2

Tricia

The woman was gone. One second she was standing in the beam of the headlights, a pale ghost in the middle of the road, and the next, there was nothing but the dark, empty forest.

My heart was thumping so hard against my ribs I thought it might actually break through. I stared at the spot where she had been, my breath fogging up the window.

"Rector, drive," Blake said. His voice was steady, but there was a new edge to it. A sharp, lethal coldness that made the hair on my arms stand up.

"Alpha, who was that?" Rector asked, his hands shaking as he put the car back into gear.

"A distraction," Blake snapped. "Nothing more. Keep your eyes on the road."

I huddled back into the leather seat, trying to make myself as small as possible. I was twenty four years old, and for the last three years, I had lived in a world of wolves. I knew their temperaments. I knew how they looked at humans like me, like we were something they’d accidentally stepped in. But Blake was different. Tristan was a bully, but Blake felt like a predator that had already decided how he was going to kill you.

"Why did you take me?" I whispered, finally finding my voice. "If you hate humans so much, why not just leave me there? You saw how much Tristan hated me. You could have just let him keep making my life miserable."

Blake turned his head slowly. The interior light of the car was dim, but I could see the silver glint in his eyes. He didn't look like a man who had just found his soulmate. He looked like a man who had found a curse.

"You think I wanted this?" he asked. "I've spent a decade leading the Blackwood Pack. I've built an empire on strength and blood. And now, the Moon Goddess hands me a girl who was discarded by a pathetic pup like Tristan. You're a liability, Tricia."

"Then let me out," I said, reaching for the door handle. "If I'm such a burden, pull over and let me go. I'll disappear. I'll go to the city. You'll never have to see me again."

His hand shot out, his fingers wrapping around my wrist before I could even touch the latch. His grip was like a vice, hot and bruising.

"Don't be stupid," he growled. "The bond is already pulling at my pack's territory. If I let you go now, my wolves will feel the weakness. They’ll think their Alpha is incomplete. I won't let your existence compromise my power."

I winced, trying to pull my arm back. "So I'm just a prop? A piece of furniture to make your house look complete?"

"You're a tool," Blake corrected, leaning in closer. His scent was everywhere now, filling the small space of the car. It was intoxicating, a mix of cold wind and dark woods that made my stomach flip in a way that terrified me. "Tristan took something from me years ago. Something he can never repay. Seeing him look at you tonight... seeing the way he realized I was taking his former Luna... that's just the beginning."

"You're using me to get back at him," I said, the realization stinging more than I wanted to admit.

"I'm using everything I have," he said, his eyes dropping to my lips for a fraction of a second before he pulled away. "Including you."

I looked out the window, tears stinging my eyes. I thought I had reached rock bottom when Tristan handed me the divorce papers in front of the whole pack. I thought being forced to scrub floors in the house where I used to be queen was the worst it could get. I was wrong. Being a pawn for a man who looked at me with pure disgust was much, much worse.

"How old are you anyway?" I asked, trying to distract myself from the ache in my wrist.

"Thirty," he said shortly.

"Thirty and you still act like a child who can't share his toys," I muttered under my breath.

I expected him to roar at me, or maybe shove me. Instead, the car went silent. Rector pulled through a set of massive stone pillars, the gates of the Blackwood estate. This wasn't a pack house like Tristan's. It was a fortress. Dark stone, high windows, and guards standing at every corner.

When the car stopped, Blake didn't wait for Rector to open his door. He stepped out and walked around to my side, ripping the door open.

"Out," he ordered.

I stumbled out, my legs feeling like jelly. The air here was different. It smelled of pine and power. As we walked toward the massive front doors, a group of wolves stepped out of the shadows. They didn't bow. They stood tall, their eyes tracking my every move with suspicion.

"Is that her?" a voice asked.

A tall man with a scar running down his cheek stepped forward. Xavier. I had heard of him. Blake’s most ruthless enforcer.

"She's human," Xavier spat, looking at me like I was a diseased animal. "Alpha, you can't be serious. You’re bringing a human into the inner sanctum? After everything we've worked for?"

"She's the mate, Xavier," Rector said, stepping in behind us. "The bond is real."

"The bond is a mistake," Blake said, his voice loud enough for everyone to hear. He grabbed my arm and dragged me toward the stairs. "She stays in the North Tower. Lock the door from the outside. No one talks to her. No one touches her. She is here to be seen, not heard."

"You can't lock me up!" I yelled, digging my heels into the stone. "I haven't done anything wrong!"

Blake stopped and turned to me. He stepped into my personal space, forcing me to tilt my head back to look at him. His face was a mask of cold fury.

"You exist," he whispered. "That's what you did wrong. You’re a human stain on my reputation, Tricia. Every minute you’re here, you’re a reminder that I’m tied to someone weak. Now, you can go to the tower quietly, or I can have Xavier drag you there by your hair. Choose."

The raw cruelty in his eyes broke something inside me. I didn't fight him anymore. I let Rector lead me away, my head hanging low. I heard the wolves whispering behind me, their laughs echoing through the cold stone halls.

Rector led me up a winding staircase that seemed to go on forever. When we reached the top, he opened a heavy oak door and gestured for me to go inside. The room was beautiful, filled with velvet furniture and a bed larger than my entire apartment, but it felt like a cage.

"I'm sorry, Tricia," Rector said softly. "He's just... he’s had a hard time. The pack has been under pressure."

"That's no excuse to be a monster," I said, walking to the window.

"Just stay put. It's for your own safety. There are wolves in this house who would kill you just to 'free' him from the bond."

He closed the door, and I heard the heavy click of the lock.

I was alone. I paced the room, my mind racing. I needed to get out. I needed to find a way back to the human world, away from these animals. I walked to the wardrobe, hoping to find something I could use to tie together and climb down, but when I opened it, I froze.

It wasn't empty.

There, hanging in the center of the closet, was a dress. It was deep red, the exact color of fresh blood. And pinned to the chest was a note written in a jagged, hurried hand.

He’s not the only one who wants you, Tricia. Don't drink the water.

My heart skipped a beat. I turned around, looking at the glass of water Rector had left on the bedside table. I walked over to it, my hands trembling. As I picked it up, I noticed something at the bottom. A small, white pill was slowly dissolving into the clear liquid.

Before I could react, the lock on my door clicked again.

I expected Blake. I expected Rector.

Instead, the door swung open to reveal Tristan. He was covered in blood, his clothes torn, and a wild, desperate look in his eyes.

"Tricia, we have to go," he panted, reaching for me. "He’s going to kill us both. I didn't come here to save you. I came here because you're the only one who knows where the key is."

"The key?" I backed away, the glass of poisoned water still in my hand. "What key? Tristan, you’re insane!"

"The key to the Blackwood vault!" he hissed, stepping into the room and slamming the door behind him. "The one your father gave you before he died. Give it to me, or I'll let Blake find us like this. He’ll kill you before you can even explain."

Outside, a wolf let out a bone-chilling howl that shook the very walls of the tower.

"He's coming," Tristan whispered, his face pale with terror. "And he's not in his human form."

The door began to groan, the wood splintering as something massive slammed against it from the other side.