Chapter 3 Three

Chapter 3

Aria

I didn't sleep that night.

How could I?

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Darius standing in front of me, telling me I would be handed over to the Lycan King. His words kept playing in my head, reminding me that my life no longer belonged to me.

By sunrise, I had made a decision.

I would escape.

I didn't know where I would go, and I had no money or friends outside the Blackthorn Pack. But I would rather face the dangers of the forest than let Darius sell me like an animal.

I waited until the footsteps outside my door faded before moving toward the window again. This time, I didn't climb out immediately. I searched the room for something useful and found an old bedsheet in the bottom of the wardrobe.

I tied one end around the bedpost and pulled hard to test it.

It held.

My hands were shaking as I secured the other end around my waist. I had barely lowered myself through the window when I heard a shout from inside the room.

"She's escaping!"

My heart jumped.

I moved faster, lowering myself toward the ground. The bedsheet slipped through my fingers, burning my palms, but I refused to let go.

Then the knot came loose.

I fell the last few feet and landed hard on the grass.

Pain shot through my ankle, but I forced myself up. I didn't look back as I ran toward the garden wall.

I could hear the guards shouting behind me.

"Stop her!"

"She's heading for the eastern gate!"

I pushed through the bushes, ignoring the branches scratching my arms. The eastern gate was only a short distance away. If I could reach it, I might be able to disappear into the nearby village before anyone caught me.

I was almost there when someone grabbed my hair.

I screamed as my head jerked backward.

"Where do you think you're going, little runaway?"

One of the warriors dragged me away from the gate. I kicked and fought, but he was much stronger than I was.

"Let me go!"

"Not a chance."

He pulled me toward the packhouse, where two more guards waited. One of them grabbed my injured arm, and I winced.

"Be careful!" I snapped.

He laughed.

"Careful? You should be grateful the Alpha hasn't ordered us to break your legs."

My stomach twisted.

They dragged me inside and threw me into a chair in the main hall.

A few minutes later, Darius appeared at the top of the stairs.

He looked perfectly calm, as if he hadn't just ordered my life away.

His eyes moved from my dirty dress to my bleeding palms.

"You tried to escape."

I glared at him.

"What did you expect me to do? Wait happily for you to sell me?"

His expression hardened.

"Watch your tone, Aria."

"Or what? You'll sell me twice?"

One of the guards stepped forward, but Darius raised his hand to stop him.

For a moment, he simply stared at me.

Then he came down the stairs and stopped in front of my chair.

"You have no idea how much trouble you've caused."

I laughed bitterly.

"Me? You're the one selling me to a stranger!"

"The Lycan King is not some ordinary stranger."

"That makes it worse!"

My voice cracked, but I didn't care.

"I've heard stories about him. People say he kills anyone who disobeys him. They say he has no mercy, even for his own warriors. You know that, don't you?"

Darius said nothing.

I grabbed his sleeve.

"Please. Don't send me there. I'll do anything you want. I'll leave the pack and never come back. You won't have to see me again."

He pulled his arm away.

"The agreement has already been made."

"Then cancel it!"

"You think I can simply cancel an agreement with the Lycan King?"

"At least try!"

His jaw tightened.

"You are not worth risking my entire pack."

The words cut deeper than I expected.

I slowly released his sleeve.

Of course.

That was all I had ever been to him. A burden. A problem. Someone who could be discarded whenever keeping her became inconvenient.

Darius turned to the guards.

"Take her back to her room. Make sure she doesn't leave again."

"No!" I jumped to my feet. "You can't keep me locked up!"

Two guards seized my arms.

I struggled, but they dragged me toward the stairs.

"Darius!"

He didn't turn around.

"Please!"

The main doors opened behind him, and Selena walked into the hall.

She stopped when she saw me being dragged away.

"What's happening?" she asked.

"Your stepsister tried to escape," Darius replied.

Selena looked at my bleeding hands, then at my face.

For a second, I thought she might say something in my defense.

Instead, she sighed.

"Aria, why can't you just accept things? You're only making this harder for yourself."

I stared at her.

"You knew he was going to do this."

She frowned.

"Do what?"

"Sell me to the Lycan King."

Her eyes flickered toward Darius.

It was a small movement, but I saw it.

She knew.

"You don't understand the situation," she said.

"Then explain it to me!"

She stepped closer, lowering her voice.

"Darius is trying to protect the pack. If giving you to the king saves hundreds of lives, isn't that better than letting everyone suffer?"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"So my life means nothing?"

"That's not what I said."

"But it's what you mean!"

Her face hardened.

"You've always been selfish, Aria. Everything has to be about you."

I stared at her in disbelief.

Selfish?

I had spent my entire life giving up things so she could have more. I had swallowed every insult from her mother, accepted every punishment my father gave me, and stayed silent whenever she treated me badly.

And now she was calling me selfish because I didn't want to be sold.

I stopped fighting the guards.

There was no point.

They dragged me upstairs and locked me inside my room again.

This time, I didn't approach the window.

I sat on the bed and stared at the wall, trying to understand how my life had fallen apart so quickly.

Then I remembered my pendant.

I pulled it out from beneath my dress.

The silver crescent caught the morning light, and for a moment, I thought I saw a faint red glow beneath its surface.

I rubbed it with my thumb.

"What are you hiding, Mother?" I whispered.

