CHAPTER 1

ZARA POV

The autumn wind whipped at my face as I hurried through the town, my coat collar pulled up against the biting chill. I couldn't shake the sense of dread that had settled in my stomach. The Alpha had summoned me to his office, a rare occurrence that usually meant trouble. And the fact that he'd sent one of his henchmen to escort me made the situation even more ominous.

We hadn't spoken a word since he had arrived at my doorstep this morning and told me The Alpha wanted to talk to me. We had just walked in total silence, him at my shoulder every step of the way as if waiting for me to flee. 

Which was stupid. If I was going to run, I would have done that a long time ago. 

It wasn't until he led me through the halls to the Alpha's office and knocked on the door that he finally said something. And it was to the Alpha of the night moon pack, not to me. 

“It's Harry,” he said. “I have got her as you requested, Alpha.”

HER, I didn't even warrant any actual name. That was how low I was on the social totem pole here. 

I sighed and knocked on the door uneasily.

“Enter,” the commanding voice of the Alpha behind the door echoed. I took a deep breath and turned the knob. 

“You wanted to see me, Father?” I asked. 

My father was a towering figure, even when seated behind his desk. His muscles rippled beneath his shirt, and every step he took screamed. “Dominance.” His black hair was greying and his face was wrinkled, but his dark eyes were sharp and intelligent as ever. He regarded me with cool indifference that I pretended didn't make my hair stand on end. Something about the situation spelled ‘danger,” but I wasn't sure why.

It was impossible to notice that Harry had stepped into the room and closed the door. He positioned himself in front of it, blocking my only escape route.

“Have a seat, Zara.” My father motioned to the wooden chair in front of his desk. It wasn't a suggestion; it was a demand. I hurried to follow his orders.

“How are you doing, Zara?” He asked. It was perfunctory. I knew that he didn't really care. 

“I’m fine, and yourself?”

“Not good.” He stood up and stalked over to the window, looking out at the town square below, where people ambled about, enjoying the autumn weather.

“If I may ask__what’s this about?” I asked further but he didn't answer right away. Instead, he drummed his fingers against his folded arm as he looked at me like I was an interesting specimen. The look was enough to make my stomach clench in unease. I hated the silence, but I knew better than to rush him. So, I waited nervously.

Finally, he said, “I'm assuming you know who Weston is by now.”

Of course I knew who Weston was. He was the reason I got rejected and humiliated publicly at the mating ball a few years ago. He is also the same reason why everyone stayed inside whenever possible, he was a beast, and had underlying power to protect and also to cause damage but I had no idea what Weston had to do with me, but I nodded nonetheless.

“Weston and I were able to come to an arrangement.” my father said. He gave a feral grin that made ice crawl up my spine. That was not a good look. 

“That's terrible,” I said slowly. “But… I'm sorry… Why are you telling me this? I’m not exactly…” I trailed off. But I didn't need to finish my sentence. My father already knew what I had been about to say. 

“We all know that you are not important. You're about as low in the hierarchy as you can get, why don't you save maybe yourself, child.” He sniffed derisively. “Normally, I wouldn't tell you anything. But I'm telling you based on courtesy and loyalty to your mother who I loved, but that's it.”

I shifted uncomfortably, looking down. He was telling the truth, but the blunt nature of his statement still stung, and the jab made me bristle. The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. But I swallowed the temptation to snap back at him, knowing it would only get me into deep trouble, and I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing he had gotten to me. Besides, there were more important things to deal with at the moment. I looked up at him. 

“I still do not understand why you are telling me,” I said. 

He came up to me, towering a good foot over my head. “We all know that Weston is a very powerful, young, strong and dangerous looking man, and he seemed to be the type of man who could keep his wits about him. He said he would stop terrorizing our town, won't cause trouble or friction and he would keep out of our way.”

“So?” 

“So we agreed on a tribute.”

“A tribute? Like a sacrifice?” 

He tilted his head from side to side. 

“Not a sacrifice. They are not going to kill anyone. Think of it as more of an offering.”

“I still don't underst—”

“Are you really this dense?” He snapped. I flinched backward. “You know who the alpha is, don't you?”

I shook my head. 

“What’s the arrangements?” I asked. A clipped, almost panicked edge had entered my voice. 

“He would protect the town and come to an alliance in exchange for you.”

My entire world came crashing down around me as the words hit home. My mouth dropped wide open, half convinced I must have misheard him.

“You can't be serious,” I managed to say. 

"Believe me, I'm dead serious." He stepped closer, his face inches from mine, forcing me to lean back. "I offered you to him in exchange for an alliance, and he agreed." A cold, calculating grin spread across his lips. "Congratulations. You're about to become his bride."

“I’m not,” I said before springing to my feet and matching towards the door. I stopped short. Harry was still there, arms folded like a club bouncer. The look on his face dared me to try getting past him.

A strong arm grabbed my bicep and spun me around so I was face to face with My Father again. The smug smile had been replaced by a sinister, disconcerting scowl.

“Yes, you are,” he said, his warm breath brushing against my face. “You are an outcast who had made stupid decisions before now, but that doesn't change the fact that you are a member of this pack. And I'm your Alpha. You are going to do your duty by obeying the Alpha's ruling and command.”

“I’m sure this goes beyond what's expected of me.” I tugged my arm from his grip. I half expected him to grip me tighter or even slap me hard across the face but he let me go. “Don't I get a say in any of this?”

He gave me a feral smile that seemed to fill my vision. “No.”

“This isn't fair,” I managed to say. Everything around me seemed to be spinning. 

“I think this is perfectly fair,” he said, folding his arms as he frowned down at me. “If this makes it easier, you can think of this as a punishment for disobeying our laws.”

“That was one time, and it was years ago.” I burst out, unable to hide my anger and disbelief. “I don't see how this two things are even connected. Haven't I paid enough for it by being ostracised ever since?” 

“No.” The single word was like a sharp knife to the stomach. “You made the choice of falling in love with a human when you knew it was against our rules, and I lost my precious wife because of you. That sort of disobedience can't be forgiven.”