Chapter six

The Alpha's Conditions

The forest was eerily quiet.

The surviving Blackstone warriors stood alert, while the Lucaster elders waited anxiously for Miguel's answer.

Lynnek folded her arms across her chest.

"If you think I'm going to marry a man I barely know just because the council commands it, you're all mistaken."

Elder Rowan sighed.

"This marriage isn't a command, Lady Lynnek. It's the only way to prevent the Bloodmoon Council from interfering."

"The Bloodmoon Council?" she asked.

Miguel's expression darkened.

"They're the highest authority among the werewolf packs," he explained. "When a pack becomes unstable, they appoint a new Alpha or destroy the pack if it's beyond saving."

Lynnek's eyes widened.

"My pack could be destroyed?"

"It already stands on the edge of collapse," Miguel replied.

The truth stung.

Claudia's hunger for power had weakened the Lucaster Pack more than anyone realized.

Miguel turned to the elders.

"I have three conditions."

The elders straightened immediately.

"Name them."

"My first condition..." Miguel said, "Lynnek will never return to Lucaster as a prisoner or a bargaining chip. She will enter Blackstone as my equal."

The elders nodded.

"Agreed."

"My second condition..."

His icy blue eyes settled on Rowan.

"No one—not Claudia, not Aria, not even Alpha Victor—will have the authority to command or punish her once she enters my territory."

"We accept."

Lynnek looked at him in surprise.

He wasn't asking for power over her.

He was taking power away from those who had hurt her.

Miguel continued.

"My third condition..."

His voice became colder.

"If I discover that the accusations against Lynnek were fabricated..."

He paused.

"...the person responsible will answer to me."

A chill swept through the clearing.

Even the Lucaster elders looked uneasy.

Rowan lowered his head.

"That is... acceptable."

Lynnek stared at Miguel.

"Why?"

He looked at her.

"Why what?"

"Why are you doing this?"

He didn't answer immediately.

Instead, he stepped closer until only a few feet separated them.

"I don't tolerate injustice."

She searched his face for deception.

She found none.

"You don't even know me."

"I know enough."

Before she could ask another question, a familiar voice rang out from the edge of the clearing.

"Stop!"

Everyone turned.

Aria burst through the trees, followed by Claudia and several Lucaster guards.

Her expensive dress was stained with mud, but her fury was unmistakable.

"You can't marry her!" Aria shouted, pointing at Lynnek.

"She doesn't deserve to be Luna!"

Claudia stepped forward, forcing a polite smile.

"Alpha Miguel, forgive my daughter's outburst. We simply came to offer... a better arrangement."

Miguel's gaze remained unreadable.

"I'm listening."

Claudia rested a hand on Aria's shoulder.

"My daughter, Aria, would make a far more suitable wife. She is loyal, obedient, and has already proven herself to the Lucaster Pack."

Lynnek clenched her fists.

Aria smiled confidently.

"I'd be honored to become your Luna."

The clearing fell silent.

Miguel looked at Aria from head to toe.

For a moment, no one spoke.

Then he asked one simple question.

"Are you finished?"

Aria blinked.

"...Yes."

Miguel turned away from her without another glance.

"I wasn't asking for volunteers."

A few Blackstone warriors struggled to hide their laughter.

Aria's face flushed with embarrassment.

Miguel walked past her until he stood beside Lynnek.

Then, in full view of everyone, he spoke firmly.

"My proposal is for Lynnek."

"And if she accepts, no one will replace her."

Aria's confident smile vanished.

Claudia's eyes narrowed with barely concealed anger.

Lynnek looked at Miguel, stunned.

This was the second time he had publicly chosen to stand beside her.

She still didn't know whether to trust him.

But for the first time since losing her mother...

She no longer felt alone.