I Was the Price of His Alpha Throne

At the Moonbinding Feast, Kael Ravenwood learned that his childhood sweetheart had been promised to his crippled rival Alpha. His expression changed instantly. He cornered me beneath the shadow of the ancient Moon Tree and demanded that I remove the Bloodstone Bracelet from my wrist. It was a Ravenwood heirloom, passed down through generations to the future Luna of the pack. And he wanted me to give it to Seraphina Vale. “Take it off. Now.” His voice left no room for argument. “There’s no way I’m letting Seraphina bind herself to that cripple. He can barely stand, let alone protect a mate. I won’t let him ruin her life.” I had loved Kael Ravenwood for ten years. For five, I had lived within the Ravenwood stronghold as his chosen mate. Once, while carrying his pup, I had thrown myself between him and a rogue wolf’s claws. The pup died. I nearly followed. Even so, I had endured everything to remain beside him until the day I could finally become his Luna. Now every wolf at the feast was watching me. Waiting for me to scream. Waiting for me to humiliate myself over Kael again. But as I stared at the man before me, so familiar yet suddenly so distant, something inside me went still. There was a point beyond heartbreak where nothing hurt anymore. I smiled. “Fine. She can have it.” Surprise flashed across Kael’s face. Seraphina, dressed in the ceremonial white robes meant for another Alpha’s mate and nestled against Kael’s chest, immediately stopped crying. A sweet smile curved her lips as she held out her hand. Without hesitation, I unclasped the Bloodstone Bracelet from my wrist and fastened it around hers. Only then did Kael look satisfied. “Delia Ashbourne, remember your place. You owe me.” I lowered my eyes to my bare wrist and smiled. I said nothing. But one thought remained perfectly clear. I never owed you anything. That same night, Kael took Seraphina beyond the Ravenwood borders, claiming he needed to escort her to the sacred Moon Shrine before the next full moon. He assumed I would do what I had always done. Stay behind. Wait for him. Forgive him when he returned. What Kael didn’t know was that shortly after he left, his crippled rival arrived at Ravenwood Keep. “I’ve never been the sort of Alpha who allows an insult to go unanswered.” Lucian Blackthorn sat in a carved ebony chair, his useless legs hidden beneath a dark wolfskin cloak. Yet nothing about him seemed weak. He reminded me of a predator resting in the shadows, perfectly still only because it had not yet decided to strike. His silver eyes settled on mine. “Ravenwood took the woman who was promised to me. I have no intention of simply accepting that.” I studied him carefully. “What exactly are you proposing, Alpha Blackthorn?” The corner of Lucian’s mouth lifted. “Delia, how would you feel about coming with me to the Moon Temple?” His gaze dropped briefly to my bare wrist before returning to my eyes. “And becoming my Luna instead?” …… I stared at the image spreading through every great pack in the Southern Territories. Dustin Delgado and Gabriella Hughes stood beneath the crimson leaves of the Moonwood, locked in a passionate kiss as hundreds of sky lanterns drifted above them. I looked at it only once. Then I gathered my identification sigil and followed Les Simmons straight to the Temple of the Moon Goddess. It wasn't until the High Priestess pressed our joined hands to the ancient Moonstone and our names appeared together on the silver marriage parchment that the truth finally settled over me. I was married. And my husband wasn't Dustin Delgado, the Alpha heir I'd loved for years. It was the man Dustin hated most in this world. "Now that the Moon Goddess has witnessed our bond, you're my wife." Les's fingers brushed lightly over my wrist, dangerously close to the fresh silver mark left by the binding ritual. His smile was as charming and reckless as ever. "When are you coming back to my territory with me?" "Give me ten days. I need to settle everything here first." He considered that for a moment before nodding. "Then we'll hold the bonding ceremony in ten days. It's rushed, but I promise you, Delia, nothing will be neglected." He motioned for me to come closer. Then he fastened a platinum brooch to my cloak. At its center rested a flawless green moonstone, an ancient gem said to have been blessed by the Moon Goddess herself. "This belonged to my great-grandmother. Every Luna of the Simmons bloodline has worn it. Now it's yours." As he