Chapter 3.

Anora’s POV

Alpha Dane? The name hits me like a physical blow. The cold Alpha and current king of Blackburn Pack—a place so dreadful, with wolves so barbaric, it is practically run by mafias.

“What?” My heart drops to my stomach with heavy dread. Alpha Dane is a stone-hearted Alpha, as it’s literally what’s required of any leader if he’s to rule Blackburn Pack. “N-no... no, you can’t do this to me.”

“Anora, silence.” Beta Stannis growls, a curt command to the guards to seize me. The Pack’s cheers at Beta Stannis’s declaration ring in my ears, each sound a fresh twist of the knife in my gut, but they don’t hear his whispered words.

I thrash as the guards secure their grip on me again, fighting against the hands that hold me, the injustice that burns in my veins. But on a three-day empty stomach, I have no strength to fight off even a fox. My struggles meet a sickeningly sweet scent, a cloying aroma from the cloth pressed over my face that steals my breath and weakens my limbs. Wolfsbane. The treacherous, sickly-sweet gas seeps into my lungs, a heavy weight pulling me into the swirling darkness of unconsciousness.

My eyes flutter open. A dull ache throbs behind them, and a sharp pain stings my nose from the wolfsbane’s burn

The unfamiliar silken sheets of the soft, big bed, and warm, luxurious blanket cradle me. The hushed murmurs and gentle touches around me tell me the Pack healers are at work, their soothing balms and focused energy a stark contrast to the casual brutality I have endured my whole life.

“Well, well, well, look who’s finally awake!” Adriana’s voice strains my nerves, dripping with sickeningly sweet satisfaction. “Your passports and IDs are being made. Faked, actually. So glad to see you’re being… prepared for your journey.”

A cold dread, heavier than any chain, washes over me. “Prepared?”

Adriana’s smile widens, and a flash of true malevolence sparks in her eyes. “Yes. Your one-way ticket out of our lives... for good.” She leans closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, “Alpha Dane… he’s not like our Alpha. He’s… formidable. His power is dread-inducing, they say. And love? Ha! That’s a foreign concept to him and his bloodline. He’s only going through with this because he needs access to our Pack’s rich resources, and our Pack has been needing this alliance for decades.”

“Adriana,”

“Luna Adriana to you.” She snarls, and all eyes, even the healers’, glare at me angrily.

I gulp, but my throat is dry. “Luna Adriana, what did I ever do to you to deserve this hatred? I tried to be a real sister, but—”

“Oh please, shut up,” Adriana hisses, drawing a sharpened fingernail dangerously close to my throat. “I hated you the moment my father defiled our family by marrying your disgraceful mother. I hated you even more when you dared to bring your slutty body near my Liam.”

My blood runs colder than the dungeon stones. “Alpha Liam… he wants this?”

Adriana scoffs, her eyes gleaming with malicious satisfaction. “Wants it? It was his brilliant idea. Proposed it himself to dear my father, your Stepfather. And guess who enthusiastically endorsed it? Your precious ‘friend,’ Princess Natalie. She found her mate and chose a happy life instead, placing you to pay the price. It seems no one is too keen on having your tainted bloodline polluting our Pack any longer.” She pauses, a frown creasing her brow for a moment. “No one knows much about Alpha Dane. He’s not the type to ‘stoop low’ to interact with wolves he deems beneath him. He only recently took over after his father, Alpha Deckard, finally retired. You know how ruthless Alpha Deckard treated his Luna until she eventually grew tired of living and ended everything.” Adriana smirks, “Believe me, Anora, Alpha Dane is far, far worse than his father.”

My mind reels, the betrayal of Natalie a sharp, unexpected twist of the knife.

“And the best part?” Adriana continues, her voice laced with glee. “Alpha Dane arrives this very weekend to finalize the arrangement with Alpha Liam and collect his bride – you. Presented as the lovely Princess Natalie.”

“You can’t do this!” I lunge upwards, pain shooting through my body, but the healers’ hands, gentle yet firm, restrain me. “I won’t be sold like cattle!”

Adriana simply laughs, a low, mocking sound that scrapes against my sanity. “Oh, but you will. You’re nothing but a bargaining chip now.” On her way out, she casts one last venomous glance my way. “You should have thought of that before trying to steal my mate. Slut!”

The next four days leading up to the weekend become a bizarre torment, a cruel illusion of freedom. I am confined within the walls of the Palace’s east wing, amidst the quiet rustling of nature and the distant bleating of livestock. Each morning, they force me into an hour of sunlight, as if to ripen me for the slaughter. I am nurtured, coaxed, and sometimes forced to eat nutrient-rich broths. My bruised skin is slathered with expensive ointments, every inch of me treated with a meticulous care I’ve never known. It’s a grotesque parody of kindness, all in preparation for my role as a substitute, a sacrificial lamb adorned for the altar.

