chapter 4

Before I could process what was happening, the guards hauled me out of the dungeons and dragged me up into the main hall of the palace.

My father stood in the center of the room, his face pale and contorted in sheer panic. Beside him, my stepmother, Sarah, paced back and forth across the marble floor like a caged beast. The second my father's eyes landed on me, a sudden wave of relief washed over his features.

“Take those chains off her immediately!” he commanded, waving his hand frantically at the guards. “Get the maids! Put her in the finest dress we have! Apply her makeup—make her look breathtaking without wasting another second!”

Angela’s jaw dropped. “Father? But I thought she was supposed to be dead! She killed the guards, remember?”

“This is for everyone's survival, Angela,” he snapped, his voice trembling with an underlying terror. “Do you remember the ancient debt I owed to the late Alpha Jarosa? His son—the Lycan King everyone whispers about, the butcher they call the Viper Alpha... Alpha Lucien... he threatens to destroy our entire territory.”

He swallowed hard, rubbing his sweat-slick forehead. “His army is invincible. He didn't just plan to wipe out our pack; he was going to slaughter the neighboring territories too until the High Council begged him for mercy.”

Angela gasped, stepping back.

“To settle the debt,” Father continued, his eyes wide and hollow, “he demanded one of my daughters. A virgin of Alpha blood who has never been marked. He intends to use her in a ritual to honor his dead father... a sacrifice he will break until she bleeds to death.”

Horror seized my chest. I stumbled backward, shaking my head violently. “No... No! Father, you can't use me like a piece of livestock! I'm a human being! I won't be given away to some psychopath to be tortured and killed!”

Father turned to me, his panic hardening into pure, unyielding cruelty. “You were condemned to die anyway. Consider it a blessing that your useless life can finally serve a greater purpose. The Moon Goddess kept you alive for this.”

“No! This isn't real!” Tears burned my eyes as I clawed at my throat. “If that's the case, then execute me yourself right now! Kill me here! Besides... you said he needs an unmarked girl, right?”

With trembling hands, I yanked my hair aside, exposing the fresh, dark mark etched into the skin of my neck. “Look at my neck! I've already been marked by my mate! I'm useless to him!”

Before I could take another breath, Father rushed across the floor and delivered a blinding slap across my face.

The force sent me crashing to the stone floor. He spat directly onto my cheek, his face twisted in disgust. “You filthy whore! A dead dog, just like your mother! You were in those woods for a few hours and you already opened your legs?”

“Father, please—”

“How many stray animals used you?” he roared, slamming his heavy boot straight into my stomach.

The impact sent me flying across the floor. My back slammed against the solid stone wall, and a metallic gush of blood burst from my lips. He charged toward me with murder in his dark eyes, his hands reaching for my throat.

“I’ll end your miserable life myself!”

“Darling, stop!” Sarah darted forward, throwing her arms around his chest to pull him back. “We can't kill her! Remember the Lycan King! I’ll have the healers and sorcerers erase the mark. Just go inside and calm down, okay?”

Father chest heaved as he stared down at me with utter contempt. “Fine. Make sure every trace of that mark is eradicated and that she is presentable before sundown.”

He turned on his heel and stormed out of the hall. Sarah immediately signaled the guards. They yanked me up by my arms and dragged me into a hidden chamber where a dozen sorcerers and healers were already waiting around an altar.

“She’s been marked, and her wolf has awakened,” Sarah ordered coldly. “Bind the mark. Suppress her wolf completely so it becomes non-functional. Make it look as though she was never marked, never claimed, and never possessed a wolf. Erase her scent.”

“No! Stop!” I thrashed frantically against the guard grips. “You can't do this! My mate is coming for me!”

They slammed me onto the cold stone table, pinning my limbs down. The sorcerers circled around me, their voices rising into a deafening, dark chant.

An agonizing heat burst beneath the skin of my neck. It felt as though a white-hot blade was slowly carving into my flesh, burning away the bond link from the inside out. I screamed until my voice shattered, feeling the warm thread connecting me to my mate snap into dust.

*No... my mate... he was supposed to find me...*

The pain drained the last shred of fight from my soul. I stopped crying. Life had completely abandoned me. My only remaining prayer was that this terrifying Viper Alpha would kill me quickly before I lost my mind entirely.

When the spell concluded, the mark was gone, leaving my skin smooth and cold. The maids immediately descended upon me. They washed the blood from my face, draped me in an exquisite velvet dress, styled my hair, applied heavy makeup, and slid golden slippers onto my feet.

An hour later, I was led outside into the courtyard. A sleek black carriage sat waiting, flanked by armed escorts.

Father stood beside Sarah near the carriage door. He evaluated me from head to toe, a cold, satisfied smirk curling his lips.

“You look stunning, daughter,” he murmured smoothly. “Good enough to be slaughtered.”

He leaned in close, his heavy grip tightening over my shoulder like a vise, his voice dropping into a deadly whisper that chilled my blood. “Behave yourself, do exactly as you're told, and don't you dare mess this up... or I will personally burn down whatever is left of your spirit before the Lycan King even touches you.”