lowered his hands, I noticed something almost absurd beneath that careless, devil-may-care expression. The tips of his ears had turned bright red. I ran my fingers over the brooch and couldn't suppress a quiet laugh. "I'll treasure it." A week into Dustin and Gabriella's so-called journey of blessing, Dustin finally remembered I existed. "We return to the Delgado territory tonight. Prepare the Great Hall. I'm holding a pack banquet." His mind-link dragged me awake at dawn. Not once did he ask how I had endured the past several days while every noble pack in the South whispered about my humiliation. His tone was still commanding. Still arrogant. As though nothing had happened. But that wasn't true. It wasn't that nothing had happened. It was simply that my pain, my dignity, and even my existence meant almost nothing to him. Meanwhile, every stage of his journey with Gabriella had been carried across the territories by messenger hawks and enchanted mirrors. I'd seen the images. The two of them kissing beneath the sacred falls of Silverpeak. Bathing together in the steaming springs of the Northern Mountains. Standing before an ancient Moon Goddess shrine and exchanging vows beneath a sky full of stars. Every place had once been on the list I'd made for our own bonding journey. Dustin had fulfilled every wish. Just not with me. "Answer me, Delia Sullivan. Have you gone deaf?" When I remained silent, Dustin's voice turned cold through the mind-link. I pulled myself from my thoughts. "Understood." This would be the last time anyway. "I'll prepare everything." For five years, every important gathering held by Dustin had been arranged by me. With the fewest resources, I made certain every feast, hunt, and alliance ceremony displayed the strength of the Delgado Pack. Dustin fell silent for a moment. Then he said, "Remember this. Without me, you're nothing but a wolfless orphan with no pack to call her own." The mind-link snapped shut. What Dustin didn't know was that three days from now, my husband would arrive to claim me before every Alpha in the Southern Territories. And I would become the youngest Luna in the history of the Simmons Pack, the oldest and most powerful wolf clan in the Northern Realm. I worked until nightfall. By the time I finally straightened, the moon had already risen. The Delgado Pack's banquet began beneath the light of the full moon. The Great Hall blazed with hundreds of candles. Alphas, Lunas, warriors, and elders from the surrounding territories filled the long stone chamber. Goblets clinked. Music echoed beneath the vaulted ceiling. Then Gabriella entered on Dustin's arm. They wore matching silver ceremonial robes. Gabriella's gown clung to her body before spilling across the floor like liquid moonlight. She deliberately lifted one hand to brush a strand of hair behind her ear. Every gaze in the hall immediately fell upon the Blood Jade Bracelet around her wrist. Whispers swept through the crowd. "That's the Delgado heirloom." "It has belonged to the Luna of the Delgado Pack for generations." "It suits Lady Gabriella far better." Another woman laughed softly. "Can you imagine? That orphan who abandoned Dustin for his uncle actually thought she deserved to wear it." "She really believed she could become Luna of the Delgado Pack." "How ridiculous." Their contemptuous gazes turned toward me. Seven years ago, I'd forced myself to leave Dustin and accepted a mating arrangement with his uncle, Marvin Delgado. Two years later, Dustin defeated Marvin in the Alpha Challenge and seized the position of heir. The first thing he did afterward was bring me back to his side, despite the opposition of nearly every elder in the Delgado Pack. For five years, I had stood beside him. When rival packs challenged our borders, I negotiated alliances. When the Delgado treasury nearly collapsed, I rebuilt its trade routes. When half the elders opposed Dustin's succession, I helped him secure their loyalty one by one. I had helped drag the Delgado Pack back from the edge of ruin and made it stronger than it had been in generations. Yet now, in their stories, I was nothing more than a greedy orphan who changed mates whenever a stronger Alpha appeared. I didn't defend myself. I simply sat in silence and took a sip from my goblet. Dustin said nothing either. He moved through the hall greeting visiting Alphas and exchanging ceremonial toasts. Every so often, his gaze drifted toward me. After Gabriella had enjoyed enough admiration, she finally approached. She