Chapter 5

“So, tell me. What do you want in return?”

Alpha Joel’s question hung in the air like a sharpened blade, cold and ready to strike.

He wasn’t looking at me with pity anymore.

He was looking at me like an Alpha assessing a deal.

In the werewolf world, a debt without a price was a trap, and Alpha Joel Quinn didn't strike me as a man who walked into traps.

I took a breath, feeling the phantom ache of my missing fingernails.

I didn’t want jewels.

I didn’t want luxury.

I didn’t want power for the sake of it.

I wanted something far more dangerous.

“Three things,” I said, my voice steadying as I met his gaze.

“First, protection. Total and absolute. From my former pack.”

My fingers curled slightly.

“Second, a new identity so complete that even if the Swans stand in front of me, they will not recognise my scent, my name, or my existence.”

Even as I said it, I knew how impossible that sounded.

Wolves remembered scent above all else.

But if anyone could make the impossible happen, it was the Quinns.

“And third…” I paused.

My heartbeat thundered in my chest.

“When the day comes, and I am strong enough… I want the power to destroy them.”

My voice dropped… Cold.

“I don’t just want them ruined. I want their pack torn apart. I want the Swan territory reduced to ash. I want them to feel everything they made me feel.”

Heavy silence followed.

I knew what I was asking for. This was not a simple request.

This was war.

Joel leaned back slowly, his eyes flickering with interest, caution, and maybe respect.

“You want revenge.” His voice carried a low, dangerous edge.

“Then understand this. If you become Isabelle Quinn, you do not belong to yourself anymore. You belong to this pack. And eventually, you will belong to the Knights.”

His gaze hardened.

“And the Lycans are far more dangerous than any wolf pack.”

He stepped closer.

His presence swallowed the space around me.

“The Iron Lady of the Knights does not punish like wolves do. She does not torture for answers. She destroys bloodlines. Entire legacies vanish under her command.”

A chill ran through me.

“If you fail to be her perfect granddaughter-in-law, she will not simply kill you. She will make an example of you. And she will make us watch.”

“Granddaughter-in-law?” I repeated softly.

I had imagined someone like Estelle’s age, the Lycan king's mother, perhaps.

“Do not let her age deceive you,” Joel said. “Ten years ago, during the war that nearly wiped out both wolves and Lycans, she and her grandson were the only survivors of the Knight bloodline.”

My breath caught.

“Cassian Knight,” Joel continued. “He was fifteen at the time.”

A boy.

And he survived that kind of war?

A quiet dread settled in my chest.

“But your families are allies, right?” I asked carefully. “If my identity stays hidden, then I should be safe…”

“Not necessarily,” Joel cut in. His tone turned sharp. “We were allies once.”

The room felt colder.

“During that war, the Crimson Moon pack did not answer their call.”

The words hung heavy.

Betrayal.

The Quinns had abandoned the Knights. Why?

“This marriage is not just an alliance,” he continued. “It is a repair. A fragile one. Isabelle was meant to bridge that gap.”

His eyes locked onto mine.

“So I will ask you again. Are you willing to carry that burden? To stand between two forces that could destroy each other?”

I understood what he meant. I was not stepping into safety.

I was stepping into something far worse.

“I am,” I said.

My answer came without hesitation.

Beside me, Estelle moved.

Her hand rose to my face, brushing a strand of hair away.

Her touch trembled.

“You look so much like her… it hurts,” she whispered.

Her fingers lingered on my cheek, her eyes searching, full of yearning.

“But my Isabelle never had this look in her eyes. She never looked like she wanted to tear the world apart.”

‘That’s because she never had to.’ I didn't say it out loud.

Joel cleared his throat.

The shift was immediate.

The Alpha returned.

He picked up a thick dossier and placed it on the table.

“Isabelle Quinn is not just a name,” he said.

“She speaks four languages fluently—French, Italian, Russian, and Mandarin. She understands diplomacy. She has been trained to host Alphas, negotiate with Lycans, and read intent through scent and body language alone.”

His eyes narrowed.

“She can tell the age of a wolf by their aura. She can identify lineage from a crest. She can stand in a room full of predators and never show weakness.”

He stepped closer.

“Can you replicate that? Can you carry yourself like an Alpha's daughter among wolves and Lycans who will test you at every turn? You're wolfless.”

My heart dropped.

The truth was I wasn't actually wolfless. Something happened 3 years ago during my coming-of-age ceremony, so my first shift didn't go smoothly.

It weakened my wolf, and she had been silent all these years.

I looked at the dossier. Then at him.

Images flashed in my mind.

My father’s slap.

My mother stepping away.

Nathan’s body.

Lucas’ betrayal.

“Teach me,” I said. The words came out steady. “I'm ready to learn.”

Joel nodded slowly.

“We have two weeks before the introduction gathering. The alliance will be announced there. Your marriage will be confirmed in front of every major pack and Lycan house.”

His gaze sharpened.

“If one person suspects you, we all die.”

I nodded.

“There is one more thing,” Joel added.

His voice turned colder.

“The Knights do not wait for ceremonies to inspect what is theirs.”

My stomach tightened.

“The King is already here. He refused to wait for the gathering.”

My blood ran cold.

“What do you mean?”

Joel checked his watch.

A faint, knowing smirk touched his lips.

“Your training begins now,” he said.

“You will meet Cassian Knight in three days. Private lunch.”

The words hit like a blow.

“And before the war, he spent a great deal of time here. He and Isabelle practically grew up together.”

The room seemed to spin.

Three days?

I didn’t know her habits.

Her voice.

Her instincts.

I didn’t even know how to behave like a proper wolf, let alone an Alpha’s daughter.

And I was about to face someone who knew her intimately.

“Get some rest, Isabelle,” Joel said, turning away.

“Tomorrow, you begin your new life.”

His voice lowered slightly.

“Try not to let him smell the ghost beneath.”