Chapter 43
43
Riley’s POV
I woke up not to the antiseptic scent of a hospital ward … but to the cloying sweetness of artificial roses and pastel–colored .
curtains .
My lashes fluttered. The bed was too soft, the pillow too scented. Everything around me was pink. Frills, Lace. A chandelier dripping fake crystal tears above my head.
What the hell…?
I sat up too fast.
Pain seared through my shoulder like lightning, I hissed under my breath, clutching at the bandage. The white gauze was clean, but not fresh–blood was already beginning to soak through..
I pushed back the blanket and climbed out of bed.
Barefoot.
Weak.
But awake.
I crossed the room and opened the door–and then it hit me.
Ebonclaw Pack estate.
I was back.
Not in the dungeon. Not in the hospital. Not alone.
Back here
In Kael’s old bedroom–though someone had turned it into a frilly nightmare. Pink satin on every wall . Princess wallpaper. Stuffed wolves on the shelves. Like some designer had tried to cover up history with pastel lies.
My grip on the doorknob tightened.
I looked down over the stairwell.
The living room was full.
Father–Alpha Alaric–sat at the head of the pack like always, arms crossed and jaw–tight. Luna Zara by his side, back straight, expression unreadable, Scarlett practically glued herself to Mother’s side, and Kael sat stiffly on the armrest, watching something with barely restrained tension .
And then–Ronan.
Of course he was here. Ronan is Scarlett’s fiancé, serving as a bridge between the two pack alliances, so he will appear here
The Blackmaw Pack’s Alpha heir, looking every inch the polished predator–tailored suit, emotionless expression, golden eyes that missed nothing.
Scarlett was the first to notice me.
Her voice pitched high, sugarcoated as always. “Riley! You’re finally awake.”
Awake !
I stared down at them, heart still sluggish in my chest, blood like ice in my veins.
I hadn’t been sleeping .
I had been unconscious . I’d shifted. For the first time in my life, I’d felt my wolf–really felt her–and now she was gone.
I called to her, mentally, desperately.
Nothing answered.
Scarlett’s words twisted that truth into something soft and stupid.
Like I’d just taken a long nap.
I said nothing-
I simply looked at her. Cold and still .
She shrank beneath my stare, her voice trembling. “D–did I say something wrong?
Of course not. Not in their eyes.
Zara instantly reached to soothe her adopted daughter, stroking her back like I was the bully. She didn’t say a word to me, but her look said enough: You’re scaring your sister again.
Then Father spoke.
And like always, he didn’t bother softening the blow,
“You’re really standing there glaring at your sister?” he snapped. “You’re over twenty already. You sleep like the dead, and when you’re awake , you’re either stuffing your face or sulking. We brought you home yesterday and you were out cold. One full day and night passed, and still–nothing but sleep. You tell me, Riley, what exactly are you good for?”
His voice rose with each word.
“You’ve got no mate. No job. No wolf. Nothing. Just dead weight on this Pack.”
There it was.
The truth under the venom.
No wolf. No value .
They still believed it.
Didn’t matter that I’d shifted. They didn’t see it. Didn’t feel it. And now, neither could L.
My father thinks the last time I bared my claws in front of him was just for show.
He still believes I’m weak and powerless.
Also it seems my dear former mate Maddox hasn’t told them that I’ve shifted into a white wolf .
That’s fine.
It’s only fair they witness it with their own eyes.
So I stared down at him, my voice cool. “Are you done, Alpha Alaric?”
The room tensed.
He blinked, caught off guard. Probably expected me to cry , or at least look ashamed.
Instead, I turned to go back to the room.
“Don’t you walk away from me!” he roared. “Come down here. We have something to discuss.”
I didn’t want to.
Every instinct in me screamed to stay away from them. From this whole polished performance of a family.
But then I remembered.
43
The million–dollar deal.
My ticket out.
So I descended the stairs , each step measured. I took a seat in the middle of them all, like I was on trial .
I guess I was .
Father sipped his tea, voice casual. “You’re not a child anymore. It’s time you stop leeching off the Pack and do something useful. Your mother and I have arranged a match.”
My stomach tightened.
“Northridge. The Stormridge heir . You’ll marry into their family. It’s a good match for someone like you.”
Someone like me .
Meaning: a daughter without a wolf . A daughter they couldn’t parade. A daughter too troublesome to keep.
He kept talking.
-Your manners are poor. Your temper is worse. But you are still technically our blood . We’ll prepare a decent dowry. The rest
up to you.”
is
Ronan’s knuckles went white on the teacup. I saw it–the moment he realized exactly what kind of trade had been made.
His eyes didn’t flicker.
But his energy changed .
Luna Zara reached across the table, laying a hand on mine like we were close. “We’ll miss you , sweetheart. But girls your age don’t stay single forever. It’s time. You don’t want to be left behind, do you?”
I slid my hand away slowly, letting my silence speak for itself.
If this match were so desirable. why hadn’t they given it to Scarlett?
Because I was expendable.
And she was the precious, sweet–mannered she–wolf with perfect lineage and a sob story the Elders adored.
They knew I wouldn’t refuse.
Because I couldn’t afford to.
I said nothing.
But Kael exploded.
“Wait–what? You’re marrying her off to him ? Without even talking to me?”
Alaric’s face darkened .
Zara quickly cut in. “Kael, this isn’t your concern-”
“The hell it isn’t!” he snapped. “Riley doesn’t even know him. She’s not–she’s not like Scarlett. She hasn’t even fully shifted. She’s not ready-
“Enough!” Alaric thundered.
Kael’s jaw clenched. His fists curled.
And then–everyone looked at me.
Waiting for my answer.
1 lifted my chin and met Kael’s gaze. My voice rang clear.
“I accept.”
The room froze.
Zara’s lips parted in joy. Alaric gave a satisfied grunt. Scarlett blinked like she didn’t expect me to say yes, kael’s face crumpled with something dangerously close to heartbreak.
And Ronan?
His cup shattered.
Glass sliced into his palm, blood blooming bright and fast.
Scarlett gasped. “ Ronan ! You’re bleeding–Mia! Get the med kit!”
But he didn’t flinch.
He didn’t move .
He just stared at me
Like he was trying to see something through the fog .
His blood dripped steadily onto the white carpet, spreading like a rose in bloom.
And I…
I didn’t look away.
Didn’t move a muscle,
Didn’t feel a thing.
He stared at me like I was a stranger.
And maybe now I was.
Because the girl who once skipped her only national academic competition to care for him during a 39–degree fever ?
She was gone.
That Riley–the one who cried when he was sick, who dragged him to a clinic on her back, who held his hand while he slept? Buried. In the same grave where they’d put her future.
All that was left now… was this.
A girl who would marry for survival and never look back .
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