Xira POV
The doors to the inner sanctuary opened with a long, heavy groan that vibrated through the stone floor and settled in my bones.
The scent hit me instantly. It was the same one that had drifted through the forest—heavy, primal, and scarily magnetic. It called to a part of me I never knew existed, tempting me to ignore the dread pooling in my stomach and step into the dark.
I stopped at the threshold. Every instinct in my body screamed at me to run far away. A cold, suffocating weight settled in my lungs; Something told me, that the moment I crossed this line, my life would no longer be my own.
"Who… who are you?" I whispered, my throat so dry the words felt like sandpaper. "What do you want with me?"
The guard didn't answer. Instead, his lips curled into a cruel, jagged smile.
"The Alphas have summoned you," he said, his voice flat and devoid of pity. "And trust me, little wolf, you don't want to keep them waiting."
Before I could draw another breath, his hand slammed into the small of my back. I stumbled forward, my knees hitting the polished stone of the sanctuary with a sharp crack.
The chamber was big, yet it felt smaller than the main hall, more intimate and far more dangerous.
Tall pillars carved with the ancient crests of Stormfang disappeared into a ceiling swallowed by shadows. Torches flickered along the walls, their flames dancing to the rhythm of the heavy silence.
This was the Alpha's sanctuary.
A place ordinary members of the pack were never allowed to enter.
I myself had never been.
My stomach twisted uneasily.
Something felt terribly wrong.
The guard forced me forward, his hand pressing hard against my back.
My heart began to pound harder with every step.
At the far end of the sanctuary stood three men.
Two of whom I recognized immediately.
The priest who had nearly officiated my mating ceremony with Axel.
The sight of him sent a chill down my spine.
Beside him stood my father.
"My daughter." Father cried and came towards me, pulling me into his arms with a hug.
I remained frozen, unable to understand this outpouring of affection from my father.
It was strange because he never did it. And because he never did it, I felt the cold touch of fear.
Something bad was about to happen to me, I just knew it.
A polished man holding a regal looking walking stick walked closer to me and tilted his head, he examined me deeply, eyes probing into my eyes as if stripping me to my soul.
I felt goosebumps spread over my skin as I shivered under his look.
The next moment, my eyes caught a sight that stole the air from my lungs.
It was the twins.
Their presence filled the entire chamber with a suffocating weight that made every instinct inside me scream.
Alphas.
Both of them.
The air itself seemed to tighten as their gazes settled on me.
I froze where I stood.
Neither of them spoke.
They simply stared.
And the intensity of that stare made my skin prickle.
And that scent... it was pouring off them in waves. It was a dizzying mix of cedar and rain, so intoxicating that for a split second, I wanted to crawl toward them just to breathe it in.
"Can we begin the rites?" the priest asked. His voice cut through the silence like a blade.
"Huh?" I blinked, my head spinning. "What… what rites?"
The stately looking man standing beside my father spoke, his voice calm and almost pitying.
"You are to be mated to the twins."
The words struck me like lightning and I just stared at the man's expensive clothes.
For a moment, I couldn't breathe.
I stared at the men who were to be my masters, my mind racing with a hundred questions. Why could I smell them so clearly? Why did they affect me differently than any wolf I'd ever met? Could they smell me too?
Elias stepped closer his eyes, raking over my trembling frame as if I were a piece of diseased meat.
"Your father is a coward who chose to hide behind a girl rather than face a real fight," he said. His voice was a low growl that sent a shiver of pure ice down my spine. "You are merely the payment for his life."
I looked at my father. He didn't deny it; he only scowled at me, his eyes full of resentment, as if I were the one who had failed him.
Elias reached down, his fingers like iron as he gripped my arm and hauled me toward the priest. He shoved me into the space between him and his silent brother. The tension was so thick I feared that if I breathed too loudly, they would simply snap and tear me apart.
The priest began to drone the ancient words of the rite. They blurred into a hum in my ears as I spiraled. I had heard stories of what conquering Alphas did to their prisoners, was this my protection or my execution?
Suddenly, the chanting stopped. The silence returned, heavier than before.
I looked up and noticed all eyes were on me.
I shrank, looking around fearfully and wondering what I had done wrong this time.
"Do you Xira Varleen accept this mating bond with Elias and Luther?"
I looked at the twin who hadn't spoken, Luther.
His eyes looked like they wanted me to say no.
His body was rigid, his jaw set so tight I thought his teeth might break. He looked at me with such disgust and for a moment, a dark, crazy spark of humor flared in my chest. I wondered what would happen if I said no.
Would they whip my father?
The image of him tied to a post, finally paying for his own actions, was so satisfying that a small, bitter smile touched my lips before I could stop it.
"Yes," I said, my voice gaining a sudden, sharp edge. "I accept."
The priest looked up, his eyes moving to the two giants flanking me. "Elias and Luther. You may mark your mate."
Their disgust was so palpable, Elias's face contorted into a mask of pure revulsion, his upper lip curling back to reveal a flash of bone-white teeth while Luther actually took a step back.
"Mark her?" he spat the words, his voice dripping with venom. "Edmund Varleen's blood is tainted. His child does not deserve our marks."
The words cut through me, exactly as they intended.
They wanted me to know my place.
Nothing would tie us together. Legally, we belonged together, but without a mark we could not form a matebond.
It was going to be a hard long journey ahead.