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“Alpha Gareth wants to see you! Open the door before we break it down!” I look around my cottage wildly. Should I run? Where would I go? It’s no use. They’d track me down. “I’m coming,” I say, setting down my bag. But even as I say it, dread pools in my stomach like ice water. I open the door to see George and Henrik standing there, their expressions dark. I don’t even get to step outside before they grab me by the front of my shirt and pull me out. “What are you—Get off me! Let me go! I can walk!” When they begin dragging me away, I kick Henrick in the back of his knee with my good leg. It doesn’t matter how strong he is; it’s still a weak spot, and he stumbles forward, releasing his grip. I scramble backward, lifting my hands, palms out. “Let me walk, damn it!” Henrick snarls at me, and I see the deadly intent in his eyes. However, before he can lunge at me, George stops him, shaking his head. “This isn’t the time. Get moving, then.” The last part is aimed at me. The walk to the pack hall feels like a death march. Henrik and George flank me. Other pack members stop to stare as we pass, their expressions ranging from curious to pleased. A few actually smile, like they’re being entertained. I doubt any of them know what’s happening, but it’s obvious that I’m in some sort of trouble. That’s enough for them. When we reach Gareth’s office, Henrik doesn’t bother knocking. He pushes the door open and gestures for me to enter. The scene inside stops me in my tracks. Alpha Gareth is seated behind his desk, his expression cold and calculating. Beta Leroy stands to his right, arms crossed, looking grim. But it’s the other two figures that make my heart plummet. Harper sits in one of the chairs facing the desk, her beautiful face streaked with tears. Her golden hair hangs in tangled waves around her shoulders, and her hands shake in her lap. She looks like she’s been crying for hours. And beside her, pale and sick-looking, stands Daciana. Her dark eyes meet mine for just a second before she looks away, guilt written across her face. “Sit,” Gareth commands, gesturing to the empty chair beside Harper. I move toward his desk but remain standing. “What’s going on?” “There’s been a change of plans,” he says, his voice deceptively calm. My stomach clenches. “What kind of change?” “The Blue Crest Pack has agreed to the exchange. One female from our pack will be sent to mate with one of their warriors.” His gray eyes fix on me with evil pleasure. “That female will be you.” The words stun me. For a moment, I can’t breathe. “Me?” My voice comes out as a soft squeak. “But—but the decree said the strongest female. I don’t have any abilities. I can’t even shift.” Alpha Gareth’s smile is cruel. “That’s not my problem.” The room spins slightly as understanding begins to dawn. “You can’t do this. The royal decree specifically—” “The royal decree says we must send a strong female.” He leans back in his chair, looking pleased with himself. “And I’ve decided to send you. You’re strong enough.” He’s going against the royal decree! Can he even do that?! “I won’t go.” The words burst out of me before I can stop them. Harper’s sob rings out in the air. “Astra, please!” She reaches for my hand, her tear-filled eyes desperate. “They’ll torture me! They’ll kill me!” I jerk my hand away, shocked by what she is saying. “And you think they won’t do the same to me?” “That’s different…” Harper starts before trailing off. Disgust fills me. So much for the kind and benevolent façade she puts on. She’s just like the rest of them. I’m nothing in her eyes. “How?” My voice rises. “How is it different? Because I’m not the Alpha’s daughter? Because I have a latent wolf? Because my life matters less?” Harper looks to her father, tears streaming down her face. “Papa, please. Tell her—” “Harper is a beloved member of this pack,” Gareth says coldly. “She has value here. You, on the other hand, can make this sacrifice.” “Sacrifice?” I scoff. “You mean you can throw me away, and no one will care.” “Precisely.” His casual admission of my worthlessness hits harder than I would have expected. But beneath the hurt, rage begins to build. “I refuse,” I say, my voice deadly quiet. “Find someone else.” Alpha Gareth’s expression darkens. In one swift motion, he stands up and backhands me across the face. The blow sends me stumbling sideways, my cheek exploding with pain. “You will go to the Blue Crest Pack tomorrow morning,” he snarls. “Whether you walk there willingly or we drag your unconscious body is up to you.” I touch my stinging cheek, tasting blood where my teeth have cut my lip. Around the room, no one moves to help me. Beta Leroy looks tense but doesn’t intervene. Daciana stares at the floor; I can see her teeth sinking into her lower lip. And Harper...Harper is sobbing quietly, but she doesn’t meet my eyes. “Henrik, George,” Gareth snaps. “Escort her back to her cottage. Place guards outside. She doesn’t leave until morning.” “No!” I start to back toward the door, panic rising in my throat. “You can’t do this! I have rights—” “You have no rights.” Alpha Gareth’s voice is ice cold. “You’re a burden I’m finally disposing of. Be grateful I’m not simply having you killed outright.” The guards grab my arms and haul me toward the door despite my struggles. “Harper!” I call out desperately. “Don’t let him do this! You know this is wrong!” But Harper just cries harder, her face buried in her hands. “Please,” I try one more time, staring at Daciana. “Someone help me!” My friend finally looks up, and the sadness in her eyes tells me everything I need to know. She knew. She knew this was coming, but she couldn’t stop it. The guards march me through the pack hall, past the staring faces of pack members who are clearly enjoying the show. Outside, the evening air feels too thin, like I can’t get enough oxygen into my lungs. At my cottage, Henrik shoves me roughly