Chapter 2

Diane’s POV

“Diane! Diane!!”

The sharp sound of my name being screamed jolted me awake.

I groaned, rolling out of my small, uncomfortable bed. “Another morning in this pack,” I muttered under my breath.

Before I could fully gather myself, the door slammed open with a force that rattled the walls.

“Don’t you hear me?!” Alpha Silas’ voice thundered as he stormed inside.

I quickly straightened up, lowering my gaze. “I’m sorry, Alpha. I fell asleep… It was your voice that woke me.”

“Fool,” he sneered. “Who told you that you could sleep in this chamber and wake up at your own convenience?”

“I—I’m sor—” The words barely left my lips before his wolf surged forward, taking control.

The air in the room shifted, growing thick with tension. My breath hitched.

It’s happening again.

Freya, my wolf, stirred inside me, her voice a whisper in my mind. It’s about time again.

Silas’ eyes darkened, his pupils dilating as his wolf took over. In one swift motion, he yanked the sheets off my body, leaving me exposed to the cold morning air. A shiver ran down my spine not just from the chill but from the raw, untamed hunger in his gaze.

The thin fabric of my nightgown clung to me, outlining every curve, every dip of my body. My chest rose and fell with uneven breaths, the heat between us crackling like a flame in the dead of night.

I should resist. I should push him away, remind him of his hatred for me.

But my traitorous body betrayed me.

Silas’ hands gripped my waist, his touch rough yet electrifying. A strangled gasp escaped my lips as his fingers trailed lower, tracing the path his wolf so desperately craved.

His lips hovered just above mine, his breath warm against my skin.

“I don’t want you,” he growled.

But his actions told a different story.

I swallowed hard, my body aching under the force of the mate bond’s undeniable pull. “Then stop,” I whispered, even though I knew it was a lie.

Because when Silas was like this when his wolf was in control there was no stopping what came next.

And despite everything… despite the pain, the rejection, the suffering…

I still wanted him.

A moan slipped past my lips as my back arched involuntarily. His hands skimmed my breasts, teasing, lingering his touch both torment and pleasure.

Silas… His name left me in a breathless whisper, his weight pressing me into the mattress, his heat swallowing me whole.

I gasped as his lips claimed my skin, my body quivering under his command. I might have been suffering in this pack, but my heart still clung to him because, in the end, he was my mate. The father of my child.

The connection between us was undeniable. Raw. Addictive.

I writhed beneath him, my body desperate for more, for everything he refused to admit he wanted.

His human side fought back, clashing against the desires of his wolf. And then, just as quickly as it had started, it was over.

Silas stiffened. His body went rigid.

With a sharp intake of breath, he pushed himself off me.

Reality came crashing back.

He hurriedly grabbed his clothes, dragging them over his sculpted body, his movements stiff almost mechanical.

Not a single word.

Not a single glance.

Then he was gone, leaving only the ghost of his touch behind.

I should be used to this by now.

Every time he came to me, his wolf took over, claiming me as an unspoken promise. And every time it ended, his human self left without hesitation without so much as an ounce of regret.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I forced myself up from the bed and stepped into my tiny bathroom. There were no tiles, no running tap, just a small bucket of water I had fetched earlier from outside. The icy chill bit into my skin as I washed, scrubbing away the evidence of his touch, though not the memories.

By the time I finished dressing, I needed air.

A walk. A moment away from the suffocating walls of this pack.

Maybe today, I’d go further beyond the hills, toward the path that led to another pack.

As I stepped out of the house, the morning air buzzed with quiet murmurs. Pack members moved about, their steps aimless, their gazes indifferent.

I greeted them.

No one acknowledged me.

Not a single glance. Not a single word.

Instead, the whispers grew louder.

“Look at her.”

“Does she ever wash up?”

“Disgusting.”

Their hushed voices carried just enough for me to hear, each word laced with disdain.

But what could I say?

I was used to this.

With a quiet sigh, I finally stepped past the pack’s borders, making my way through the forest. Humming softly, I let the fresh air fill my lungs, the cool breeze brushing against my skin. My hand drifted to my stomach, where my two-month-old pregnancy still invisible to the world rested beneath my palm.

I don’t think we should go any further than this, Freya murmured.

I frowned. Why?

I just don’t want us to. Freya hesitated before adding, What if Alpha Silas comes looking for us and doesn’t find us?

Her words sent a shiver down my spine, but I kept walking, ignoring the dread curling in my chest.

After a while, I finally reached the stream that separated my pack from Mooncroft Pack. The gentle flow of water shimmered under the morning light, its soft ripples breaking the silence around me.

As I stood by the stream, a strange sensation crept over me. The undeniable feeling of being watched.

