Chapter One: The Trade

Elara

I followed the sound of raised voices down the hall to my father’s office. Peeking around the door frame, I saw my sister and my father, practically nose to nose as they argued.

Louisa was the only person I knew who had the nerve to stand up to him. She was tall for a woman, but Father still towered over her by several inches. The gray streaks threading through his dark hair did nothing to lessen the aura of Alpha power that radiated from him. Even the lines at the corners of his eyes seemed to deepen with authority. The way he glowered down at her, nostrils flared and eyes blazing, made me want to shrink back into the shadows.

Louisa never cowered. She glared right back at him, her hands planted on her hips, her chin lifted in defiance, shoulders squared like she was carved from stone.

She was every bit an Alpha as Father was. As the firstborn, she should have been next in line, but the Council would never allow a female to take the title. They were all stuck in some patriarchal dark age where only a man could lead the pack.

“You will do this, Louisa!” Father shouted, a vein in his temple pulsing dangerously. “Or so help me, I will send Elara in your stead.”

I froze at the mention of my name. Send me? Send me where? My heart began to hammer painfully in my throat, and my hand went there automatically, as if I could hold it in place.

The argument clearly involved me, but I was too afraid to step inside and make my presence known. The air in the room was thick with tension, almost crackling with the raw energy of two wolves locked in a silent battle for dominance. 

I dared to move closer, praying they were too focused on each other to notice me.

Then, as quickly as the tension had flared, something in Louisa seemed to break. Her shoulders dropped. “No.” Her voice was quieter, but still sharp enough to cut through the air. “You can’t do that to her.”

Father’s posture sagged too, and for a moment he looked older—worn and tired beneath the weight of his position. “The agreement has already been signed,” he said, his tone rough. “Alpha Kaelen will take…” He paused, straightening as if to reassert control. “Alpha Kaelen will take one of my daughters as his mate, and our packs will be merged when I retire. You are the eldest; it should be you.”

He nodded with finality. My stomach twisted. Now he’s done it.

“So,” Louisa hissed, her hands curling into fists. “You’ve signed me away like cattle to be traded among men?” The air rippled around her as her temper surged, her wolf pushing just beneath her skin.

“Be reasonable,” Father said, raising his hands in appeal. “Hear me out. By merging the packs, you will return as our Luna. And—” his tone softened with self-satisfaction “—our genetic line will be secured when you produce a son to take over.”

I facepalmed silently. Perfect. He’s managed to make it worse.

Louisa’s response was slow, deliberate. “When. I. Produce. A. Son?” she bit out, every word venomous. “Because that’s all a woman is good for, isn’t it, Father?” She began pacing like a caged animal, fury radiating off her.

“It’s just politics, Louisa.”

“It’s not just politics!” she shouted, striking her chest. “It’s my life!”

Father slammed his palm on the desk. “It’s your duty as the eldest daughter of an Alpha!”

“And what about your duty as a father?” she spat. She kicked the desk so hard the old wood cracked, sending splinters skittering across the floor. Father flinched as if she’d struck him instead.

He twisted his wedding ring with trembling fingers. “I wouldn’t ask this of you if I didn’t think it was the best thing for you—and for the pack.”

Louisa’s anger ebbed. She collapsed into one of the leather chairs, her leg dangling over the armrest. “If Mom were here, she’d never let you do this.”

Father sank back into his chair, defeated. His gaze wandered across the bookshelves, lingering on the framed photos of happier days. I ducked behind the doorframe before his eyes could find me, my pulse thudding in my ears.

I adjusted my position to see the room through the large gilded mirror on the far wall. It wasn’t the first time I’d used the mirror trick—Louisa had taught me that one years ago.

He straightened again, palms flat on the desk. “You’re right,” he said quietly. “But she’s not here. So who will it be, Louisa? You, or Elara? Because one of you must marry the Alpha.”

I held my breath. Louisa would never sacrifice me; she’d been my protector ever since our mother died. She’d fought for me when no one else did.

“You put it in writing,” Louisa said at last, her voice a low growl. “Elara will never be forced or coerced to mate with anyone against her will—not by you, not by the Council.”

Father’s head snapped up. “Do not presume to command me. I am still your Alpha—and your father.”

I couldn’t see her face, but I knew it was carved in the same stubborn lines as his. She leaned over the desk, her voice dangerous and calm. “You put it in writing, and sign your name at the bottom.”

“Or what?” he challenged.

Louisa straightened. “Do you really want to find out?”

Without another word, she turned and stormed out. When she reached the hall, her sharp gaze locked on me, as though she’d known all along I was listening. She grabbed my elbow and steered me back toward my room.

Though I was nearly nineteen, I’d refused all her suggestions to redecorate. My room was still a pink-and-white explosion of childhood innocence. Louisa threw herself onto my canopy bed, her dark hair spilling across the pillows like a storm cloud. 

I noticed she was rubbing her temples so I quickly fetched aspirin and water from the bathroom.

She swallowed the pills and slammed the glass on my nightstand. “This is a disaster,” she muttered, flopping back against the frilly cushions.

I climbed onto the bed beside her. “Are you really going to do it?” I whispered. “Are you really going to join Night Rising?”

Her eyes stayed shut. “Looks like it.”

“But… you don’t even know Kaelen.”

“He’s the new Alpha. Nobody knows him,” she murmured. Silence settled heavy between us. 

I’d heard the rumors—Kaelen was ruthless, hungry for power. The kind of Alpha who took what he wanted and never looked back.

The air in my room felt thick, suffocating. I tried to lighten it. “He’s only twenty-something. Do you think he knows he’s getting a cougar?”

Louisa groaned and smacked me with a pillow. “Shut up.”

Laughing weakly, I tossed it aside and hugged her tightly. Guilt knotted in my chest. She was giving herself up—to protect me.

As I buried my face in her arm, a chill spread through me. What would I do when she was gone, when the only person who’d ever stood between me and Father was no longer here?

Without her, I would be lost.