Chapter 2
Skye's POV
"Go, my daughter. Survive. That's all I ask."
My father's voice had broken on those words. He stood in front of me in our pack's great hall, his hands shaking as he adjusted the collar of my dress. The Alpha who'd raised me to be strong, who taught me to stand tall even when the world tried to knock me down, couldn't even look me in the eye.
Around us, our pack members were crying. Silent tears running down faces that had smiled at me my whole life. Nobody said anything. Nobody protested. They all knew what I knew. This was the only way to keep them alive.
"I'll come back," I whispered, "I promise."
His fingers tightened on my shoulders. When he finally looked at me, his eyes were red. "You are my pride. Never forget that."
I wanted to tell him I was scared. That I didn't want to go. That I'd rather fight and die with my pack than become some conqueror's toy. But the words stuck in my throat because what good would they do? The decision was made. Silvercrest Pack would survive, and I would be the price.
The guards came at sunset. They didn't speak to me, didn't even look at me like I was a person. Just another tribute being delivered to their Alpha.
The journey to Shadow Moon Pack territory took three days. Three days to prepare myself for whatever was coming.
But nothing could have prepared me for him.
They brought me to the palace late at night. The halls were massive, cold stone lit by torches that threw dancing shadows on the walls. My wolf Aria was restless inside me, hackles raised, but I forced her down. We have to survive this. For father. For our pack.
The guards stopped in front of huge double doors. One of them knocked twice, then pushed them open.
"The Silvercrest tribute, Alpha."
The room beyond was dark except for candles scattered around. I could see a massive bed, windows that looked out over territory that stretched as far as the eye could see. And standing by the window, back to me, was him.
Even from behind, he was intimidating. Easily over six feet tall, broad shoulders, the kind of build that came from years of fighting and winning. When he turned around, my breath caught.
Oh goddess.
The mate bond slammed into me and suddenly I couldn't think straight. My wolf surged forward, desperate and yearning, recognizing him instantly. The pull was so strong it made my knees weak. This brutal conqueror, this man who'd destroyed my pack and taken me as tribute, was my fated mate.
His eyes locked on mine and I saw it. The recognition. The bond hitting him just as hard. For one second, maybe less, something flickered in those dark eyes. Surprise? Longing? I couldn't tell because it vanished almost immediately, replaced by something cold and hard.
"Do you feel it?" The words came out before I could stop them.
His jaw tightened. He took a step toward me and I felt the mate bond pulling, screaming at me to go to him. But then he stopped. His whole body went rigid.
"I, Axel Blackthorn, Alpha of Shadow Moon Pack, reject you, Skye Thornfield, as my mate."
The pain ripped through me instantly. It felt like someone had shoved silver needles into every nerve in my body. Aria howled inside me, a sound of pure agony that nobody else could hear. I collapsed to my knees, gasping, trying to breathe through the feeling of something vital being torn away.
Through the haze of pain, I heard him speak again. His voice was rough, like the rejection was hurting him too, but he didn't stop.
"You're nothing but a conquered tribute. I won't let the bond chain me to my enemy's bloodline."
I looked up at him, tears streaming down my face that I couldn't control. He was standing there watching me suffer, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. For a moment I thought I saw pain in his eyes too. But then his expression went blank.
"You're just my conquest, a toy for me to get off with. Don't mistake lust for destiny."
Something inside me shattered. Not just the mate bond, though that was agony enough. Something deeper. The last bit of hope I'd been holding onto that maybe, somehow, this wouldn't be as bad as I feared.
I was wrong. It was going to be so much worse.
Five years later.
"She's been here the longest," one of the other tributes whispered, loud enough for me to hear. "The Alpha never gets tired of her."
I didn't react. I'd learned a long time ago that showing any emotion in the harem was dangerous. Instead, I kept my eyes on the mirror, adjusting my hair the way I knew he liked it. Soft waves falling over my shoulders. Just enough skin showing to be tempting but not desperate.
This is not me. But this is what I must be.
Five years. Five years of surviving in this golden cage. Five years of playing the perfect tribute, the one who smiled and obeyed and never complained. The one who made Axel want to keep coming back.
Because that was the deal, even if it was never spoken out loud. As long as I pleased him, my father and my pack were safe. The moment I lost his favor, they'd be thrown into the next battle as cannon fodder.
So I became someone else, someone who could do what needed to be done.
My door opened without warning. A servant rushed in, young and nervous. "Miss Skye, the Alpha has summoned—"
"I know," I cut her off, rising from my seat. I'd felt him calling through what remained of our rejected bond. It was twisted now, warped into something that wasn't quite connection but wasn't complete separation either. Just enough for him to summon me when he wanted.
Just enough to make me hate him and myself in equal measure.
Three months later, I woke up feeling wrong.
The nausea hit first, sharp and sudden. I barely made it to the washbasin before I was sick. When it passed, I stood there shaking, my hand pressed against my stomach.
No. It can't be.
But I'd been around pregnant she-wolves before. I knew the signs. The missed heat cycles I'd been too stressed to notice. The sensitivity to smells. The bone-deep exhaustion that sleep couldn't fix.
I was pregnant.
His pup. I'm carrying his pup.
