2: The Claim

The look in Noah’s eyes broke my heart. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. Noah should be my mate. Not him… not anyone.

Suddenly, the Alpha grabbed my hand gently and guided me to the center of the festival.

As if he already knew me and had been waiting for this moment, he said, "I, Alpha Jacob Arther, claim you, Osline Carter, as my mate and my Luna."

My heart froze. Alpha Jacob? The same man Noah was working for? I’d heard so much about him, but this was the first time I was actually seeing him.

A chill ran down my spine as the crowd gasped. Every eye was on me.

My wolf stirred, wanting to say “yes” to make everything right, but I forced myself to stay silent. I can’t betray Noah.

Alpha Jacob’s eyes stayed locked on me, unblinking. The crowd watched, and Noah’s gaze followed us. His eyes shimmered with tears before he turned and walked away.

My heart dropped. I quickly yanked my hand free and ran toward Noah, who was moving out of the festival center.

"Noah!" I called, but he didn’t respond.

I raced faster, catching up to him. "Noah," I repeated, voice trembling.

He turned, eyes full of tears. Seeing him like that made my own tears fall.

"I’m sorry," I whispered, my voice cracking.

He exhaled heavily. "It’s not your fault. It’s what the Moon Goddess wants, right?" The disbelief in his voice was sharp, but the hurt underneath was deeper than he let on.

"I don’t care. I don’t want to be with Alpha Jacob. I want to be with you," I said. "We promised each other forever, and I’m keeping that promise."

"Are you going to reject him?" He asked.

I nodded. "Yes. I will reject him."

For a moment, relief flickered across Noah’s face. Then he said, "Okay. Reject him but do gently and then meet me at the lake house, okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Okay."

He pulled me into a brief kiss before turning to leave.

Once he disappeared from sight, I wiped my tears and headed toward Alpha Jacob’s chamber.

Alpha Jacob was a visitor here so I’m sure he wouldn’t want a Luna from another pack and, worse, a Luna who was an omega.

When I reached his chamber, the guards let me in. I opened the door to find him sitting at his desk, using his phone.

"Alpha Jacob, I—"

He raised a hand to stop me from yelling. I paused. Then he put the phone on speaker.

"So, you’re saying I can stop the treatment at any time and no one can stop me?"

"Absolutely, Alpha Jacob. You are the greatest. Whatever you say goes here," I quickly recognized the voice, it was my dad’s doctor.

My heart skipped. Why was he on a call with Alpha Jacob?

The doctor continued, "Is there anyone you have in mind you want to end once and for all?"

"Well… there is one person," Alpha Jacob said calmly, finally looking up at me. His blue eyes melted into mine.

My breath caught.

"You know your patient, Jonathan Carter," He continued.

My heart dropped. That’s my father’s name.

"Yes… what about him?" The doctor asked.

"Stop his treatment. Let him slowly die of his cancer," He said, voice steady.

"No!" I lunged for the phone, but the guards held me back. "No, don’t do that!"

Alpha Jacob didn’t flinch. "His daughter wants to reject me, and I absolutely hate rejection. So do as I say, stop his treatment and let the poor man die."

"No, you can’t!" I screamed, my heart racing, tears streaming down my face.

The doctor hesitated before saying, "You are the king of all kings. If that’s what you want, then I’ll make sure it happens. Just give me your words."

I cried, my voice breaking. "No, please! Why are you even doing this?"

Alpha Jacob glanced at me, calm as ever, and put the phone on hold. "You don’t want to marry me, do you, Osline?"

"Don’t do this, please," I begged.

"I don’t want to," He said coolly, gesturing for the guards to release me. "But I have to."

"No, you don’t. Please, don’t do that," I pleaded, dropping to my knees.

He watched me for a moment before turning back to his phone. "I’ll call you when I need you to take action," He said, then ended the call.

A wave of relief washed over me for a brief moment before I jerked upright. "What is wrong with you? Why are you doing this?"

"I simply don’t want rejection," He said calmly.

"You don’t want rejection, and so you want my father murdered?" I asked, disgust lacing my voice.

"It’s only murder if there’s blood. In this case, there will be none," He said, rising from his desk. "Let me make this very clear, Osline. I want you to accept me as your mate. I want you living with me as my Luna and my wife."

"Why?" I asked, confused. From everything I knew, no one wanted an orphan omega as a Luna.

"Why not?" He scoffed.

"No. This is not going to happen," I yelled. "I won’t let you get your way." I turned to leave, but stopped when he said, "Fine. Go wherever you want, but remember, your father only survives when I say so. Otherwise, he dies."

I looked at him. He was serious. I knew he had the power to do it, and I didn’t want to risk my life. I’d heard enough about him to know what happened to people who crossed him.

"I don’t have much time for you to keep thinking, Osline," He said.

"How do you even know my name? I didn’t tell you my name or anything about my dad. How did you know?"

"Our souls are intertwined. I know everything." He stepped closer. "Sixty days. That’s all I need from you. After that, you’re free. But if you don’t want that, you are free to walk away… without your father."

He gestured, and one of his guards pulled out a contract while the other dialed the doctor’s number.

I took the pen, my hands trembling. I wanted to beg him again, but I knew it would do no good. He had already made up his mind.

Signing the contract felt like stepping into a cage I couldn’t escape.

When I finally put my signature down, he smirked. "Good. You keep this to yourself. If anyone else hears about it, consider your father already dead."

I knew he meant it, but that wasn’t what bothered me the most, it was the thought of being trapped and the thought of betraying Noah.