Since when did he care what happened to me?
I couldn’t remember the last time the old Alpha had even bothered to look in my direction. Other than commanding my father take me in when I was a baby, he’d never been involved in my life.
Leon had been slightly more courteous when Ryan and I had become partners, but even then I had remained solidly beneath his notice.
“Marry him and complete the wedding immediately.” Leon’s fingers were leaving red marks where they pinched my skin. “We need Nightwolf’s support.”
So now it was up to me to save this pack that had never cared whether I lived or died?
Once they discovered my wolf wasn’t emergent, they had treated me as though I barely existed. Like I was dirt.
“You want me to marry that? For you?” I nodded in Gideon’s direction, not caring if he was still able to hear me. “You may be my Alpha but I don’t owe you that.”
Around us, the crowd murmured loudly, stunned at my insolence. I thought I saw Lillian among them, the sole person nodding approval.
Alpha Leon’s eyes turned steely and he lowered his voice, but that didn’t stop the menace I heard beneath his words.
“I think you will find you owe more than you think. When Ryan advocated for you these last few years, certain concessions were made.”
“Concessions?” I scoffed, “Because my life was made so easy here?”
“Not for you, foolish lass,” Alpha Leon’s smile was cold as ice, “for your mother.”
I whipped my head up to find Ryan standing a few feet away. Had he really advocated for my mother while he and I had been together?
“Oh yes,” Leon followed my gaze, “and now that Zara is his mate, there is no reason for your mother’s treatment to continue to be… uh… so unusually lenient for one of her low rank and station.”
My mother had long ago been relegated to the rank of omega servant for having conceived me with my father. I had been kept away from her since I was a child. My friend Lillian brought me news and occasional messages from her when she could.
I had no idea that Ryan had tried to make her life easier while he and I were together.
Now, Alpha Leon’s threat rang clear. If I didn’t marry Gideon, he would take it out on my mother.
Once I am married, I will find a safe place for my mother and bring her to Nightwolf to stop her from having to endure the threats of toothless old men like Leon. I made the promise to myself as angry tears welled in my eyes.
No matter what happened to me, I would not allow them to harm those I loved.
“Curse you.” I spat at Leon’s feet and ran down the path after Gideon.
The Nightwolf Alpha barely glanced at me as I fell in step with him.
When we got to the car, he opened the door and gestured for me to climb inside. He climbed in the other side and the driver slowly pulled the car away from the only home I’d ever known.
Gideon stared out the window, barely looking at me.
My head and heart were still reeling from Alpha Leon’s threats.
I needed to ensure I married this man soon, before Leon decided I wasn’t holding up my end of the bargain and hurt my mother.
“Will…the wedding happen immediately?” I tried to keep my voice casual.
Gideon’s face swiveled towards me. He stared at me with that unreadable stare, silent and waiting.
“Just…. if it was soon…” I needed to ask if my mother could come live with me. I needed to remove her from Silvermoon Pack’s jaws before I could work on staging my own escape.
My question died in my throat as Gideon frowned. He gave a sharp, quick shake of his head.
“The wedding is still far off.” He said coldly, “Less than an hour ago you refused to marry me. Stay in line.”
I lowered my head, staring at my hands in my lap. It was going to be hard to ask for any favors if he thought I was still going to fight him. I needed to bide my time a bit longer and try and get on his good side.
Does he even have a good side? I wondered. So far, every angle of him seemed sharp, deadly… and sexy, my brain helpfully supplied.
Frustrated, I sighed. Being in close proximity to Gideon set every sense I had on edge.
Sitting here, across from each other, I felt like I was in tune with his every breath and movement. It didn’t make any sense, feeling this hyperaware of someone I’d just met.
He terrified me, and yet I felt drawn to him.
Gideon heard my sigh and his perpetual frown deepened, “You should know, I’m only marrying someone for the title of Luna. Don’t expect to use that title for any personal gain, and don’t worry about my needs for women. My life won’t change because of you.”
It must be nice to be able to so casually declare that someone is merely filling a role in your life. To be able to use someone like you would a tool.
So he gets to use me, but I’m not allowed to use him. Got it. I thought, bitterly. What a complete jerk.
Having solidly let me know where I stood, we rode the rest of the way to the Nightwolf territory in silence.
The turnoff from the main road wound back and forth through lengthening twilight shadows and forested hills. When the Nightwolf village came into view, rising out of the dusk, I was struck by how beautifully it appeared maintained.
Silvermoon had always had a haphazard appearance. My pack’s buildings popped up here and there with no forethought or planning.
In contrast, Nightwolf was neither rigid nor messy. Instead, paths and buildings rose from the landscape organically.
Warm lights illuminated the main paths through town. It made the whole place look inviting and cozy. I had expected something cold and detached, like rigid barracks or straight grid-like streets.
Instead, Nightwolf Pack seemed… Organized? Well-cared for. Harmonized.
As Gideon opened my door and offered his hand for me to climb out, I considered that perhaps my original appraisal of him as a thoughtless tyrant had been off the mark.
Nothing about his home appeared thoughtless.
But what does that mean? That his rudeness is as calculated as it is cruel? Isn’t that even worse?
A family of four was waiting outside the door of a large stone building that appeared to be both home and center of operations. An older couple and a young man and woman stepped forward to greet me as I approached. All of them bore a resemblance to
Gideon.
“Welcome to Nightwolf!” The young woman greeted cheerily, embracing me. “I should have known my brother would choose the prettiest she-wolt Silvermoon had to offer.”
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