Chapter 4

ARIA.

The worst thing about traveling in silence was being left alone with my thoughts.

I wasn’t usually the cynical type. If anything, I clung to optimism—probably insane, given everything I had to put up with in my pack. Still, I had a choice: let my experiences harden me or let them make me stronger. Even on days I felt fragile, I never wanted to become cold. This life—however fleeting or prosperous—was all we had.

One day, when I was called back up to the Goddess’ realm, I hoped that I could we welcomed with open arms. When I finally looked upon my creator, I prayed that I she’d be proud that she had blessed me with life…and with Thea

The other bad thing about being stuck in the car was his scent. There was absolutely no escaping it. Deep, heady—like rich bourbon. If masculinity had a smell, that was it.

‘Hey, there’s a bright side to this whole fated thing,’ Thea told me.

I almost scoffed. A bright side? Being tied to a heartless man who couldn’t spare me a shred of kindness, even after chaining me to him by contract? Yeah, right.

‘Yes, there is,’ she pressed. ‘We might have this supernatural bond linking us, but his lack of personality and sad excuse for manners will make him much easier to resist.’

Okay… she wasn’t wrong. The bond messed with emotions, sure. But if being a douche was his natural state, then maybe it would actually work in my favor.

‘Until he requires an heir,’ I muttered, scoffing under my breath.

‘Trust in the Goddess,’ Thea insisted. ‘I can’t see her turning her back on us like that. We’re not perfect, but we try to do the right thing. I want to believe she’ll protect us. Who knows? Maybe there’s a bigger picture to why she tied us to the Alpha-hole over there.’

I refused to look at him, though I felt the weight of his gaze drifting to me now and then. The only reason I was here was Piper.

Nothing more, nothing less.

I didn’t know how long we’d been driving before the car finally pulled off to refuel. Thank the Goddess. My bladder was about to burst. And honestly? I needed fresh air. Anything was better than being smothered by bourbon-scented dominance.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he demanded when I went to open the door.

“To the restroom,” I replied flatly. “We’ve been driving for hours. You don’t have to worry about me running. I’d rather take a bullet than risk what would happen if I did anything stupid. So, am I permitted to go inside?”

Through the bond, I felt it—the flicker of surprise. He hadn’t expected that answer. Served the prick right.

A growl was rumbling in his chest, clearly not happy about my disrespect. Thankfully, it cut off immediately when the car door opened.

“Alpha, do you or Luna need anything?” Jerome asked politely.

“Take her inside and make sure she gets what she needs. We have another two hours until we get back to the pack,” he stated, dismissing us both with a wave.

So, he was an ass to more than just me. Jerome didn’t even flinch, which told me this was business as usual. Maybe those rumors about him weren’t so exaggerated after all.

Ah, fresh air. Even the tang of gasoline was heaven compared to the suffocating scent inside that car.

I took care of business first, then scouted the sad excuse for food options. My stomach twisted—I hadn’t eaten since lunch yesterday. After some cringing at the lack of healthy options, I settled on fruit and Greek yogurt. It was better than the rest. I snagged a large bottle of water from the cooler and waited  at the counter.

I grabbed a large bottle of water from the cooler near the counter and waited for my turn.

“$15.22, hon,” the cashier said.

I grabbed my card, ready to swipe it, until Jermone tried to slide his first.

Yeah, that wasn’t happening.

“I appreciate the gesture, but I don’t need anyone to pay for my things. I make my own money and use my own money.”

His brows pinched at that.

“I wasn’t trying to be rude,” I added, softening slightly, “but I’m self-sufficient. Have been for years.”

“The Al—Mr. Holden,” he corrected quickly for the human cashier, “insisted you could get whatever you needed. He told me to put it on his card.”

That made me even more resistant to him buying this with that card. Even IF my mate actually wanted shit to do with me then he still wouldn’t be paying for my things like this. At least not in the beginning. Not before we established a relationship, one in which we were equal partners.

“Does your pack have the standard views on Luna commands?” I asked low enough to where the cashier wouldn’t hear it, trying to figure out how to protect him from his Alpha’s ire while also allowing me to pay for my own things.

He blinked, then nodded. Understanding dawned. His eyes flicked aside, then back to me.

‘His wolf wants to know if us paying is a command from his Luna,’ Thea chuckled in my head.

I gave him a small nod. The corner of his mouth twitched before he forced it away.

I gave him a nod. His lips ticked up just a smidgen before it was wiped away.

Thea told me that his wolf asked if it was only because it was Alpha Dane who wanted to pay for it that I refused. He must have caught onto noticeable tension between the two of us. She assured him that it wasn’t.

We believed in working hard for whatever we wanted in life, refusing to believe that we deserved something if we weren’t willing to work for it. How could you truly value something that had just been given to you if you never had to work for even a moment for it?

Alphas could give commands to people and were absolute. Lunas didn’t have the same authority. But in packs where Alph and Luna were equals, her command carried weight. It wasn’t absolute but respected. Lucky for me.

I slipped back into the car, feeling marginally better than before.

“Cute trick with the Luna command, just so that you could buy junk food,” Alpha Dane said condescendingly. “I’d caution you against getting used to using it.”

My chin tilted up, eyes locking onto his.

I’d spent years swallowing people’s crap. Not anymore. If he wanted a submissive little mate, he’d picked the wrong woman. My father wasn’t here to silence me. This time, I would fight for myself.

“If you consider fresh fruit, Greek yogurt, and water junk food, then I seriously wonder what types of food you’d consider healthy enough to consume. Also, I won’t have to use a Luna command if was simply allowed to handle myself. I don’t want, nor need, someone to take care of me. I earn my own money, make my own investments, and stand on my own. I’m sorry if you were expecting a damsel, but that’s not me.”

Through the bond, something flickered. Irritation. Surprise. And buried deep—something like respect, smothered so fast I almost doubted I felt it.

Blessed silence followed. The rest of the ride passed the same way.

‘He’s definitely more bearable when he ignores us. We should figure out ways to help that along,’ Thea mused, just like the little devious wolf that she was.

She and I were on the same page with that.

Alpha Dane might rule his pack. But he would never rule me.

Still, as the trees blurred past the window and the road stretched on into unfamiliar territory, a knot twisted low in my stomach. For all my bravado, I couldn’t escape the truth—I was heading straight into the heart of his world, bound to him by a bond I never asked for. I could fight him, outwit him, resist him…but what if that wasn’t enough? What if the Goddess had tied me to a man who would break me, piece by piece, until there was nothing left to fight with? The thought made my pulse stutter, but I swallowed it down.

Fear might follow me into his territory but so would fire— and I’d burn before I ever let him see me bend.