stopped directly in front of me. Her red lips curved as her eyes settled on the ruby earrings hanging from my ears. "Delia, darling. The Blood Jade Bracelet is already mine." Her smile deepened. "Don't you think those earrings no longer belong to you either?" I touched them instinctively. Dustin had once surrendered three silver mines and a fertile hunting valley to obtain those rubies because they perfectly matched the Blood Jade Bracelet. He had given them to me himself. Gabriella's smile turned malicious. She reached toward my ear. I raised my hand to stop her. I hadn't even touched her when Gabriella suddenly cried out and collapsed onto the stone floor. When she lifted herself again, a thin red scrape marked her palm where it had struck the ground. Her eyes immediately filled with tears. "It hurts..." She looked at me as though frightened. "I only wanted to borrow them for a moment. Why did you push me, Delia?" Across the hall, Dustin turned. The instant he saw Gabriella on the floor, his expression darkened. Conversation died around us. He crossed the hall in several furious strides and lifted Gabriella into his arms. His eyes dropped to the scrape on her palm. Then he looked at me. "Who gave you permission to touch her?" His Alpha aura exploded through the Great Hall. He had no intention of asking what had happened. No intention of hearing my explanation. Every word carried concern for her and fury toward me. I stared at him. At the wolf I'd loved for ten years. At the man I'd sacrificed almost everything for. A vicious pain twisted through my stomach. I closed my eyes and forced the tears back. When I opened them again, I didn't argue. I didn't make a scene. I simply reached for the ruby earrings. Then, beneath the stunned gazes of everyone in the Great Hall, I tore them from my ears. The sharp posts ripped through my earlobes. Blood slid slowly down my neck. I didn't flinch. I placed the bloodstained rubies in Gabriella's palm. "You're right." My voice was calm. "I overstepped." I looked at the Blood Jade Bracelet gleaming around her wrist. "Since you're going to be the Luna of the Delgado Pack, these should have been yours all along."

Dustin's pupils contracted sharply. Gabriella accepted the earrings and froze, so stunned that even her tears stopped. I looked at Dustin. There was nothing left in my eyes. "I've apologized. I've given her everything she wanted. Can I leave now?" His lips tightened, a deep crease forming between his brows. He opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Gabriella whimpered and leaned weakly against him. "When Delia pushed me, I twisted my ankle. I think it's swelling." Dustin immediately lifted her into his arms and carried her to a chair. Then the future Alpha of the Delgado Pack crouched at her feet and gently rubbed her injured ankle with hands that had wielded blades against rival wolves and signed blood treaties with powerful clans. The movement was practiced. As though he'd done it countless times before. Soon, the musicians began playing again. Goblets clinked and laughter filled the Great Hall, the banquet continuing as though nothing had happened. I turned toward the stairs, leaving behind the candlelight, wine, and celebration that no longer had anything to do with me. Dustin's gaze followed me until I disappeared upstairs. Back in my chamber, I found the healing draught the pack healer had prescribed and swallowed it with cold water. The moment it went down, my stomach cramped violently. I gritted my teeth until the pain eased, then cleaned my still-bleeding earlobes with a cloth soaked in healing spirits. The mirror reflected a face drained of color. For once, I didn't bother pretending to be strong. Even the deepest love could die. Even one that had lasted ten years. Exhaustion dragged me into darkness. But sometime during the night, I dreamed of nine years ago, when Dustin and I had still loved each other. The Delgado Pack had been falling apart then. Dustin, born outside the Alpha's official bloodline, had been despised by the elders and tormented by Marvin at every turn. He was watched constantly, forbidden from leaving the inner territory without permission. Every day was a struggle to survive. On my nineteenth birthday, he climbed over the eastern wall in the middle of the night and risked punishment just to see me. Hidden beneath his cloak was a small honey cake he'd baked himself. His chest was burned red from carrying it while it was still hot. When he placed it