Chapter 2

- Alie -

The drive there was silent—an oppressive quiet that pressed against my skin, heavy with unspoken words. I sat stiffly in the back seat, my hands clenched tightly in my lap, trying to steady my trembling nerves. My father, Dominic, muttered under his breath, his voice low and bitter.

“Act like the alpha’s daughter,” he snapped. “I don’t need them sniffing around our personal lives. We need this alliance.”

I nodded silently, my voice caught in my throat. My stomach twisted into a knot—an uneasy blend of dread and anticipation. My father was a cruel man, and I understood the weight of this moment. If I didn’t play my part, if I didn’t act like I was supposed to, I knew I’d be the one to suffer for it later.

When the car finally stopped, I looked out the window and saw the sprawling lands of the Fire Stone Pack. It was enormous, majestic, yet I felt as if I were shrinking inside myself. My heart pounded harder. I knew what was coming.

Ivan, the Beta of the Fire Stone Pack, opened the door, my father getting out and almost closing the door on me. Ivan attempted to reached in to help me out. "Dont bother" Dominic snapped. Ivan standing back up straight waiting for me to climb out. 

His face was stern, a little rude in a way I knew was directed at my father, but I also sensed an unspoken understanding behind his sharp gaze. Sometimes, my dad could be a little arrogant—like he didn’t care much for the formalities but understood the importance of this moment.

He took my arm gently but firmly, guiding me as we entered the room. I kept my eyes down at my hands, trying to disappear into myself. I knew what today was about—how I was supposed to be nothing more than a pawn, a bargaining chip for my father’s ambitions.

They began talking about alliances, peace, and territory, their voices hushed but commanding. I listened, feeling the weight of my purpose pressing down on me. But then—suddenly—a strange, overwhelming hunger erupted inside me. A lust, a passion I couldn’t explain. It was like my body was no longer mine, that I was being pulled into a storm I couldn’t control.

And I felt it—eyes on me.

I looked up, trembling, and met Emory’s gaze. His eyes were intense, burning with something I couldn’t quite decipher. Electricity shot through the air—he whispered “mate,” and I whispered the same. An electric shock ran through us both, freezing us in place.

The tension in the room erupted into a heated argument between the alphas, and I couldn’t help but feel a flash of fear. My heart pounding, I sensed the danger in their words—and in Emory’s piercing gaze. I was terrified, knowing full well that later I would pay for this moment. I’d been told to behave, to stay quiet, not to cause trouble—and I’d done exactly that. But now, it seemed my silence only made things worse.

My father had intended to offer me as payment, a pawn in his schemes. Instead, he was withholding me, forcing an alliance he’d use to hand me over like a commodity. His grip on my arm tightened, yanking me away with force. Pain shot through me—bruises would mark my skin later, I knew—and from the look on Emory’s face, I could see he was furious enough to kill him.

We hurried back into the car, and Dominic’s voice cut through the silence, sharp and angry. “All you had to do was behave,” he snapped at me. I opened my mouth to speak, trying to explain, “I didn’t know—” but before I could finish, his hand collided with my face with brutal force. The blow knocked my head to the side, and my cheek burned with pain.

One tear escaped, slipping down my cheek—something I had long learned to hide, because crying only meant more trouble. My lips trembled as blood started to gush from the cut on my lip, warm and sticky. Dominic’s eyes darkened with rage at the sight of my bleeding. He was even more furious now.

I stared out the window, fighting back the pain—both physical and emotional. I clenched my fists, trying to hold in the tears, trying to block out the ache in my chest. Not just the pain from my father’s cruelty, but the heart-wrenching ache of being ripped away from my mate—separated from Emory, from everything that felt safe and real, for once.

I may never see him again, he wouldn't for an alliance with Ice Meddow now, i'm a nobody...