Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Reya

I wish the fairy tale that I was experiencing with my fated mate, Skylar, could’ve lasted forever. It did not. It did not even last till midnight.

Due to my spoiled sister not getting her way by getting the male she wanted, she demanded that we return home. My parents stayed long enough for it to be an acceptable time for us to leave, and then they forced me off the dance floor and into a carriage. 

The whole ride back to our estate was silent with tension. Bernice’s silence is worse than her screams. The second we walked through the front door, a heavy crystal vase came flying across the grand parlor and smashed directly into the mahogany wall beside my house. Shards of glass rain down on the carpet. 

Her chest rises and falls with her anger, and she shrieks at the top of her lungs, “I won’t allow this! I won’t! This plain, useless loser can’t have him!”

Her perfect golden curls bounce frantically around her as she stomps her feet like a toddler having a tantrum. Her cheeks are bright red, and tears stream down her face, causing black lines from her mascara to ruin the rest of her makeup. She yells, “Alpha Skylar belongs to me! He is supposed to be mine!”

I stay near the doorway, picking off a stray piece of glass that landed on the sleeve of my green dress. I bring my hand back to my pocket, and I leave both of them in there so no one can see how hard I’m clenching my fists. I state, “He doesn’t belong to you, Bernice. The Moon Goddess literally chose him to be my mate. You stood right beside me. You saw the sparks.”

This fact makes her seethe, “Shut up! Just shut your stupid mouth, Reya!”

Her voice cracks on my name from how loud she screams. She throws a velvet couch cushion across the room, desperately needing to touch something to ruin something.

She whines pathetically, “Mom! Dad! Do something! His territory controls the richest trade routes in the entire world! He is incredibly wealthy and handsome! I am the pure white wolf of this pack! I deserve a king! Not this boring invisible nobody!”

Our father, Alpha Thomas, sits down on the leather sofa, rubbing his temples. His shoulders are slightly hunched with the stress that weighs him down, but he doesn’t look at my sister with anger; no, he looks at her with panic because she was his favorite asset.

In a calm voice, he says, "Bernice, sweetheart, please calm down and stop throwing things. You know the mate bond is a divine decree. We cannot just ignore the will of the goddess.”

She screeches, “I don’t care about the goddess!”

Bernice slams her hand down on a side table as she dramatically plops onto the couch, “I am supposed to sign the arranged mating contract with Alpha Killian Blackwood tomorrow morning! Killian is a complete monster! Everyone knows he is covered in horrific battle scars, his pack is stuck in those freezing, miserable northern mountains, and they are constantly fighting bloody border wars with savages! I will freeze to death up there, or he will butcher me in one of his psycho rages! You promised me a life of luxury and safety! You can’t just abandon me to that kind of fate!”

Our mother, Eleanor, rushes over to Bernice and wraps her arms around her, rocking her back and forth as she soothingly says, "I know, baby, I know. Killian Blackwood is terrifying. The whole world knows he is a ruthless executioner.”

“Precisely!” Bernice sobs, wiping her snot on the expensive silk sleeve of her dress. She dramatically falls to her knees, scooting towards our father as she grips his hands and pleads, “Please, Daddy, if Reya goes to the Southern Valley, she’ll be a queen! She will have everything, and I will have nothing but snow and blood. She’s just a defect! She doesn’t have a proper alpha or luna aura! She can’t even shift into a rare wolf like me! Use the old clan laws, daddy! Switch our names on the contracts by morning. Come on, Skylar is a businessman, not a romantic. He doesn’t care about a stupid mate bond. He cares about status. If you offer him a bigger dowry and a pure white wolf, he’ll jump at the chance to have me instead.”

My blood boils with every word she says. I march to the center of the room as I exclaim, “Are you actually insane? Bernice, you’re talking about committing treason against a fated bond. Not just any bond, but mine! I’m your sister! Come on, you can’t just swap names on a legal treaty like you’re trading cattle.”

Our father snaps his head to look at me. His eyes are cold, devoid of any love; it’s like I’m not even his daughter. He growls, “Keep your worthless mouth shut, Reya. Your sister is talking, and she is right. You do not have the presence of the wolf to lead a major territory like the Southern Valley.” He laughs mockingly, “You would embarrass us.”

I yell, “I am his fated mate!”