in my hands, warmth still lingered in the crust. My eyes filled with tears. "Why would you do something so foolish? If I wanted cake, I could have asked the kitchens for one." "And you shouldn't have sneaked out. If Marvin discovers this, he'll punish you again." Dustin held my hands tightly, his eyes red. "Delia, this is all I can give you now." His voice was low but fierce. "But I swear by the Moon Goddess, one day I'll make sure every day of your life is happy." I ate that honey cake through my tears. It was warm and sweet. The best thing I'd ever tasted. Somewhere between dreaming and waking, I felt fingers brush across my forehead. I curled tighter beneath the blankets. "Dustin..." My voice was barely a whisper. "I want honey cake." I thought I was still dreaming. But when I opened my eyes, a tray rested beside the bed. On it sat a freshly baked chocolate honey cake, my favorite. Dustin was sitting at the edge of the mattress. "You're awake?" His gaze moved over my face. "How did you get this thin? Anyone who saw you would think the Delgado Pack had been starving you." They hadn't. I'd never lacked food, clothing, or servants. I stared at the cake. But I didn't want it anymore. Just as I no longer wanted the man who had brought it. Why come here now? Was cruelty supposed to disappear simply because he offered me something sweet afterward? "My stomach hurts. I can't eat." Dustin reached out and pulled me against him. My body stiffened immediately. I tried to move away, but his arms tightened around me. Then his palm settled over my abdomen. Warmth spread slowly from his hand as his wolf's healing energy seeped into me. "Don't move." His voice softened. "Let me ease the pain. I used to do this whenever you were sick. Remember?" The pain was too severe to fight him. I stopped struggling and let my head fall against him. Silence stretched between us. Then Dustin suddenly asked, "Why didn't you fight back downstairs?" I lowered my eyes. My voice held no emotion. "You're always telling me to remember my place. I gave Gabriella the Blood Jade Bracelet and the earrings. Isn't that what you wanted?" Something complicated flickered across Dustin's face. He caught my chin and turned me toward him. The moment he leaned closer, I smelled perfume on his clothes. Gabriella's. Sweet and overpowering. My stomach twisted. "Gabriella and her father helped me when I needed allies most," Dustin said. "I owe her family a great debt. Taking care of her is the least I can do." His thumb brushed my jaw. "But if you remain beside me and behave, you won't lack anything. Jewels, servants, land, whatever you want." His gaze softened as though he believed he was being generous. "You've been obedient lately." He leaned closer. "I'll stay with you tonight. Consider it your reward." A reward. As though I were some pet kept inside the Alpha's chambers, expected to be grateful whenever its master remembered to show affection. Before I could push him away, a weak voice came from the corridor. "Dustin? My head is spinning. Are you in there?" The door opened almost immediately. Gabriella stopped on the threshold. Her face turned white when she saw Dustin holding me on the bed. "What... what are you doing?" Dustin released me instantly. Without hesitation, he pushed me away. I lost my balance and struck the stone floor hard enough to make my vision blur. "Delia's stomach was hurting. I was only helping her." The explanation came too quickly. As though Gabriella had caught us committing some shameful betrayal. Her eyes filled with tears. She stepped closer and looked down at me. "But Delia has always been healthy. I've never heard of her suffering from any illness." Dustin went still. Then his eyes narrowed. When he looked at me again, all the tenderness from moments ago had vanished. Suspicion replaced it. "Delia." His voice turned cold. "Are you actually sick?" A pause. "Or was this another performance to make me stay?" I slowly pushed myself up from the floor. My lips parted. Before I could say a word, Dustin cut me off. "You're exactly the same as before." His expression twisted with disgust. "Always pretending. Always finding some way to manipulate me." His eyes were colder than the winter forests beyond the territory. "God, Delia. You're good at this." His final word landed like a blade. "Disgusting." I had stopped expecting anything from him long ago. Or at least, I thought I had. But even with my heart buried somewhere too deep to reach, those words still made it ache.

