Chapter 2 – THE SACRIFICE

“How much did you hear?”

I stared at my mother. My hands stayed clenched at my sides.

“Enough.”

Father shifted in his chair. He looked uncomfortable, but not surprised. That hurt more than the words themselves. They had already decided my future. All I had to do was stand there and take it.

“Sit down, Malia,” he said.

“I’d rather stand.”

His jaw tightened. “This concerns you.”

“I figured that out.”

Mother sighed. “You were not supposed to hear it this way.”

“Then how was I supposed to hear it? After you already sold me?”

Her eyes hardened. “Watch your tone.”

I let out a short, bitter laugh. “You were talking about giving me to another pack like I’m a piece of land.”

Father rose slowly. “No one is giving you away.”

“Then what do you call it?”

“A mating arrangement.”

The words twisted something in my stomach.

He kept talking. “Blackridge holds a debt claim against our territory. If we refuse their proposal for a strong luna, they take part of our eastern lands. We cannot afford that.”

“So send Aria, she's stronger than me. You know she is.”

Mother’s head snapped toward me. “No.”

I stared at her.

“She is eighteen,” she said. “The first son is nearly forty-two. That age difference is unacceptable.”

“But it was fine when you talked about matching her with the younger brother.”

“That is different.”

“How?”

“Because he is closer to her age. The younger son is twenty-four.”

I swallowed the anger rising in my throat. “And what about me?”

Father answered before she could. “You turn thirty next week.”

“So?”

“The first son is only twelve years older than you. It is reasonable.”

Reasonable.

That word sat heavy in my chest.

Because I was older, I was easier to sacrifice.

“You want me to mate a man I have never met because Aria is too young for him? Do you have any idea that Aria is seeing the oldest son already?”

Mother folded her arms. “Aria is just a kid, she doesn't know what she's doing. And you are making this sound worse than it is.”

“Worse?” My voice cracked. “You’re asking me to leave my home and become the mate of a stranger.”

“You will have a position in Blackridge,” Father said. “You will be respected.”

“Respected?” I shook my head. “Have you ever asked me what I want?”

Silence filled the room.

That silence told me everything.

I looked straight at my father. “Have you?”

He looked away.

My chest tightened.

All these years I thought they simply ignored me. I thought maybe they believed I was difficult or not as important as Aria. But this was different. They had never considered that I could choose.

To them I was the daughter who stayed behind. The one who cleaned, fixed things, trained alone, and never complained loudly enough to become a problem.

The one they could use when their perfect daughter needed protection.

The door opened.

Aria stepped inside.

“Mom, I—”

Mother stood so fast her chair scraped the floor. “Aria, darling. Come with me.”

Aria frowned. “Why?”

“Your dress for the meeting tomorrow. I need your help upstairs.”

“But I thought—”

“Now.”

Aria glanced at me. Her eyes moved from my face to Father, then back to me.

“What happened?”

“Nothing,” Mother said quickly, already guiding her toward the door.

I watched them leave. The door closed.

I turned back to Father.

“I refuse.”

His expression changed. “What did you say?”

“I said no.”

“You do not have that choice.”

I stepped closer. “It is my life.”

“And you are a member of this pack.”

“So?”

“So your life is not yours alone.”

I stared at him.

His voice grew colder. “You will go to Blackridge on the full moon. You will accept the mating bond. You will do your duty.”

“No.”

His eyes narrowed. “Think carefully, Malia.”

“I have.”

“Then understand this. If you refuse, you leave this pack.”

My heart stopped.

He did not look away. “You heard me. I will cast you out.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“I would.”

The room suddenly felt smaller.

“Father…”

“Without this pack you have nothing. No protection. No territory. No place among other wolves.”

I knew he was right about one thing. A lone wolf was vulnerable. Our traditions demanded that every wolf belong somewhere. Without a pack, strength faded. Instinct became harder to control. Survival turned dangerous.

Knowing that did not make the threat hurt any less.

“You’re threatening your own daughter.”

“I am giving you a choice to make. The decision is up to you.”

I stared at him in disbelief. “That isn’t a choice.”

“It is the only one you are getting.”

My eyes burned, but I refused to cry in front of him.

For years I had swallowed every insult. Every ignored achievement. Every time Aria received praise for something I had helped her with. But this was different. They were asking me to give up my future. And if I refused, they would take away my pack.

I turned toward the door.

“Malia.”

I stopped but did not look back.

“You have until the full moon.”

I said nothing.

I walked out.

The hallway felt colder than before. I climbed the stairs without looking back and entered my room, shutting the door hard behind me.

For once I had nothing to clean. Nothing to fix. Nothing to distract me.

I sat on the edge of my bed and stared at the envelope lying on my desk.

Black wax sealed the front. The Blackridge mark was stamped into it.

A formal summons from their Alpha.

My hands trembled as I reached for it.

I did not open it.

I just stared.

In a few days I would have to stand before a pack I had never known and meet the man they had chosen to become my mate.

Unless I chose the only other path.

Exile.

I pressed my fingers against the cold seal.

For the first time in my life, I understood exactly what my family thought I was worth.

A sacrifice because of a debt.