I'm frozen. My body had turned rigid like stone, refusing to follow my brain's command. To flee.
A sense of dread snaked its way down my spine, keeping me in place. And that's not even the worst part. To say I'm not terrified of the man standing in front of me would be a lie. I haven't seen those eyes or this monstrous face haunting my dreams for years. All I knew when I escaped from him four years ago was that he would not come for me. But here he is, standing in front of me with eyes that robbed my breath, driving blunt daggers into my chest, and forbidding me from acting on my brain's command. Either that, or it was the bond keeping me from running.
His stare holds that bored, neutral expression, and I don't know what's going through his mind. Whether he wants to close the distance between us and crush my wolf in his hands.
After my parents death, and Adrian took over Crescent pack, the South and North have not exactly been enemies. My brother, new to the Alpha position, was still too young to grasp the concept of anything. He didn't know how to rule, how to fight, or how to win. So when King Mätxin demanded submission and that Adrian bend the knee to him, he did it out of fear. For years, North and South simply coexisted. We didn't cross or engage with each other. Until now I found the North king in southern territory. It's not as if the North king has been afraid of stepping foot in the South, considering he slaughtered the former Alpha and Luna in cold blood. There have been instances like when an Alpha from the South tried to challenge him, the Alpha's body was dismembered, and the pieces spread to every Alpha in Southern territory as a warning.
"Your Highness," Adrian spoke calmly. "You are warmly welcome to Crescent Pack."
My eyes widened as I glanced at Adrian. What the hell is wrong with him? This vile northern bastard killed our parents in cold blood, and Adrian was welcoming him here. Our parents would be turning in their graves at Adrian's actions.
Many years ago when the North had interest in Southern territory, they wanted a share of it. They wanted to exercise sovereignty over it, and as the wardens of the territory, my parents fought to their deaths to protect it. Though I knew the war was more than that; something I tried to uncover but never could.
"You kept us waiting for five moons," Adrian said.
Us? My eyes narrowed to Lucian standing rigid at his side. So Lucian knew about this? And why didn't he say anything to me? Did Adrian admonish him? There have been times where Adrian would warn me not to breathe a word to Lucian about something, yet I would end up sharing it regardless
I glared at him.
The love and bond we had formed over the years had begun to fade, morphing into something even stronger. Hate.
"We have been somewhat occupied dealing with something far more pressing." The person who answered was a northern man standing next to Mätxin. He stood tall; a few inches shorter than his King. His tunic clung to his body like a second skin, muscles bulging and contracting as he stepped forward. When I stared at his face, recognition kicked in and my eyes widened. He was the one that shot my mother with an arrow before she could attack the northern king. He killed my mother on his King's orders. My hands clenched, teeth gritting silently.
"If you would, we should discuss this matter in private," Adrian said.
"Spit it out." Mätxin said bluntly. My eyes were fixed on him. He was my mate. My other half. I didn't want to believe that the bond we felt was real. That I was going to spend the rest of my life bonded to this vile creature.
My stomach twisted with paralyzing fear. Fear that he could use the bond against me.
Why would the goddess even pair me with my parents' murderer?
"Years ago, before my parents' deaths, my mate was arranged to be married to Casper, son of Alpha Kai of Ironfang pack. It was a contractual marriage made to strengthen the bond between both packs, and it was signed a few months after my mate, Odessa, turned ten. She was to marry him as soon as she clocked sixteen. That was until she met me." I glanced at Odessa dressed in a long white gown. She had tanned golden skin, and a round face. A summer wreath sat upon her long, silky black hair.
"We met during the gathering of Southern packs and immediately I discovered she was my mate. But she told me the Ironfang would never release her, as she was theirs," he continued. "There was only one way I could claim her from the Ironfangs."
"You marked her." Mätxin's eyes were fixed on the mark on Odessa's neck.
"Casper was furious that I claimed his betrothed, even though he could clearly sense the bond between us. He was ready to challenge me for it, but his father refused to allow it because he didn't want to go to war with us. His father wanted us united to fight the North. In the end, however, my late father was able to settle the dispute by having my cousin, Isabella, engaged and married to him."
"For a time, everything between both packs worked out and our differences were set aside. But that was until a year ago when Isabella came running through our border, drenched in blood and looking ravaged. Behind her, a pack of rabid wolves chased her, and leading them was Casper. Apparently, he had been abusing my cousin since they married, pouring all the hatred and resentment he nurtured toward me onto Isabella."
"When I spurned Casper from taking my cousin back to Ironfang, he flew into a rage and challenged me to war. Considering his father and my father, the ones who settled our dispute are both dead, he openly struck against me and has been exploiting my inability to avenge my parents' deaths, drawing other southern Alphas to his side to bring Crescent down and seize the Warden position from us. With their support, he's been hitting us harder." Adrian took a deep breath. I already knew where this was heading. But why would Adrian want the help of a northerner to settle a southern dispute?
"I have had enough of this Casper bastard, and I'm ready to do what my parents were unable to do years ago."
"Oh?" The right-hand man standing next to Mätxin arched an eyebrow. "You want our help, but what do we get in return? And how are we to know this isn't some act of deception?"
"Deception?" Adrian asked.
"I killed your parents four years ago, and suddenly you summoned me out of nowhere for an alliance. You think I wouldn't consider whether this is a ploy to hit me?" Mätxin tilted his head. "One I'm more than prepared to counteract."
"This isn't a trick. Why would I risk going to war with the North when I know that I would lose?" Adrian said. "I need the North's help, and in return I'll give you what you covet most, more power."
Mätxin's eyes locked onto mine and it felt as though he was pinning me in place. His presence, his scent, they were suffocating.
With a cold, deep voice, he spoke. "I want her as my bride."
Memories of my parents lying dead on the cold floor in a pool of their blood crashed into my mind.
He wants me. This was the very reason my father journeyed to the North four years ago, and that was what got them killed. My parents died trying to shield me from this monster. But Adrian would impulsively hand me over to him.
I remained caught in a state of shock I couldn't shake, whereas the North king stayed calm and composed.
Ever since he stormed in here, he had been as rigid and cold as stone, and I had been staring at him, searching for some trace of humanity. But he looked every bit the monster he was reputed to be.
I want her as my bride.
His words sank into my mind, detonating through my thoughts, making me shiver and wish I had the power to vanish. But his eyes held me in place as though they were the very things connecting me to the ground. I frowned. His eyes and face were so grave and cold, it seemed as if he had never smiled a day in his life.
"You want my sister as your bride?"
"Correct," the man at his side, whom I assumed was his right hand, or advisor answered.
I knew Adrian was going to give him exactly what he wanted. This selfish, power-hungry brother of mine wouldn't spare a single thought for me. He only cares about what would benefit him. Now he would hand me over to this monster, bartered off like livestock, and I would suffer for it.
Taking a deep breath, I did the only rational thing my mind could conjure.
Run.
I ran. If I could escape the pack and build a life away from Adrian's tyranny and this brutal monster, I would at least have some peace. But where would I go? I had never once left the pack since my parents' deaths, because Adrian would never allow it.
My wolf moved through the darkness of the forest, and just as I heard my name being called and footsteps closing in behind me, I spun around, eyes connecting with red ones.
Mätxin.
My heart lurched, and without warning I took a step forward. Wind slammed into my face, and my breath escaped my lips when I realized I was falling from a high cliff. Before my body could meet the air below, strong hands closed around my arms, pulling me against something solid.