“I know the laws,” I snapped. “No Alpha can reject theit Soul Bond without consequences for both parties.”
“The Alpha loses his position, and his mate loses her life,” my father finished gravely. “A harsh price for denying the Luna’s choice.”
Before I could answer, another knock interrupted us. My chief security officer entered without waiting for permission, his expression tense,
“Alpha, the girl at the gate… she’s still refusing to leave. She says she needs to speak with you about her brother. What are your orders?”
“Bring her in,” I said finally.
The guard nodded and left quickly, seemingly relieved to have clear instructions.
After my father left, I returned to the window. The guards were approaching Erin now, helping her toward the main entrance. Even from this distance, 1 could see how badly she was shivering, her dark hair plastered to her pale face, clothes clinging to her slender frame.
Something twisted in my chest at the sight–something dangerously close to concem. I squashed it immediately.
This was business. Nothing more.
Twenty minutes later, the door to my office opened again. Two guards entered first, flanking a third figure who looked so small between them that för a moment I thought they’d brought in the wrong person.
Erin stood in my office, soaking wet and visibly trembling. Her clothes–cheap jeans and a thin sweater–were completely saturated, water pooling around her feet on my expensive carpet. Her dark hair hung in wet ropes around her ashen face. Her lips had a bluish tinge that spoke of hours in the cold rain.
Despite her pitiful state, she held herself with a certain dignity, chin up, shoulders straight. Only the occasional violent shiver betrayed just how cold she truly was
“Leave us,” I ordered the guards.
They hesitated, exchanging uncertain glances. “Alpha, she’s not well. Perhaps medical attention—”
I looked at them coldly.
They bowed slightly and backed out, closing the dour behind them.
Alone with her now, I was struck again by her scene. My wolf stirred, pushing against my
by control. I tightened my grip on the edge of my desk, knuckles turning white with the effort of restraining him.
“You have live minutes,” I said coldly. “Explain why you’re here.”
Erin’s teeth chattered as she tried to speak, the sound grating against my nerves. “R–restore my b–brother’s p–position,” she finally managed to stammer out, P–please
“You stood in the rain for hours to ask for your brother a job back?‘ I raised an eyebrow. “He’s lucky I didn’t have him exiled”
“He d–didn’t do anything w song,” she insisted, wrapping her arms around herself in a futile attempt to stop shaking.
“His sister disrupted a sacred binding ceremony and made a false Soul Bond claim against the Alpha,” I replied sharply. “As your closest male relative, he bears responsibility for your actions.”
Her eyes flashed with sudden anger. “It w–wasnt false
I moved around the desk, approaching her slowly. She tensed but held her ground, even as I invaded her personal space.
“So you maintain that I–the Alpha of the Darkwood Pack–am somehow destined to be paired with a nobody from a middling family with no political connections, no wealth, and no standing? I kept my voice deliberately cutting.
She thot bark, surprising me with her baldness. “I d–don’t want to be tied to someone who c–clearly hates me.” A particularly violent shiver ran through her body. “But my w–wolf recognized you. I e–couldnt control it”