Everyone stares at me. Normally, I’m sarcastic, and I deal with their abuse. But the sheer injustice of this moment is choking me. I continue, “Skylar chose me! He held my hand and danced with me in front of hundreds of high-ranking wolves!”

“And he can drop your hand just as fast if the price is right,” A smooth, arrogant voice says from the open doorway.

I spin around, my heart in my throat, as I stare at the man who is meant to be mine. Alpha Skylar Raver walks into our private parlor. He somehow bypassed our guards, and he does not look like the enchanted gentleman who smiled at me on the dance floor a few hours ago. His hazel eyes are sharp and greedy, and they are locked onto Bernice’s kneeling and desperate form.

My father murmurs, “Alpha Skylar.” He quickly stands from the couch and walks towards the Alpha. He says, “You came here secretly? You heard what we were just discussing?”

Skylar shrugs his broad shoulders, a confident smirk on his face. He adjusts his leather armor as he states, “I am a businessman, Alpha Thomas. When I felt the fated bond tonight, I was captivated by Reya’s scent, sure. It was a nice physical rush. But a fated bond does not pay for new weapons, and it does not secure my borders. A pure white wolf as my Luna brings immense prestige to the Southern Valley. It makes my pack look blessed and untouchable. If you are truly willing to increase the dowry by forty percent to ensure your favorite daughter's happiness, then I am highly interested.”

Skylar walks past me like I didn’t even exist. He doesn’t look at me. He acts as if I am a ghost. He stops in front of Bernice, extending his open hand to her. She looks up at him, her tears vanishing, and wipes them and the mascara from her cheeks, streaking the black lines into a softer gray across her face. Her face twists in a triumphant, evil grin. She takes his hand and stands up, leaning her body against his side.

I can’t get my voice louder than a whisper: “You are making a huge mistake.”

I glare at Skylar, the fated bond between us humming painfully in my chest. His greedy face makes me feel physically ill, and I spit out, “The goddess will punish you for this.”

He laughs. It’s a cold, mocking sound. “No hard feelings, sweetheart. You’re a pretty girl, but your sister is a trophy that will elevate my status. You’ll be fine in the North. Killian Blackwood likes his women quiet, plain, and well… broken anyway. You two are a perfect pair.”

My father calls the pack lawyer into the room, not wanting to waste time in case Skylar changes his mind. They pull out the ancient clan ledger. There is a dark loophole in our pack laws that will allow a family member to swap daughters in political contracts before the formal binding ceremony at the High Council.

The next few hours are spent scratching out Bernice’s name from the Northern treaty and forcing my details onto the parchment instead. They add the forty percent dowry bonus to Skylar’s contract and both Alphas sign the documents right in front of me.

The moment the ink is dry, my father picks up the finalized papers that bind me to the Northern Alpha. He walks over to me, holding a pen out. He commands, “Sign it, Reya. Do not make a scene. Your suitcase is packed and waiting by the back door. You will leave for Blackwood territory tonight.”

Bernice smirks, leaning her head on Skylar’s shoulder as she states, “Go on, sister. Go to your monster. Let’s see how long you survive in the freezing mud before he snaps your neck.”

The room is silent as they all stare at me, waiting for a breakdown. They expect me to fall to my knees, crying and begging them not to send me away for a man who is famous for his ruthlessness. They want me broken.

I take a deep breath; inside my chest, the shadow magic coils tightly. It’s cold and powerful and positively deadly.

I suppress it. I have to keep it hidden from their greed, but the energy gave me a spine of solid steel. I snatch the pen from my father’s hand. 

No tears are shed. I do not raise my voice. I do not cause a scene. I am not Bernice.

I sign my name, not allowing my hand to waver.

I drop the pen on the table, looking up to glare at everyone who betrayed me. My mother. My father. My sister. And the one person who truly should’ve been mine, my fated mate, who just sold me out for cash.

My amber eyes flash with a dangerous light in the dim room. My voice is steady and backed with power from my secret ability, “You think you just stole my destiny. But you have absolutely no idea what kind of nightmare you just unleashed into the North. Enjoy your stolen crown, Bernice. Sleep with one eye open, Skylar. Because when your perfect little world shatters into pieces, I will be the one holding the hammer, and I promise you will deeply regret the day you put me on that carriage.”