I had asked myself that question countless times since she disappeared.

Why had she left me? Why had she never returned? And why had my father become so angry whenever I mentioned her?

I had no answers.

All I knew was that I couldn't trust anyone in this pack anymore.

A loud horn sounded outside.

I rushed to the window.

A black carriage had stopped in front of the packhouse. Four dark horses stood at its front, their bodies covered in polished armor. Several armed warriors surrounded the carriage, and a royal crest was painted on its door.

My heart began to race.

The Lycan King's carriage.

He had come for me.

I backed away from the window, shaking my head.

"No. No, please."

Footsteps sounded in the hallway.

The door opened, and Darius entered with two guards.

"Get up," he ordered.

I clutched my pendant.

"I don't want to go."

"That's no longer your choice."

He gestured toward the guards.

They grabbed my arms and pulled me to my feet.

I tried to resist, but they were too strong. One held me while the other fastened a pair of silver cuffs around my wrists.

The metal touched my skin, and I gasped at the sudden sting.

"Why are you putting those on me?"

"Orders," one of them replied.

I looked at Darius.

"You really think I would run away again?"

"I don't intend to take that risk."

I wanted to slap him again. I wanted to scream until the entire pack heard what he had done to me.

Instead, I swallowed my tears and let the guards lead me downstairs.

The packhouse was crowded when we reached the main hall. Several warriors watched me with pity, while others looked away.

No one stepped forward.

Not even my father.

I searched the crowd for him, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Perhaps he couldn't bear to watch me leave.

Or perhaps he simply didn't care.

The guards pulled me through the front doors.

The morning air hit my face, and I saw the royal carriage waiting at the bottom of the steps.

A tall man dressed in black stood beside it. He had a sword at his waist and a scar running across his cheek.

When he saw Darius, he bowed slightly.

"Alpha Blackthorn."

"Your arrival is appreciated," Darius replied.

The man glanced at me.

"Is this the woman?"

Darius nodded.

"Aria Vale."

The royal guard studied me for a moment before opening the carriage door.

"Get inside."

I looked at the carriage, then back at Darius.

"Please," I whispered one last time. "Don't do this."

He met my eyes without a trace of regret.

"Go quietly, Aria. It will be better for everyone."

Something inside me went still.

I had begged him enough.

I straightened my back and lifted my chin.

If he wanted me gone, I would leave without giving him another tear.

I stepped into the carriage.

The door slammed shut behind me.

A moment later, the horses began to move.

Through the small window, I watched the Blackthorn Pack disappear behind us. The place where I had spent my entire life was becoming smaller with every passing second.

I didn't know whether I would ever return.

And for the first time, I wasn't sure I wanted to.

The journey lasted several hours. The farther we traveled, the thicker the forest became. Tall trees blocked the sunlight, and the road grew rough beneath the carriage wheels.

I sat with my hands clenched in my lap, trying to ignore the ache in my wrists.

Then the carriage suddenly stopped.

I lurched forward.

"What happened?"

No one answered.

I heard horses screaming outside, followed by the clash of metal.

My heart pounded.

"What's going on?"

A loud crash shook the carriage.

Someone shouted, "Protect the prisoner!"

Another voice answered, "Forget the guards! We need the girl alive!"

My blood turned cold.

The girl?

They were talking about me.

I scrambled toward the opposite seat just as an arrow pierced the wooden door.

I screamed.

The carriage tilted sharply, and I fell against the wall. The door burst open, letting in a rush of cold air.

A masked man appeared in the doorway.

His eyes fixed on me.

"Found you."

I tried to crawl away, but he reached inside and grabbed my ankle.

"Let go!"

I kicked him in the face.

He cursed and tightened his grip.

Then a low growl shook the forest.

The masked man froze.

So did I.

The sound came from somewhere behind him, deep and terrifying. It was unlike anything I had ever heard from an ordinary wolf.

The man slowly turned his head.

A shadow moved between the trees.

Then a powerful voice rang through the forest.

"Touch her again, and I'll tear your throat out."

The masked man released me.

A tall figure stepped out of the mist, dressed in black, his dark coat moving in the wind. Several warriors followed him, their weapons drawn.

The masked attackers began to retreat.

One of them raised his blade, but the stranger moved too quickly for me to follow.

A sharp cry cut through the air.

The man fell.

The others dropped their weapons and ran into the forest.

The stranger didn't chase them.

He walked straight toward the carriage.

I pressed myself against the wall, trembling as his shadow fell across the doorway.

He was tall, broad-shouldered, and dressed like someone who was used to giving orders and watching people obey.

When he looked at me, I forgot how to breathe.

His eyes were fixed on my face.

For one strange moment, he seemed unable to move.

Then he took a slow breath.

A low growl rose from his chest.

"Mate."

The word was barely audible, but I heard it.

My heart stopped.

No.

It couldn't be.

The stranger stepped closer, his gaze dropping to the silver pendant at my neck before returning to my face.

Something changed in his expression.

His eyes darkened, and the air around him seemed to grow heavy.

Then he held out his hand.

"Come with me, Aria."

I stared at him, unable to understand how he knew my name.

"Who are you?" I whispered.

His gaze never left mine.

"Kael Draven."

The Lycan King.

The most feared ruler in the kingdom was standing before me.

And he was looking at me as if I were the one person he had been searching for his entire life.