Five years ago, when Dustin brought me back to the Delgado Pack, I tried to explain why I'd left him. He stopped me. "You don't have to explain. None of it matters anymore." Back then, I thought he understood. Only now did I realize he'd never believed me. Not once. "Dustin, let it go." Gabriella slipped her fingers through his. "Delia has always known how to put on a convincing act for men. How else do you think she made your uncle fall so hopelessly for her?" She glanced at me, triumph gleaming openly in her eyes. Dustin stared at me, his disappointment so heavy it bordered on disgust. "There's a Moon Festival tomorrow night. I'm taking Gabriella. She's been learning the lyre." He looked directly at me. "Give her the Silverwood Lyre." I stared at him in disbelief. The Silverwood Lyre. Five years ago, when I'd returned to him, Dustin had surrendered three fertile valleys and a silver mine to obtain it from an ancient northern clan. It was said to have been carved centuries ago from the heartwood of a sacred moon tree. There was no other instrument like it in all the wolf territories. I'd always considered it a symbol of our second beginning. No one was allowed to touch it. Once, a distant cousin of Dustin's had secretly taken it from my chamber. Dustin banished her from the inner territory that very day. Afterward, he'd warned the entire Delgado bloodline that anything belonging to me was untouchable. And now he wanted me to hand that same lyre to Gabriella with my own hands. My chest tightened until I could barely breathe. But Dustin's expression left no room for argument. Slowly, I nodded. "Fine. I'll give it to her." Dustin held my gaze for a long moment. Then he wrapped an arm around Gabriella and led her away. The stone walls of the Alpha's residence were thick, but they couldn't completely silence the broken moans and breathless sounds coming from the chamber next door. I wasn't sad. My stomach simply hurt worse than before. Curled beneath the blankets, I watched the enchanted communication stone beside my bed begin to glow. Les's voice emerged from it. "Delia, everything is ready. I'll come for you in two days, exactly as promised." I closed my fingers around the cold stone and shut my eyes. Two days. Two days until our bonding ceremony. The next morning, I gave Gabriella the Silverwood Lyre. She pulled it from its case immediately and swept her fingers across the strings. A harsh, shrill sound tore through the residence. Gabriella frowned. Then she drew a small dagger from her belt and sliced through the strings one by one. They snapped with sharp cracks. I'd had those strings made by an elven craftsman specifically for the ancient instrument. "These strings are terrible." Gabriella tossed the dagger aside. "I can't get a single decent note out of them." She looked straight at me, a vicious smile curling her lips. I gave her no reaction. I simply turned and walked away. As I passed Dustin's study, I heard voices inside. One belonged to Dustin. The other was his cousin. "I heard you gave Gabriella the Blood Jade Bracelet and Delia's ruby earrings. Now you've made Delia give up the Silverwood Lyre too?" A pause. "Delia lost your child saving your life. Her parents died pulling you from that fire. After everything she's sacrificed for you, aren't you afraid she'll leave?" My steps stopped. Dustin's answer came through the door, careless and unconcerned. "Leave?" He gave a quiet scoff. "She's an orphan. Where would she go?" My fingers slowly curled. "Besides, she needs to swallow that pathetic pride of hers and remember who's in charge. Once she learns her place and stops making trouble for Gabriella, I'll keep her beside me." His cousin sighed. "But aren't you afraid she'll finally give up on you?" Dustin laughed. The sound was filled with contempt, as though he'd just heard something absurd. "Delia was raised to chase power. She'll cling to whichever wolf can give her the highest position." "Why else would she have abandoned me and gone crawling to Marvin?" His voice grew colder. "Now I'm the Delgado heir. The strongest Alpha bloodline in the South will soon belong to me, and she's clinging to my side like a parasite." "You really think she'd willingly walk away from that?" His cousin hesitated. "But what happened back then... won't you at least listen to her explanation?" Silence followed. Then Dustin answered. "She's not worth it." Cold swept through my entire body. I couldn't stop trembling. So he'd never understood. All these years, Dustin had believed I'd abandoned him for power and status. He believed I'd returned for exactly the same reason. That was why he'd allowed me to remain beside him while grinding my dignity into the dirt. Five years ago, Dustin buried my parents with full pack honors, put aside our old grievances, and told me he would give me a home. But my parents had died pulling him from a burning stronghold. And I'd spent two years inside Marvin's territory, pretending to stand at his side while secretly gathering proof of his forbidden alliances with rogue packs, his theft from the Delgado treasury, and his plans to overthrow the Alpha. Piece by piece, I'd smuggled that evidence to Dustin. That was the only reason he'd been able to challenge Marvin, destroy his support among the elders, and reclaim his place as heir. And Dustin never knew. The one who wasn't worth it had never been me. It was Dustin Delgado. My nails dug into my palms. Blood slipped between my fingers, falling onto the stone floor one drop at a time. I felt nothing. Silently, I stepped backward and disappeared into the shadows of the corridor. "Lady Delia!" An elderly voice suddenly called from farther down the hall.

