CHAOTER THREE

AISHA

I walked through the thick, unfamiliar woods like a mad wolf. My heart was a heavy block of pure pain, and my eyes were permanently red from crying, dust, and sleepless nights. This was the seventh day I had been wandering alone in the deep forest. Seven days with no food, no shelter, and no change of clothes.

I didn't care about my appearance. Whenever I stumbled upon a small stream, I only squatted down to cup the cold water in my hands to drink, or quickly washed my body if the smell of dried blood and sweat became too much to bear. I hadn't eaten a single scrap of food in a week, but strangely, I wasn't hungry. The dark, burning desire for revenge inside me was enough to keep my body moving.

As the sun began to dip below the trees on the seventh evening, the dense bushes suddenly cleared. Ahead of me, in a wide valley, stood rows of heavy black tents.

I stopped in my tracks. This must be another pack, I assumed, my mind working slowly through the exhaustion. At this point, my supernatural strength was stretching thin. I desperately needed shelter, even if it meant walking into danger.

As I approached the perimeter of the camp, I realized this wasn’t a normal pack village. Men were sharpening heavy silver swords, polishing armor, and organizing weapons. They were soldiers, standing alert, looking like they were waiting for the announcement of another bloody war.

Before I could even decide whether to turn back or move forward, a heavy rustle behind me caught my attention. Two massive soldiers lunged out from the shadows. They grabbed me roughly by the wrists, pinning my arms behind my back.

"Who are you? A spy?" one of them barked, dragging me forward.

"Let me go!" I croaked, my voice raspy from days of silence. I tried to pull away, but without food, my muscles failed me.

They didn't listen. They dragged my filthy, limping body straight into the center of the camp, pushing me through the flaps of a massive, luxurious tent. They forced me to my knees on a plush rug.

"Alpha, we caught this stray wandering near the eastern perimeter," the guard announced, bowing his head.

I lifted my face, pushing my dirty hair out of my red eyes. Sitting on a grand leather chair in front of me was a man. He was young, incredibly handsome, with sharp jawlines and dark, piercing eyes that seemed to look right through my soul. From the heavy, suffocating aura of power radiating from him, and the absolute respect the guards showed him, I could tell instantly he was the Alpha.

The young Alpha dismissed the guards with a wave of his hand. He stood up, walking slowly around me, examining my ruined clothes and raw, scratched hands.

He asked me question after question. Where did you come from? Who is your pack? Why are you covered in dirt and old blood?

I kept my mouth shut, giving him fake names and vague answers. I wasn't about to trust a strange Alpha. But then, he stopped pacing, looked down at me, and said something that completely shattered my mind.

"Marry me, Aisha."

I stared at him, my jaw dropping. "What?"

"I am giving you an offer," he said, his voice smooth and calm. "Become my Luna. Marry me."

I let out a harsh, dry laugh. Why would he even want to marry a dirty, broken girl like me? I knew I was beautiful—back at the Blue Wing pack, even under the dirt, my features were striking. But right now? I was a total mess. I smelled like mud, my clothes were torn rags, and I looked like a wild animal. An Alpha of his status should have some taste.

"You don't even know me," I whispered, shaking my head. "Why would a powerful Alpha want a dirty, nameless Omega?"

The man smiled faintly, a cold, dangerous glint in his eyes. "You are not a nameless Omega. And I know exactly who I am dealing with. I am Alpha Damian of the Black Star Pack."

My breath hitched. Alpha Damian. He was legendary. He was known across the territories as the richest, most powerful, and most ruthless young Alpha alive. The Black Star Pack was an empire.

A sudden, sharp realization hit me. Damian had resources. He had an army. He alone had the ultimate power to help me avenge the brutal murder of my little brothers, Leo and Toby. He could help me avenge the death of Alpha Brad—the only man in the palace who had never treated me badly, despite believing I was just a weak Omega.

If marrying this billionaire Alpha meant getting my bloody revenge, I would do it in a heartbeat.

"Fine," I said, standing up to face him, my red eyes matching his intense gaze. "I will marry you, Alpha Damian."

Damian stepped closer, his dark eyes locking onto mine. "Good. But let's be honest with each other, shall we? I didn't ask for your hand out of love, Aisha. I married you because you are a White Wolf. You are going to help me fight my enemies."

My heart stopped. My blood ran completely cold. He knows.

"How do you know that?" I demanded, my inner wolf baring her teeth in my mind.

"A powerful witch in my territory told me everything," Damian explained calmly, crossing his arms. "She foresaw that the last surviving White Wolf would wander into my lands, carrying a power that can crush kingdoms. I need that power to destroy the packs threatening my borders."

I took a deep breath, swallowing the shock. If he wanted to play cards on the table, I would play too.

"Fair enough," I said, my voice hardening into ice. "Then you should know this, I only married you so you can help me fight my enemies."

Damian raised an eyebrow, looking intrigued. "And who might those enemies be, little wolf? Give me their names, and my warriors will tear their lands apart by morning."

I looked away, staring at the flickering candles in the tent. "No. I won't tell you."

"Why not?" he asked, stepping closer, his commanding Alpha tone leaking into his voice. "If we are partners, I need to know who we are destroying."

"Because if I tell you now, you will just send your army to my old pack," I said firmly, turning back to look at him. "And the woman who runs that place is a manipulative snake. Luna Mabel will deny everything. She will put on a show, cry fake tears, and show the world fake evidence proving that I was the one who murdered Alpha Brad. The other packs will side with her."

I clenched my fists so tight my cracked nails dug into my palms. "No, Damian. I don't want an army to do it. I want to be the one to look into her eyes. I want to be the one to slit the knife into her throat myself, just like she did to my brothers."

Damian stared at me for a long moment, studying the raw, demonic fury in my eyes. A slow, dark smile spread across his handsome face. He liked the darkness in me.

"As you wish," he murmured. "We do this your way."

I knew this marriage wasn't real. There was no love, no fated mate bond, no warmth. It was a cold, calculated business deal built on blood and war. But at the moment, as I looked at my dirty hands and remembered the graves of my brothers, I didn't care.

Mabel thought she had won. But she had no idea I had just aligned myself with the most dangerous man alive.