Chapter 1
My father’s head hit the stone floor in front of me. I stared at it from where I lay bound beneath the throne, my heart pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears. The Alpha King was dead. My father was dead. And I knew I was next.
“Daughter of the great Alpha King,” Alpha Blackwood said as he stepped toward me. “Oh, how you have fallen.” He reached down and grabbed a fistful of my hair, yanking my head back and forcing me to look into the face of the man who had just taken everything from me. I spat in his face. He kicked me, and I forced myself not to cry out. Fuck this man. I will not cower to him. I looked up at him, challenging him to kill me. He smiled cruelly. “You want me to kill you... but I’m not done having my fun yet.” He grabbed my dress and ripped it, pulling it from me in tatters. I refused to bow my head in shame. No matter what he did, I would not show weakness to this horrible man. He reached for my face again, and I bit him as hard as I could, feeling his blood fill my mouth. He jerked back in pain. I smiled at him. He pulled out his whip and slashed it across my back. This time, I couldn’t stop the cry of pain that escaped me. “I’m going to have fun playing with you,” he said.
“Father.” The deep voice came from somewhere behind him. Alpha Blackwood stopped and glanced over his shoulder. “She’s my mate.”
Silence fell over the room. I turned my head toward the voice and froze. Darius Blackwood. Alpha of the Shadowridge Pack. Of course I knew him. His territory bordered ours, and my father had trusted him. Until today, I had believed Darius was our ally. I had seen him plenty of times over the years at meetings and gatherings. Now my father’s blood stained the floor between us.
“I can feel the pull toward her,” Darius continued. “Her scent confirms it.” His voice hardened. “Give her to me, Father. Let me have her as my breeder.”
I spat at him too, blood dribbling down my face. Alpha Blackwood roared with laughter. “Do you hear that? My son wants you as his breeder.” His eyes traveled over me. “You are a defiant, pretty little thing. I’m not sure I want to just give you over, though. Maybe I should have my fun first.”
“No.” The single word came from Darius, deep and unwavering.
Alpha Blackwood slowly turned toward his son. “No?”
“She is my mate, Father.”
“And she is the daughter of the man whose head is lying at your feet,” Alpha Blackwood snapped. “Do you think I care what the Moon Goddess decided? Her bloodline ends here.”
“Then you would be wasting it.” His father stared at him as Darius stepped closer. “She is the daughter of an Alpha King, and she is my fated mate. Think about what that means. Her bloodline is strong. I want her.”
“You want her?” Alpha Blackwood laughed. “Look at her. She would sooner tear out your throat than spread her legs for you.”
“Then I’ll deal with her.”
Alpha Blackwood’s smile disappeared. “Perhaps I don’t want you to deal with her. Perhaps I want to finish what I started.”
Darius moved closer until only a few feet separated them. “There needs to be no doubt that the heir is mine, Father. She is my fated mate. She is mine.” His voice hardened. “I came here and helped you defeat this pack. I fought beside you. You would not be sitting on that throne without me. You owe me this.”
The room went quiet again. Alpha Blackwood studied his son for several long seconds. Neither of them looked away. Finally, his father scoffed. “Fine. Take her.” He looked down at me with a cruel smile before turning back to Darius. “But she had better be carrying your pup by the next full moon, or I’ll finish what I started.”
My stomach twisted. Darius didn’t hesitate. “She will be my problem from now on.”
Alpha Blackwood laughed. “Oh, I think she’ll be quite a problem.”
Darius reached down, grabbed me by my bound hands, and pulled me to my feet. “Come, mate,” he said with a wicked smile. “Your bloodline had better be strong.”
I refused to walk for him, so he dragged me out of the throne room by my bound hands. Once we were outside, he let go of me and leaned down. “Stand up and walk down these steps unless you want to be thrown down them.”
I looked up at him defiantly but decided I would have to take my chances with him for now. If I wasn’t going to be executed today, maybe I could find a way to escape Darius. I stood and walked down the steps with my head held high. I would not let the people who were left see me on my knees to anyone.
A carriage pulled up, and Darius pushed me roughly toward it. “Get in,” he barked.
I stumbled inside and fell face-first onto the carriage floor. Before I could push myself up, he grabbed me around the waist, lifted me, and set me down on the seat. Then he climbed in and sat across from me. He closed the door, and I braced myself for whatever came next. A beating, most likely. Maybe worse. But he just sat there, studying me. Then he threw a blanket at me. “Warm yourself and stay on your side.”
I stared at him suspiciously as he reached over and cut the rope binding my wrists together. Then he pulled out a flask and held it toward me. “Drink. You’re no good to me dead.” I looked across the carriage at the man who had betrayed my father, helped destroy my pack, and then claimed me as his mate. Of all the wolves the Moon Goddess could have chosen for me, she had chosen him.
Moon Goddess, save me.
