(Isara’s POV)
Hours passed. The laughter below slowly faded until the pack house fell silent.
My parents retired to one guest chamber. Brienne took the other. And Xavian… I knew exactly where my Alpha would be.
My throat felt dry. I needed water, but I forced myself to wait a little longer to be certain everyone slept.
At last, I slipped from the bed, crept down the stairs and entered the kitchen. I poured water from the stone basin into a glass.
Then I heard Xavian’s low voice drifting from his study.
“I do not care what it takes. Keep her under the sleep spell.”
I froze, the glass halfway to my lips.
“No. I do not want her waking,” he said coldly. “I pay you enough gold to ensure that.”
My heart pounded against my ribs.
“The spirit watchers detected brain activity? Then increase the potion. I do not want her conscious. Ever.”
I slowly set the glass down and moved closer. The study door stood slightly open.
“You fail to understand,” Xavian hissed. “Sariah is a threat. If she wakes, everything collapses.”
Silence. Then his voice again. “Yes, I know it breaks healer law. That is why I will triple your payment.”
Another pause.
“Because she saw me,” he snapped. “She saw me with Brienne months ago. She threatened to tell Isara. So I dealt with it.”
My hand flew to my mouth.
“The carriage crash was no accident,” Xavian said without emotion. “I forced her off the mountain road myself. She should have died, but the old woman survived. Now she lies in a coma and she must remain there.”
No…
“If she wakes and tells Isara what she witnessed, my plans shatter. Keep her asleep until after the celebration. After that, I do not care. Let her die naturally. Just make sure it cannot be traced to me.”
The call ended. His chair scraped across the floor.
I ran.
I rushed up the stairs and closed the chamber door just as his footsteps echoed through the corridor. I pressed my back against the wood, shaking.
Xavian tried to kill Sariah. He kept her trapped in forced sleep. He planned to let her die.
With trembling hands, I grabbed my communicator stone and called Raiden.
He answered on the second ring. “Luna Silverhowl. It is late.”
“I need your help,” I whispered desperately. “It is about my foster mother, Sariah. Xavian forced her carriage off the road months ago because she caught him with Brienne. Now he pays the healer to keep her in a coma. She shows signs of waking and he plans to let her die.”
Silence answered me.
“Please,” I begged. “I must move her somewhere safe. I cannot do it alone. His wolves are everywhere.”
“Where is she kept?”
“Moonfang Healing Den. Chamber 27.”
“She will be moved before dawn,” Raiden said calmly. “She will be protected.”
Relief washed over me. “Thank you. Thank you.”
“But you understand what this means, Isara.”
I closed my eyes. “Yes.”
“Speak it.”
“I accept your offer,” I said softly. “I will become your mate.”
“Good. Four days remain.”
The line went silent. I sat in the darkness, the stone still in my hand.
I had agreed to mate with a wolf I had never met. My mate’s greatest enemy.
Xavian did not know it yet, but I had become his reckoning.
I could not sleep. My mind replayed every word I heard in that study.
Then footsteps approached. A soft knock followed.
“Isara?” Brienne’s voice sounded gentle. “May I enter?”
I gave no answer.
“Isara, please. I only wish to speak.”
Silence.
“Open the door.”
The handle turned. She stepped inside.
There was a pause. Then her tone changed. The sweetness vanished.
“You look pitiful, sister,” she drawled.
I remained still.
She smirked. “Know this. The pup in my womb belongs to Xavian. He chose me.”
I slowly sat up and faced her.
A cruel grin curved her lips. “He told me how dull you are in his bed. How you never satisfied him. How he shut his eyes and imagined someone else.”
My hands curled into fists.
“And those pups?” She laughed. “Four chances. And you failed each time. What kind of she wolf cannot even carry a single heir?”
My vision blurred with rage.
“Your body must be flawed,” she continued. “Perhaps the Moon Goddess knew you would be a terrible mother.”
I rose and walked toward her.
“Xavian loves me,” Brienne said with pride. “I carry his true heir. A strong pup who will live. Because I can give him what you never could. A real family.”
I shoved her.
She stumbled back, eyes wide.
“Leave,” I said coldly.
“You vicious creature,” she hissed. “How dare you.”
“I said leave.”
I slammed the door shut and locked it. Silence followed. Then footsteps moved down the hall.
I returned to the bed and sat down.
Suddenly, a heavy thud echoed below. A scream pierced the air.
“Xavian! Help! Xavian….”
My blood turned to ice. What did she do?
The chamber door burst open so violently it struck the wall. The lock splintered.
Xavian stood there, chest heaving, fury burning in his eyes. Behind him, my parents held a sobbing Brienne.
“You pushed her down the stairs?” Xavian’s voice was dangerously calm.
“What? No!”
“She came to comfort you,” my mother cried. “To make peace. And you attacked her.”
“That is not true.” I stepped forward. “She entered my chamber and insulted me.”
“It is true,” Brienne sobbed. “I only wished to check on her. She pushed me.”
“I shoved her away from my door. I did not push her down the stairs.”
Before I could speak another word, Xavian’s fist struck my face.
The force threw me backward. My head slammed against the stone wall. Pain exploded through my skull.
Darkness swallowed me whole.
