Three: Sloane

The castle was silent when I entered, and I tiptoed toward the stairwell. I knew I would be scolded for running away today, but my priority was getting to my room and changing out of my ripped and drenched dress.

If my mother were to see me like this, her perfectly healthy heart would give out, and my father would send out an army to avenge me. They would probably call the pack doctor in to examine me and confirm whether I had been raped, and even though my lip had already healed, I would be checked from head to toe for injuries.

I ran up the back stairwell on the balls of my feet, trying to stay as quiet as possible, but every breath I released sounded like an alarm bell blaring through the small passageway.

Just as I reached the door to my room, my sister's opened just across the hall.

"What happened to you?" Ellie asked, but there was no concern in her tone. She was still bitter about the contest, but I didn't understand why. She was only eighteen and still had plenty of time to find someone.

I couldn't understand why she had lashed out as if offended when it was announced that the packs would be arriving to compete for my hand instead of hers. Her time would be here soon enough.

Ellie was one of the most beautiful women in the pack, tall and toned, with golden hair that naturally fell in perfect, frizz-free waves and a magical mix of brown eyes with green flecks.

Mine were just plain brown, and my hair was a dull, dirty blonde. Compared to my mother, who had been the most beautiful woman in the pack in her day and the daughter she passed that gene down to, I felt bland and hated it.

"I fell," I said, sounding just as curt and angry as she did when she had asked me.

"Are you hurt?"

The question surprised me, and I blinked once before shaking my head silently. She had always been a vain and self-centered person, and the last thing I expected was for her to care about my well-being, especially when she wouldn't be the center of attention for the next month.

"Shame." Her eyes scanned me over once more before she scoffed. I gaped at her as she spun on her heels and stormed down the hallway. She used to be nice, but after attending a meeting with my father at another pack a few months ago, she returned as a different person.

I almost wanted to call that pack and tell them they should have kept her longer, but I didn't think the other pack would want her with her attitude either.

The smell of dinner wafted down the hallway, making my stomach grumble.

I knew Ellie was heading down to eat with our parents. I just had to hope I could get there before she told them about my appearance and made things worse for me. Their punishments had usually been pretty lenient, but one day, they would snap, and from how tense they had been, I figured that day was coming soon.

Within a minute, I was in a new dress and had pulled my tangled hair up into a decent enough bun before running down the hallway, cursing myself for forgetting to grab shoes. I just had to hope my mother wouldn't notice.

The table was set, with the food laid out as my father dug in like he had been starving for years while my mother glared at him, waiting for everyone to take their seat before serving herself.

My brother, Aiden, was the only redhead in the family. He was fourteen but acted like he was damn near my age most of the time. When he saw me enter, his eyes widened, and he bit back a laugh, pointedly looking at my bare feet before turning to get my mom's attention by 'accidentally' flipping his fork off his overfilled plate and sending peas across the room.

"Aiden McKenna! Mind your manners!" She scolded him, barely sparing me a glance as I rushed to my seat and tucked my chair in. "We will have important guests arriving over the next few days, and I expect you to behave."

"Shouldn't you be telling that to Sloane? She's the one who spent the day out in no man's land," Ellie said, not bothering to hide the dramatic roll of her eyes as she pointed her fork in my direction and slumped against the back of her chair.

It was the first time in years that I had seen her act so informally. She usually had a stick up her butt, so far I could see the end of it when she opened her mouth to kiss my father's ass.

"Careful, Ellie. If you don't lose the attitude, no one will want to mate with you when you come of age." I knew it was a lie. When she turned twenty and could be fought over, she would have no shortage of people interested.

Still, my comment hit the mark, and Ellie sat forward in her seat so fast I thought she would lunge for me. There was a fire burning in her eyes that told me I had done nothing more than poke the beast.

I made a mental note to sleep with my door locked and one eye open.

"That is enough! All of you shut it and eat your dinner!" My mother shouted, slamming her fist down on the table and making my father jump as he reached for another chicken breast. Long ago, he learned to tune us out if he wanted a peaceful dinner.

