Chapter 1: The Debt of Blood

My father sold me for a stack of gold coins and a bowl of warm broth.

I stood in the center of our small tavern kitchen, staring at the thick parchment resting on the greasy wooden table. The wax seal at the bottom was shaped like a roaring wolf’s head—the crest of the Royal Alpha Palace. Beside it lay my father’s messy, crooked signature.

"You cannot do this, Father," I said. My voice was quiet, but it trembled so hard my knees shook against my faded skirts. "I am your daughter. I am not a piece of land to be traded away."

My father did not look at me. He kept his eyes fixed on the dirty floorboards, his hand clutching a dark glass bottle of cheap ale. "They paid off my debt, Isabella. All of it. Two hundred thousand gold pieces. The underground loan sharks were going to break my legs tonight. They were going to burn this tavern to the ground with Noah inside it. What choice did I have?"

"You could have worked!" I shouted, the fire finally breaking through my fear. "I work sixteen hours a day in this kitchen! I scrub the floors until my hands bleed! I buy Noah’s medicine every single week! You drank every coin we ever earned, and now you sell me to the royal recruiters like an old horse!"

In the corner of the small room, my fourteen-year-old brother, Noah, let out a soft, rattling cough. His face was pale, his thin body wrapped in three frayed blankets. He was born a human-wolf hybrid, weak and frail, unable to survive without expensive magical potions to soothe his lungs. Every single copper coin I earned went straight to the apothecary for his treatment.

Noah reached out his thin hand, his fingers catching the edge of my sleeve. "Isabella... don't go. Please. I don't need the medicine. I can stay sick. Just don't leave me."

Tears pricked the backs of my eyes, but I forced them down. I knelt beside Noah's chair and wrapped my hands around his cold fingers. "It's going to be okay, Noah. I'm going to make sure you stay safe. I'll always take care of you."

The heavy front door of the tavern burst open, letting in a gust of freezing night air and swirling white snow. Two tall guards stepped into the room. They wore heavy steel armor polished to a mirror shine, draped with crimson capes. Their eyes carried the golden shine of high-ranking alpha wolves.

"Isabella of Silver Creek?" the lead guard demanded. His voice sounded like grinding stones.

I stood up slowly, stepping between the guards and my little brother. "I am Isabella."

"Your father signed your life contract to the Crown," the guard said, pulling a set of heavy iron shackles from his belt. "Prince James lies dying in the palace. The royal healers require surrogate candidates to test for spirit compatibility. You are coming with us to the capital immediately."

My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird. Everyone in the Bloodmoon Kingdom knew about Prince James. He was the most terrifying warrior in our history, an unstoppable Alpha who conquered three rival territories before his twenty-eighth birthday. But two months ago, a dark curse struck him during a border clash. He fell into a deep, magical coma. His rampant wolf spirit was slowly tearing his mind apart from within. The royal doctors declared that only a female with a rare spirit frequency could anchor his mind and save his life.

Every noble family had already sent their daughters to the palace. Every single one of them was thrown back by the terrifying pressure of James’s sleeping beast. Some girls left the chamber screaming; others fainted where they stood. Now, out of total desperation, the royal recruiters were scouring the low-ranking packs, collecting discarded omega women to throw into the beast's lair.

"Give her a moment to say goodbye," a familiar, soft voice called out from the doorway.

Riley walked into the tavern, brushing snow off his dark leather jacket. My heart gave a small leap of relief. Riley had been my boyfriend for two years. He was a handsome beta guard who always listened to my worries and brought soup for Noah when the winter grew too harsh.

"Riley!" I breathed, moving toward him. "Please, tell them there is a mistake. Talk to the guards. You know the commander in the district!"

Riley caught my shoulders, his expression dark and serious. He leaned in close, his breath warm against my cheek. "Isabella, listen to me very carefully. You have to go with them."

I blinked, stunned. "What? Riley, no! If I go to the palace, I might die! You heard what James’s wolf does to the women who enter his room!"

"You won't die," Riley whispered, his hands tightening on my arms. "You are strong, Isabella. Your spirit is different from those spoiled noble girls. Listen to me... this is our only chance."

"Our chance for what?"

Riley looked over his shoulder to make sure the royal guards were not paying attention. His voice dropped to a barely audible whisper. "The palace is corrupt. The Alpha King taxes our territory until we starve. My friends and I... we are organizing a movement to change things. If you enter the palace, you will have access to the royal wing. You can help us find the keys to the inner vaults. We can free our people, and I can get enough money to cure Noah forever."

I stared at him, my head spinning. "You want me to spy on the royal family?"

"I want us to have a future," Riley said softly, touching my chin with his thumb. "Go to the capital. Pass the spirit test if you can. Stay alive. I will follow you to the city tomorrow. I will be right outside the palace walls, waiting for my signal. Trust me, my love."

I looked back at my father, who was already pouring himself another cup of ale, completely ignoring my existence. I looked at Noah, whose eyes were filled with silent terror. I had no money, no home left, and no power to fight two fully armed alpha guards.

"All right," I whispered to Riley. "I will go."

The lead guard stepped forward and clapped the heavy iron shackles around my wrists. The metal was freezing cold against my skin, biting into my wrists. They dragged me out of the tavern and shoved me into the back of a covered wooden wagon.

As the wheels began to roll over the icy road, leaving Silver Creek behind, I looked through the small wooden bars of the wagon window. Riley stood in the snow, watching me go with a cold, unreadable smile on his face. I didn't know it then, but every single word he spoke to me that night was a lie.