Chapter 3

ROMAN

Someone was holding my hand. And I...I could feel it. Her hand felt strange. No, it was warm.

It had to be. I'd only ever learned what temperatures meant without ever feeling them for myself.

But, Gods...I could feel her.

I turned slowly, awed by her courage.

No...not courage.

Stupidity.

She would have died before she even touched me. I could have snapped her neck in half.

I couldn't see her face. Only my beta knew this. No one knew that I was physically blind.

But I could see what others couldn't. Their soul. Their aura. Their essence.

And right now, her body was withering like a dying flower. I could tell.

She quickly released my hand with a strangled gasp that mirrored her fear.

Good. She knew the repercussion of what she'd just done.

"What's your name?" I asked, and her heart rate picked up.

"Solana, sir," she said. Her voice trembled, but it was firm enough.

Her soul... it shone. Colors I didn't know existed, entwining, swirling—a masterpiece that only the Creator could make. One of the Goddess' favorites, no doubt.

Who was this woman?

"Why did you touch me?" I asked.

"I...I was desperate. I still am."

"Lana!" Her companion hissed, her voice laced with terror.

"Why?" I asked, keeping my attention on the woman before me.

"Take me with you," she blurted out, and I blinked, mesmerized.

In reality, I was trying not to get distracted by the sight of her soul.

It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.

"Ignore her, Roman. If you would be patient with me, I'll get you another—"

"Silence, Elric," I droned, without looking at him. He was an eyesore.

"Solana, do you know what you are asking of me?" I asked, and her breath caught in her throat.

She went down on her knees before me, her head hanging low.

"Yes, alpha. You can do whatever you want with me. Just please..." her voice cracked. "Take me with you."

Inhaling deeply, I turned away from her. My heart was pounding fast now. Faster than ever before. It felt like I was having a heart attack.

"Nigel," I called out for my beta without raising my voice. He was by my side in an instant, his calming aura washing over me.

"Get the car ready. We'll be leaving with her. And the one perched by her side," I said.

"Yes, Alpha."

I didn't know what was going on. But I had a feeling that this moment was about to change everything.

……

SOLANA

"What the hell do you think you're doing, you obnoxious brat?" Kamala demanded.

She had pulled me away from the study until we were standing in her garden.

"Wasn't it the plan? I was to be sent off to be the sacrificial lamb. Why are you pissed?" I said.

I knew she hated it. Elric hated it too.

They hated that the table had been flipped and I had made the decision to leave.

They wanted to crush me until I had no voice to speak for myself.

"You have Elric all to yourself. I hope you enjoy your marriage with him," I told her, suddenly exasperated.

The moment I turned to walk away from her, she grabbed me by the hair and yanked. Then she stumbled backwards against the wall and screamed.

Terror washed over me.

She was doing it again. Setting me up.

"Let go of me!" I cried, struggling to pull away from her.

But I was too weak, and the injury on my body was yet to heal.

Kamala pulled me down to the floor with her and screamed even louder.

And that's when Elric rushed outside. He growled at me and pulled me away from Kamala, pinning me against the wall with his fingers wrapped around my throat.

"How dare you touch her?!" He roared, tightening his grip on my throat.

Black dots swam across my vision, and I clawed at his hand, gasping and choking.

"Elric," a deadly voice spoke, and he released me instantly. My knees gave out, but before I could hit the ground, a strong pair of arms held me up.

Roses.

The smell washed over me.

"From this moment on, she belongs to me. If you ever lay your filthy hands on her again, you will die."

A shiver ran down my spine at the menace in the demon alpha's voice.

"But—"

"Do not test me, Elric," he hissed, and I looked up at my savior's face.

"Let's go, Solana," he added, and I nodded, letting him hold my hand and lead me away from the banes of my existence.

Alpha Roman might kill me later. But I would never forget this small kindness he had shown me.

....

It was finally happening. But I still couldn't believe it. The farther the sleek car went from the pack house, the more my new reality dawned on me.

Tara was seated at the front seat with the demon alpha's beta. Beside me, Alpha Roman sat rigidly, but his eyes were closed, his long eyelashes brushing the top of his cheekbones.

Goddess, he was still breathtaking even with the scar on his face.

"How old are you?" He asked, and I looked away from him, nervous.

"Nineteen, sir."

"Are you not worried that you might have just signed yourself up for an early death?" He asked.

I couldn't help but smile. "I am not worried."

A slight frown creased his brow. I tensed, worried that I'd upset him.

"Make no mistake, Solana. You are to become my breeder. You may perish in the process," he told me, and I gulped, gripping my dress.

I wanted to tell him that it was okay. All of that didn't matter because I was terminal.

Besides, no matter how aggressive he could be in bed, I had suffered worse in the hands of my previous mate.

"We're here, Alpha," the beta said, stepping out of the car to open the door.

My jaw dropped when I saw that we were at the town hall for marital union.

My eyes bulged in their sockets.

He was marrying me?!

Why?

Alpha Roman helped me out of the car. And when I was finally standing beside him, he took my hand again.

Butterflies swarmed my stomach when I noticed the difference in our hand sizes.

"Why do you seem surprised, little one?" He asked, and I bit my lower lip, shifting my weight.

"Well...I thought I was only about to become your mistress," I said.

"You didn't know? Solana, I don't just need a breeder. I need a wife and a Luna."

"W-what?" I stuttered, bewildered.

He cupped my cheek, his scarred face inches from mine.

"In summary, little one...you are a sacrificial lamb." His voice dropped to a whisper.

Tara gasped behind me.

"What does that mean?" I choked.

Alpha Roman's eyes rested on me, but for some reason, they weren’t focusing right.

"It means...you will die."