008

Jaxon’s POV

I had never been a man who begged.

Yet here I was, standing before Alpha Viktor, begging for what should have been mine from the beginning.

“You have to understand that I cannot marry Yara.” I implored Alpha Viktor. “Raven is my mate. I have already marked her. If you want this alliance to remain, you have to release her to me. It's been a whole day since you locked her up!”

Alpha Viktor sat behind his massive wooden desk, his fingers tapping against the surface. His grey eyes studied me with the sharpness of a blade.

Yara who stood beside me, let out a choked sob. Her mother Elinor stood beside her, staring at her husband with pleas in her eyes. I knew Luna Elinor wanted me to marry Yara, just as much as Yara herself did.

"What do you have to say about this, Viktor?" She asked her husband. He ignored her completely.

Yara was staring at me, silently begging me to look at her, but I didn't. I wasn't sure I would like what I saw in those eyes.“You promised.” Her voice trembled, her small hands clutching the fabric of her dress. “You told my father you would take me as your wife.”

I turned to her, forcing myself to meet her tear-streaked face. “I did not know about Raven then.”

Her lips quivered. “And now you do?” She wiped her face with the back of her hand, her blue eyes searching mine. “Now you know, and I am supposed to accept it?”

I sighed, feeling a weight settle in my chest. “It is not about what I want, Yara. It never was. I have no control over this, any more than you or Raven does."

A bitter laugh slipped from her lips. “No, Jaxon. It is about what she wants.” She pointed toward the door to indicate her sister. “Raven does not even want a man. She never has. She did this just to spite me. She did this because she wanted revenge.”

“Revenge over what?" I countered. "Raven is your sister. She will never willingly do something like that.”

“You do not know her like I do!” Yara snapped. There was a slight madness in her eyes now; I feared she was no longer thinking straight. “Raven has spent her whole life acting as if she is better than the rest of us, as if love and family mean nothing to her. You are fooling yourself if you think she cares for you.”

Yara placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. "I care for you, Jaxon."

But I knew Raven. I had seen the way she looked at me when she thought no one was watching. The way her body melted against mine in that room, when she stopped fighting herself.

Yara only saw what she wanted to see.

Alpha Viktor finally cleared his throat to draw our attention back to him. “Since you have already marked Raven, the alliance between my pack and yours remains.” He leaned back in his chair. “That is all I care about.” He turned to a guard by the door. “Bring her from the omega quarters.”

Yara inhaled sharply, her chest rising and falling with uneven breaths. “You are really doing this, Father?”

Alpha Viktor did not acknowledge her. Minutes passed, then the door opened. Raven stepped inside, and when my eyes fell on her, everything else faded.

Her short auburn hair was a tangled mess, and her grey eyes were dull and swollen from crying. The woman warrior I knew now stood small in a dress too thin for the cold air. Yara rushed toward her.

“Why?” She grabbed Raven’s hands, her fingers squeezing hard enough to turn her knuckles white. “You were supposed to stand by me. You were supposed to protect me.”

Raven flinched but did not pull away.

“You played me for a fool,” Yara whispered. “You took away the one person I loved the most.”

Tears slipped down Raven’s cheeks. “I did not know this would happen.” Her voice broke. “I swear, Yara. I fought it for you. The bond was too strong.”

Alpha Viktor exhaled loudly. He looked like he was bored with this exchange between his daughters.

“Enough of this, both of you!" His cold gaze landed on Raven. “You are a disgrace to this family!”

Raven remained silent, and Alpha Viktor sneered at her. “For once in your miserable life, you have no sharp words to throw back at me?”

Still, she said nothing.

Alpha Viktor sighed. “Very well.” He turned to me. “Like I said, our alliance against Stormgate pack still stands. You will marry her, Jaxon. Take her and go.”

I could still hear Raven’s uneven breathing beside me. Yara was pacing the length of the room, her eyes filled with something raw and sharp.

“You do not care about me.” She turned to her father. “You never have. You only use us to protect your pack.”

Alpha Viktor’s face darkened. “Mind your tongue, girl.”

Yara took a step forward. “You sold Raven off, and now you are throwing me aside like I mean nothing.” Her voice rose. “Does it not matter to you how I feel? Do my emotions mean anything at all?”

Alpha Viktor slammed his hand against the desk, the sound echoing through the room. “ENOUGH! I will not listen to this foolishness. You will keep quiet, or I will see to it that you are punished like your sister.”

Yara’s chest rose and fell quickly, but she stayed silent.

Elinor moved beside her daughter and placed a hand on her arm. “Stay quiet, Yara.” Her voice was smooth and firm. “This is not the time.”

Yara bit her lip so hard I thought she might draw blood. Then Elinor turned to Alpha Viktor. “She cannot bear the humiliation of this, and you know it.” Her voice was softer now, more careful. “I have heard rumours. The entire pack is talking about the warrior who stole her sister's betrothed. If you love Yara at all, you will not leave her to suffer this humiliation. You must do something.”

For a moment, Alpha Viktor said nothing. Then, he sighed and turned to Yara. “Very well. You will go to Stormgate.”

"No..." Raven whispered.

I spoke up. “Alpha, that is a bit too dangerous...”

“Do not question me,” Alpha Viktor interrupted. “She will go in Raven’s place.”

Yara’s lips parted. “What?”

“You did not mishear me, Yara. You will go to Stormgate as our spy, and get us the intel we need against Alpha Malachi.”

Raven stepped forward, shaking her head. “No. Father...”

Alpha Viktor barely spared her a glance.

“She cannot survive there,” Raven continued desperately. “Yara is just eighteen years; she is too young for this. Father, you know what Alpha Malachi is like. If he finds out, he will kill her.”

“She does not have combat training. She has never done anything like this before.” Raven pressed on. “I can go. I have always been the one prepared for this.”

Yara let out a harsh breath and laughed loudly. “You want to take this from me too, sister?” Her voice was filled with anger. “First my mate, and now my duty?”

Raven flinched. “That is not what I...”

“You are mocking me!” Yara spat. “You are reminding me that I am weak. I am not weak!”

Raven shook her head quickly. “That is not what I meant, Yara!”

Yara’s fingers curled into fists. Then, she turned to their father.

“I will go.”

Elinor gasped beside her daughter. "Yara!"

“If I die, I die,” she added, her voice eerily steady. "After all, Raven has made my life a living hell already."

Raven moved towards her sister, but Yara turned and walked out. Elinor gave Raven a disdainful look, before she followed her daughter quickly.

Alpha Viktor cleared his throat once they were gone.

“Prepare for the wedding,” he announced. "It will take place in three days."