punch slammed into my cheekbone, followed by a hard kick to my stomach.

Pain burst through me. I bent forward, one arm tightening over my abdomen, then forced myself to look up.

"Remember this," I said through clenched teeth. "I won't let either of you walk away from this."

Dorian laughed.

"This is Frostfang's territory. And you? You're just some outsider from nowhere. What exactly do you think you can do to me? I'll show you what happens to anyone who crosses me."

His eyes shifted around the motor house and landed on a heavy steel tool used by the mechanics.

He picked it up, then seized my right wrist and slammed my hand flat against the edge of a display table.

I understood at once.

"You wanted that ceremonial wedding car so badly, didn't you?" he said softly. "Then let's see how you ride in Frostfang's procession with a ruined hand."

The crowd gasped.

For a werewolf warrior, crippling the hand that had reached for the wedding car was more than pain. It was humiliation. A message that he was unfit to stand beside Frostfang's heiress in public.

Dorian tightened his grip and raised the tool.

The first blow came down hard enough to smash my knuckles against the metal edge. White-hot pain shot up my arm.

My breath caught.

For the first time that day, real panic hit me.

"I was wrong," I said quickly. "Take the car. I shouldn't have fought you for it. Just stop."

Swallowing my pride was better than letting him destroy my hand.

But Dorian only smiled.

"Now you know how to beg? Too late."

He raised the tool again.

I struggled against the Gamma warriors, but they only forced me down harder. My knees ground against the floor. My shoulders felt close to tearing.

Seris stood to the side with her arms folded, watching everything with cold indifference.

I looked straight at her. "You have no idea who I am, Seris. You'll regret letting him do this to me."

She only shrugged.

"And who are you supposed to be?" she said. "Nothing more than a piece traded into a mating contract."

A vicious light flashed in Dorian's eyes.

"All the better," he said. "Once I'm done with this hand, let's see if you still dare imagine standing beside Frostfang's heiress."

"Stop—"

Just then, my phone started ringing.

I twisted toward the sound, but Dorian was quicker. He snatched it from my pocket and answered it.

Evelina's voice came through the line.

"Caelan, have you chosen the wedding car yet?"

Relief hit me so hard it hurt.

"Eva, save me!" I shouted. "They're attacking me! He's trying to break my hand!"

There was a beat of silence.

Then Evelina's voice turned cold enough to freeze blood.

"What? Who touched you?"

Dorian laughed into the phone. "Your brother's out of line. Don't thank me. I'm just teaching him some manners for you."

The next second, Evelina's rage came through the speaker so fiercely that even the warriors restraining me hesitated.

"I don't care who you think you are," she said. "Let my brother go. Right now. If I have to come there myself, every last one of you will pay for it."

Dorian laughed again. "Then come."

He cut the call, threw my phone to the floor, and punched me again.

Every breath hurt. Curled against the pain, I lost all sense of time.

Ten minutes later, engines roared outside.

A convoy of black armored vehicles sealed off the street. Nearly a hundred warriors stepped out in formation.

Then the rear door of the vehicle opened.

Evelina Duskbane stepped down.

The pressure of her bloodline rolled across the street like a storm, stronger than any Alpha aura I had ever felt. Everyone in the motor house froze.

Her gaze swept the entrance, cold and lethal.

"Now," she said, "where is the idiot who laid hands on my brother?"