1. The Shadow of the Tribute

Rosalie’s POV

My older sister Cynthia was a coward, which was the only reason I was currently wearing her ice-blue silk dress and waiting to be inspected by a monster.

Beneath the heavy, drab wool of my mud-splattered travel cloak, the silver thread of the Northern Frost Pack’s crest gleamed ostentatiously at my collar. To anyone looking at the paperwork, I was the pampered, golden daughter of an Alpha, sent to secure a glorious twelve-month alliance. But beneath the stolen silk, my skin still stung.

The iron gates of the Bloodmoon Pack’s obsidian castle groaned like a dying beast as the line of twenty-four tributes marched into the grand courtyard. Ahead of me, the highest-born daughters of the outer packs preened like peacocks. They didn't see this assignment as a death sentence; they saw it as the ultimate lottery. For ten years, Alpha King Dominic had instituted a brilliant, brutal system: one tribute, chosen annually, to sign a strict Luna Contract. For one year, she would rule at his side; when the 365 days were up, she returned home with an astronomical fortune.

But the fortune came with a dark rumor. Every single Contract Luna returned home silent, hollow-eyed, and emotionally broken. Gossip whispered that Dominic used his suffocating, predatory dominance behind closed doors to systematically dismantle their minds.

The moment Cynthia discovered the truth, she threw a violent tantrum. Desperate to save his favorite child but terrified of the King's wrath, my father had shoved me into the carriage instead, violently bruising my jaw as he falsified the documents to swap our identities. I had spent my entire life as the dirty secret—the scapegoat forced to scrub the floors and take the blame whenever Cynthia made a mistake.

My plan was simple: act completely unremarkable during this evaluation, get dismissed from the lineup, and disappear into the castle's anonymous servant workforce.

"Hey! Watch where you're going, garbage!"

A sharp, intentional shove from behind broke my train of thought. My scuffed boots lost traction on the damp stone, and I stumbled forward, my knees hitting the cobblestones.

Laughter erupted around me. Standing over me was Vanessa, a high-ranking Alpha’s daughter clad in a rich, crimson cloak. She didn't know my face, but she recognized my family's silver carriage crest.

"Did your pack lose its wealth overnight, or did you just forget how to walk, Cynthia?" Vanessa sneered, spitting my sister's name like an insult. "A pathetic, clumsy thing like you won't even make it past the first culling."

I swallowed the burning humiliation, keeping my eyes fixed on the stone floor. I knew exactly how to handle bullies like Vanessa; you gave them nothing to fight against. If she thought I was weak, she would look elsewhere.

"I apologize," I murmured, keeping my voice carefully flat and submissive.

Vanessa huffed, satisfied by my total lack of spine, and strutted toward the massive doors.

Suddenly, the heavy obsidian doors swung open completely, and an oppressive silence fell over the courtyard. The air itself seemed to drop ten degrees. The casual arrogance melted off Vanessa’s face, and the warriors in the courtyard instantly dropped to one knee, their heads bowed low.

A heavy, predatory aura spilled out from the dark threshold—a crushing pressure that made my inner wolf whimper in absolute panic.

Alpha King Dominic stepped into the gray light. He was massive, his broad shoulders easily filling the frame of the doorway. His sharp, aristocratic features were carved from cold stone, but it was his eyes that froze the blood in my veins. They were a piercing, lethal gold.

He didn't speak. He merely stood on the top step, his golden gaze sweeping slowly over the line of trembling girls like a king inspecting cattle. Beside me, Vanessa thrust her chest out and tilted her chin up, offering a practiced, seductive smile. Every girl was vibrating, begging for a single glance.

I did the opposite. I pulled my muddy cloak tighter, shrinking my shoulders, desperately trying to merge with the gray stone walls. *Don't look at me. Please, Goddess, let him choose Vanessa. Let him send me away.*

Dominic’s gaze drifted past Vanessa, ignoring her completely. His eyes swept over the middle of the line, his expression utterly bored.

But then, his golden eyes stopped.

The heavy, crushing pressure of his aura suddenly focused, tightening like a vice directly on me. My breath hitched.

Slowly, Alpha King Dominic descended the stone steps. His movements were terrifyingly fluid, like a panther tracking prey. The courtyard was so silent that the rhythmic, heavy click of his leather boots on the cobblestones sounded like a countdown to my execution.

He didn't stop in front of Vanessa. He didn't stop in front of the daughters of the powerful Alphas.

He kept walking, his steps deliberate, until the heavy leather boots stopped directly in front of me.

I kept my eyes glued to the floor, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. I could smell him—dark cedar, winter frost, and raw, lethal power.

A heavy, leather-gloved hand reached out.

With agonizing slowness, Dominic hooked two fingers under my chin. He didn't force me up roughly, but the implicit promise of violence in his touch left no room for resistance. He lifted my face, forcing me to look up.

My wide, terrified eyes met his piercing gold ones.

I tried to project the spoiled, arrogant persona of my sister, but my body language betrayed me—it was thick with the hyper-vigilance of a prisoner, not the pride of a willing tribute. Dominic's eyes raked over my pale face, and his gaze instantly narrowed.

His thumb brushed the edge of my jaw, deliberately shifting the high silk collar of my dress. His eyes locked onto the fresh, ugly purple bruise left by my father's heavy grip when he had violently forced me into the carriage.

The other tributes gasped. Vanessa’s scent spiked with a volatile mix of shock and pure, ugly jealousy.

Dominic leaned in slightly, his voice a low, gravelly baritone that vibrated right through my chest.

"The paperwork from the North claims Alpha Eric sent his most willing, precious jewel," Dominic murmured, his golden eyes locking onto mine with absolute, terrifying precision. "So tell me, Cynthia... why does a pampered princess smell like a caged animal, and who had to break your jaw just to force you into my carriage?"