Chapter 1 There's no turning back now.

CHAPTER 1.

BLAIR'S POINT OF VIEW.

~~THERE’S NO TURNING BACK NOW!~~

“We will be giving Blair out for the peace treaty,” our Alpha, Damon Sinclair, announced, and I froze.

My chest tightened immediately, and I lost all appetite to continue eating.

My eyes flicked across the table, darting to my father's face, Beta Knowles. He didn't raise his head or bother to look my way, but I could see the initial smile vanishing from his face.

The grip on his knife against the plate tightened, but he wasn't cutting any meat. It was clear he wasn't happy with this decision either, just like me.

Then why isn't he challenging our Alpha

For a few moments, I didn't say a word. I couldn't, even if I wanted to; it felt like my throat was dry. The last thing I expected while having dinner with the Alpha family was to be picked as a pawn to be tossed around for the Pack's peace treaty.

Just yesterday, when my father told me that we would be going to the Alpha's mansion for dinner, I was the happiest.

Not exactly for the food or the luxurious decor of the Alpha's mansion, as others used to be excited for.

Instead, I was more excited that I would be meeting my mate—Darius Sinclair.

He is the heir to the Alpha throne of the Nightbane pack.

Nobody knows we're mates yet; actually, today marks exactly two months since we realized our bond. We accepted each other, and since then, he has been the only source of peace in a pack where I'm mocked for being motherless. We had an agreement not to tell anyone about our mate bond until the right time.

And the right time is supposed to be today. Last night, after my father told me about this dinner, I called Darius and informed him immediately. We both agreed to break the news to our families tonight at this dinner.

And now they’re about to toss me aside for a peace treaty to resolve the long-standing feud between our pack and the Nightshade pack?

I’m supposed to have a say in this. It is my fucking life.

And my father is supposed to fight for me, but he’s not. I guess he’s not willing to challenge his Alpha king.

Well, if he’s not willing to, then I will.

Pushing my chair backward, I stood up, breathless. “I don’t want to go to the Nightshade pack!” I declared coldly, standing before the Alpha king, the Luna Queen, my father the Beta, and both my mate, Darius, and his younger brother, Ronan.

Everyone raised their heads, and gasps rippled across the room.

I felt my father’s elbow nudge me to sit back down, but I ignored him, my gaze fixed on our Alpha.

Trying to marry me off to the Nightshade pack is the same as throwing me into a den of lions.

Everyone knows the crazy animosity between the two packs. They have recorded hundreds of deaths resulting from the constant attacks on each other, and they think marrying me off as a peace treaty would matter?

But I guess I’m not his daughter, and that doesn’t matter to him.

“I’m sorry, Blair, but that was a hard decision to make, and I hope you understand,” Luna said, standing up from her seat and approaching me. “It was a difficult one on our end. But they’re requesting a royal, and the closest thing to a female royal is you.”

“I have heard only good things about Dominus Jones,” my father finally interjected. “Trust me, Blair, we’re making the right decision for you.”

My heart sank... He is fully supportive of selling his only daughter off in some stupid peace treaty?

“Why?” My voice rang out, sharp and unwavering. “Why does it have to be me? You can pick any she wolf and tell them she’s a royal. Why must it be me?”

The Alpha’s jaw clenched, his expression hardening. “We can’t be dishonest. We can’t deceive the Nightshade pack and risk waging another war. You’re getting married to Dominus Jones, and that’s final.”

A low growl rumbled in my throat. I wanted to yell, to cry, and to tell them why I couldn’t be with Dominus Jones.

I didn’t give two fucks about his good records; his father had the worst of the worst records, so I didn’t care what his looked like. I just wouldn’t be with him. I wanted to be with my mate.

With that thought, I narrowed my gaze, turning to the one person who was supposed to have my back—my mate, Darius.

But once my eyes found him, I was confused. He didn’t seem angry that they were about to toss me off to the son of a mad Alpha.

Madness runs in their DNA.

Yet there was something about Darius that made my heart sink—he didn’t look surprised.

His posture was relaxed, his hand idly pushing around the vegetables on his plate. His gaze met mine, but there was no protest there, no sign that he was about to get up and fight for me like we promised each other.

We were supposed to be telling the whole pack that we were mates and getting ready to be married.

I’m nineteen, and in the next few weeks, I’d be done with pack high school before proceeding to law school.

I felt my stomach drop. My mate, the one I thought would roar the loudest, was sitting there as if nothing was wrong. His lips pressed into a tight line, but there was no anger in them—only a kind of… acceptance.

“What are you doing?” My voice broke, trembling with betrayal as I stared at him. “Say something, Darius! Tell them……..tell them that we are…”

Ronan’s sudden slam of the cutlery against the table cut me off, and we all watched as he walked out without saying a word.

For a heartbeat, silence weighed heavily over the dining table. Soon, everyone started to leave—from the Alpha to the Luna to my father until it was just me and Darius.

The sound of my heart shattering into pieces echoed louder than any growl could. I wanted to scream. I wanted to claw at his chest until he bled the way I was bleeding inside.

How could he sit there so calmly while they sold me off like a broodmare?

Suddenly, the realization hit me like a lightning bolt, and a harsh laugh escaped my lips.

“You knew?” My voice was sharp, still wrapped in disbelief. “You knew they were going to do this… didn’t you?”

The flicker of guilt that flashed in his eyes was all the answer I needed.

My knees buckled beneath me, and pain gripped my chest. The betrayal from my father was already crushing, but this? From my mate? It was a stab to my heart.