Until the day finally arrives, heavy with unspoken dread.

“The Pack must be in order an hour before Alpha Dane arrives.” Beta Stannis’s voice, unusually tight with anxiety, drifts in from the hallway. “Ring the command and ensure no one steps outside their homes until he arrives and leaves. Alpha Dane does not tolerate public eyes.”

Each mention of his name sends a fresh shard of ice through my heart.

In the dressing room, stylists flutter around me, their hands arranging layers of expensive fabric, selecting the best perfumes, at the same time dressing my hair, and finishing my makeup.

The door swings open, and Alpha Liam strides in. “Everyone out,” he orders, and the stylists quickly scurry out, leaving us alone in the suffocating silence.

Seeing his face alone stirs a hatred within me I never knew I possessed.

“Nora,”

“Do not... call me Nora,” I fling, pain swelling in my throat.

“Okay, then. Anora.” Alpha Liam sighs, staring down at me. “You truly have no rival when it comes to beauty. A fucking shame you’re an Omega of such... shameful birth.”

“How do you expect this to work?” I snap, my hoarse voice trembling with a mixture of fear and fury. “Any sane person will see I’m not Princess Natalie.”

Alpha Liam chuckles, a low, wicked sound that sends a shiver of revulsion down my spine. “You look well enough like her to convince someone who only saw a faded photograph over fifteen years ago. Especially someone like Alpha Dane, who views this marriage as nothing more than a transaction. He has no real interest in Natalie herself, so, zero interest in your person.” He steps closer, his eyes glinting. “And if you think you’ve been treated like a rag here, buckle up, Nora, because Alpha Dane will make our little… disagreements seem like a lover’s spat.”

This is “little disagreements”? The way he treats me? So is he saying Alpha Dane will be worse? My stomach sinks with dread.

“I’ll tell him I’m not her,” I threaten, holding defiance as my only weapon. “I’ll walk out there and tell him the truth, and he’ll kill you.”

Alpha Liam’s eyebrows furrow, a dangerous hiss escaping his lips. But almost as quickly, his face eases into a chillingly confident smirk, as if he anticipates my threat. “Try it, and see how that turns out for you. You may be stubborn now, but we both know you desire to live, so you will shut your mouth and live the lie. Also, good news. The healers say your mother has increased chances of waking up from her slumber. Dare to cross me, and I’ll make sure that never happens. And your timid little heart will carry that guilt forever.” He closes the distance between us, his eyes gleaming with an irritating lust, and his voice softens, “You still have a chance to change this, you know. I can… smooth things over with Alpha Dane. Keep you safe, hidden away from Adriana in one of my mansions abroad, if only… you agree to be mine—my mistress.” His hands creep to my waist, his face lowering, his breath ghosting over my lips. “But... you’ll have to fuck really hard.”

Disgust coils in my stomach. I flinch violently, recoiling from his touch.

Alpha Liam snarls, his hand snapping out to grip my neck, his fingers tightening, a brutal pressure cutting off my air. Panic flares in my body, but with every last vestige of my strength, I shove him back.

“Suit yourself,” he snarls, his eyes burning with frustrated rage as he storms out.

I steady my ragged breath, forcing back the tears that threaten to spill. The dressers return, their earlier hushed whispers now replaced by a palpable nervous silence. They lead me to the grand hall.

Tension coils around me, a suffocating shroud as I am escorted forward, each step a carefully constructed lie.

“Come, Anora.” Beta Stannis orders, holding the door.

“Just one question, stepfather,” I mutter, but he pointedly avoids my gaze. “I’ve never once disrespected you. Why do you hate me so much?”

His eyes snap to mine, sharp and furious. For the first time, I see a raw, ugly pain flicker within their depths. “You look exactly like your mother when she betrayed me, only to later return carrying you, a pup of some... filthy, unknown rogue. Tell me, Anora, how can I love a bastard?”

The moment I step into the room, the very air feels thick, charged. An oppressive aura washes over me, a raw, untamed power that prickles my skin and steals my breath. Then, I see him, Alpha Dane, his broad shoulders—his back against me, flipping through documents.

“A-Alpha Dane,” Alpha Liam’s voice trembles beneath his usual arrogance, trying to draw the imposing figure’s attention to me, “My sister, Princess Natalie, is here.”

Alpha Dane closes the papers with a decisive snap and hands them to the man in a black suit standing silently by his side – one I instinctively recognize as his beta. As if time itself has warped, and I am being inexorably drawn into his powerful vicinity, he turns.

Goosebumps erupt across my body, a primal, involuntary response to the sheer force of his presence. He tilts his neck lightly, an almost predatory inclination. Then his gaze, intense and sharp as daggers, finally locks against mine, and my eyes widen. Goddess, my heart doesn’t just thump; it crashes against my ribs.