Aria’s POV.
I took a deep, steadying breath as I stood outside the grand doors of Alpha Wolfhart’s private study. My palms were clammy, and my heart pounded in my chest. The Silverfang castle loomed around me, cold and unwelcoming, its walls suffocatingly silent. Servants passed by without sparing me a glance, their footsteps echoing faintly in the hallway.
I had been summoned here, and I knew it wasn’t for a pleasant conversation. The weight of Kael’s death still hung over the castle like a dark cloud, suffocating everyone within its walls. But for me, it was worse. Every whispered word, every lingering glance, felt like an accusation.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I stepped into that room, but deep down, I knew this meeting would change everything.
“Miss Nightshade,” a guard said from behind me, his voice stern and impatient. “Alpha Wolfhart and Alpha Zander are waiting for you.”
I nodded stiffly, my throat tightening, and pushed the heavy doors open.
The study was dim, with the faint glow of the fireplace casting flickering shadows on the dark wood-paneled walls. Alpha Wolfhart stood near the window, his broad back to me, his hands clasped behind him in a commanding stance. His presence was as cold and unyielding as the castle itself.
Zander sat in one of the leather chairs by the fireplace, his posture deceptively relaxed. But his eyes-those piercing, icy blue eyes-tracked my every move like a predator stalking its prey.
“You summoned me,” I said softly, trying to keep my voice steady.
Alpha Wolfhart turned slowly, his expression unreadable. He gestured toward the seat across from Zander, but I remained standing. Sitting felt too much like surrender.
“Aria,” Wolfhart began, his voice calm but cold, “we need to discuss the future. My son, Kael, is gone. His death is a tragedy that has left both our pack and yours reeling. But we cannot allow his loss to jeopardize the alliance between the Silverfang and Nightshade packs.”
Alliance. That’s all this was ever about. Not love. Not family. Just power. Just politics.
“I understand, Alpha Wolfhart,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “But…” I hesitated, knowing the weight of my next words. “With Kael gone, I don’t see how this alliance concerns me anymore. There’s no wedding to unite the packs.”
Zander let out a sharp, humorless laugh that sent a chill down my spine. “Oh, you think you can just walk away?” he said, his tone dripping with venom. “How convenient for you, Aria.”
I turned to him, my jaw tightening. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“You don’t?” he said, leaning forward in his chair, his eyes narrowing. “Kael is dead because of you.”
The accusation hit me like a slap to the face.
“That’s not true,” I said, my voice trembling with disbelief.
“Isn’t it?” Zander’s voice hardened, his icy demeanor cracking to reveal the storm of rage beneath. “You were the last person to see him alive, weren’t you? He was drunk, chasing after you. What did you do, Aria? What did you say to him that night?”
“I didn’t do anything!” I snapped, my voice rising as anger overtook my fear. My hands clenched into fists at my sides. “Kael was drunk because he couldn’t handle rejection. He tried to force himself on me, and when I ran, he followed me into the road-”
“And got himself killed,” Zander interrupted, his voice dripping with mockery as he leaned slightly forward, his piercing gaze boring into mine. His tone was sharp, each word deliberately chosen to cut deep.
“How convenient for you, Aria. A little too convenient, wouldn’t you say?” His lips curled into a cruel smirk, the kind that made my stomach churn with both anger and unease.
I clenched my fists at my sides, willing myself to stay calm, but my voice betrayed me. “That’s not what happened,” I snapped, my tone sharper than I intended. “Kael was drunk, and it was his own recklessness that-”
“Enough,” Alpha Wolfhart’s voice cut through the tension like a blade, sharp and commanding. It echoed through the room with such authority that it silenced both of us instantly. His cold, steely eyes flicked between Zander and me, his expression a mask of control. “This bickering solves nothing,” he growled, his tone leaving no room for argument.
“She killed him,” Zander muttered, his voice low yet venomous, as if the words themselves were poisonous. He leaned back in his chair, his movements slow and deliberate, as if he was trying to keep his rage in check. But his eyes-those cold, accusing eyes-never left mine.
“I didn’t,” I said firmly, my voice louder this time as I forced myself to meet his glare. My heart pounded in my chest, but I refused to let him intimidate me. “I didn’t kill Kael. I would never-”
“Regardless,” Wolfhart interrupted, his voice calm but laced with a chilling finality. His sharp, calculating gaze landed on me, and I felt the weight of his authority pressing down on my shoulders. “This alliance must be preserved. And the only way to do that is for you to take Kael’s place as Zander’s mate.”
