Chapter 4.

❝No one is born powerful, you either inherit it by bloodine, or carve it out of someone else’s corpse.❞

Rivera.

“Find her, search the compound thoroughly.” Papa growled, and the man immediately sprinted out of the room.

Papa's eyes pinned me next. “Where is Rhea?” He asked.

I shook my head, throat dry. “I d-don’t—”

“Is this some kind of joke? A runaway bride?”

Zorah’s voice cut across room, then she stepped pass me. “What was the point of all this then?”

My gaze darted between Papa and Zayen. The former looked like a storm brewing; the latter had his jaw clenched like it might crack.

“I’m sure she’ll be here any minute,” Nonna spoke up, her voice trying for lightness. “You know these young women nowadays… It’s her wedding, maybe she just needed air.”

But even she didn’t believe what she was saying. You could hear it in the way her words hesitated, trailing off into nothing.

Then the guard returned. Alone.

His chest heaved with the effort of running, but it wasn’t that that made him tremble and his eyes were wide with fear and panic.

He shook his head. Silence filled the room.

Papa’s face drained of color, then darkened like thunderclouds.

“I am sure she’d be here any minute. You know all these young women nowadays, it’s her wedding, maybe she needs air.” Though Nonna said it, it seemed like she herself had a hard time believing it.

“You can’t expect us to put up with this nonsense, Zayen,” Nicklai thundered, turning to Zayen who still hadn’t spoken a word.

He scoffed. “These people can’t be serious with us. We are already doing a big favor marrying into its dying bloodline.”

I couldn’t help but glance at Nicklai, heart clenching and body hot with rage all at the same time.

“That’s enough,” Papa muttered, though his voice had lost its weight.

“No, it’s not,” Nicklai continued, ignoring him. “Your daughter’s gone missing on the day of the alliance, and now we’re all standing here looking like fools. Like amateurs. Is this what the Morozovs have become?”

I kept her eyes forward, refusing to meet his, but the shame crawled under her skin all the same

“This is unacceptable,” Nicklai hissed.

“Enough of this,” Zayen finally said.

The entire room stilled, heads snapping toward him.

His voice wasn’t loud, but it didn’t need to be. It carried something far more dangerous than volume: control.

“What is this, Dominik?” he asked, his gaze locking on Papa. His tone was calm, but edged with something sharp beneath. “You of all people should know that a disappearance like this isn’t a joke we’d entertain.”

Dominik straightened, clearing his throat. “Everything is under control.”

Zayen’s stare didn’t waver. “Good. Because it would be unfortunate… tragic, even… if you’ve wasted our time over something so embarrassingly incompetent.”

The insult landed with surgical precision. A beat of silence followed.

Then Dominik nodded slowly. “Nothing has been ruined. The wedding will go on.”

Nicklai scoffed, loud and mocking. “What do you mean it’ll go on? Do you store spare women in your pocket, or do you magically know the whereabouts of the bitch?”

I looked at Zayen, his face utterly unreadable. But the second his eyes flicked to Nicklai, it was like blade slicing through glass.

Nicklai went still. Said nothing more.

Zayen didn’t speak to him. Instead, he turned calmly back to Papa and said, “Go on.”

Papa’s eyes flicked to me. Then settled.

“Rivera,” he said.

My heart stalled.

“What?”

“Rivera,” he repeated. “She will stand in her sister’s place.”

For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. My name didn’t sound real coming from his mouth

“No,” Rico blurted from behind, “This is madness, Rivera is—”

“It will happen,” Papa said, his voice steeled now. “And that’s final.”

Nicklai let out a sharp, disbelieving laugh. “You’ve lost your damn minds. You want to replace the bride with her sister? Do you think this is some kind of marketplace exchange?” He turned to Zayen, gesturing toward me. “Call this sick joke off.”

Zayen, surprisingly, didn’t object.

He looked at me instead and something unreadable passed over his features.

Then he turned back to my father.

“What guarantee do we have,” he asked, “that this one won’t run off too?”

My stomach turned. No way he was actually considering it.

“She won’t. I’ll make sure of that.”

