Chapter 4

Zara’s POV

It had been two weeks of silence and avoidance, breathing in a prison dressed like a palace. Two weeks since Rael asked me to be his Luna. I could now manage to talk, my legs were still learning what strength felt like after being buried, broken, and kept in a coma.

 They gave me my own room twice the size of my old apartment back in the city, but it didn’t feel like mine. The walls were too clean, the air too still, and it felt like a soft, empty cage.

 Olivia remained my shadow. She brought my food. Helped me bathe. Laughed softly when I asked about escape.

“No one escapes the Bloodfang walls,” she’d said. Not even in dreams.

 Even Olivia looked nervous when Rael’s name was mentioned. Sometimes, when the wind shifted, she’d pause, eyes darting to the hallway like she could feel him coming.

 I wasn’t allowed past the gates. I wasn’t even allowed near the windows without someone watching me.

 And Rael?

 He was everywhere and nowhere. His name sat heavy on every tongue. His presence haunted the halls. But he hadn’t come to see me, I should’ve been happy and relieved. Instead, I kept listening for his footsteps like some cursed idiot waiting for the storm to start.

 Then this morning, Rael showed up without warning, slamming the door open like a warning. I just got out of the shower, my robe was loose, and my hair was damp. My hands twitched at the sound as my pulse rose.

He filled the room like smoke and thunder. Dressed in black again. His jaw was sharp, and he had the usual scent of pine, fire, and something darker I couldn’t name.

Alpha Rael Kade, the monster king and the man who’d asked me to marry him like it was a damn execution order.

“You’ve had your time,” he said, voice clipped.

I blinked. “Time?”

“To decide.”

My stomach twisted. “You were serious?”

“I don’t joke, Zara.” Of course not, humor requires humanity.

“And what if I still say no?”

He took a slow step toward me. “Then you die.”

I scoffed, even as a tremble worked its way up my spine. “Is that your way of wooing a girl?”

“I don’t woo, I claim.”

“Right,” I muttered. “Because that’s romantic.” He ignored the sarcasm.

“The ceremony is tonight.” My head snapped up, “Tonight?”

“You’ve had two weeks to think. I’m done waiting.”

“Two weeks where you ignored me,” I snapped.

“I gave you space to heal, to choose.” His voice darkened. “Don’t confuse my patience for weakness.”

“I’m not ready...”

“You weren’t ready when you crawled out of a grave either. And yet, here you are.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m not some pawn you can push around.”

He tilted his head. “But you are.”

I stepped closer, heat rushing to my cheeks. “Fine. I’ll do it.”

Even as I said it, I wondered if I was making a deal or lighting a match. If I'm stuck here, I might as well make it count. His brow arched, surprised.

“But only if you give me something first.”

He folded his arms. “You’re bargaining?”

“I’m surviving.”

A pause. His eyes searched mine.

“What do you want?”

“Revenge.”

That word tasted like ash and blood. It clawed its way out of me.

“On Ethan, Jade, and Mara.”

He didn’t flinch; he just stared at me.

“Help me destroy them,” I whispered. “Help me make them pay.”

Rael exhaled slowly. “That’s not my war.”

“It is now.”

“I’m not your sword.”

“No,” I said, stepping into his space, “you’re the Alpha. You rule cities and command wolves. If you want me to be your Luna, I won’t come broken. I want my hands stained. I want my justice.”

He stared. Then slowly, he smirked.

“You’re darker than you look.”

“You don’t know what I am.”

His eyes lowered to my mouth. “Not yet.”

Something electric passed between us. The kind of pull that made breathing dangerous.

I hated him. god, I hated him, and yet my body betrayed me. My pulse quickened and my skin felt heated. Every time he looked at me like that, I felt something between fear and craving.

“I said no,” he murmured, “to your deal.”

 My face fell. “But you'll still marry me.”

 “Why?” I whispered.

 “Because you have no choice.”

 I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from shaking.

 “And because,” he added, his voice low and hot against my ear, “some part of you wants to.”

 I shoved him. Hard. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

 He caught my wrist. “You think I don’t smell it? Your want?”

 “I hate you.”

 “I know,” he said calmly. “But hate turns to heat quicker than you think.”

I yanked my arm free, heart racing. “I said I’m not ready.”

 He stepped back, letting me breathe. “Be ready by nightfall.”

 “You can’t force me.”

He stopped at the door and turned slightly.

“I’m not forcing you,” he said. “I’m offering you survival. You’d rather go back to your grave?”

Silence.

Then he added, “I’ll send someone to help you dress.”

"Rael,” I called before he walked out.

 He paused.

 “If I marry you… You’ll help me eventually, right?”

He didn’t turn. “You’ll have power. Use it wisely.”

And then he left, leaving me shaking and furious and undeniably burning with something I wasn’t ready to name.