My breath hitched. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.

I turned sharply, scanning the dense trees behind me. Nothing. Just the rustling of leaves and the soft trickle of water beside me.

But the feeling wouldn’t leave.

A cold shiver ran down my spine. Was it just my paranoia, or was someone really there?

I had no time to find out. I needed to leave.

Wrapping my arms around myself, I hurried back toward the pack, my heart pounding faster with every step.

As I neared the pack house, I slowed my pace, trying to steady my breathing. But just as I approached the kitchen, low voices caught my attention.

Muffled. Close. Intimate.

I frowned. Something about the sound made my stomach churn.

Carefully, I took a step forward, peering inside.

And then—my heart stopped.

Gabriella. My sister.

Silas. My mate.

Locked in an embrace, their bodies pressed together as Silas’ hands roamed over her waist, his lips moving hungrily against hers.

A sharp, searing pain tore through my chest.

Before I could stop myself, my hand flew across Gabriella’s face. The sound of the slap echoed through the kitchen, making them jolt apart.

Gabriella gasped, eyes wide with shock as she clutched her cheek.

“You—” she started, but Silas cut her off.

“Get on your knees.”

His voice was cold. Unyielding.

I turned to him, my pulse hammering in disbelief. “What?”

His dark eyes bore into mine, void of warmth, void of regret. “Kneel. Under the sun. Now.”

I wanted to fight. I wanted to scream.

But what was the point?

Silas had already chosen his side.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I stepped outside.

The sun was merciless, burning into my skin as I sank onto my knees.

And behind me, Gabriella laughed.

The sun burned mercilessly against my skin as I knelt on the rough dirt, my legs aching beneath me. Sweat trickled down my forehead, my throat dry from the scorching heat. Every second stretched into eternity as the pack members passed by, their gazes flicking toward me with amusement, pity, or complete indifference.

Behind me, Gabriella’s laughter still rang in my ears, a cruel, taunting melody that twisted the knife deeper into my chest. Silas hadn’t even looked back at me. He didn’t care.

I clenched my fists, nails biting into my palms. Why did I still let this pain consume me?

Then, suddenly—a shift in the air.

A low, guttural growl rumbled through the silence. A presence. A force.

The hairs on my arms stood on end.

Heavy hoofbeats. The pounding of wolf paws. The deep thrum of approaching warriors.

Pack members stiffened. The once buzzing whispers died instantly. Something… or someone… had arrived.

Then I saw them.

A procession of warriors dressed in black and silver. Their armor gleamed under the sunlight, their expressions impassive, their movements deadly precise. At their center stood three of the Alpha King’s bodyguards.

Alpha Lucian.

The name alone sent a shudder through my spine.

His reputation was a whispered legend, a nightmare spoken in hushed tones across every pack. Alpha Lucian, the feared King of Alphas.

Ruthless. Unforgiving. A ghost wrapped in flesh.

And his guards—**his personal enforcers, rumored to be stronger than most Alphas—**were now standing before me.

I dared not lift my gaze, but I felt their cold, assessing eyes on me.

“Alpha Silas,” one of the guards spoke, his voice smooth yet edged with steel. “The Alpha King has sent us.”

Silas stepped forward, his posture straightening in forced authority. “What for?”

The guard didn’t answer right away. Instead, he took a slow, deliberate look at me.

My breath hitched. A chill ran through my body, despite the scorching heat.

Then he spoke the words that sealed my fate.

“The King has made his selection.”

Silas stiffened. Gabriella, who had been grinning smugly at my suffering moments ago, faltered.

“One of the five we are taking this year,” the guard continued, “will be her.”

He pointed directly at me.

My stomach plummeted.

The words barely registered as I stared, frozen in place.

Silas took a step forward, his jaw clenching. “That wasn’t part of the agreement.”

The agreement.

Everyone knew about it.

In exchange for warriors to strengthen the Black Moon Pack’s defenses, Silas had promised five members to serve in Alpha Lucian’s household when the time came.

But no one had expected this.

No one had expected me.

Gabriella’s face twisted in disbelief. “Why her?” she snapped, stepping in front of me like she could block the decision.

The guard’s gaze flicked to her, cold and disinterested. “Because Alpha Lucian has chosen.”

The finality in his voice sent ice through my veins.

Silas’s hands curled into fists. His entire body radiated tension, but what could he do?

No one defied the Alpha King.

Not even Silas.

I swallowed, my throat dry, my body trembling.

I was being sent to Alpha Lucian.

To the man who took ten wives each year.

To the man whose brutal rule was feared across the region.

To the man whose whispers claimed was hiding a darker truth.

I had spent my life surviving this pack’s cruelty…

But what awaited me in Alpha Lucian’s world?