Chapter 3

Katherine Lark's POV:

The moment I stepped into Darkblood territory, it felt alive but unwelcoming. My chest was still burning from rejecting the mate bond and making my breath tight.

But I forced myself forward. My survival couldn't wait for any comfort.

I was thinking how to enter their territory when the clearing suddenly opened before me. But before I could move far, several figures closed in from all sides.

"Stop right there!"

The voice was sharp and commanding. I looked up to see a group of elders stepping forward. Their faces were hard and wary. The warriors behind them fell back with their hands near their weapons.

"This is Darkblood land." one elder coldly said. "State your name and the reason why you are here!"

I swallowed and straightened my back. My chest was still burning from the bond's aftershock. But I refuse to bow or lower my gaze at them.

"My name is Katherine Lark." I said. "I was sent by the Silvermoon Pack."

"Sent?" another elder hissed. "But why?"

"To show that our pack is loyal and will not cause any disturbance to the Darkblood Pack."

The elders exchanged looks with each other until their unease deepened into something darker. One of them even let out a humorless laugh.

"Hah! This is ridiculous!" the first elder exclaimed.

"But—"

"Leave now!"

I was about to protest more when the air suddenly changed.

All of us felt a presence that swept into the clearing. It was strong, commanding and impossible to ignore. My breath caught before I even saw him. But soon, heat flared in my chest and nearly buckled my knees.

I looked up and saw an Alpha approaching us. The warriors made way for him without a word. Even without asking, I already knew who he was.

Alpha Harrison Hale, the leader of the Darkblood Pack.

Even through the morning fog, I could see he was tall with broad shoulders and steel-like eyes. He had a strange scent that stirred something inside me. My chest still throbbed from the bond I had tried to reject but I could feel the mate connection with him. It was impossible to ignore.

My knees wobbled but I clenched my jaw and stayed still. Alpha Harrison stopped a few meters away with an unreadable face. The moment our eyes met, the bond hit us both. Every part of me knew meeting him was dangerous.

His posture stiffened for a second when our gazes met. But without changing his expression, Alpha Harrison took a slow step closer to me. His eyes were narrowing every second.

"...What is your name?" Alpha Harrison slowly asked.

His voice was low and measured but carried a weight that made me shiver despite my exhaustion.

"I am Katherine Lark." I managed to say while forcing my voice steady.

My fingers were itching to clutch on something or anything to stabilize myself. My legs slightly shook but I refused to let them see any weakness. But Alpha Harrison's gaze on me did not waver.

"And why are you here?" he asked again.

"...I was sent here by the Silvermoon Pack." I said. "As a symbol of their allegiance and to show their loyalty."

But Alpha Harrison's eyes became sharp in an instant.

"When did we demand such thing?"

This time, I couldn't hide my confusion anymore. I thought the elders earlier reacted like that because I was an outsider. But Alpha Harrison's reaction was telling me otherwise.

"Isn't that what the Darkblood wanted?" I asked in an unsure voice. "I was told to go here as a political bond between the two packs."

Alpha Harrison didn't blink. His calculating gaze searched mine and testing my every word and movement. I tried not to flinch but it was getting harder when our bond was pulsing again.

"I mean no harm..." I quietly added. "Unless it's forced upon me."

The clearing went still. The elders tried to speak but Alpha Harrison lifted his hand to silence them. But he did not respond right away and simply watched me.

And then, he stepped closer.

The space between us closed too fast. My chest tightened when the bond stirred again with its heat crawling under my skin. I clenched my jaw and kept still.

Alpha Harrison raised his hand to my face. My instinct took over and I slapped at his wrist although he caught it easily and stared into my eyes.

"Stay still."

The command was low and absolute. My body froze in an instant. My muscles locked, my breath stuttered while my anger flared in my chest. I always hated how my body obeyed an Alpha's command even when my mind resisted.

He slowly released my wrist then tilted my chin up with his fingers. Then I met his eyes despite myself.

His presence was intimidating but controlled. The bond reacted violently to the heat crashing through me. My knees wobbled but I forced myself to stand straight.

Alpha Harrison studied me in silence. When his thumb brushed against my jaw, it sent a sharp pulse through my chest. I drew a breath and fought the instinct to lean in.

Alpha Harrison hid well whatever he felt from this contact. But I felt it all. The bond pulsed again. This time, it was hard enough to make my vision blur. I clenched my fists at my sides and dug my nails into my already wounded palms.

Minutes later, his hand finally dropped.

"Your presence here is unexpected." Alpha Harrison said.

The word "unexpected" burned in my ears. His words sparked an immediate reaction. The elders shouted at their Alpha and the tension pressed down on me. But Alpha Harrison decided quickly.

"Although she was sent here without my consent..."

Alpha Harrison glanced at me before he continued.

"Don't think her presence here is also welcomed."

I froze. Then it hit me. My arrival here was a mistake and planned by my pack without the Darkblood Pack's approval. I'd been discarded into a den of wolves who never wanted me.

'Those bastards...'