It was Albert, the old steward who had served the Delgado Pack for forty years. He had watched Dustin grow from a boy into the future Alpha. He had also witnessed every turn our relationship had taken. Albert approached slowly, shaking his head. "Lady Delia, why won't you explain? You sacrificed so much for him back then." I smiled faintly. "Do you really think an explanation would change anything? Dustin and I should have ended seven years ago." Albert's brow furrowed. "I'm afraid that one day, he'll regret this." "He has nothing to regret. He has the Delgado Pack, the Alpha title, and the woman he loves. Everything he ever wanted." Back then, I'd had no choice. For Dustin's sake, I had accepted a mating arrangement with Marvin, who had been obsessed with me. I'd never expected Dustin and me to find our way back to each other afterward. But when he finally defeated Marvin, reclaimed his position as heir, and came for me himself, hope had bloomed in my chest despite everything. I told myself that the love we'd shared since we were eighteen could survive anything. That even if misunderstandings had carved a chasm between us, what we felt for each other would be enough to cross it. But Dustin had never once given me the chance to explain. I returned to my chamber and pulled an old bundle of painted portraits from the bottom of a wooden chest. Every one held a memory of us when we were young and in love. Dustin smiling at me beneath the summer sun. His fingers secretly slipping between mine during a pack gathering. His cloak draped over my shoulders when I'd fallen asleep beneath the Moonwood trees. Then I took our bonding portrait from the wall. Only two weeks ago, I'd stood beside him smiling, foolishly believing I had everything I'd ever wanted. I dropped the old portraits and our bonding portrait into the hearth. Flames curled around them. Ten years of misplaced devotion. It was time to let go. Footsteps sounded behind me. Gabriella entered. Her gaze fell on the burning portraits, and a smile she couldn't quite hide touched her lips. "Delia, I told Dustin I'm afraid of the dark. He said your chamber gets the most moonlight in the entire residence, so he wants me to move in here." She tilted her head. "Could you pack your things quickly? I'd like the room tonight." This chamber held too many traces of the life I'd once imagined with Dustin. I'd believed I would bear his pups here. That I would grow old here. That I would never have to leave. I looked at the triumph on Gabriella's face and lowered my eyes. "Fine. It's yours." I packed quickly. I left behind every jewel, cloak, and treasure Dustin had ever given me. Everything that was truly mine fit into a single traveling chest. I moved into an abandoned servants' chamber beside the main gates. It would be easier to leave from there when the time came. The moment I pushed open the door, dust rose thickly enough to make me cough. The chamber was cluttered with broken furniture and discarded trunks. The narrow bed in the corner was nearly buried beneath old linens. But I could endure it for one night. That was all I had left. Sometime before dawn, the temperature dropped sharply. An icy wind howled through the forest beyond the walls like a wolf mourning beneath the moon. Dustin returned to the stronghold with frost clinging to his cloak. Albert approached and bowed. "Young Alpha, Lady Delia has moved into the old servants' chamber by the gates. She hasn't been well. Perhaps you should..." Dustin's expression darkened. He strode down the corridor and kicked the door open. I was sitting on the edge of the narrow bed, swallowing another dose of the healer's bitter draught. Dustin stood in the doorway, jaw clenched, fury burning in his eyes. "Delia Sullivan, what the hell is this supposed to be? Who are you performing for now?" I looked at him, genuinely confused. "Didn't you tell me to move out?" "Gabriella wanted your chamber. She didn't tell you to crawl into a filthy hole like this." His voice sharpened. "Are you trying to make the entire pack believe I mistreat you?" I smiled calmly. "It doesn't matter where I sleep." Dustin crossed the room in two strides. He seized my wrist, knocked the vial from my hand, and pushed me onto the dusty bed. Before I could react, his mouth came down on mine. I couldn't turn away. So I bit his tongue. Hard. Dustin jerked back. The moment he released me, I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. His touch disgusted me now. His gaze turned lethal. "Don't you dare wipe your mouth." His voice dropped into a dangerous growl. "Who do you think you are to look at me with disgust?" His lip curled. "I haven't even condemned you for letting another man have you first." The words pierced straight through my chest. Dustin had always known exactly where to hurt me most. When I struggled to pull away, his hand caught the edge of my nightdress and tore the fabric aside. The jagged scar across my lower abdomen was exposed. I'd gotten it years ago, before Dustin had reclaimed his position. A rogue wolf had lunged for him during an ambush, and I'd thrown myself between them while carrying Dustin's pup. The wolf's claws had ripped across my abdomen. Two of my ribs had been shattered in the attack. Our five-month-old pup had died before the pack healer could save it. I had nearly bled to death beside the forest road. Dustin's gaze settled on the scar. For one fleeting moment, something that looked almost like regret flickered in his eyes. Then it disappeared. His expression hardened again. "You make sure this scar is always where I can see it." His voice was bitter. "Is that how you remind me that I owe you?" I stared at him. "Delia Sullivan, I don't owe you anything." His words came colder with each breath. "You're the most despicable person I've ever known. Don't you dare forget the filthy things you did back then." I forced the tears back. Then I laughed. "You're right." My voice trembled despite the smile on my face. "I am despicable." I looked straight into his eyes. "I've never seen it more clearly than I do now." A bitter laugh escaped me. "Rotten right down to the bone."

