One

SAGE

“Alpha Ethan Blackwood of the Lunar Legion Pack has agreed to take you as his wife. Consider it a kindness.”

“What?”

The Alpha waved a hand dismissing me. And before I could even get a word out, I was being shoved aside by a pack soldier who saw it fit to cast me aside like a garbage.

My stepfather can’t do this to me! No, he can’t!

The weight of the world seemed to press against my chest as I stood in the dimly lit hall of my stepfather, Marcus’s house, with my hands clenched at my sides. It was as though the air itself was thick with the judgment of those who saw me as little more than a servant—an inconvenience. No one cared that my mother, once a proud warrior, had died protecting this pack. No one cared that I was her daughter. To them, I was nothing more than a slave. 

“I’ve made my decision, Sage.” His voice was low and cold, devoid of any affection or sympathy. This man who should have protected me after my mother’s death, stood before me with that familiar sneer etched across his face.

I stared at him, my heart thudding painfully in my chest. “You’re giving me away, aren’t you?” My voice barely cracked, but the tremble in it betrayed my fear.

He nodded, not even bothering to meet my eyes. “You are going to be a Luna. Quite frankly, you don’t deserve it. I don’t know what are you cribbing about, girl! You should consider yourself lucky.”

“Lucky?” The word tasted bitter on my tongue. “You’re selling me off like cattle, Marcus. You expect me to marry a man I’ve never met—a man known for his cruelty—just so you can be rid of me.”

His gaze finally met mine, sharp and unyielding gaze boring into me. “You’d rather stay here, Sage? In this pack where you have no rank, no status? If you stay, any male in this pack can lay claim to you. You know that.”

I flinched at the implication, bile rising in my throat. I had seen it happen to others—women discarded, taken by whomever saw fit. The idea of becoming some object of possession to a man I didn’t choose filled me with rage and despair. But the alternative… Alpha Ethan Blackwood. The rumors about him whispered through the pack like the wind in the trees. Ruthless. Cold. A man feared by even the strongest alphas.

I didn’t want this. I didn’t want any of it. But did I truly have a choice?

“How could you do this to me?” I asked, my voice quieter now, a broken edge to it. “How could you throw me to the wolves like this? After everything my mother did for you, for this pack, you’re going to treat her daughter like this?”

His face tightened, as though I had struck a nerve. “Your mother is gone, Sage. And you… you are a burden I no longer wish to carry. You should be grateful I found a match for you at all. Alpha Ethan is powerful, and you’ll be his Luna. Isn’t that what every woman wants? Power? Protection? Money?”

“Protection?” I laughed bitterly, the sound hollow in my own ears. “From what? From you? From this pack that has done nothing but mock and ridicule me? You think handing me over to a monster like Ethan Blackwood will keep me safe?”

His eyes darkened, and he took a step closer. “I’ve given you a choice, Sage. Marry Ethan or remain here as a slave. That’s the reality of it. No one in this pack will ever see you as anything more than what you are—a girl without a family, without a rank. You’re lucky I’m offering you this at all.”

My breath hitched, but I refused to back down. “Lucky,” I whispered, tasting the word, feeling the bile rise again.

His expression hardened, and for a moment, the cruel indifference in his eyes made me want to recoil. “Your emotions don’t matter, Sage. Not anymore. You’ll be leaving in three days. Prepare yourself.”

I stood there, my fists trembling, the weight of his words sinking in. 

Three days. Three days, and I would be married off to a man I had never met, whose reputation alone was enough to strike fear into anyone’s heart. A man who, by all accounts, had no compassion, no mercy. And I was expected to submit to him. To be his wife.

I felt a sharp sting behind my eyes, but I swallowed the tears back. I would not cry in front of my stepfather. Not again. Not after all these years of his cruelty and indifference. He didn’t deserve my tears.

“You’ve already made your choice for me,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt. “But know this, Marcus—I will never forgive you for this. I will never forget what you’ve done.”

He merely shrugged, turning away as if I were nothing more than a nuisance he was finally rid of. “Do as you wish, Sage. Just be ready when the time comes.”

With that, he left the room, the door closing behind him with a heavy thud. I stood there, the silence pressing in on me, suffocating me.

XXX

I wanted to scream, to throw something, to rage against the injustice of it all. But what good would it do? I had no one left. No one who cared. My mother had been my anchor, my protector, and when she died, it was as though the last bit of warmth in my life had been snuffed out.

I had survived these past few years under Marcus’ cruel hand by clinging to my strength, my pride. But this… this was something else. I had been backed into a corner, and no matter what choice I made, I was bound to lose. 

Tears pricked my eyes again, but I blinked them away. No. I couldn’t let myself fall apart. Not now. Not yet. 

I walked to the small window of my room, staring out at the darkening sky. The wind howled through the trees, the night growing colder. Somewhere out there, Alpha Ethan Blackwood was waiting. Waiting for me.

The thought chilled me to the bone, but I knew there was no escape from this. I had no allies, no one to turn to. The pack saw me as nothing, and the man I was about to marry saw me as a pawn.

But I would not break.

If this was the life I was condemned to, then I would face it with my head held high. I would not let them see me fall. Not Marcus. Not Ethan. Not anyone.

They thought they were sending me to my doom.

But they had no idea who I really was.

I would survive this.

I had to.

——

I left the house in a haze, my mind racing. The cold air bit at my skin, but I barely felt it. It felt like no matter which path I chose, I was doomed.

Desperation clung to me like a second skin as I made my way to the one person I could still trust—Lily. She lived on the outskirts of the pack’s territory, in a small, humble cottage that was barely standing, but it was her sanctuary. Lily was an omega, just as ridiculed and overlooked as I was, but she had something I didn’t—strength, not of the body, but of the spirit.

When I knocked on her door, it didn’t take long for her to answer. Her warm brown eyes softened with concern as soon as she saw my face.

“Sage…” she breathed, pulling me inside before I could even speak. “What’s happened? You look like you’ve been hit by a storm.”

I sank into the old, worn chair by the fire, my hands shaking. “It’s Marcus. He’s… he’s giving me to Alpha Ethan Blackwood.”

Lily’s eyes widened in shock, and for a moment, she was speechless. “That monster?” she finally whispered. “Sage, you can’t go through with this.”

I laughed bitterly, though there was no humor in it. “I don’t have a choice, Lily. If I refuse, I’ll be left here as a slave. I’ll be claimed by any man who sees fit. Either way, I lose.”

She knelt beside me, her hands gripping mine tightly. “That’s not true. You can fight this.”

“How?” I asked, my voice breaking. “I have no one. I’m nothing, Lily. My mother’s gone, and Marcus made sure I never had a place here. How am I supposed to fight back when I have no power?”

Lily’s eyes burned with determination as she squeezed my hands. “You may not have power in this pack, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have strength, Sage. You’ve survived this long under Marcus’ thumb. You can survive anything. But before you make any decisions, you need a break. You need to taste freedom, if only for a night.”

I frowned, unsure of what she meant. “What are you talking about?”

She stood and pulled me to my feet, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “We’re going out. There’s a nightclub in the next town, far enough that no one will know us. Let’s go, just for tonight. Dance, drink, and forget everything. You deserve one last night of freedom before you’re forced to make any decisions.”

I hesitated, but the idea of escaping, even for just one night, was too tempting to ignore. “Alright,” I whispered. “Let’s go.”