I spun to face him. “You’ll get nothing from me. I'd rather die than let you take my daughter.”
He grinned wider. “That can be arranged.”
---
Moments earlier, I’d been outside that door, heart pounding, body pressed to the wall, straining to hear the voices inside. Tension had already been brewing in our lands—too many uneasy run-ins with neighboring packs, too many strange scents at the borders. And now, this.
I had followed my instincts to Kael’s quarters under the silver gaze of the moon, only to stop cold when I heard voices—his, and another I instantly recognized.
Varian.
The last Alpha I’d ever trust.
“You know the price, Kael,” he had said. “I’m offering you a choice. The boy… or your daughter.”
Caia’s name nearly sent me through the door right then. I had pressed my hand against my mouth, praying I misheard.
But then Kael’s voice came, low and unsure.
“If I give you Caia… is that it? No more demands?”
“You have my word,” Varian replied coolly. “I’m nothing if not reasonable.”
And then… the moment my heart shattered.
“I choose Caia.”
---
Now, back in that room, I stood between them and the unthinkable.
But before I could speak again, Kael grabbed my arm.
“You can’t stop this.”