Dustin's voice cracked through the chamber like a whip. "Enough! Drop the act! Gabriella is timid. Those disgusting scars of yours frightened her so badly she has nightmares every night." His eyes burned with fury. "You love putting on a performance so much? Then get the hell out of my territory and stop frightening her!" He was waiting for me to break. Waiting for me to beg. Waiting for me to surrender. I looked at his rage-twisted face and felt nothing. My heart was as still as a dead lake. I didn't argue. I didn't cry. "I'm leaving now." I picked up my traveling chest and walked past him. Dustin stared after me. When he saw me open the door without the slightest hesitation, his jaw clenched. He stormed after me and ripped the chest from my hands. "You really think I won't let you leave, Delia?" His voice dropped into a growl. "Let's see which pack in the Southern Territories dares take you in once you walk through those gates." He hurled the chest onto the stone floor. The lock broke. My belongings spilled across the corridor. Something green flashed among them and skittered over the stones. The emerald brooch. The Simmons family heirloom Les had given me. I bent to retrieve it, but a pale hand reached it first. Gabriella lifted the brooch toward the torchlight, her eyes brightening. "What a beautiful brooch." She turned toward Dustin. "I love it. Can I wear it?" Before he'd even answered, she was already fastening it to her gown. That brooch was the only thing left that truly belonged to me. I held out my hand. "I've given her everything else." My voice turned cold. "Not this. Give it back." Gabriella flinched and immediately shrank against Dustin. His arm wrapped around her. Anger flashed across his face. "You gave her the Blood Jade Bracelet. You gave her the ruby earrings. And now you're making a scene over some worthless trinket?" His eyes hardened. "Gabriella likes it. Let her have it." I opened my mouth to refuse. Gabriella suddenly unclasped the brooch. "It's all right, Delia. I'll give it back." Her eyes reddened instantly. "You can make things difficult for me if you want. Just please stop putting Dustin between us." She swallowed, her voice trembling. "You've always cared about wealth more than anything, haven't you? I'll give you all the gold I have." Her fingers tightened around the brooch. "I'm not like you. I don't want riches or status. All I want is Dustin's heart." Tears gathered in her eyes. She looked every bit the innocent woman hopelessly in love. And I, once again, looked like the greedy orphan who wanted everything. Gabriella held out the brooch. Then her fingers opened. It struck the stone floor. The ancient emerald shattered. Every drop of blood in my body turned cold. Gabriella covered her mouth. "Oh no." She looked down at the fragments. "You didn't catch it. What a shame. Such a beautiful emerald too." I stared at the broken pieces. Something inside me finally snapped. My hand flew across Gabriella's face. The slap echoed through the corridor. "Ah!" She stumbled backward into Dustin's arms. The next instant, a much harder blow struck my cheek. "You have a death wish, Delia!" My vision went black. The force sent me staggering sideways. Then I plunged through the thin ice covering the ornamental spring beside the courtyard. Freezing water swallowed me whole. Gabriella's scream pierced the night. "It hurts! Dustin, it hurts so much!" He pulled her against his chest. I struggled beneath the black water, clawing desperately at the broken ice. Dustin stood at the edge of the spring. There was nothing in his eyes but fury. Albert came running at the commotion. The moment he saw me in the water, his face drained of color. "She can't swim!" Dustin didn't move. His Alpha aura rolled through the courtyard like an approaching storm. "Anyone who helps her can leave with her." Icy water flooded my nose and mouth. Through the broken surface, I saw Dustin lower his head toward Gabriella's swollen cheek and gently blow against it. His expression was filled with tenderness. Then he lifted her into his arms and carried her back toward the stronghold. He never looked back. Not once. Strangely, my heart didn't hurt anymore. I was simply tired. Tired of all of it. In the end, Albert couldn't bear to watch. He ordered two servants to pull me from the spring. I collapsed onto the frozen stones, coughing up water, my entire body shaking