Chapter 10

Anna’s POV

I never thought entering a new pack would feel like walking into a storm. But here I was, finally at Black Rock.

The land was wild, untamed mountains slicing through clouds like knives, trees thick and towering, the air colder, heavier. Everything screamed power, and the wolves that walked these grounds? They wore it like armor.

Mattias drove us through the tall wrought-iron gates, the crest of his pack glinting gold under the rising sun. A giant black wolf with glowing eyes. Fangs bared.

Quite an exuberant display.

Two guards stood at both sides of the entrance. They were tall, broad-shouldered men dressed in deep black, having eyes sharp. They moved to stop the vehicle at first. Until they caught my scent.

I saw the shift happen, one sniff, and they froze. Eyes widened. Hands fell away from their weapons. And then came the bowing.

Straight to Mattias, and then… To me. I stiffened.

“What the hell?” I muttered.

Mattias glanced over, unreadable, “They caught the bond.”

“They… what?”

“Your scent’s changing. They can smell my mark on you.”

I was startled, I felt my pulse racing faster.

“I didn’t agree to anything.”

His gaze stayed forward, “Your wolf did.”

I hated how my heart fluttered at that. I hated how right he was. 

As we drove deeper into the territory, I saw the stares. Guards standing at checkpoints, pack members mid-training. All of them paused. All of them bowed slightly as we passed.

‘To him,’ I told myself. ‘Not to me. Not yet.’

We pulled up to the main house. Mansion was more like it. The building loomed high, wrapped in stone and steel, windows tinted and doors reinforced. Not a castle, but close.

Mattias opened my door before I could, and I begrudgingly accepted the hand he offered.

“You live here?” I muttered, looking up at the grand structure.

“I rule here,” he corrected,  with a small smile on his face. Evidently.

He led me the steps after we walked through the main doors.

Inside was modern, but its details were sharp and sturdy, mixed with minimal color, clean lines, giving  it an invincible aura of total control. Like him.

The moment we stepped in, I caught movement from the right.

A man approached. Early thirties, light brown skin, close-shaved hair, and eyes that missed nothing.

He didn’t bow like the others. But he did stop and give me a very obvious once-over. Not pervy, more like analysis.

“Lucas,” Mattias said. “This is Anna.”

His Beta.

Lucas nodded. *We’ve been waiting.”

I frowned, “You make it sound like I was expected.”

Lucas glanced at Mattias, “We didn’t know who she’d be. Only that she’d come.”

That didn’t rest well within me.

“You’re making her uncomfortable,” Mattias said quietly.

Lucas held up his hands, a play of fake surrender, “No harm meant. Just saying, your arrival isn’t a surprise. To anyone.”

Great. Mystery, prophecies, and a pack full of strangers sniffing me like I’m the last slice of meat on a starving day.

Lucas turned and began walking, motioning for me to follow, “Come. Let’s get you to your quarters.”

Quarters. Not a prison cell. Not a kennel. Progress?

As we walked through the hallways, I felt something like whispers… As if cold fingers lightly touched the back of my neck.

“…that’s her…”

“…from Dark Claw…”

“…she rejected Gunner…”

“…he chose her?”

I kept my chin high, heart hammering. I knew this wouldn’t be easy.

But still. The stares, the judgment. It was too much. Ava stirred inside me, a soft rumble of warning passing through my veins.

‘They don’t know who we are now,’ she whispered. ‘Let them watch.’

I swallowed hard, her words grounding me. I wasn’t that broken girl on the edge of a podium anymore. I wasn’t bleeding for love or begging for scraps. Not anymore.

Lucas opened the door at the Hallways end.

The room inside? Evidently bigger than the house I grew up in.

The white walls looked soft, the huge bed in the room was draped in silver sheets, a small fireplace crackling warmly in the corner, with a bathroom, a walk-in closet, and glass doors that led to a private balcony.

I stood motionless. I just stared.

Mattias stood behind me, “You’ll stay here until you’re ready.”

“Ready for what?” I asked, my voice dry. I was quite startled as he showed up out of nowhere.

He didn’t answer right away.

Then, he answered, “To stand beside me in full.”

Lucas gave a tight nod and left, closing the door behind him.

Mattias stepped closer, but didn’t touch me, “You’ll have privacy. You’ll have guards when you leave this building. No one will come near you without my say.”

“And if I want to leave?”

He met my gaze, “You can. But I’d advise against it.”

“Is that a threat?”

He shook his head, “It’s protection.”

I huffed, turning away, “Sounds the same to me.”

I walked to the window, fingers brushing the glass. Beyond it lay the vast stretch of Black Rock land, barracks, training grounds, wolves mid-shift sprinting across the field.

A different world. One I wasn’t sure I belonged in.

“I don’t want to be some pawn,” I whispered. “I’ve been used enough.”

“You’re not a pawn,” he said. “You’re the Luna.”

I turned sharply, “I never agreed to that.”

Mattias pinched his nose bridge, as though frustrated by my stubbornness.

But then he nodded once, “Come with me.”

I didn’t move.

“Please.”

The word surprised me more than anything. I followed.

He led me out, down the hall, and out onto the balcony which provided a view to the entire courtyard. Below us, dozens of wolves stood together in line. Warriors. Pack leaders. Elders. All waiting.

“What’s happening?” I asked.

“You deserve to be seen.”

“Mattias—”

He stepped forward to the railing, voice rising with unnatural command.

“This is Anna,” he announced.

The courtyard went dead silent.

“She is my mate. My Luna. Any who disrespect her, disrespect me. Any who questions her place here, can find another pack to serve.”

His voice wasn’t loud. But it shook the damn balcony. I paused, my heart had risen to my throat, I started to feel my eyes burn.

He didn’t look back. He just moved to the side, letting the silence settle.

Immediately after, dozens of heads bowed.  The entire courtyard dipped in unison. For me. Not because they loved me, not because they knew me. But because of who I now stood beside.

And then it hit me like a brick. I was safe.

But I wasn’t free. Not yet.

Later that night, I sat in the room again, my room, apparently.

I touched the edge of the bed. Ran my fingers across the silver sheets. My gaze fixed on the embers the fireplace emitted.

And finally, my hand made its way to my stomach. The tiniest swell there now, barely noticeable.

But it was real. My child. My reason. My anchor.

I closed my eyes, and whispered, “We’re not safe yet.”