Chapter 2

Sylvia’s POV

Before Grace could reply, a heavy fist suddenly pounded on the door, making us both jump.

"Sylvia!" Alpha Marshall's voice snarled from the hallway, thick with impatience. "Don't test me with your tricks. Open this door. Now."

The doorknob began to rattle, then twist. He wasn't asking. He was breaking in.

My heart hammered against my ribs, but I sent a silent thanks to the moon that I'd latched the door.

"I'm preparing for the mating ceremony now!" I shouted back, forcing my voice steady.

I could still hear him muttering dark curses under his breath, but soon enough, his heavy footsteps retreated. I didn't dare waste another second.

"Quickly," I whispered urgently to Grace, "we're out of time." The moment she slipped out, my eyes finally fell upon my mother.

She looked so peaceful, and it tugged at my heart. I bit my lower lip to suppress the sobs that racked me. My mother deserved so much more than what I could give her. She deserved more than what this pack gave her.

I moved quickly but gently, washing my mother’s body and dressing her in her favorite dress. But then I noticed the locket she always wore was gone. It wasn’t tucked under her pillow either.

My blood went cold.

Did Alpha Marshall take it?

Before I could piece together the thought, the door to our cottage burst open. Two wolves, warriors of the Alpha, pushed in, tracking mud all over the floor.

My throat tightened as they shoved me aside as if I were nothing, their hands reaching out to grab the bundle that was my mother.

“Stop! Don’t touch her like that!” My voice cracked as I threw myself towards my mother’s body.

One shoved me back without even looking at me. My shoulder slammed the table, pan shooting down my arm.

By the time I managed to get back on my feet, they were already dragging her out of the room as if she were nothing but a bag of trash.

“She’s my mother!” I cried, scrambling up again, ignoring the pain. I ran towards them again, but I collided with a hard chest.

Alpha Marshall himself filled the doorway, eyes narrowing like my grief was an inconvenience.

He didn’t hesitate. His hand struck across my face, the sharp crack echoing off the walls. I reeled, gasping, one palm covering my cheek to soothe the sting.

“You’ll behave, I'm cleaning up this mess before the day is through.” he said coldly. “The King's visit has been accelerated. No time for dramatics from someone weaker than omega.”

My mother was carried away, her shroud dragging in the dirt. My throat burned. I wanted to claw the ground to stop them, to scream until the sky split, but all I could do was follow. I felt broken and small while wolves I’d grown up with averted their eyes.

“Sylvia?” I heard Grace’s panicked voice from nearby as she rushed towards me. “What’s happening? What are they doing?”

“They’re taking her away,” I managed to croak, tears brimming in my eyes. “They are taking my mother.”

I let out a choked sob as she wrapped her arms around me; together we walked, trying to keep up with their hurried steps.

The pyre burned quickly, smoke curling into the sky. No prayer, no songs, just the Alpha’s impatience urging it along. There was no priestess there to bless her body into the afterlife, no proper burial to ensure a safe journey to our Goddess.

There was barely anyone there to say goodbye. Only a few, and their faces were expressionless as if my mother hadn’t healed them so many times.

A wave of helplessness washed over me. Even the last act of love I could offer my mother had been ruined.

Was I really going to bow down to Alpha Marshall like this?

I bit my lip, hard. No. I’d rather live as a rogue than stay here and let the men of this pack treat me like a piece of meat for their pleasure.

My eyes swept over the crowd, searching for a path to slip away. I had to grab what I could and escape this pack before Alpha Marshall realized I was gone.

My eyes found an unfamiliar pair on the other side of the fire. He wore a hood, so I couldn’t see his face, but his eyes were fixed on me as if I held the answers to everything.

For a reason I couldn't name, the moment my eyes met his, everything around us seemed to melt away magically. I couldn’t look away, couldn’t breathe.

All I could think about was the intensity in those blue eyes—deep, commanding, and utterly captivating.

Before I’d even processed, a hand sized my arm. “It’s time to leave,” one of the warriors said.

“What?” My voice wavered.

“The mate confirmation ceremony. Alpha will settle this problem once and for all today.”

I looked at Grace, who returned my gaze with a worried one herself. The grip around my arm tightened, pulling me along with the men sent to retrieve me.

We made our way to the pack square where most had already gathered in a half circle, eager for spectacle.

Alpha Marshall stood in the center, along with the priestess. Her eyes poured into me with grief as I approached. A flicker of solace warmed my chest. At least someone beyond just Grace and me still remembered my mother.

The guards had finally released their hold on my wrist.

“Give me your hand,” the priestess ordered softly.

I lifted my hand, palm facing her. She wrapped her delicate fingers around my wrist with her touch gentle. She brought my hand towards the stone and placed it on the smooth surface.

It was like touching ice, lifeless and unmoved.

Everyone was so quiet that I could hear a pin drop; not even the sound of breathing could be heard.

Alpha Marshall stared daggers at me, his eyes fixed on my hand, which was touching the moonstone. The priestess spoke some soft words in her native tongue; words that I couldn’t understand. Her eyes were closed, and with each word spoken, I felt a soft breeze.

My heart hammered so hard against my chest, I feared those around me could hear it. The priestess finally opened her eyes, and she looked at me with unreadable complexity in her eyes. When she released me, she took a step back.

The moonstone remained unmoved… not even a slight glow. The entire pack knew exactly what it meant—I was unmated. I was trapped.

I could hear the soft laughter from some and the surprised gasps from others.

Alpha Marshall smirked and stepped closer to me, his shadows cast around my body.

Under his triumphant gaze, my hands trembled as I released the moonstone. I foolishly prayed that he wouldn’t announce that vile judgment on my fate in front of everyone.

But I had severely underestimated his shamelessness.

“It seems you’re out of choices now, girl,” Alpha Marshall said. “You will become the pack whore.”

His words were like a blow to my stomach. I felt bile rise into my throat as I stared up at him.

Whispers rippled like snakes in the crowd. But I lifted my chin, despite the tears burning behind my eyes.

I wanted to tell him that I would become a rogue; there was no way I would let him touch me in that way. I would rather risk the claws of the wild than let him break me here for his amusement.

But before I could speak, I felt the tension shift in the area as surprised gasps echoed through the air. Alpha Marshall turned his attention past me, his eyes widening in both shock and horror. His face was pale, and I turned to see what he was staring at.

The aura was suddenly so thick that it nearly brought me to my knees. A man stood, a dark hood covering his face, the same blue eyes that stared at me on the other side of the fire penetrated the air.

He stopped walking only a few inches from me, and he reached up to remove the hood from his head.

His handsome, razor-sharp features were breathtaking enough—but it was the sheer force of his presence, the raw Alpha power radiating from him that truly stole the air from my lungs.

This was the aura belonging only to an Alpha King.

"By what authority do you dare pass judgment on her fate?"