CHAPTER 4

ALISTAIR WRENFORD POV

"Find a mate within thirty days, Alistair, or the pack elders will revoke your leadership rights!"

The furious command of his grandfather replayed in Alistair Wrenford's mind, making his jaw clench in dark frustration. His black carriage glided smoothly through the fog-covered streets of Frostwick City, heading toward his private territory. His family was desperate to see him bonded, claiming his cold nature would destroy the pack’s future. But finding a true Luna was not something done on a whim. He couldn't simply pull a random female off the street and force a Moon-Bond Pact upon her.

Alistair rubbed his temples, staring out the tinted glass as the carriage rounded the central square.

"Alpha, look at that female sitting on the stone bench," Wilfred Hatherley remarked from the driver's seat, slowing down slightly. "It is late, yet she sits out in the cold with no pack guard."

"Drive, Wilfred," Alistair ordered coldly, completely uninterested. "I have no time for strays."

As the heavy wheels rolled past the marble curb, one tire slammed into a deep puddle of muddy rainwater, sending a thick wave of filthy water splashing directly over the bench.

Elspeth Crowhurst gasped as the freezing water soaked through her cloak and ruined gown. Already heart-broken, homeless, and stripped of her dignity, this final insult completely broke her restraint.

"Hey! Stop this carriage right now!" Elspeth screamed, jumping off the bench with her hands balled into fists.

Inside the heavy, soundproof carriage, Alistair heard nothing. The vehicle kept moving forward into the darkness.

Seeing the carriage ignore her, Elspeth’s rage boiled over. She reached down, grabbed a jagged piece of loose cobblestone, and hurled it with all her strength. The stone whistled through the night air and struck the rear trunk with a sharp, echoing metallic crunch.

The carriage screeched to an immediate halt.

Wilfred bolted out of the front seat, his face pale with horror as he rushed to inspect the back of the Alpha's official transport.

Elspeth’s heart plummeted into her stomach the moment she realized her throw had actually connected. Fear spiked through her veins. The dark transport looked incredibly expensive, and in her current bankrupt state, she couldn't afford a single copper coin in repairs. But as she took a closer step, a sudden jolt of recognition hit her.

This was the exact same carriage she had crashed into earlier that morning.

Before she could slip into the alleyway shadows, Wilfred marched over and grabbed her arm tightly. "You again?"

Elspeth pulled back, trying to play innocent despite her racing pulse. "I... I don't know what you are talking about! You have the wrong person!"

"You threw money at my Alpha this morning, and now you are throwing stones at his carriage?" Wilfred growled, dragging her toward the rear bumper and pointing at a deep, crumpled dent in the polished dark metal. "Do you have any idea how much it costs to repair an Alpha's official transport? This dent alone will take thousands of trade credits!"

Elspeth looked down at her muddy, dripping dress, anger flaring back up through her fear. "I threw that stone because you drove straight through a puddle and soaked me! You should learn how to drive properly on pack roads!"

Before Wilfred could reply, the rear passenger door swung open with a heavy, ominous creak. A single, dark leather boot stepped out onto the wet cobblestones, followed by the towering figure of Alistair Wrenford.

His dark eyes locked onto Elspeth’s dripping form, his presence instantly heavy and suffocating in the quiet square.

"You damage my carriage, throw stones at my crest, and yell at my staff?" Alistair asked, his low voice cutting through the chilly night air like a blade. "Tell me, Elspeth Crowhurst, how do you plan to pay for this damage when you don't even have a pack house to sleep in tonight?"

Elspeth stood her ground, her chin raised stubbornly even as her teeth chattered from the cold water. "I don't have money to give you. Send the bill to Hadley Thornbury if you want payment! He stole my family's entire fortune!"

Alistair stepped closer, his shadow completely enveloping her small frame. He reached out, his long fingers catching a wet lock of dark hair near her neck and tucking it gently behind her ear. His touch sent a sudden, electric shock straight down her spine, making her wolf whimper softly inside her chest.

"Hadley Thornbury does not own you anymore," Alistair murmured, leaning down so his lips were inches from her ear. His deep scent of pine and heavy storm clouds wrapped around her senses, instantly triggering a sharp memory of the dark room from the night before. "Your debt is mine now."

Elspeth’s breath hitched as she stared into his dark eyes, absolute shock paralyzing her tongue. "What?"

Alistair straightened up and turned to his driver. "Wilfred, fetch the contract from the side compartment."

Wilfred quickly hurried to the carriage and returned, handing a thick parchment scroll bound with a silver silk ribbon directly to Alistair.

Alistair unrolled the parchment right in front of Elspeth’s wide eyes. At the top of the scroll, written in dark, glowing ink, were the official terms of a secondary pack union.

"Since you cannot pay for the damage, and your bloodline debt threatens your father's life at the Silverfang Pack Infirmary," Alistair said coldly, handing her a silver quill, "you will sign this agreement immediately."

Elspeth read the large bold letters on the scroll, her blood turning to ice.

"A Second Moon-Bond Consort?" Elspeth whispered, her voice trembling in absolute disbelief. "You want me to sign as your temporary consort?"