CHAPTER 2

Chapter 2

Thalia's POV

“What are you doing Caden?” I took a step back in fear. Caden took a step forward, glaring at me like he was a predator and I was prey.

“In case you've forgotten, I am the Alpha of bloodstone pack.” He growled, his amber eyes flickering with red which means…his wolf was on the surface. “No one leaves my back unless I allow it.”

I swallowed hard, summoning what little courage I had left. “You can’t keep me here against my will. You’ve already taken everything from me—”

But then, I noticed his gaze flick past me, a silent signal I almost missed. Panic surged through me, and I tried to turn around, but before I could react—

Crack

A sudden searing pain exploded at the back of my head, and the world began to spin. My knees buckled, and I collapsed to the floor, vision blurring as I struggled to stay conscious.

“Well, that was easier than I thought.” I heard Astrid sneer at me.

“Poor, pathetic Thalia,” she cooed mockingly. “The Rogue Sovereign will be pleased to have such a… gift.” She chuckled, nudging me with her foot as if I were nothing but a discarded object.

They continued their taunts as I slipped further into darkness. My last thoughts before everywhere went black was a question that haunted me for years on end: why wasn't I enough.

—-

A sharp acute pain pulsed in my skull as I slowly regained my consciousness. I blinked, trying to shake off the darkness in my vision but everything still looked pitch black apart from the faint ray of light that shone from a small window above.

I tried to move but cold metal bit into my wrists and ankles. Chains

My eyes widened as I realized my predicament.

“What..what?” Panic surged as I tried to free myself but it was impossible considering how weak I was at the moment.

I swallowed hard and did the only thing I could do at the moment. I screamed, the sound ripping out of my throat in desperation. “Help! Somebody, help me!”

A small window slid open near the top of the carriage, and a face appeared, “Quiet down,” a male voice barked, irritated.

“Where am I?” I gasped, my heart hammering. “What’s going on?”

The man sighed, muttering something under his breath. “It’s not like you don’t know. The Alpha arranged for you to be a tribute.”

“A… tribute?” The word felt foreign but then, I remembered Caden saying the exact same thing before I lost consciousness.

The guard continued, unfazed by my shock. “The Alpha made a deal with the Rogue Sovereign. Said if we sent enough ‘tribute,’ he might spare us in his campaign. The Alpha thinks a pretty wolf like you will keep the Rogue Sovereign’s attention off Bloodstone.”

The world tilted as his words sank in, a sickening dread seizing my chest. Caden had sold me off. Sent me to the Rogue Sovereign—one of the most feared beings in the land—to save his own skin. He’d rather offer me up like cattle than fight for his pack. My throat went dry, and my voice shook as I stammered, “The Rogue Sovereign… isn’t he—?”

The guard sneered, “Cruel, merciless, a tyrant with a taste for pain? That’s the one.” He shook his head, almost sympathetically. “There’s not much left of the wolves sent his way, Luna. Good luck, though.”

Hot tears began to spill from my eyelids yet again as I remembered the stories told of the Rogue sovereign. his ruthless conquests, his emotionless reign, his love for blood. This was the sort of man Caden had sold me off too.

Tears spilled down my cheeks, hot and bitter as they slid to my chin, but I was too weak to

wipe them away and the chains weren't helping. I had no fight left. Resigned, I closed my eyes, and laid my head on the cold floor, accepting my fate.

The journey passed in a blur, and soon, I felt the carriage lurch to a stop. The door creaked open, and the man yanked me out, hauling me to my feet alongside the other gifts, items and women being offered as tribute.

I kept my gaze on the ground, too ashamed and afraid to look anyone in the eye as we were led inside a sprawling stone palace. The chill in the air seeped through my skin, tightening the chains that weighed down my every step.

Soon, we reached a vast throne room, where we were instructed to kneel. Heart pounding, I kept my gaze low, dreading the moment when I would have to meet the monster who held my life in his hands. A hush fell over the room, and the heavy doors creaked open.

“Presenting the Rogue Sovereign!” a voice announced, the echo magnifying each word as the man himself strode into the room.

A pair of boots stopped in front of me, and I felt an unmistakable presence, powerful and commanding. I lifted my head, trembling as I met his gaze—and then froze, my heart leaping to my throat. I was in pure shock.

Those once warm, sea-blue eyes—now cold and distant—had once looked upon me as if I were the only thing of worth in the world. That long, raven black hair I’d loved to run my fingers through, now falling around a scarred face hardened by time and pain. Those full lips, once pressed to mine with overwhelming tenderness, were now set in a line as if love had never touched them at all.

Could this really be him?

The man before me, the one who’d haunted my memories, my first love—the one my parents had torn from my life, forcing him into exile so I’d marry Caden.

I gasped in shock and then, his name rolled out of my tongue like a sweet, forgotten promise. “Ronan…”