Chapter 2

Elena POV:

My question echoed off the vaulted ceiling of the Silver Hall, making Burdell squirm in his carved throne as the nobles whispered among themselves.

Seeing that I remained completely composed instead of weeping on the floor, Kade's jaw tightened. He took another heavy step forward, his hand resting on the pommel of his sword.

"Lord Burdell!" Kade barked, his voice dripping with threat. "Either Carmen takes her place at this altar today, or the Warren Pack tears up every trade and military treaty with the Rich Pack!"

Up on the dais, Concetta caught the eye of Elder Beatrice, the robed priestess officiating the ceremony, and gave her a subtle nod.

Elder Beatrice stepped forward and slammed the iron base of her ceremonial staff against the flagstones. The dull thud silenced the hall as she used her religious rank to suppress the crowd.

"My Lord Alpha," Elder Beatrice intoned, her face a mask of pious authority. "The Moon Goddess witnesses all unions. Since a rift has appeared in this bond, following the young Alpha's will to change the bride is the only righteous path to preserve peace between both packs."

I turned my head toward the old woman who had clearly pocketed my stepmother's gold, letting a cold sneer settle on my lips.

"Following his will?" I asked aloud. "Using betrayal and scheming to soil a sacred vow—Elder Beatrice, when did your holy staff become a tool for backroom deals?"

Stripped of her righteous mask in front of hundreds of nobles, Elder Beatrice's wrinkled face turned beet red. She raised a trembling finger and pointed her staff at my nose.

"Insolent whelp! How dare a wolfless cripple question the judgment of an Elder of the Moon!"

To crush my defiance once and for all, Kade unleashed the full weight of his high-ranking Alpha aura. In werewolf society, an Alpha's spiritual pressure was a genetic weapon meant to force lower-ranking wolves into physical submission.

The invisible storm slammed into the altar area. Three low-ranking servants near the pillars gasped for air, clutching their chests as their knees buckled, dropping them onto the cold stone with muffled groans.

"Kneel and learn your lowly place!" Kade snarled through clenched teeth, pouring his spiritual power directly onto my shoulders.

A dull ache flared inside the bone crevices of my broken left knee as the damaged nerves screamed under the heavy air.

The knowledge I had regained from my years in the interstellar world allowed me to understand exactly how my body responded to the pressure. I drew a slow breath and adjusted my posture, shifting my center of gravity to reduce the strain on my injured leg. I used the arch of my right foot and the support of my left heel to stabilize my stance, carefully aligning my joints to keep my body upright.

I wasn't immune to his Alpha aura. Without an Inner Wolf, I had no natural defense against it. But I knew how to make the most of the body I had.

My knees didn't bend a single millimeter. I lifted my chin and looked down at Kade's contorted face as if examining a specimen on a metal tray.

"You think this weak, hollow pressure is enough to make me bow my head?" I let out a dry laugh.

Kade's pupils shrank to pinpricks. It looked like he couldn't comprehend how a defective girl without an Inner Wolf could stand her ground under his direct Alpha Command.

Yet the threat of losing the Warren alliance was enough to break the man on the throne. Burdell's eyes darted wildly across the hall, panic washing over his fleshy face at the thought of losing his military backing.

Concetta seized the moment, leaning her soft body against Burdell's arm and speaking in a syrupy voice.

"My Lord Alpha, think of the pack's survival. Carmen is loved by all. Swapping the bride is the only way to save both families."

Burdell wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, his shifting eyes settling into a look of cowardly compromise as he opened his mouth to agree.

Watching my father prepare to sell me out for his own comfort, I reached inside my wide sleeve, my fingers brushing a roll of parchment as I prepared to demand a price they could never afford.