The slap came out of nowhere—loud, sharp, and stinging like fire.
My head snapped to the side, my lips bursting open in a rush of blood. I staggered back, my vision blurry from the hit.
Agnes didn’t even flinch. She grabbed my hair, yanking my head back so hard I thought my neck might snap.
“You ungrateful little brat,” she spat, her voice venomous. “I raised you, fed you after your useless father died, and this is how you repay me?”
I could barely breathe, my heart pounding against my ribs. Blood dripped from my split lip, but I didn’t dare wipe it away.
Her grip tightened in my hair, pulling me to my knees. “I’ve done my part. And now it’s your turn to repay me. You think you’re going off to that fancy university, huh? With your little scholarship and plans to work part-time? You’re gonna make something of yourself?”
I gasped for air, trying to push words past the lump in my throat. “Please, Agnes—don’t sell me. I’ll work harder. I’ll pay you back. Just don’t—”
She yanked harder, dragging me across the floor until I was staring up at her. “I’m done, girl. You think you can escape? No. You’re worth a hell of a lot more to me dead or alive. A large sum, too. Lucian Blackthorn will pay for you. And you’ll shut up and do what you’re told, or I’ll make sure you never see the light of day again.”
The air in the room felt thick, suffocating.
I opened my mouth to beg, but no sound came out. I couldn’t. I knew she wouldn’t listen. Then
the front door creaked open. I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.
Lucian Blackthorn. The old alpha thrice my age.
“Is she ready?” His voice was low, rough, carrying a weight that made my stomach churn.
“She’s ready,” Agnes said quickly, all but shoving me toward him. “A bit stubborn, but you’ll break her in.”
Lucian’s dark eyes scanned me from head to toe, and I felt stripped bare under his gaze. “She’ll do,” he said simply.
I wanted to scream, to run, to fight—but one look from him froze me in place. I knew what would happen if I refused. Agnes had made it clear.
“Say goodbye to your old life,” Agnes said with a smirk, her voice dripping with false sweetness. “Not that there was much to miss.”
The carriage ride to Lucian’s estate was silent. He didn’t speak, and I didn’t dare. The heavy gold band on my finger felt like a shackle, a cruel reminder that I was now his property.
The estate loomed ahead, a massive stone fortress surrounded by dense forest. It was beautiful, in a cold, forbidding way.
“Don’t think about running,” Lucian said suddenly, his voice breaking the silence. “The woods aren’t kind to little lambs like you.”
I nodded, my throat too tight to speak.
The wedding had been a mockery. A few witnesses, a rushed ceremony, and a vow I didn’t mean. Now, as the night fell, the reality of my situation settled over me like a suffocating weight.
***
I was alone in the grand bedroom, the walls lined with dark wood and heavy curtains. The bed—a monstrosity of carved mahogany—stood in the center, its silk sheets untouched.
I sat on the edge, my hands trembling in my lap. What now?
The door creaked open, and there he was—Lucian. My breath hitched, and panic set in as every muscle in my body went on high alert.
Then the worst happened. He grabbed my arm roughly, pulling me toward him with a force that made me stumble. My body reacted on its own, trying to escape, but he was stronger.
“P-please, no!"
But his hands were everywhere—ripping at my clothes, pulling me closer. I felt sick. My pulse raced, my vision blurring, but before he could do more, his phone rang. He shoved me away in a fit of frustration.
“Dammit,” he muttered under his breath, before answering the call. “What?” he snapped, his voice low and urgent. His eyes flickered to me for a moment, and then he turned his back to take the call.
He cursed again, something about a ‘situation’ with his son. Then, he stormed out of the room, leaving me trembling and covered in bruises, blood dripping from my lips where his grip had crushed me.
The door slammed behind him.
I lay there for a while, the cold bite of reality settling deep in my bones. I didn’t know how long I was there, but an hour later, the silence was broken.
A scream echoed down the hallway. My heart stopped for a moment as I froze, listening. It was high-pitched, frantic.
I jumped up, panic clawing at me as I stumbled toward the door. But before I could reach the hallway, a servant burst into the room, her face ghostly white.
“Alpha Blackthorn… he’s dead.”
My mind blanked for a second. “What?”
“He... he collapsed. In his study. He was poisoned.”
I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. Poisoned? But—how?
The next few hours were a blur of activity. Guards rushed in and out, questioning anyone and everyone. I kept quiet, the chaos swirling around me as I replayed what had happened. Who would dare? Lucian was a monster—feared by everyone, even his own pack. But now he was dead. And on our wedding night no less.
One of the guards approached me. “Did you see anything?”
I shook my head, my voice barely a whisper. “No…”
His gaze lingered, sharp and suspicious, but he moved on.
And as the night dragged on, one thought kept running through my head: Lucian's death had spared me from a fate worse than death itself. But at what cost?