Nicklai scoffed, voice rising again. “You can’t be serious! These people take us for fools and now you’re actually standing here entertaining this circus act? If this is what the Morozovs call an alliance—”

Zayen’s head snapped toward him.

“I don’t recall giving you permission to speak.”

Nicklai’s jaw clenched but his mouth snapped shut.

I stood there, heart thudding like a war drum in my chest. Their eyes were still on me.

Zayen looked at me one more time, then said, flatly—

“So be it.”

Papa smiled in relief. “Good. Then we—”

“But on one condition.”

The words were soft but they landed like gunfire.

Papa froze mid-sentence. “What condition?”

Zayen eyes scanned the room slowly then stopped at me

“She stays with me until the day of the wedding.”

Silence filled the room.

“What?” Mama was first to speak.

“I don’t trust this one won’t run too,” Zayen continued, completely unfazed. “I’ve seen how your daughters vanish. If this alliance matters, then we don’t take another chance.”

“No…” I whispered, slowly backing away. “No. I—I can’t stay here. I need to go home—”

My voice broke.

I turned to Papa, eyes wide, silently begging him to say something. To stop it.

Instead a smile cripped unto his face. “Done.”

My heart fell instantly, limbs shaking as though they didn’t belong to me. I watched my father sealed the deal with a handshake.

The conversation drew to a close as everyone scattered. I couldn’t move. Mama approached me first, dropping a light kiss on my cheek.

“Y-you will be fine, mi nina.” She said gently. “He’ll be your husband…just get used to it.”

Were my ears playing tricks on me. I pulled her hands from my cheek. “How can you say that Mama? How can you both let this happen?” I looked at Nonna now. “Do you not even—”

“Rivera,” Nonna interrupted softly, eyes darting toward the Morozovs. “Not now.”

“Not now?” My voice cracked, barely audible. “Papa just handed me over like some trade-in, and this is what you have to say?”

She didn’t answer. Just gave a slow blink, the kind that said she’d already made peace with it. “Stay safe, my child.” Then she walked away.

Rico and Sean replaced her. Sean pressing a soft kiss to my forehead. “I’m sorry, Ri.”

I stared at him then Rico who couldn’t look me in the eyes. I knew him of all hated it. I pressed into his arm for a hug, my heart heavy.

“I don’t want to stay here Rico.” I cried.

He finally held me, pulling me to look at him. “ We’ll knock some sense into him. I promise.”

I nodded, though we all knew the truth. Papa wasn’t going to change his mind.

One by one, they all left.

I didn’t dare look at Mama or Nonna again. I couldn’t bear it. I stood, no remained there as their car drove away. And when they stepped out. Everywhere fell silent.

Nicklai walked along with the same girl from earlier, shoving me consciously out of the way as he moved to his car. She muttered something under her breath. I didn’t know why but the sight of it only added to my pain.

He drove off.

“I hope you weren’t stupid enough to think my brother wanted anything more than just screwing you.” I heard from behind me.

I turned immediately to face Zayen. “C’mon you can’t be that naive.”

His hands were lazily tucked in his pocket, while the other nurse a glass of wine.

“I guess you were.” He replied when I didn’t speak.

He suddenly started forward, stopping in front of me, handing me the glass, his fingers brushing mine for half a second as he let go.

“I guess it’s just you and me now.”

I stared at the wine glass in my hand, then at him and without thinking I spoke.

“What do you look to gain from this? I thought you hated us Direwolves.”

His lips crooked into a smile. “That hasn’t changed.” He then slipped his hands out of his pocket and unto his temple like he was thinking.” But a good piece of Rosta coast is a good start, don't you think?”

He couldn’t be serious. A voice in my head told me to keep shut but I couldn’t stop myself from what came next.

“You’re greedy,” I spat. “There were a hundred other ways to secure this alliance but you still chose this way just to make it burn.”

His eyes darkened immediately and I tensed. Remind me to clamp my mouth shut next time.

I moved a two steps back and he covered the distance in one, moving so close until his mouth were breaths away from my ear.

“Tame that pretty mouth, Rivera, he whispered, dangerous low. “Cause I can’t promise you I won’t bite.”