Chapter 6

The air in the room didn't just feel cold anymore, it felt like it was made of lead.

  I wrapped Ezekiel’s fur coat around me, trading the metallic stench of Zayn’s rage for the scent of sandalwood and rose. 

 My family was at the gate. They weren’t here because they missed me as I hoped, they weren’t here because they had spent a sleepless night crying over the daughter they threw to the wolves.

  They were here to get paid.

 What did I do to deserve this level of hate and suffering?

  Zayn turned his head slowly toward Roman. His eyes, narrowed. "A reward?" he repeated, the word sounding like a curse. "They threw her into my bed expecting a corpse, and now that she’s breathing, they want a prize?"

  "They claim that since Ariana is the chosen one who survived and that the pack deserves a tribute," Roman explained, his eyes fixed on the floor. "The Alpha, her father is insisting on an audience. He says he also has valuable information about her white hair and why she hasn't shifted."

 "Is that right?" Zayn murmured 

  He looked at me and It wasn't a look of affection, no, it was the look of a scientist observing a strange new insect. He walked over to me, his heavy boots echoing. 

 I tried to shrink back, but the wall was behind me.

  "Is that so, Snow White?" he whispered, his hand reaching out to trail a finger along the purple bruise his grip had left on my jaw. "Your father thinks you’re worth a chest of gold now?"

  "He’s not my father," I rasped, my voice finally finding some strength. "A father doesn't sell his child to a monster."

  Zayn’s grin was terrifying. "True. But a King always pays his debts. Roman, bring them to the Great Hall. And bring the girl. Let’s see how much her flesh and blood truly loves her, I'm very bored and in need of some entertainment."

  "Zayn, don't do this," Ezekiel stepped forward, his voice calm but firm. "She’s traumatized. She’s barely conscious. Sending her out there to face the people who abused her is...."

  "Is my business," Zayn snapped, spinning around to face his cousin. "She is my mate. My property. If I want to parade her naked in front of the world, I will."

  Zayn grabbed my arm, this time his grip wasn't as violent as before, but it was rough as he dragged me toward the door, ignoring the three Omegas who were still shivering naked on the floor. 

 I stumbled along the way, my legs feeling like jelly, but the heavy fur coat stayed wrapped around me like a small, warm shield against the nightmare.

  We stepped into the great Hall, and the air turned heavy, it was a cavernous room made of dark obsidian and lit by flickering torches. It looked like a tomb and at the far end, standing near the massive iron doors, were three people I knew all too well.

  My father stood tall, wearing his best Alpha ceremonial robes. My mother stood beside him, her face pulled into a mask of fake grief. 

 And Caroline... Caroline looked like she was ready for a party. She was wearing a dress of deep crimson, her hair perfectly curled, her eyes darting around the palace. I'm certain she was picturing herself possessing all this wealth.

  When the doors opened and Zayn led me in, they all froze.

  I saw the moment my father realized I was alive. His eyes didn't fill with relief. They filled with calculation. He saw the way I was dressed, in a royal's coat and he saw the mark on my neck.

  "Ariana!" my mother wailed, moving forward as if to hug me. "Oh, my sweet girl! We were so worried! We prayed to the Goddess all night for your safety!"

  The lie was so thick I could almost taste it. I didn't move and I didn't blink.

  "Stop," Zayn’s voice boomed, stopping my mother in her tracks. He pushed me toward a small stone bench and forced me to sit. 

 He then took his place on the high throne, looking down at them like they were dirt under his fingernails. "You have five minutes. Why are you in my kingdom?"

  My father stepped forward, bowing low. "Great King Zayn. We are humbled. We knew our daughter was special. We knew her white hair was a sign of destiny, not a curse! We sent her to you because we knew only a King of your stature could handle such a... unique mate."

  "Cut the crap, Alpha Derrick," Zayn hissed. "You called her a shiftless dog yesterday. I have spies in your pack. I know exactly what you said."

  My father’s face turned a dusty red, but he didn't back down. "Even so, she is our blood. By the laws of the North, the family of a King’s Mate is entitled to land, gold, and protection. We have provided you with the woman who broke your curse. We want our reward."

  Caroline stepped forward then, her voice honey sweet. "And Alpha Zayn... if Ariana is too...fragile for the duties of a Queen, our family is happy to provide further support. I have already shifted. My wolf is strong. I could stay here as a lady in waiting... to help my sister."

  She wasn't just asking for money. She was trying to move into my husband's bed. She was looking at Zayn with a hunger that made me sick.

  I looked at my family, the people who had beaten me, starved me, and mocked me. They were standing there, bargaining for my life as if I were a piece of livestock.

  Suddenly, a coldness settled over me. It wasn't the cold of the room, but a coldness in my soul. I stood up, the fur coat sliding slightly off my shoulder.

  "You want a reward?" I asked, my voice echoing in the hall.

  My father looked at me, a warning glint in his eyes. "Be quiet, Ariana. Let the men speak."

  "No," I said, walking toward them. I felt Zayn’s eyes on my back, watching me with intense curiosity. "You said I was a mistake. You said I was a thing and you told me to die in his bed."

  I stopped a few feet away from Caroline. She looked at me with disgust, leaning in to whisper, "Shut up, you freak. You’re ruining this for us."

  I didn't shut up. I turned to Zayn. "You said I am your property, right? You said I am a breeding machine?"

  Zayn leaned forward, his chin resting on his hand. "I did."

  "Then as your property, I have a request," I said, my heart hammering against my ribs. "If they want a reward for giving me to you, give them exactly what they deserve for how they treated your mate."

  Zayn’s eyebrows shot up. A dark, amused smirk played on his lips. "And what is that, Snow white?"

  I looked my father dead in the eye. "Take their land. Strip them of their titles. And throw them into the dungeons of the Borderlands. If I am the price they paid to be here, then let them see how much that price truly costs."

  The Hall went deathly silent. My mother gasped, clutching her throat. My father’s face went from red to white.

  "You ungrateful little..." My father lunged forward, his hand raised to strike me just like he had a hundred times before.

  He never reached me.

  In a flash of silver and black, Zayn was off his throne. He moved faster than the eye could follow. He caught my father’s wrist in mid air. The sound of bones snapping echoed through the room like dry sticks breaking.

  My father screamed, falling to his knees as Zayn crushed his arm.

  "You forgot where you are, Derrick," Zayn hissed, his voice vibrating with a power that made the torches flicker out. "You are in the house of the King. And you just tried to strike the woman who bears my mark."

  Zayn turned his head to look at me. For the first time, there wasn't just hunger in his eyes. There was respect. 

 He liked the cruelty I had just shown. He liked that I wanted revenge.

  "Roman," Zayn called out.

  "Yes, Alpha?"

  "Do as she says. Seize their assets. Chain them. They can stay in our deepest cells until I decide if their execution will be public or private."

  "No! Ariana, please!" my mother screamed as guards moved in to grab her. "We love you! We’re your family!"

  Caroline was fighting the guards, her face twisted in an ugly snarl. "You bitch! You think you've won? You're still a shiftless freak! He’ll kill you when he’s bored of you!"

  As they were dragged out, their screams fading into the distance, I felt a strange emptiness. I had won. They were gone. But I was still here, trapped with a man who called me an object.

  Ezekiel walked over to me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "You have a fire in you, Ariana. But be careful. Fire can keep you warm, or it can burn everything down."

  Zayn pushed Ezekiel’s hand away and grabbed my waist, pulling me flush against his hard chest.

  "Enough talk," Zayn growled, his eyes darkening as he looked down at me. "Your family is gone. Now, we return to our business. I want my heir, and I want him started today."