THE LYCAN LORD FOUND ME.

Cressida’s POV

“We need to leave, my Lady. Now!”

Finn’s trembling voice pulled my attention away from the silver-eyed man standing before me.

He looked like someone who had stepped straight out of a nightmare. A long scar crossed his face, his broad shoulders were covered in a dark coat, and his silver eyes seemed to pierce through everything they touched.

Beside me, Finn dropped to his knees in the wet mud. “Forgive us, my Lord! We meant no disrespect!”

I glanced at him. He was shaking so badly that I wondered how he was still standing a moment ago.

“Finn, get up.”

“My Lady, please. You don’t understand who he is.”

Unfortunately, I did.

The man standing in front of me was none other than Alaric Sterling.

The Lycan Lord.

I remembered him from the werewolf novel I had read before my death. He ruled the forbidden forest bordering the Northern Ridges, and even powerful Alphas were careful not to cross him.

I hadn't finished reading it, so I didn't know all his secrets, but I remembered enough to know that provoking him was a terrible idea.  And yet, here I was, standing beside a hole I had dug near his border.

“Do you know whose land you are standing on?” Alaric’s voice cut through my thoughts as he took a slow step toward me.

“My land,” I answered.

His eyes narrowed.

“Your land?”

“I claimed the Northern Ridges legally. If you have a problem with that, you can take it up with the Veyrath kingdom.”

Alaric's aura pressed against me like an invisible weight. My wolf stirred inside me, urging me to bow my head and submit.

For a moment, my knees weakened. I clenched my fists until my nails dug into my palms.

No. 

I had not survived one life only to spend this one kneeling before every powerful man who threatened me.

“You have courage, little wolf.”

“I have responsibilities.”

“And what responsibility brought you here to dig into my borders?”

I glanced briefly at the exposed silver vein and the wild wolfsbane growing around the dead oak before looking back at him.

“Because you need me.”

A chilling silence fell over the clearing. Then Alaric laughed coldly, the sound echoing through the wind.

“And why do you believe you have something I need?”

I had caught his attention, but I had also made him suspicious. I needed to choose my next words carefully.

"I know you are preparing for a war against the rogue kings in the east," I told him. I used the secret knowledge I gained from reading the novel.

The Lycan Lord froze. His black claws stopped growing. The wind in the valley seemed to stop blowing.

"Who told you that?" Alaric demanded. He took another step toward me. His aura spiked, pushing even harder against my chest. "That information is a restricted pack secret."

"I have excellent sources," I said, ignoring his question. I kept my tone strictly professional. "You need weapons. You need medical supplies. You need pure silver and fresh wolfsbane to win this war. If you try to buy these from the regular market, it will take you months to get them. It will also cost you a massive fortune in taxes."

I uncrossed my arms and pointed to the glowing purple flowers and the raw silver shining in the mud.

"I will give you an exclusive supply right here," I offered. "I will give you a forty percent discount off the market price."

Alaric stared at me in pure shock. He looked down at my bleeding hands. He looked at the thick mud ruining my expensive clothes. Then, he tilted his head again. He listened closely to the steady rhythm of my heartbeat.

"You aren't lying," Alaric said quietly. The surprise in his voice was real. "You really aren't afraid of me. Your heart isn't racing."

"Fear is very bad for business," I replied smoothly. "I prefer profit over panic."

Alaric crossed his massive arms. He looked at the silver vein, and then back to my face. "And what do you want from me in return for this generous discount?"

"Security," I answered. I looked him straight in the eye. "You act as the muscle for my mines. No one touches my business. No one crosses my borders. In exchange, you get all the weapons your army needs to win your eastern war."

Finn whimpered from the ground. "My Lady, you can't make a deal with him. He is a monster."

"Silence, Finn," I snapped. I didn't take my eyes off Alaric. "Well? Do we have a deal, Lycan Lord?"

Alaric studied my face for a very long minute. He searched my eyes for a single drop of fear. He found absolutely none. I met his terrifying gaze with cool business logic.

Suddenly, he threw his head back and laughed. It was a deep, rich sound that warmed the freezing air around us. The crushing pressure in the valley instantly vanished. Finn and the other guards gasped for air, finally able to breathe again.

Alaric stopped laughing. He took a massive step forward. He trapped me right against the rough trunk of the dead oak tree. He stood so close I could feel the intense heat radiating from his broad chest. His silver eyes stared down into mine.

"We have a deal, little wolf," he whispered, leaning his face down until his lips brushed against my ear. "But I will collect my first payment tonight.”