Nothing could bother him if he weren't listening to it, but as soon as he was done eating, he returned to being the Alpha and forgot to be a father.

I pressed my lips together at the stunned look on his face as he slowly stabbed a piece of meat with his fork and brought it back to his plate, his eyes never leaving his mate as if looking for her permission to continue his feast.

The dinner progressed slowly from there, and I was pleasantly surprised that it was so peaceful until my mother cleared her throat and my father placed his fork and knife down. Without food to eat, his good mood was going to be gone.

Both of my siblings sat across from me, and Ellie smirked victoriously when she glanced between our parents and came to the same realization that I had. I was in trouble.

"Where were you today?" My father asked, but by the single raised eyebrow and the fact that Ellie had ratted me out, I knew he already had his answer.

I was still angry about his decision to force me into mating with someone I didn't choose for myself and debated telling him the truth. It was much less believable than any lie I would come up with. Yet, I felt the unreasonable need to keep it to myself for a bit longer.

If my father knew the Rogue Alpha was nearby, he wouldn't let me leave tomorrow to see him at the pond. "I went for a run…"

"After ignoring my order for you to stay and evading the guards." My father cut me off, but I continued to speak anyway, angering him further.

"I fell into a trap and ripped my dress. It took me a while to get out."

My father was fuming, and I glanced from him to my mother, seeing the disappointment on her face.

"Do not lie to me!" The bottom of his fist connected with the table, and I jumped as my head whipped back around to face him.

"I'm not!" It was a failed attempt at arguing, and I flinched back when he stood from his chair, leaning over the table. My head shook back and forth, and for some reason, I turned to Ellie as if she would step in and vouch for me and the state I was in when I returned to the castle.

"This mating is important to our people, and you better start acting right! You have a responsibility to our pack, and I expect you to do your part!" He ordered, glaring down at me.

"You can't honestly expect me to be okay with you handing me over to some stranger and forcing me to mate with him!" My argument fell on deaf ears, and I felt heat build behind my eyes.

I didn't want to be given away like some trophy. I would rather be back at the pond with…

I didn't even know his name. He had saved me more than once, yet I knew nothing about him. Rogues could not be trusted, and he was a rogue… a handsome devilish rogue, and the Alpha of them no less, but they were violent and tricksters.

Still, once I had realized that the mysterious stranger hadn't meant me any harm this morning, I had been able to acknowledge the unnatural pull I felt toward him. The same one that had me diving into the water after him and following him to the town of rogues against my better judgment.

I would wait at the pond all day tomorrow if I had to, just to get some answers.

Heat rushed up my cheeks as I thought back to the feeling of his hot tongue flicking the split in my lip and the rush of pleasure that shot through me. It was the most sensual moment of my life, and I wanted him to do it again.

"I expect you to do what I say!" He shouted, and a snort from across the table had my father turning his glare to Ellie. She shrank back, but there was still humor in her eyes as she stared at me. "Your little tantrum is over. I do not want you leaving the pack lands again!"

I couldn't promise that. Even if I did, I would be breaking that promise tomorrow when I went to the pond.

"If we need this alliance so badly, why don't you put Ellie up first? At least she wants a mate!" I thrust my hand in her direction, and she scoffed.

"I don't want a mate!" Her denial made me laugh bitterly because we all knew that wasn't true.

"Then you just want to be the center of attention!" I was fuming and sick of her attitude. After her treatment of our family over the past few months, I felt no obligation to spare her feelings.

"I don't think you're the best choice to represent our pack! They will be humiliated when they realize you're the one they have to fight over." Her head tilted to the side as if she were examining me. I leaned forward to snap at her again but was stopped by my father.

"That is enough!" My father shouted, his power radiating off him and forcing us to submit. My chin dipped down, and I stared at the table, resisting the urge to kick Ellie under it.

"The first pack will be arriving tomorrow. I expect you to make a good and lasting impression. Do not disappoint us, Sloane." My father hissed down at me, and I held his stare in an open challenge, one I knew he wouldn't take. He didn't have it in him to kill his own daughter, and he knew I was just angry at the situation.

The first pack may be here tomorrow, but I won't be.