I had only been in bed for an hour when I felt the mattress sink beside me under the weight of a new body.
My eyes flew open my heart beating fast. I felt like my heart was about to fly out of my chest. Someone was in my room.
For a moment I thought I was dreaming until the strong smell of cheap whiskey hit my nose.
Before I could even draw a breath to scream I felt rough hands brush and grab my waist. My heart was hammering against my ribs. I turned away quickly reaching out to turn on the lamp by my bedside.
The bulb flickered to life. I felt my blood run cold and my stomach drop.
It was Darren, my stepbrother.
He sat there his shirt half open and his eyes bloodshot. The smell of alcohol stuck to him like a skin.
"Miss me sister?" he said.
"Get out," I told him, my voice quiet and threatening.
But Darren did not budge. Instead he let out a bark of laughter and moved closer invading my space until every breath I took was heavy with the scent of alcohol.
I fought back a wave of nausea.
Darren whispered, taking my wrist
"Relax you should be thankful, not many would dare touch the Alpha's useless daughter."
I felt rage surge through my chest. I swung at him with my claws ripping through the air and tearing deep into his forearm. Darren hissed, jumping back as blood began to bead on his skin.
He didn't let go. If anything the pain made him meaner. He lunged, slamming me back into the mattress and pinning my wrists over my head.
I fought like an animal, kicking, biting, twisting but he had been trained as a pack warrior since he could walk.. While I had spent three years playing the role of the weak wolfless orphan just to stay under the radar.
His grip shifted to my throat squeezing until I was seeing stars.
Then something inside me snapped.
It was not a choice it was an explosion, a primal violent surge of power ripped through my veins and a growl vibrated in my chest that did not sound human.
The windows rattled in their frames the floorboards shook. Darren froze, the cocky smirk vanished, replaced by undiluted terror.
"You…" his voice cracked, "You have a wolf?"
For three years that lie was my shield. If the pack knew the true heir still held the Alpha's power they would have buried me next to my father a time ago.
I pushed him away with force that he lost his balance and fell back across the room. "I said get out " I told him it was not a request it was an Alpha's Command.
That morning felt like a funeral. I walked into the council room prepared for a shouting match. The scene waiting for me was much worse. My stepmother, Eveline was draped at the head of the table wearing diamonds that I knew for a fact had been stolen from my mother's jewelry box. Darren stood behind her looking smugly satisfied with himself. Between them sat a sheet of paper. It looked like a contract.
"What is this?" I asked, my voice a whisper. Eveline sighed, as if I were an inconvenience. "You really need to learn your place, dear."
Darren poured himself a glass of amber liquid not even looking at me.
"We sold you " he said. The air left my lungs "You... What?"
Eveline said, "Your father left this pack in ruins we have debts to pay so consider this your contribution to the family."
I looked down and one name was written at the bottom of the document in jagged ink: Kael Draven.
The room went cold. surely my eyes were deceiving me they wouldn't be that cruel.
Every wolf in the territories knew that name they called him the Butcher, the Beast of Draven Ridge he was the Alpha who did not just win wars he erased bloodlines.
I whispered, "You sold me to him?" My knees began to give out. Eveline shrugged, "He offered a price we could not refuse."
I said, "You can't do this the Queen outlawed bride trafficking years ago this is not legal."
Darren leaned over the table his eyes dark
"Who do you think you are going to tell, Aria?"
No one will believe a girl who pretended she didn't have a wolf for three years.
I checked around at the room of pack warriors that stood on guard the same men who had sworn their loyalty to my father not one would meet my gaze.
I said, "I am the daughter of the Alpha " in one last attempt to make him back off.
Darren roared, "And I am the Alpha now"
The sheer force of his voice from the power he'd stolen sent a shiver of submission through my body. My wolf snarled in my head wanting to rip his throat out. The pack bond forced me to go still.
"Kael Draven will arrive at sundown " Darren said,
"You will be packed and ready if you are lucky maybe he'll just keep you as a mistress, if not..."
he smiled and it was the cruelest thing I had ever seen "at least you won't be our problem anymore."
I didn't wait for another word I turned and bolted.
I locked myself in my room sliding down the door until I hit the floor. The tears finally came, hot, angry and terrified. My wolf was pacing in the back of my mind a shadow of fur and teeth.
"we should kill them all she hissed. "I know " I whispered into the room "I know " but I was one girl, against an entire pack.
I grabbed my phone my fingers shaking hard I could barely type but there was only one person left who had not betrayed me.
I sent a message to Lucy "I'm in trouble." The response was almost instant "What did they do?" I took a breath the name of the monster coming to claim me burning in my mind "They sold me to Kael."