Aurora POV:
Fenton Fields stared at me.
The silence stretched, thin and taut, ready to snap. I held his gaze, my heart hammering against my ribs. I could not, would not, look away. To do so would be to admit defeat.
From the front row, a sharp voice cut through the tension.
"Alpha, she has lost her mind!"
It was Beatrice Fields, Caden's aunt. Her face was a mask of concern, but her eyes glittered with opportunistic malice. "A wolfless girl cannot just make such a demand—"
Fenton did not even glance at her. He simply raised a hand, a small, dismissive gesture that silenced her as effectively as a gag. Beatrice's face flushed blotchy red, and she shrank back into her seat.
His gaze shifted, just for a moment, to his mother. A silent question passed between them.
Augusta gave a slow, almost imperceptible nod. I heard her murmur, her voice low but firm. "The law is the law. She is right. We owe her this."
That was all the approval he needed. The steel returned to his posture. He turned his attention back to the crowd, his voice booming with the authority of a true Alpha, leaving no room for argument.
"She is correct. The honor of House Fields will be upheld."
His eyes found mine again. "Your demand is granted."
A wave of shocked gasps rippled through the audience. I felt a tremor of relief so profound it almost buckled my knees. The first hurdle was cleared.
"Bring Gideon and Jasper forward," Fenton commanded.
A flash of pure, unadulterated joy lit up Beatrice's face. Jasper was her son. If I chose him, her branch of the family would be elevated.
The two young men were both strong and handsome, and most importantly, unbound Alphas. They stepped out from the crowd and ascended the altar. They were the image of high-born wolves, tall, broad-shouldered, with the casual arrogance of those who have never known hardship. They looked at me with a mixture of pity, curiosity, and a faint, insulting hint of disdain.
"They are the finest of this generation, and close to you in age," Fenton said flatly. "Choose."
This was it. The moment everyone expected. The pathetic, wolfless girl, gratefully accepting the scraps from the Alpha's table. Beatrice was practically vibrating with anticipation, her lips parted as if to shout her preferred son's name.
My gaze swept over them. Gideon, the elder, had a warrior's build. Jasper, just a little younger than me, had a gentle smile. Either of them would have been considered a magnificent match for any she-wolf in the territory. A month ago, a week ago, even an hour ago, I would have wept with gratitude for such compensation.
They were strong, yes. But they were useless to me now.
I looked from one to the other, then slowly, deliberately, shook my head.
"No," I said. My voice was quiet, but in the charged silence, everyone in the front row heard it, their expressions turning to confusion.
Beatrice's triumphant smile froze and shattered. Gideon and Jasper stared at me, their handsome faces slack with disbelief. To be publicly refused by a wolfless girl was an insult they had never conceived of.
Fenton's eyebrows rose a fraction of an inch. "Why?"
My gaze traveled past the two stunned young Alphas, past the shocked faces in the crowd. It settled, once and for all, on the one man whose power dwarfed all others.
No maidenly blush touched my cheeks, no hint of romance in my eyes. Only the cold, hard calculus of survival.
"Because Gideon and Jasper together are still not enough to repay what the Fields family owes me," I stated. "I was to be the mate of the future Alpha. The next Luna of the Black Forest Pack."
I met Fenton's stare directly. "To bind myself to either of them would make me the wife of a lesser Alpha. That is not equal compensation."
I held Fenton's gaze unflinching, watching the recognition dawn on his face. He was no longer looking at a victim. He was looking at a wolf who had just grown fangs.
"Since your son is a deserter," I said, each word hanging in the cold air, "then you will complete the transaction."
I raised my hand and extended my index finger, pointing directly at his chest.
"I demand to be the Luna of this territory. I choose you, Alpha Fenton Fields."
