Chapter 2 Two

HAZEL

"You're insane!"

Noah's voice followed me as I stepped out of Jessica's bedroom, but I didn't turn around. My palm was burning from the two slaps I'd given him, yet I didn't regret either of them. For once, I had stood up for myself, and despite everything, a small part of me felt satisfied.

That feeling didn't last long.

As soon as I reached the hallway, my hands started shaking. I pressed them against my stomach, trying to steady my breathing while the truth settled inside my chest. Three months. They had been sleeping together for three months. How many times had Noah kissed me after touching Jessica? How many times had he looked into my eyes and told me he loved me?

My stomach twisted, and I swallowed hard against the nausea.

The bedroom door flew open behind me.

"Hazel!"

Noah came rushing out, struggling to pull his shirt over his shoulders. "Wait!"

I turned just as he reached for my arm. "Don't touch me."

"Hear me out."

"There's nothing to hear."

He grabbed my wrist, but I immediately pulled away. My eyes landed on Jessica's designer purse sitting on a nearby table. Without thinking twice, I picked it up and threw it at his head. It hit him with a loud thud, making him curse as he rubbed his forehead.

"Stay away from me!"

I turned and walked away before he could say another word. I didn't want to hear his excuses or another explanation for why he had decided to betray me. I had already heard enough.

My father's office was at the end of the eastern hallway. I pushed the doors open without knocking and found Alpha Mitchell Moore sitting behind his large wooden desk. Diana was beside him, holding a cup of tea.

Both of them looked up.

"What's the meaning of this?" my father demanded.

I ignored his tone. "Did you know about Noah and Jessica?"

Silence followed.

Diana slowly lowered her cup, while my father stared at me without showing the slightest surprise. He didn't even bother pretending he had no idea what I was talking about.

"Yes."

I blinked, wondering if I'd heard him correctly. "You knew?"

"Keep your voice down."

"You knew Noah was sleeping with Jessica?"

"Yes, Hazel. I knew."

My mouth fell open. I looked between him and Diana, waiting for one of them to explain that there had been a misunderstanding. Nobody did. My father simply returned his attention to the papers on his desk as though we were discussing something unimportant.

"How long?" I asked.

"That isn't important."

"How long, Father?"

He sighed impatiently. "Three months."

My knees almost gave out. Three months. Even my own father had known about the affair, and he had allowed me to continue believing I was loved.

"Why?" I whispered.

He leaned back in his chair. "Noah is one of our strongest warriors. The pack has invested years into training him, and he has a promising future."

I stared at him, struggling to understand what that had to do with my relationship. "And Jessica?"

"Jessica has a wolf. She's a suitable match for him."

I almost laughed. Was he seriously discussing my relationship as though he were choosing a new warrior for the pack?

"What about me?"

He didn't answer, but his thoughts filled my head.

Wolfless. Useless. Unwanted.

My chest tightened as another thought followed.

She has no future here.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Then why did you keep me at all?"

His expression darkened. "Watch your tone."

"No!" The word escaped before I could stop it. "For twenty-two years, I've tried to make you proud of me. I've done everything you've asked. I've stayed quiet when Diana insulted me, endured Jessica's cruelty, and accepted being treated like I don't belong in my own home. And now you've allowed her to take the only person I thought cared about me?"

My voice broke, and I hated myself for it. I didn't want to cry in front of him, but the pain was becoming too much to hold inside.

Diana placed her cup on the table. "Don't be dramatic, Hazel. Noah has made his choice."

I turned toward her. "Stay out of this."

Her expression hardened, but before she could respond, my father slammed his hand against the desk.

"Enough!"

I flinched.

He opened a drawer and pulled out a black envelope before pushing it across the desk. The silver wax seal immediately caught my attention. I recognized the crest stamped into it, and my stomach tightened.

"The Blackwood crest?" I whispered.

"There's something else you need to know," my father said.

I stared at the envelope. "What is this?"

"An invitation."

"To what?"

