Two

Desiree

Cold metal bites into my wrists. That's the first thing I notice when consciousness drags me back to hell. The second is the throbbing ache in my neck where his mark burns like a living thing, pulsing with every heartbeat.

My eyes snap open. Stone walls. Iron chains. A cell that reeks of damp earth and old blood. I'm in the Midnight Pack fortress.

The memory crashes over me, my father falling, Gillian 's bite, Lucius's golden eyes promising pain. A sob tries to claw its way up my throat, but I swallow it down. I won't cry. Not here. Not for them.

The heavy door groans open, and my body betrays me. My wolf perks up, eager and pathetic, because she knows who's coming before I see him.

Gillian  fills the doorway like a dark omen. In the torchlight, he's even more imposing than on the battlefield. Black shirt stretched across broad shoulders, arms crossed, silver eyes assessing me like I'm a problem to solve.

"You're awake." His voice is flat. Emotionless.

"Disappointed?" I rattle my chains deliberately. "Were you hoping I'd die quietly in my sleep?"

"If I wanted you dead, little wolf, you'd be dead."

The casualness of it makes my blood boil. I lunge forward, forgetting the chains until they yank me back with brutal force. Pain shoots through my shoulders, but I don't care.

"You MURDERED him!" The words tear from my throat, raw and bleeding. "My father trusted you. We came for peace talks, and you slaughtered us like animals!"

Something flickers across his face, too quick to read. "Your father knew the risks."

"Liar!" I spit at his feet. "You're nothing but a murderer and a coward. That mark on my neck? It means NOTHING. I'll never submit to you. I'll never.."

He moves so fast I don't see it coming. One moment he's at the door, the next his hand is wrapped around my throat, squeezing just enough to make me gasp. His face is inches from mine, and the mate bond screams in pleasure while my mind screams in terror.

"You will learn obedience." Each word is carefully measured, deadly calm. "You are in my territory, bound by my mark, protected by my name. That makes you mine, whether you accept it or not."

"I'd rather die."

His grip tightens. "That can be arranged."

For a moment, we're frozen there, predator and prey, mate and enemy, king and prisoner. My vision starts to blur at the edges. Then he releases me, and I collapse against the wall, coughing and gasping.

"Breakfast is in an hour. You'll attend." He turns toward the door.

"And if I refuse?"

He doesn't look back. "Then you'll starve. Your choice."

The door slams shut, leaving me alone with my rage and the treacherous bond that hums contentedly despite everything.

++++++

They drag me to the dining hall still in chains. I haven't bathed. Haven't changed from the blood-stained clothes I wore during battle. The guards, two massive wolves with dead eyes, make sure everyone sees me. The walk of shame through the fortress corridors. Whispers follow like knives.

"That's her? The Greyfort girl?"

"Marked by the Alpha King. Unbelievable."

"She reeks of weakness. Of dead pack."

I keep my head high even as humiliation burns through me. Even as my wolf whimpers at their rejection. The dining hall is enormous, filled with hundreds of pack members. They stop eating when I enter, all eyes turning to watch. The hatred is palpable, thick enough to choke on.

Gillian  sits at the head table on a throne-like chair, watching my approach with unreadable eyes. And beside him, lounging like he owns the place, is Lucius.

Where Gillian  is cold and controlled, Lucius is all charm and poison. He stands as I'm shoved toward an empty chair near the back, the lowest position possible.

"Wait." His voice carries across the hall. "Surely the Alpha King's mate deserves better seating?"

Every head swivels toward him. Gillian 's jaw tightens, but he says nothing. Lucius descends from the raised platform, moving through the crowd with easy grace. His smile is warm, friendly even. But those gold eyes hold nothing but malice.

"Brothers and sisters of the Midnight Pack." He spreads his arms wide, addressing the crowd. "Behold the Moon's gift to our Alpha. Desiree Greyfort, daughter of the man who threatened our borders for years, who plotted our destruction."

Murmurs ripple through the hall. Angry. Suspicious.

"The Moon Goddess," Lucius continues, "has a twisted sense of humor, doesn't she? Binding our king to his enemy's spawn. Some might call it fate." His smile sharpens. "I call it a curse."

"Lucius." Gillian 's warning is soft but clear.

"A weapon sent to destroy us from within," Lucius says, ignoring him. He stops in front of me, close enough that I can see the calculation behind his friendly mask. "Tell me, little Greyfort, did your father plan this? One last desperate play before he fell?"

"My father," I say through clenched teeth, "was worth ten of you."

The hall erupts. Snarls, growls, chairs scraping back. A red-haired she-wolf lunges to her feet, her face twisted with rage.

"You DARE speak of worth?" She storms toward me, and the crowd parts for her. "Your pack killed my brother! My mate! And you stand here marked by our Alpha like you're something precious?"

"Sienna, stand down." Gillian 's command cracks like a whip.

But Sienna is beyond hearing. Her claws extend, her eyes flashing with her wolf. "She's a plague! A curse! She should be dead with the rest of her pathetic pack!"

She raises her hand to strike, and I brace for impact. But I won't look away. I won't give them the satisfaction.

The blow never lands.

Blood sprays across my face, hot and sudden. Sienna's body hits the floor with a wet thud, her throat torn open, eyes wide with shock. She gurgles once, twice, then goes still. Gillian  stands over her corpse, his claws dripping red, his face a mask of cold fury. The hall is dead silent.

"Anyone else?" His voice is soft, dangerous. "Anyone else want to touch what's MINE?"

No one moves. No one breathes.

His silver eyes sweep the crowd, and pack members drop their gazes one by one, submitting to his dominance. Even Lucius lowers his head, though that smile never quite fades.

Gillian  turns to his brother, and the temperature drops ten degrees. "You incited this."

"I merely spoke truth, brother." Lucius spreads his hands innocently. "The pack has concerns. Valid concerns about this... alliance."

"Get. Out."

For a moment, tension crackles between them, two Alphas, two wills, two paths to power. Then Lucius bows mockingly and backs toward the exit. But he stops beside me, leaning down so his lips brush my ear. To everyone else, it might look like a gesture of comfort or apology.

"When he breaks you," Lucius whispers, his breath cold against my skin, "remember I warned you. Your suffering is my victory."

Then he's gone, leaving me trembling and blood-splattered, surrounded by enemies wearing his brother's mark.