Chapter 2 THE WEIGHT OF A PROMISE

The sound of the wind screaming through the woods awakened me up. My surroundings were a blur-cold, dark, and strange. My head ached, and I gasped as a piercing pain pierced my chest when I attempted to move.

The rough roughness of my clothing served as a terrible reminder of what had transpired as I reached up, my fingers shaking as I touched my flesh. The conflict. Demon. I was alone, on the brink of some unknown doom, as the Alpha who was meant to be my mate, my companion, had disappeared into the pandemonium.

A hand clutched my arm, and I recoiled, reflexively yanking away. A piercing voice broke through my bewilderment. "Lyra."

I tried to concentrate by blinking. Above me, my father stood with a worried expression on his face. For a brief while, the icy stare softened, yet it was enough to give me a chestache. With a tight voice, he said, "You're alive." "That's what counts."

I struggled to breathe due to the ache in my chest, but I forced myself to get up. Right now, I couldn't afford to be weak. The agreement. The connection. The stakes were high.

"What took place?" I strained to sit up and inquired in a scratchy voice. My mind raced, but I couldn't deny the moment's intensity.

My father continued, "You were attacked," looking about me as if he was waiting for something or someone to come out of the shadows. "By a wild wolf." The demon's group had already moved back.

A wild wolf? The language was nonsensical. However, my father's icy eyes returned to me before I could ask any more questions. "You must stand up. Right now. We've wasted time.

His comments seemed like a big stone resting on my shoulders. Weakness was not an option. No time to heal. Not when I was being compelled to play a part I didn't want. I hardly knew this guy, much less trusted him, and this position would tie me to him.

"You're not returning, are you?" More to myself than to him, I muttered. "You won't just abandon me with him, will you?"

As he stepped closer, my father's jaw tightened and his eyes darkened. "Lyra, this is your only option. It is necessary to uphold the deal. You no longer have a choice in where you go with Demon. It is essential.

I wanted to yell at him and scream that this wasn't fair, that I wasn't ready to give up everything, and that I didn't belong with the Blackfangs. However, the reality struck me like a ton of bricks: there was no other option. It was essential to the survival of our pack.

"But... I didn't-"

"You will," he cut in, his tone severe. Remember what this is about. Whether you like it or not, you will carry out your obligation. Your feelings are not as important as the alliance.

I resisted the urge to cry out, and my chest constricted. This life and this responsibilities were not things I had requested. However, it appeared that my father was intent on dragging me into the thing that I was most afraid of.

With a trembling voice, I said, "I don't understand." "Why me? Why must I be the one to make all the repairs? Why not another person? Why don't you?

Something dark that I hadn't seen in a while flashed in his eyes. "Because," he continued quietly, "your destiny was predetermined at birth. You were selected by the Moonstone.

The words sliced through me like a knife, and I froze. "The Moonstone?"

With an inscrutable face, my father nodded. "This was always supposed to include you. The only way to break the curse that has kept our pack trapped for generations is to break this treaty and this bond with the demon.

I felt my stomach churn as the weight of his words sank in. The curse. The one that had haunted our family for as long as I could remember. My heart beat faster, but this time it wasn't from the pain. It was fear. A fear that I had no control over my own destiny. A fear that I had been nothing more than a pawn in a game I didn't even understand.

"And if I don't... if I can't do this?" My question was hardly audible above a whisper. The thought of not fulfilling my father's expectations, of defying the Moonstone, sent a cold shiver through me.

"You'll doom us all," he replied flatly, as if the answer were as simple as breathing.

The world felt like it was collapsing around me.

I stood, my legs trembling beneath me, and tried to steady my breath. "Then what do you expect me to do, father? What if I am unable to?

He didn't answer right away. Instead, he moved closer, his gaze hardening once more. "You will go to him. You will make him see reason. You will bind our packs together, or else everything we've fought for will crumble. The Blackfangs are stronger than we are, Lyra. You know that. If we don't honor this alliance, if we don't have their support... we'll lose everything."

The realization hit me like a wave crashing against the shore. This wasn't just about me. This was about my entire pack, about the lives of everyone I cared about. The stakes were higher than I'd ever imagined.

I thought of Demon then, the dark figure that had haunted my thoughts ever since the moment we met. There was something about him, something that made my wolf stir deep inside me. But I didn't know him, not really. And the thought of being bound to him, of sharing a life with a stranger who could be so much more powerful than me, terrified me.

But my father's words echoed in my mind, drowning out all other thoughts: *You will do this.*

I couldn't fight it. I had no option.

"Fine," I answered, my voice firm despite the fury roaring within me. "I'll go."

My father nodded once, pleased. "Good. You depart at daybreak. No more delays."

As I turned to walk away, the weight of what I had just committed to set me, and for the first time, I wondered whether I had just made the worst mistake of my life.

As I made my way back to the clearing, the jungle seemed strangely still. The wind had slowed down, and the only sound was the crunch of my boots on the frost-covered ground. I felt like I was marching toward my fate, toward a future I couldn't control.

But then I heard it-a faint growl, like a whisper, from behind me.

I swung around, my pulse hammering, but saw nothing in the shadows.

Except for the tiniest flash of eyes-eyes that sparkled, only for a second, before vanishing into the darkness.

I wasn't alone.

And I was being watched by someone or something.