Diana smiled, and the sweetness of her expression made my stomach twist. "Alpha Lucas Blackwood is selecting a bride."

I looked at her before turning back to my father. "And?"

"Jessica was originally invited to attend the selection."

I frowned. "Then why are you telling me?"

My father folded his hands on the desk. "Because you'll be going in her place."

For a moment, I thought I had misunderstood him. "What?"

"Alpha Lucas has requested six potential brides. You'll be one of them."

I stared at him, unable to process his words. Alpha Lucas Blackwood was the ruler of Blackwood Pack, a powerful Alpha whose name alone was enough to frighten other Alphas. People called him the Demon Alpha, and there were terrible stories about the women who had entered his castle before me.

Six women had reportedly gone to his castle.

None had returned alive.

"You're afraid he'll kill her," I whispered.

Nobody answered.

I looked at Diana, then at my father. Their silence was already telling me everything I needed to know. I could hear my father's thoughts clearly.

Jessica is too valuable to risk.

My throat tightened. "And if I die?"

My father didn't move. Diana lowered her eyes, pretending to be interested in something on the table. Neither of them offered me an answer, but my father's thoughts came again.

If she dies, we lose nothing.

Something inside me broke.

"No."

My father raised his head. "What did you say?"

"I said no. I'm not going."

His expression turned cold. "Hazel, this isn't a discussion."

"I won't go!"

I stepped backward, my heart pounding so hard that I could barely hear anything else. My father rose from his chair, and the pressure of his Alpha aura immediately settled over the room.

"Guards!"

The office doors opened, and two warriors entered. Before I could move, one grabbed my right arm while the other seized my left. Pain shot through my shoulders as they tightened their grips.

"No! Father, you can't do this!"

"Take her."

I struggled, kicking one of them in the shin. He cursed but didn't release me. I twisted my body, trying to pull free, but the warriors were stronger.

"Stop fighting!"

"Get off me!"

I turned my head and sank my teeth into the wrist of the warrior holding my right arm. He shouted in pain, and his grip loosened immediately. I stumbled backward, nearly knocking over a chair. For one brief second, I was free, and I thought I could run.

Then something struck the back of my head.

White pain exploded behind my eyes. My knees buckled, and the room tilted violently. I reached for the desk, but my fingers only brushed its edge before I crashed onto the floor.

My vision blurred as I heard someone approaching.

"Make sure she's ready before morning," my father ordered.

I tried to lift my head. "Father..."

My voice was barely audible, but he didn't come closer or even look down at me. Instead, his final thought reached my fading mind.

Finally. That problem is taken care of.

My eyes filled with tears before the darkness swallowed everything.

When I woke up, I was no longer in my father's office. A strange ceiling stretched above me, and for several seconds, I couldn't remember where I was. Then everything came rushing back: the ritual, Noah, Jessica, my father's betrayal, and the black envelope.

I sat up too quickly and winced as pain spread through my head. Looking around, I noticed the luxurious bedroom, the expensive furniture, and the thick curtains covering the windows. Someone had changed my clothes while I was unconscious.

A navy silk gown lay across the bed.

Before I could reach for it, the door opened.

A middle-aged woman entered, looking at me without any warmth. "You're awake."

I watched her cautiously. "Who are you?"

"Madam Alison. I'll be guiding you through today's ceremony."

My stomach dropped. "Today's ceremony?"

I looked toward the window and saw sunlight streaming through the curtains. How long had I been unconscious?

"Where am I?"

"Blackwood Pack."

My blood ran cold, and I pushed myself off the bed. "No. I don't want to be here."

Madam Alison looked at me without sympathy. "Your father has already completed the necessary arrangements."

I stared at her, unable to believe how easily she said it. "Please. Take me home."

She sighed. "Get dressed, Miss Moore. Alpha Lucas doesn't appreciate being kept waiting."

I looked at the navy gown before raising my eyes to the woman standing in front of me. My father hadn't simply abandoned me. He had delivered me to the man everyone feared, and nobody intended to let me leave.