Chapter 4

Lana’s POV

Warren watched me for what felt like eternity. My life was in his hands and whatever he decided would determine whether he killed me or not.

After a long while, he finally spoke. “Get up.”

 “How do I know I can trust you?” His eyes narrowed on me. “For all I know you could be a spy.”

“If I ever give you a reason not to trust me, then go ahead and do as you like.” I said, letting out a breath.

His eyes remained on me for a while. I could see it. He was weighing the possibilities, deciding whether or not it would be good to trust me or not.

After a while, he let out a breath. His eyes flickered all around us, fleeting from one tree to the other. His lips pulled down to a frown.

“We’ll continue this talk. Not here.” He turned to me. “Come with me.”

He began to move without another word. I tightened my grip on my bag. 

“You coming or what?” Warren glared at me. 

“I’m coming,” I squeaked, hurrying after him.

We kept walking for a while and I tried to put as much distance as I could between me and the brooding Alpha, which wasn’t a lot.

If I stood too far from him, he would become suspicious and I didn’t want him to think that I was planning something against him. 

After sometime, the path seemed to be getting more organized. Soon enough, we were walking straight for a gate, bordered by tall standing walls.

“Welcome to Red Moon, omega.” Warren said without looking at me.

If I wasn’t annoyed at the label, I would have stared at the place in awe. It was beautiful. From beyond the gates, I could see the houses that had been arranged into a neat line.

“Don’t stare so much.” Warren said, leading us to the gates.

My grip on my bag tightened as the guards regarded me with a tight stare. Their grip on their weapons tightened. 

I’d never felt so small as I did now. As soon as Warren stepped before them, they all bowed their heads.

“Greetings, Alpha.”

He regarded them with a nod. One of them moved to open the gate and Warren led me into the pack.

There were a bunch of houses lined neatly close to each other. As we walked through the streets, a lot of people paused to stare at us.

They’d probably already realized I wasn’t a member of this pack. I put my head down and stuck close to Warren.

We eventually reached a very big mansion. The men at the entrance bowed to Warren once again. We entered the grand pack house, and I found myself almost shrinking at the massive size of the place.

As we walked deeper, I felt the eyes of the Red Moon warriors on me. They were sizing me up. Warren lead me into his office and asked me to take a seat.

“Let’s discuss this arrangement,” he began. “You want revenge on Callen, and you think you can use my rivalry with Dark Silver to make that happen.”

“Yes,” I replied, trying to keep my voice firm. 

“You’re the only one powerful enough to challenge him. I can give you the information you need to hit him where it hurts.”

His mouth twitched. There was something almost like amusement flashing in his eyes. 

“Information,” he repeated, as if testing the word. “I don’t help people out of kindness, Lana. Nor do I take risks without a clear benefit.”

“What do you want from me in return?” I asked, bracing myself for the terms of his help.

He leaned closer to me, his voice low. 

“I want all the intel you have on Dark Silver. Every weakness, every patrol schedule, every strategy you’ve seen. And anything you know about Callen himself. His patterns, his allies. You’re going to be my little informant.”

I nodded, relief flooding my chest. “Done. I know enough to give you a real advantage.”

But he didn’t look convinced as his gaze lingered on me. 

“You’re so eager to agree,” he noted. “I expected more hesitation. But, let’s be clear. There’s one more condition.”

A chill crept down my spine as he stepped even closer.

“For this to work, Lana,” he continued, “you will be mine.”

I felt my breath hitch. “Yours?”

He leaned in, a devilish glint in his eyes. 

“You’ll act as my mate in every way that matters to this pack. You’ll be mine publicly, and in time, privately as well.” His voice dropped lower, sending a fresh wave of dread through me. 

 “But this is about revenge.” I argued. “This wasn’t part of the deal.”

He straightened, his expression dark and unyielding. “The deal is whatever I say it is. You want power, you want revenge? Then you take it with the conditions that come with it. And if that makes you uncomfortable, well…” He leaned forward, voice like steel. 

“You’re welcome to turn back now and test your luck alone.”

I forced myself to meet his gaze. This was my only chance. I’d come too far to back down now, no matter how high the stakes had suddenly become. 

“Fine,” I said, barely above a whisper. “I’ll do it.”

He smiled, his fingers brushing my chin as he tilted my face to meet his. 

“You’re making the right choice. You’ll have everything you need to destroy Callen. But remember…” His grip tightened slightly. “as far as my pack is concerned, you belong to me now.”

I tried to back away, but he didn’t let go. 

“You’ll be loyal to me and Red Moon. You’ll do what I say, when I say it. And if you even think of betraying me…” His voice dropped to a deadly whisper. “You won’t live to regret it.”

Panic filled at me as I tried to pull away, but he didn’t release his hold. “I thought this was just an arrangement—”

His eyes glinted with something deadly. “You thought wrong. You’ve already accepted the terms, and there’s no going back now.”