Episode 6

"Don't even think about trying to escape," Ryan says when I shift in my seat. "These windows are bulletproof and the doors are locked from the outside."

"I wasn't trying to escape." I lie through my teeth.

"Good. Because if you cause any trouble when we get there, I'll make sure you regret it."

I want to argue with him, but I need him to help me. Or at least I need his father to help me. Dad is dying, and Alpha Jeremy is the only one powerful enough to challenge Marcus and Rebecca.

"Why would my parents promise me to you?" I ask. "You were just a kid when I was born."

"Because he was desperate. Your pack was losing the war, and he needed to offer my dad a peace offering for the war to stop. "

"But I was a baby. How could he promise a baby away?"

Ryan's jaw clenches, a sign that he’s not used to explaining himself to anyone. He hates that I question him. "Because alphas’ daughters are currency, and everyone knows that. Your father traded your future for his pack's survival."

Now I'm the one clenching my jaw. My wolf springs to the surface, burning with rage. They’d traded me like I was an object, like I meant nothing.

"I'm not a thing to be collected."

"Yes, you are, you've been mine since the day you were born. You just didn't know it."

I want to scream at him, but I force myself to stay calm. I need his help, which means I need to play along until I can get to his father.

"The contract might be real, but you can't force me to marry you."

"Can't I? You're in my territory now, princess. My rules apply here."

"My father would never agree to this."

"Your father is dying, remember? And from what I hear, he's not making decisions anymore. His wife is."

I say nothing. There’s no point arguing with a man who hates me. I’ll sit still, I’ll wait till we get to his pack and I can plead my case to his father.

We drive through a checkpoint, there, the guards bow at Ryan. In the distance, I can see the Shadowmoon pack house.

It's not what I expected. Instead of a mansion like Dad's pack house, this is a massive tower that reaches toward the sky. It looks like something from an ugly fairy tale.

"Welcome to Ravenshollow," Ryan says sarcastically. "Your new home."

"This isn't my home."

"It is now."

The car stops in front of the tower. I can see pack members gathering around to watch us arrive.

"Listen to me very carefully," Ryan says, turning to face me. "When I let you out of this car, you're going to smile and act like you're happy to be here. You're not going to run, scream, or cause any kind of scene."

"Why would I do that?"

"Because if you embarrass me in front of my pack, I'll make sure you spend the rest of your life in the dungeons while your father dies from being poisoned."

The threat is enough to give me chills. I look at the crowd of people waiting for us. They're all staring at the car, probably wondering who's inside. Some of them look excited, like they're expecting good news.

"They don't know who I am, do they?"

"They know you're important, that's enough."

Ryan gets out of the car and walks around to my side. When he opens the door, his entire demeanor changes. The cold, angry man from the car is replaced by someone who looks almost... charming.

"Princess," he says, offering me his hand and a dashing smile. "Welcome to Shadowmoon."

I stare at his hand, then at his face. He's putting on a show for his pack, pretending to be a gentleman, but I can see the real him.

I take his hand and let him help me out of the car.

"Thank you," I say, faking a smile that feels like my face might crack. “Where’s your father? I need to see him.’’

The pack members move closer, and they start whispering amongst themselves.

"Is that Princess Aria Stone?"

"She's even more beautiful than the pictures."

"Alpha Prince Ryan looks so happy."

Ryan keeps his arm around my waist as we walk toward the tower entrance. To everyone watching, we probably look like a couple. Like this is a romantic reunion instead of a kidnapping.

"The only reason I'm not trying to run," I whisper to him, "is because I need your help. I need to see your father."

Ryan ignores me completely. He waves at his pack members and smiles like he's won the lottery.

The second we're inside and the doors close behind us, Ryan drops his act. His arm disappears from around my waist, and his smile turns into a scowl.

"That wasn't so hard now, was it?"

"I want to see Alpha Jeremy. Now."

"I already told you, that's not happening."

"I'm not asking. I'm demanding. I have information about my father's death that he needs to hear."

Ryan stops walking and turns to me. "You're demanding? You're not in a position to demand anything, princess."

"I'm the daughter of an alpha. I have rights."

"Not here, you don't. Here, you're just another prisoner."

"I'm not a prisoner. I came here willingly."

"You came here because you had nowhere else to go. There's a difference."

I step closer to him, angry now. "I came here because I thought your father was an honorable man. I thought he'd want to see justice done."

"Justice? You want to talk about justice?"

"Yes. My stepmother is murdering my father. She's been poisoning him for months, and she's going to kill him unless someone stops her."

"Good. I hope she succeeds."

"How can you say that? He's innocent!"

"Innocent?" Ryan laughs, but his shoulders sag and his smile doesn't reach his eyes. He’s angry, tired, frustrated. "Your father is a monster. He killed my uncle in cold blood."

"Your father tortured and killed my mother, an innocent woman!"

"An innocent woman? Is that what you call her?"

"She was my mother!"

"Your mother was a manipulative bitch who destroyed everything she touched!"

I pause, but I don’t hold back when my wolf surges forward. In a second, I’ve slapped Ryan. His head tilts, my hand stings, and he stares at me with eyes burning red.

He grabs my arm and starts dragging me toward a staircase.

"Let go of me!"

"You wanted to meet my father? Well this is your chance, princess."

We climb the stairs, going up and up until my legs are burning. Finally, we reach the top.

Ryan stops in front of a heavy wooden door. "This is what your mother did to my father. This is the justice you're so worried about."

He pushes the door open and shoves me inside.

What awaits inside is nothing short of a nightmare.