inside. “Don’t even think about running,” he warns. “We’ll be right outside all night.” The door slams shut, and I hear them taking their positions on either side of it. I stand in my living room, swaying slightly, my mind struggling to process what just happened. Luna jumps down from the couch and rubs against my legs, purring softly. I stare down at her numbly. When she purrs louder, I slump to the floor, scooping her into my lap with shaking hands. “What do I do now, Luna?” Tomorrow morning, they’re going to hand me over to the Blue Crest Pack like a piece of property. And everyone knows what that means. They’re going to torture me. Maybe for information about our pack’s weaknesses, maybe just for the fun of it. And when they’re done, they’ll kill me. I think about Harper’s tears, her desperate pleas. She is terrified of what the Blue Crest Pack would do to her, but she’s willing to let them do it to me instead. “This is what my whole life has amounted to,” I tell Luna, my voice hollow. “Twenty-four years of existence just so I can be sacrificed to save someone more important.” Luna purrs and nudges my chin with her head. “What’s going to happen to you when I’m gone?” I stroke her soft fur, my heart breaking. “Who is going to take care of you?” The thought of Luna starving to death in this cottage, waiting for me to come home, makes tears burn in my eyes. Maybe I should ask Selene to look after her. But will she even be allowed to associate with anything connected to me once I’m gone? I consider my options, but there aren’t many. The cottage is surrounded by guards. Even if I could sneak out, where would I go? Into the Wyvern Woods at night? That’s suicide. And Alpha Gareth would just hunt me down anyway. I’m trapped. Hours pass in numb silence. I can’t even cry. I feel so empty. I try to sleep but keep startling awake at every sound outside. Around midnight, exhaustion finally takes over, and I doze fitfully on the couch with Luna curled against my chest. I wake to the soft creak of my front door opening. My eyes snap open, my heart hammering. Luna tenses in my arms, but she doesn’t hiss or run—which means whoever is entering isn’t a threat to her. Two figures slip into my home like shadows. In the dim moonlight filtering through the windows, I can just make out their shapes. “Selene?” I whisper. “Shh,” comes Daciana’s voice. “The guards are out cold, but we don’t have long.” I sit up carefully, still holding Luna. “What are you doing here?” Selene moves to my front window and peeks through the curtains. “Daciana drugged their water. They’ll be unconscious for maybe an hour, if we’re lucky.” “We’re getting you out of here,” Daciana says, her voice tight with urgency. “Now.” “I don’t understand. Why are you—” “Because I know what my uncle is really planning,” Daciana cuts me off. “This isn’t just about saving Harper.” She moves closer, and in the moonlight, I can see the fear in her dark eyes. “Alpha Gareth wants a war with the Blue Crest Pack,” she continues. “He’s been planning it for months. But he needs justification—something that will make the other packs support him.” I blink at her. “What are you saying?” “He’s sending you to die, Astra. He knows they’ll torture and kill you. And when they do, he’ll have his excuse to attack them.” Daciana’s voice breaks slightly. “He’s using your death as a pretense for war.” The room spins around me. “But Harper—” “They devised this plan right after you asked to be released from the pack,” Selene whispers from her position by the window. “They’re going to pretend that you are more powerful than Harper and send you.” I stare at them, my mind reeling. “So, when Harper begged me to take her place...” “She doesn’t know. She thought they really were going to send her. Evil bitch. She had no problem sending you to your death.” Daciana looks like she wants to shed the woman’s blood. “Take this.” Selene thrusts a vial into my hands. “There are seven doses. You need to ingest one drop per day. It’s going to obscure your scent. I stole it from Healer Morrigan. We’re going to take you to the edge of the territory line in the Wyvern Woods, where you will ingest one drop. Then, we’ll get you away from there as fast as possible. This potion will make everyone believe that you went into the forest. Nobody will chase after you in there. Not even Alpha Gareth.” “But they’ll track me down to Turnville—” “Does anyone know any details about your human?” Daciana replies. I shake my head silently. I even gave these two only sparse details about Andrew and his proposal. My friend gives me a grim smile. “Then they’ll be chasing their tails. That is, if any of them figures out you didn’t actually go into the Wyvern Woods. Here.” Daciana hands me a bag of coins. “It’s not a lot, but we both had some savings, and we pooled them for you.” Tears flow from my eyes as I throw my arms around the two of them. “Thank you.” They hug me back, but only briefly. “Let’s go.” Selene takes Luna from me and puts her in the basket as I grab my small knapsack and my herbs. “Go to the human town,” Daciana says hurriedly. “Find your boyfriend. Live there. Disappear.” “Daciana,” Selene whispers urgently. “Now!” Daciana pulls me toward the door, then stops, gripping my shoulders. “Astra, listen to me. Don’t ever come back here. Ever. Promise me.” “I promise.” FREE in Kindle Unlimited! One-click now to dive into a world of royal intrigue, forbidden love, and fated bonds that defy all odds! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Perfect For Readers Who Love: ✔️ Runaway brides and forbidden love ✔️ Fated mates with a deadly twist ✔️ Cold, duty-bound Alpha heirs who fall for the one they’re supposed to hunt ✔️ Tense, slow-burn romance with sizzling chemistry ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Each book in this series delivers intense, slow-burn romance, powerful fated mates, and heroes who will stop at nothing to claim their love.