violently. "Lady Delia, let me summon the healer!" Albert threw a heavy woolen cloak around my shoulders. I pulled it tighter, my teeth chattering. "Thank you, Albert. I'm fine." I gathered what remained of my belongings and struggled toward the gates. "From now on, I'm no longer the future Luna of the Delgado Pack." Albert hurried after me. "Where will you go?" "Anywhere." I looked toward the dark forest beyond the walls. "As long as it's away from him, anywhere is good enough." Albert stopped. Behind me, I heard the old man release a grief-stricken sigh. The iron gates of the Delgado stronghold slowly closed. I walked into the howling wind without looking back. Not at the place where I'd spent five years believing I had a home. Not at the gilded cage that had imprisoned me for just as long. Snow swallowed the road beneath my feet. I didn't know how long I'd been walking when the communication stone inside my cloak suddenly warmed. Les's voice came through it. "Sweetheart, I came early. I'm less than half an hour from the Delgado border. Are you ready?" Snow fell in blinding sheets. The wind cut through my soaked clothes until I felt as though I were slowly turning to ice. Still, I kept walking. My legs grew numb. Every step felt like walking across blades. Just as darkness crept into the edges of my vision and my knees began to buckle, the thunder of hooves broke through the storm. A black carriage drawn by four enormous warhorses burst from the snow. The driver hauled on the reins. The horses reared, stopping only a few feet from me. The carriage door flew open. "Delia?!" A man leapt down. He ran toward me through the snow without even pulling up his hood. He caught me just as my legs gave out. The instant Les saw me soaked and half-frozen, my lips blue and my skin mottled from the cold, his eyes flashed crimson. His wolf was close to the surface. He tore off his fur-lined cloak and wrapped it around me until the wind could no longer touch my skin. "Was it that bastard Delgado?" His voice shook with barely restrained rage. "Did he do this to you?" His arms tightened around me. "I'll tear apart everyone who laid a hand on you." I sagged against his chest. "I'm sorry." My numb fingers curled into his tunic. "The brooch you gave me. I couldn't protect it. Gabriella destroyed it." The thought of the Simmons heirloom shattered across the Delgado floor made guilt tighten my throat. "It's only a thing." Les didn't even hesitate. "No matter how precious it was, it could never be worth more than you." He brushed wet hair from my face. "If you loved it, I'll have another made for you." He lifted me into his arms and carried me into the carriage. Then he climbed in beside me and ordered the driver to make for the Simmons territory at once. Les pulled me against his chest, removed my soaked boots and stockings, and enclosed my frozen feet between his warm palms. Heat spread steadily from his skin. "Don't cry, sweetheart." His thumb brushed a tear from my cheek. "I'd hate for my bride to arrive at our bonding ceremony with swollen eyes." Only then did I realize I was crying. I raised a hand to wipe my face. Then I froze. My eyes widened. I jerked upright so violently that I nearly struck my head against the carriage roof. I stared at the man sitting across from me. At his strong legs. At the way he'd run through the snow toward me without the slightest difficulty. "You..." My mouth fell open. "Aren't you supposed to be impotent and unable to walk?" Les went very still. Outside, the black carriage raced north through the storm, disappearing beneath the snow. Back at the Delgado stronghold, the atmosphere had grown suffocating. Dustin sat alone beside the fire in the Great Hall, staring through the tall windows at the falling snow. His face was carved from stone. The communication stone in his hand creaked beneath the force of his grip. Finally, his patience snapped. He activated it and sent me a message. "Finished with your tantrum? Then come back. And remember, Delia. There won't be a next time." He waited. And waited. Outside, the gray evening faded into darkness. No answer came. No familiar figure appeared beyond the gates. Dustin abruptly rose and knocked the goblet a servant offered him across the room. It shattered against the stone wall. The moon had climbed high above the stronghold. Nearly four hours had passed since he'd knocked me into the frozen spring.