The room spiraled around me. My entire world seemed to stop as his words sank in.
“No,” I said immediately, shaking my head as if the motion alone could erase what I’d just heard. “No, I refuse. I won’t do it. I won’t be forced into another arrangement.” My voice wavered, but my conviction was clear.
Wolfhart’s expression didn’t change. His tone was as sharp as a blade, cutting through my protest with ease. “You don’t have a choice,” he said evenly, as if my refusal was nothing more than an inconvenience. “Your father has already agreed to the terms.”
“My father doesn’t control me,” I snapped, heat rushing to my face as my anger flared. My voice trembled slightly, but the fire in my chest burned brighter now. “I’m not a pawn to be traded for political gain.”
Zander stood from his chair with deliberate slowness, his towering frame casting a long shadow over me. His movements were calculated, predatory, as though he was testing just how far he could push me before I broke.
“Think carefully about your next words,” he said, his voice low and dangerous, a quiet threat that sent a shiver down my spine. His piercing blue eyes locked onto mine, and for a moment, I felt like prey caught in the gaze of a predator. “If you refuse, I’ll make sure everyone knows the truth about you.”
“What truth?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. My throat tightened, and my pulse quickened.
Zander’s smirk returned, cruel and unrelenting. “The truth about what Kael discovered before he died,” he said, his voice dripping with malice. He took a step closer, his imposing presence suffocating. “He was going to call off the wedding, wasn’t he? He found out what kind of woman you really are-a liar, a manipulator. He told me himself that you weren’t the innocent little girl you pretended to be.”
My stomach churned violently, but I refused to look away. I forced myself to hold his gaze even as my voice wavered. “That’s not true,” I said, my hands trembling at my sides.
“Isn’t it?” Zander’s tone was mocking, each word sharper than the last. He leaned in, his face mere inches from mine, his breath hot and laced with disdain. “If you don’t go through with this, I’ll tell everyone that Kael wanted to leave you because he discovered your little… secrets. I’ll tell them you’ve been with other men. That you were never faithful to him.”
“You’re lying,” I whispered, my voice trembling as tears stung my eyes. I blinked rapidly, refusing to let them fall.
“Am I?” Zander’s smirk widened, his expression cold and calculating. “Do you think anyone will believe you over me, Aria? Over the future Alpha King?”
And there it was-the truth behind his cruelty. Zander wasn’t the Alpha King yet, but he would be-if this alliance went through. That was the price of his ascension to the throne. And I was the sacrificial lamb.
I looked between him and Wolfhart, my chest tightening with rage and despair. They had backed me into a corner, trapping me with no escape.
“I won’t marry you,” I said, my voice barely audible but filled with defiance. “I don’t care what lies you spread about me. I won’t do it.”
Zander’s smirk vanished, replaced by a look of pure, cold fury. His jaw tightened, and his eyes burned with barely restrained anger. “Then prepare to lose everything,” he said, his voice like ice, every word a promise of destruction.
Wolfhart watched silently, his expression unreadable, as Zander turned on his heel and stormed out of the room. The door slammed shut behind him, the sound reverberating through the study like a final warning.
I stood there, trembling, my heart racing as Alpha Wolfhart approached me. His footsteps were slow, deliberate, as though he was giving me time to collect myself before delivering the next blow.
“You should reconsider, Aria,” he said quietly, his tone almost sympathetic. But there was an edge to his words-a coldness that reminded me he wasn’t offering me a choice. “For the sake of your pack-and for your own survival.”
I stared at him, my mind spinning with the weight of everything that had just happened. My throat tightened, and my chest felt like it was caving in. “You think threatening me will make me agree to this?” I asked, my voice trembling with anger.
Wolfhart’s expression didn’t change. “It’s not a threat, Aria. It’s reality. Think carefully before you make a decision you’ll regret.”
I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. My thoughts were a whirlwind of anger, fear, and determination. They thought they could control me. They thought they could force me into submission.
But they were wrong.
As I left the study, my mind raced with possibilities. My anger burned brighter than my fear, igniting a fire deep within me. I didn’t know how, but I would fight back. I would find a way to escape this nightmare.
And I would prove to them all that I wasn’t the weak, helpless girl they thought I was.