CHAPTER TWO

Liana’s POV

The alpha’s massive fist is clenched tightly at his side. It might just be my imagination, but I believe the younger opponent lowers his head—as if yielding.

A growl rumbles in the alpha’s throat, and within it, I sense the surge of hatred and fury he is about to unleash. It engulfs me as well. Hatred so dense and acrid that I can almost taste it. Hatred directed at this towering giant for what he is about to commit.

He lets out a roar—loud and untamed—a battle cry that echoes off the stone walls of the hall.

The fight concludes in mere minutes. It is gruesome and brutal, and I hear the sickening crack of bone at one point, accompanied by the howls of agony from the younger man. The alpha pins him to the ground, a hand gripping his neck.

He lifts a fist to deliver the fatal blow—hesitating with it suspended in mid-air as if relishing the kill.

The young man gazes into my eyes instead of at the beast looming over him. And I cannot endure it. This is unjust.

“Stop!” I leap to my feet.

The alpha freezes. The crowd falls silent. Marius turns to me, his eyes narrowed, while a muscle in my father’s jaw tightens.

My heart races in my chest. Yet I refuse to sit back down.

“This is not a game.” I strive to make my voice sound calm, even though my knees tremble. “This is murder.”

The atmosphere in the hall thickens. The crowd redirects their fury, their bloodlust, from the Wolves to me. The alpha’s shoulders rise and fall sharply.

My breath quickens. I shouldn’t have spoken up. I am a woman. A statue. It’s not my role. Yet I remain standing.

"Putting down an animal is hardly murder," Marius remarks, a sharpness in his voice. "Or does my betrothed have a preference for beasts? Are you aware that they treat their women like dogs? I’ve heard that some women—"

"That’s enough." My father’s voice booms across the hall.

Marius bows his head to the king. "I didn’t intend to offend, Your Highness."

"Liana is weary. She will excuse herself and retire to her chamber," my father states.

I have let him down, and shame flushes my cheeks. But I remain still.

The alpha does not move either. His arm is still raised, his eyes fixed on his prey as he waits for our discussion to conclude. The boy’s wide eyes meet mine. Tears and blood mar his cheeks.

"Let him live." My throat feels parched.

Marius is barely holding back his fury. He clearly dislikes being challenged in front of his followers. "How good is he to be alive, my love?"

"He is young. Strong. Put him to work in the stables." I wish to vanish, but I compel myself to look at him, to smile. "A wedding gift for me, my lord."

Marius seems to be deep in thought. He rises and takes my hands; his fingers are icy and grip mine tightly like a vice. I suppress the revulsion that surges within me at his touch. He returns my gaze with a smile.

“Very well, my love. A wedding gift.” He leans in, his lips brushing against my ear. “You know, if you have a liking for these creatures, and wish to be treated like a mere mutt, that can be arranged tomorrow night after the ceremony. Who knows, maybe I will toss you into the kennels afterward. Perhaps I will even allow this alpha a turn with you, considering you have denied him his prey.”

Every fiber of my being tenses as the monster I sensed lurking within him reveals itself to me. He let go of me and faced his followers.

“The fight is finished,” he declares, and the monster retreats beneath his skin. “A gift for my betrothed, who is kind-hearted and lovely.”

The alpha’s shoulders are tense and rigid. A seething, raw anger emanates from him. It’s as if the wolf within him is enraged that he has been denied the chance to kill. He lowers his arm to his side.

I’m gasping for breath. My dress feels constricting and the air is stifling.

The alpha stands and turns his back to the crowd. He allows a couple of guards to restrain him.

“Return them to their kennels,” Marius commands. “The victor can go to the better ones. It’s only just, and he will need his rest for what we have planned for tomorrow. Put the loser back with the others. If he makes it through the night, we will find him a role as my betrothed desires. These creatures prey on the weak, though, so I doubt he will survive until morning.”

A pair of armed guards escort the alpha through the oak doors at the end of the hallway, while a steward rushes forward to pull his opponent off the ground.

“My betrothed—like many women from the south—lacks the stomach for this sport. She will be leaving now, before the next match. She needs to get ready for tomorrow night.”

His gaze hardens, and my heart pounds wildly against the cage I keep it in. I lower my head nonetheless, and, steadying my shaking hands, I curtsy.

Without looking back, I hasten across the ring. I try to disregard how my skirts drag through the blood as I make my way through the doors. Just ahead, the two fighters from the ring are being led away.

The alpha is nearing the end of the corridor. Behind him, the young wolf is slumped over the steward's shoulder, his breathing labored. He is in poor condition. If someone doesn’t attend to his injuries, he won’t be working in the stables anytime soon. And if what Marius claims is accurate—about Wolves preying on the weak.

“Wait!” I mentally scold the tremor in my voice. I shouldn’t be afraid. This is meant to be my home.

The alpha halts, and the torchlight from the corridor dances across his stern profile. Though he’s about twenty feet away, his body heat envelops me. His scent does as well—sweat, blood, and the mountains. My heart races, but I focus on the injured boy.

“Take the young one to the nice...kennel.” The inhuman term catches in my throat.

I understand that these men are not truly human, despite their appearance. Coming from the south, I realize I haven’t endured the relentless assaults from the Wolves like those in the north have.

Maybe if I had, my judgment would be different. The alpha’s fierce battle in the ring demonstrates that the Wolves possess little compassion. Yet, it feels unjust.

In front of me, the alpha’s arm muscles tighten, as if he’s about to turn back. But the guards shove him through the next set of doors, escorting him away.

I exhale deeply.

The steward supporting the boy glances at me, his thick brows furrowing. “The lord instructed—”

“I am to be your lady, and I am the daughter of your king.” I stand up taller.

I have been pretending my entire life. I have smiled through heartbreak, laughed despite my disgust, and swallowed my anger when a lord has been too familiar with me on the dance floor at a ball. I can embody the role of the powerful lady of this castle.

I lift my chin. “Take him to the nice kennels, and ensure he has a proper dinner.”

I glide past them and navigate through the maze of stone corridors to my chambers in the northern wing.

A few handmaids await my arrival, and I let them dress me for bed in a long-sleeved white nightgown that brushes my ankles. I send them away, walking past the four-poster bed to gaze out the window at the rugged northern mountains. The sky is illuminated by a crescent moon.

A growing unease twists within me as the trees dance in the distance and the wind lashes against the stone castle's walls. What I told the steward was accurate. Tomorrow, I will assume the role of the lady of this castle. Yet, I possess no power.

I never have.

I lack the power to leave this place—to inhale the fragrance of heather and fern, to immerse myself in bubbling brooks, or to enjoy drinks in local taverns. I have no power to converse with whomever I wish, to forge friendships, or to fall in love.

And I cannot save the young wolf who is destined to meet his demise—if not tonight, then tomorrow, when he is judged unfit for work and returned to the dreadful kennels.

I clench my jaw, then I seize a cloak from my wardrobe and put it on. Powerless as I am, I cannot remain idle.

The echo of my mother’s voice dispels the fear. They will make you feel as if you have no options, she told me before she passed away. But there is always a choice. Be brave, little one.

Perhaps I have the ability to accomplish one small act before I am married to the lord and left here to wither away. Even if being caught could cost me my life. Even if it brings me dangerously close to that monstrous alpha.

I pull up my hood to conceal my distinctive red hair. Then I take a satchel and quietly exit my room. I am heading to the kennels.