Chapter 1
The clinking of silverware against porcelain was the only sound in the grand dining room until Mason cleared his throat, setting down his wine glass with deliberate, heavy precision.
Lydia looked up from her plate, her emerald-green eyes shifting from her older brother, Mike, who was busy taking another generous bite of roast, to her father seated sternly at the head of the oak table. Cynthia adjusted her napkin in her lap, her expression carefully composed in a smooth, practiced way that immediately set Lydia’s instincts on edge.
“Lydia,” Mason began, his Alpha voice resonant and low, carrying the undeniable weight of an unshakeable command. “The Elders of the Frostwell pack reached out today. We have officially finalized the arrangements.”
Lydia froze, her fork hovering inches from her mouth. Her dark brown hair fell forward over her shoulders as her petite frame went completely rigid. “What arrangements?”
“Alpha Asher Frost needs a true Alpha female to solidify his pack’s standing in the north,” Cynthia spoke up softly, though her tone left absolutely no room for debate. “And the Howler pack needs a far stronger alliance in the mountain region. It has been agreed by both councils. You will be marrying Alpha Asher.”
“An arranged marriage?” Lydia’s voice cracked slightly as she set her fork down with a sharp, echoing clatter against the fine china. She looked across the table toward Mike, searching desperately for support, but her twenty-six-year-old brother simply dropped his gaze to his plate, a heavy, sympathetic sigh escaping his lips. He hated the decree, but he knew better than to openly challenge their father on high pack politics.
“He’s twenty-eight, Lydia,” Mason said, leaning forward, resting his broad forearms on the table. “He is powerful, respected, and his pack thrives under his command. The Elders proposed the union, and I accepted. This is for the ultimate future of our people.”
“He doesn’t even know me,” Lydia whispered, her chest tightening as the suffocating reality settled into her bones. “And I don’t know him.”
“You will meet him tomorrow morning when the Frostwell delegation arrives to sign the formal treaty,” Cynthia said, reaching across the table to pat Lydia’s hand gently, though the cool gesture did little to ease the cold knot forming in her stomach. “You will represent this pack with grace and poise, Lydia.”
Lydia stared down at her untouched food, the heavy silence of the dining room pressing down like a physical weight as her entire life was rewritten over a single family dinner.
“I am twenty-two, Dad,” Lydia snapped, pushing her heavy wooden chair back hard enough to make it screech loudly against the polished hardwood floor. “I’m supposed to wait for my fated mate! You met Mom, you got your true match, and now you’re forcing me to hand my entire life over to a total stranger for political leverage?”
“Watch your tone, Lydia,” Mason warned, his jaw clenching tightly as a dark flick of his Alpha aura rippled dangerously through the room. “This decision is final.”
“It’s a massive mistake,” she insisted, standing tall despite her petite build, her green eyes flashing with brilliant defiance. “Word travels fast between the northern territories, Dad. Everyone knows Asher Frost already has a woman by his side—Cindy Torelli. He’s practically chosen her! You’re sending me to a cold, distant pack where the Alpha already has his eyes on someone else, just to play house for his Elders.”
“Cindy Torelli is an omega,” Mason countered coldly, his voice slicing through the tense air like a blade. “She cannot bear the mantle of a Luna, and the Frostwell Elders will never accept her at his side. Asher knows his duty to his bloodline, and you will learn yours. This marriage secures our borders against looming threats, and you will not disrespect this family by questioning it.”
“My duty isn’t to be a sacrifice for your territory lines!” Lydia spat back, her knuckles white as she gripped the edge of the table.
“Enough!” Mason slammed his broad palm down onto the table, making the wine glasses rattle violently. “You will be ready to receive Alpha Frost tomorrow morning, and that is the absolute end of this conversation.”
Lydia glared at him, her chest heaving with furious breaths, before turning her sharp gaze to Mike, who looked utterly caught in the crossfire. Without another word, she spun on her heel and stormed out of the dining room, ignoring her mother’s soft, pleading call of her name echoing behind her.
She shoved open the heavy front door of the pack house and marched straight across the frost-dusted grounds toward the cozy cottage Mike shared with Tarryn. She didn’t bother knocking, bursting through the front door and letting it slam shut violently behind her.
Tarryn jumped up from the couch, her brown eyes widening in immediate alarm at the sight of her best friend trembling with unbridled rage. “Lydia? What happened? I thought you were having family dinner.”
“My father has completely lost his mind,” Lydia choked out, her hands shaking as she paced back and forth across the small living room. “He arranged a marriage behind my back. I’m being pawned off to Asher Frost!”
