2

Zeva’s POV

The stone floor was cold beneath me, its chill biting through the thin fabric of my dress as I sat in the vast, dimly lit quarters of Alpha Darian Kaelith. The silence here was deafening, broken only by the occasional crackle of the fire in the hearth. For nearly an hour I waited, my thoughts circling like vultures. Why had he dragged me here after rejecting me so publicly?

My heart still ached from the sting of that cruel moment in the hall. His words — “you’re nothing but an omega” — gnawed at me like a wound that refused to close. Leah whimpered in the back of my mind, restless and angry.

“We are not weak, Zeva. We are not worthless.”

I straightened my spine despite the weight pressing down on me. I wouldn’t cower, not here. Not anymore.

The heavy doors creaked open, snapping me from my thoughts. Darian entered first, tall and commanding in his dark ceremonial attire, his expression carved from ice. Thalyn swept in beside him, smugness dripping from every step. Elder Mael followed, his age-lined face betraying nothing, along with two other officials from the East. They carried the air of judgmental vultures, circling a prey they’d already decided was doomed.

I stood, refusing to remain seated like some servant awaiting orders. My voice shook, but I forced it out. “What is this? Why am I here?”

Darian’s eyes flicked to me, and for a heartbeat I thought I saw something — not compassion, but curiosity. Then his lips curled into a smile that never reached his eyes. “Because, Zeva, you’re more valuable than you realize.”

A hollow laugh slipped from me. “Valuable? You called me an omega in front of everyone. You rejected me.”

“Yes,” he said smoothly, stepping closer. “I did. But that doesn’t erase what you are. You come from the Ashryn bloodline — fierce warriors, leaders of their time. Blood that was feared, respected. And yet, somehow, you’ve managed to taint that lineage by lowering yourself to the role of an omega. It’s tragic… but still useful.”

His words hit me like blows. My family’s name… Ashryn. He was using it against me now, twisting it into a blade.

“I don’t understand,” I admitted, though dread coiled in my gut. “What do you want from me?”

He didn’t answer. Instead, he reached into his coat and pulled out an envelope, crisp and sealed with the Eastern crest. He tossed it onto the small table between us, the gesture casual, but my instincts screamed at me not to touch it.

When I hesitated, Thalyn smirked. “Open it, omega. This is the only chance you’ll ever have to be worth anything.”

My fingers trembled as I broke the seal and unfolded the parchment. The words blurred at first, my mind refusing to process them. Then the truth hit me like lightning, stealing the air from my lungs.

A contract. Not just any contract — a trade agreement. My name inked into the parchment, written as though I were an item on a merchant’s ledger. I was to be given away to Alpha Aric Veylor of the Northern Pack.

Not just to be his Luna. Not even as a mate.

But as his breeder bride.

The paper slipped from my hands, falling to the floor like ashes. Leah roared inside me, her voice sharp with rage. “No! We will not be caged. We will not belong to him!”

“You can’t be serious,” I whispered, looking between them. My voice cracked, but I didn’t care. “This is barbaric.”

Elder Mael cleared his throat, his tone maddeningly calm. “Think of it as an honor, child. Alpha Aric is a powerful leader. This will unite the East and the North in strength and prosperity. And you… you will become Luna of the North. Surely that is preferable to wasting away as an unwanted mate here.”

His words were a poison wrapped in silk. Luna? The thought was a mockery.

“I’ve heard the stories,” I spat, my hands curling into fists. “Aric Veylor is a monster. A beast feared even by his own pack. You want me to be chained to him?”

Darian tilted his head, his smile sharpening. “Better chained to him than to me. At least he won’t pretend to love you. He’ll take what he wants, and you’ll serve your purpose. And in return, I get what I want — an alliance too valuable to ignore.”

The room spun, fury and disbelief warring in my chest. Before I could speak, Thalyn’s laughter cut through the air.

“You act so surprised,” she sneered. “But surely you should have known by now that you don’t hold any value in this pack anymore. There are several other ways to get rid of you, this… is just a merciful consideration for you.”

Mericiful consideration? I scoffed in my head, Leah wanted to take over in rage and peel off that ugly smile from Thalyn’s face. But I had to exercise a measurable amount of self control, this wasn’t the best time to overreact. My chest ached, not just from heartbreak, but also from betrayal.

“You are only speaking with boldness because you were picked, your value is as useless as mine,” I spat in bitterness.

“How dare you!” Thalyn barked, and the next I knew, she raised her palm and slammed it to my cheek.

Something inside me snapped. My palm stung before I even realized what I’d done — the sound of my hand striking her cheek back echoed through the chamber. Thalyn gasped, fury flashing in her eyes before she lunged at me again. Her second slap sent my head snapping to the side, the metallic taste of blood filling my mouth.

“You wretch!” she shrieked.

Before I could recover, hands seized me, rough and merciless. The guards dragged me to my knees, holding me down as though I were a criminal.

“Enough!” Darian’s voice thundered through the room, his expression twisted in fury. “How dare you lay hands on her in my presence?”

I laughed bitterly through the pain. “She struck me first.”

“Silence!” he snapped. His eyes burned into me, full of disdain. “You should be grateful I haven’t already executed you for defying me. Guards — take her to the dungeon. Let her think about the honor being offered to her.”

I struggled, Leah snarling inside me, but the guards’ grip was iron.

“Wait,” Thalyn said, her voice sickly sweet. She pressed a hand to Darian’s arm, her swollen cheek reddened but her smirk firmly in place. “Don’t just lock her up. Give her a choice. Let’s make it… interesting.”

Her eyes met mine, brimming with venom. “Three days. No food, no water. If she agrees to the trade, she walks free and lives as the North’s Luna. If not…” Her smile widened, cruel and gleeful. “She dies.”

The officials nodded their approval as though she had offered some grand wisdom. Darian didn’t even hesitate.

“Very well,” he said coldly. “Three days. Decide if you value your life enough to surrender it to Aric Veylor. If not, your blood will stain the dungeon floor.”

The guards yanked me upright, dragging me toward the door. My body screamed in pain, but my spirit refused to break. I met Thalyn’s gaze one last time, and despite everything, I let a smile twist my lips.

“Enjoy your Luna title while you can,” I told her, my voice steady despite the ache in my chest. “Because the day will come when you choke on it.”

Her face darkened, but I was already being pulled away, the dungeon’s darkness waiting to swallow me whole.

Leah’s growl echoed in my mind, fierce and unyielding. “We will not die here. We will not bow. If they want to break us, they will learn what it means to face an Ashryn.”

And as the door slammed shut behind me, I clung to that fire.

Three days. Three days to decide between death… or a fate worse than death.