Chapter 2

ANYA’S POV

“Before the presence of the Alpha-king of Bloodfrost kingdom!”

“Before the presence of the Alpha-king of Bloodfrost kingdom!”

“Before the presence of the Alpha-king of Bloodfrost kingdom!”

My mind raced with a million thoughts a second, my heart pounded against its bony prison and the air felt like shards of glass in my lungs, making me wish that I could just die here and now.

Alpha Rolan McDrago was one of the most feared men in the country. The power in his last name alone was enough to make grown men and Alphas tremble in fear. He has started wars just for the thrill of the fight and still ended up winning those wars

And now I’m to be judged in front of that same man. He might even kill Elda and me for wasting his precious time.

I practically shook in his presence. My stomach formed in its wake.

“Please help me, dear goddess,” I begged in my head and even when every part of my being should be telling me to screw the moon goddess because of the number of times she’s never come through for me. Praying to her is the only form of defense I have.

“You will be banished from this pack and the Bloodfrost pack as well. Such a thriving pack doesn’t need a creature like you to tarnish her reputation.”

I bent my head lower, hoping to make my presence smaller than it already was if that was even humanly or supernaturally possible.

“Look at me.”

The field fell impossibly silent. So silent you could hear the dead turning in their graves. So Silent that the heartbeat of nocturnal animals could be heard.

“I said look at me, little girl.”

I slowly lifted my head till my gaze collided with his and a breath left my mouth at the sight of the man before me.

The sight of the god before me.

A mop of dark brown hair, a chiseled jawline, high cheek bones and the most stunning, intense pair of dark-brown eyes. The most beautiful man I’ve ever seen.

But it wasn’t just his beauty that shook me to the core. It was the voice that spoke in my head and the word it uttered.

“Mate!”

My heart sank to the pit of my stomach and I caught his eyes. Of all the people the moon goddess could have cursed me to, she chose the most merciless of all Alphas, Rolan McDrago, the Lycan Alpha-king of Bloodfrost kingdom.

His eyes widened the longer he stared at me but his surprise only lasted a second before he turned away, disdain clearly written on his features.

Pain ran through my chest at his harsh and obvious rejection but that pain was short-lived when someone fisted my hair and pulled on my scalp till my head throbbed.

“Release her.” A voice echoed through the field in a deadly tone. The guards released me like I had a disease and all eyes turned to Alpha Rolan as he stood to his feet and made his way towards me with slow, menacing steps.

He stopped before me. His face a mask of indifference, before lowering himself until he tipped my chin and held my gaze.

“Such rare beauty.” He whispered.

A shiver ran up my spine and my cheeks grew hot with embarrassment. No one has ever called me beautiful or even anything remotely close to a compliment.

He broke eye contact with me and stared directly at Elda with a hard expression on his face. “How much?”

“I don’t understand what you…” she started.

“How much would it cost to buy her from you?”

Gasps cut through the silent crowd, and no one can actually blame them for being shocked out of their minds by what he said. Because who would want to buy a random girl who was about to be banished for being a witch.

“She… she’s not for sale.”

“I see. 5,000 gold coins then.”

“She’s not for…”

“10,000.”

“Alpha Rolan, I—”

“50,000.”

“Please. Enough of this, your highness.”

A pregnant silence moved past us and the air thickened with tension as the two Alphas had the showdown of eyes.

“Why do you want her so much?” Elda asked in a tired voice.

Alpha Rolan turned his eyes to me and for a second, I saw an emotion I could almost recognize, but didn’t have the chance to because his mask was up again as he turned back to Elda.

“Because I think she’s my mate and I love her eyes.”

My mind ignored the part where he just called me his mate in front of both packs and focused on the second compliment he’s given me in just a few minutes… the highest number I’ve ever gotten in all my years.

My cheeks grew hotter and I almost used my hands to cover my face when he gave a small smirk.

“Very well, 50,000 gold coins,” Elda then agreed to his offer and nodded her head before she walked gracefully to her throne and sat like the proud, confident ruler she was.

“She’s now yours. I no longer have any responsibility to her. If she makes your life hell and you want to return her back, then I wouldn’t accept her. You can just leave her in a bush or something.”

Winds of laughter exploded throughout the hall, and the shame I felt held a vice grip on my dignity.

I didn’t know what hurt me most, the fact that my evil step mother had just sold me or the fact that she just made a laughing stock of me. And not once did my ‘so called’ mate do anything to defend me.

Alpha Rolan remained silent in front of me. His hands stayed by his sides before he squared till we were on the same eye level again. He leaned into to me and whispered in my ear.

“You’re mine now.”

Twelve letters. Three words. One sentence.

It wasn’t much to most people but it was more than enough to cause shivers crawl up my spine.

He gave me that smirk again then stood to his full god-like height… goddess, he was so tall, and walked back to his throne while I remained still on my knees, waiting for my new master to call it a night and take me to his home.

He had called me his mate. But if he ever claimed me, we’d both die for it.